r/DaystromInstitute 18d ago

How does Starfleet Command training work?

How are Command Division Officers trained in Starfleet? I know they go to Command School, but is there any explanation as to how long it is or how Command candidates are chosen? Is it an undergraduate degree? Grad school? The canon and noncanon information is all over the place. Tilly was chosen for Command training on Disco, but Picard graduated from the Academy with a Command and Control Diploma, as seen in Picard S1. How do you envision the Command training program to be, in terms of acceptance, length of training, and level of completed training needed to be accepted? Can just anyone accepted into the Academy choose to major in Command, or is it more exclusive? How so?

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u/AdjectiveNoun1235 18d ago

I'd imagine it'd be like training for any other MOS or specific specialized job in the military or similar organizations. Lots of classes, then apprenticeship/OJT type stuff.

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u/khaosworks JAG Officer 18d ago

And how you get there is a combination of tutor recommendations and offered aptitude tests to get into the desired track.

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u/SyFyFun 18d ago

Do you think it’s an Academy undergrad track or they’re chosen after they’ve graduated?

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u/khaosworks JAG Officer 18d ago

It's probably like pre-med as an Academy thing. You do the foundational stuff during the Academy, then get assigned to a proper position on a starship following graduation and continue your training.

For example, Saavik was taking the Kobayashi Maru likely as an Academy command exercise while still wearing cadet colors, and she was assigned as a command officer on Grissom during ST III (she was wearing white command colors).