Historical Trends and fictional history

[DeadParrot]

Star Trek canon generally has Star Fleet being primarily a scientific organization that seconds as a military arm when such is needed. As such, once a war is over, one could expect to see an expansion of the scientific side while the military side is downsized. Many ships would be refitted with additional lab space at the expense of military quarters. Many ships probably have quick conversion plans to allow for fast mobilization if war is declared and equally quick resumption of science once peace is declared.

Plenty of options for NPCs of varying ages and experience. Experienced NPCs could be career scientists with a few fresh combat ribbons or true military types looking to extend their careers by switching to the science side. Young NPCs could be people that signed up to do their patriotic duty and are sticking around because of the chance of finding new stuff or just "Anything beats going back to work at Picard's winery."

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Qoltar

This is general question for any of you who know History and historical trends better than I do.

After a major war, around two years after the war are there more 'older' soldiers and sailors in the active military or more 'younger' troops and sailors?

A lot depends on whether your state comes out of the war with expanded or reduced military commitments. For example, take the US and the UK after WWII. The US had been somewhat isolationist before the War and had had a very small military; after the War it felt the need for a larger and much more active permanent military, so there were plenty of permanent jobs for wartime-service NCOs and officers who wanted to stay on as career professionals. But the UK came out of the War in straitened circumstances. Unable to afford money or manpower for its former Imperial commitments it retrenched its military. Some pre-War officers were laid off, others saw their careers stagnate.

Another thing that makes a big difference is the military model of your peacetime military. If you have a short-service army with an up-or-out promotion model (like the US Army), then at the end of a big war your veterans have exceeded their standard term of service; you de-mob them and recruit a fresh crop of teenagers. But if you have a long-service professional military you tend to find at the end of the war that your entire military hierarchy is stuffed with seasoned experts with excellent resumés, who stick around until they age out.

[Qoltar]

Aggy,

Its Starfleet, and the 'State' is the Federation just three years after a war with the Klingons that lasted close to a year.

That war was 'covered' in the first season of Star Trek Discovery". It took place from about May of 2256 to April of 2257.

- Ed C.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Qoltar

Aggy,

Its Starfleet, and the 'State' is the Federation just three years after a war with the Klingons that lasted close to a year.

That war was 'covered' in the first season of Star Trek Discovery". It took place from about May of 2256 to April of 2257.

- Ed C.

Okay. I seem to recall that that was a war fought without time for a significant wartime expansion of Starfleet — few new ships were built and few new crews recruited and trained. Whereas on the other hand Starfleet lost at least a third of its ships and crews, besides several starbases and a swathe of the senior leadership. Then after the war there was a major re-building. So we should expect to see a lot of veterans of the war promoted to replace losses in the high command, to replace superiors who were promoted in their commands, and to command and serve leadership and technical posts in new ships.

Starfleet seems to have a long-service professional model, so it isn't going to de-mob and replace a lot of short-term wartime-service personnel. On the contrary, it is going to suck all its experienced people up a grade and spread them out to provide cadre for crews as the fleet rebuilds, while post-War new recruits with abbreviated training fill out the lower ranks. Everyone is going to be less experienced than was usual before the war in the job they are doing.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by DeadParrot

Many ships would be refitted with additional lab space at the expense of military quarters.

"Why is my astrophysics laboratory a 4m wide, 50m long cylinder? That's the exact size of a PlanetBuster™ phaser mount, and Starfleet doesn't have any of those any more, they said so."

Or, and I'm stealing the core idea from John Dallman, "I'm not complaining about the spinal mount telescope, but its software still wants to line up on a target and then get a priority call for half the ship's power".

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

"Why is my astrophysics laboratory a 4m wide, 50m long cylinder? That's the exact size of a PlanetBuster™ phaser mount, and Starfleet doesn't have any of those any more, they said so."

Or, and I'm stealing the core idea from John Dallman, "I'm not complaining about the spinal mount telescope, but its software still wants to line up on a target and then get a priority call for half the ship's power".

Sort of reminds me of the "Fast Picket" from The Culture - also known as "Offensive Units (demilitarised)": former warships that have been (allegedly) refitted for civilian use, but frequently retain their ... rather single minded specialist AIs.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

Or, and I'm stealing the core idea from John Dallman, "I'm not complaining about the spinal mount telescope, but its software still wants to line up on a target and then get a priority call for half the ship's power".

Well, GURPS will accommodate you: It uses the same aiming rules for an antitank gun and a telescope . . .

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

A lot depends on whether your state comes out of the war with expanded or reduced military commitments. For example, take the US and the UK after WWII. The US had been somewhat isolationist before the War and had had a very small military; after the War it felt the need for a larger and much more active permanent military, so there were plenty of permanent jobs for wartime-service NCOs and officers who wanted to stay on as career professionals. But the UK came out of the War in straitened circumstances. Unable to afford money or manpower for its former Imperial commitments it retrenched its military. Some pre-War officers were laid off, others saw their careers stagnate.

Another thing that makes a big difference is the military model of your peacetime military. If you have a short-service army with an up-or-out promotion model (like the US Army), then at the end of a big war your veterans have exceeded their standard term of service; you de-mob them and recruit a fresh crop of teenagers. But if you have a long-service professional military you tend to find at the end of the war that your entire military hierarchy is stuffed with seasoned experts with excellent resumés, who stick around until they age out.

When you say that, don't forget to say "somewhat". Great Power competition was never America's thing until recently (probably because of geography). But from the very beginning it was involved in imperial politics.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Well, GURPS will accommodate you: It uses the same aiming rules for an antitank gun and a telescope . . .

John originally pointed out to me that using the Larger Systems rules in GURPS Spaceships did in fact allow a spinal mount telescope - and indeed for an explorer ship this makes a certain amount of sense.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

John originally pointed out to me that using the Larger Systems rules in GURPS Spaceships did in fact allow a spinal mount telescope - and indeed for an explorer ship this makes a certain amount of sense.

Hmmm. Could the telescopic optics also serve to direct a weapon-grade laser beam?