Re: To command the bigger ship...
Originally posted by Polanski
* Kirk started with Constitution (if I am not mistaken, my knowledge on TOS is somewhat rusty) and always commanded a state of the art at the time vessel. I was unable to find any records of his previous commands.
* Picard got Galaxy class (one of the three that existed at the time) after a tour of duty on the USS Star Gazer, no previous command record is mentioned, at least non that I could find.
* Sisko gets the station and few years later the USS Defiant, then gets to command the fleet during the war engagements.
* Janeway gets Interpid class as her first command, she comes from scientific background and gets USS Voyager with her fourth pip.
* Archer, well, again, no known command history (at least not yet) and her gets the NX-01, that pretty much kicks ass of everything in the area.
Kirk: According to some non-canon sources, Jim Kirk was a lieutenant commander on the Farragut when he performed an act of great heroism and was meritoriously promoted to captain and given his own command. What little was established about Kirk's service history was that he served on the Farragut from approximately 2254-2263. It's widely believed that the Farragut was a Constitution-class heavy cruiser, lending credence to the idea he was given the Enterprise because of his famliarity with the class.
Picard: The Okudachron (where I get much of my chronology information) suggests that Jean-Luc took command of the Stargazer in 2333, at age 28. That, by itself, should suggest that he was a "superstar" officer at that point. (Note that this was two years before Riker and La Forge are even born! 
) The Stargazer was lost in 2355, and Picard didn't assume command of the Enterprise until late 2363 or so. No intermediate command was listed. So, given that information, it's easy to see how Picard gained command of the Enterprise, since he had at least 22 years of command experience on a starship.
Janeway: Unfortunately, I know very little about Janeway's background (my copy of the Okudachron ends in 2368), but Rizzen is spot on IMO. Since Kathryn was a science officer, it would be natural for her to gain command of a small exploratory vessel (light explorer or exploratory cruiser) as her first assignment.
Archer: Jonathon took command of the Enterprise mainly, IMO, because the NX project was effectively his baby. Remember, his father was the lead researcher in the Warp 5 project before his death, and Jonathon followed in his footsteps. It's only natural that he take command of the ship that he designed and built.
A modern navy experience requirements info would be much appriciated as well, (that means you Sea Tyger)
Who....me??
The Navy uses a "qualification" system to prepare officers for command. The first stage is the officer's warfare pin. For aviators, it's as simple as getting their wings (becoming qualified pilots). For ship drivers, they must learn about every aspect of their ship and shipboard operating procedures to earn the Surface Warfare Officer pin. Submarine officers go through the same process to earn their Undersea Warfare Officer pin. During this time, officers work as division officers, rotating between departments as they learn shipboard operations.
After qualifying for their warfare specialty, the officer eventually moves up to a department head position. (At this point I'm going to drop talking about aviators for a while, because I just don't know much about how the individual squadron works). The officer must also spend some time working on Joint Warfare requirements (attending classes at NPS, the Staff Officer school, Naval War College, etc., and spending one tour in a joint command, working with officers of the other branches).
After doing all of this, the officer is ready to get an XO billet. This can be on almost any ship, since most XOs are lieutenant commanders, regardless if the CO is a commander or a captain.
After the XO tour (and probably another joint operations tour), the officer is finally eligible to be considered for a command of his own.
Frigates and Destroyers: Commander
Cruisers: Captain
Carriers: Captain (and must be an aviator)
Fast Attack Submarines: Commander
Ballistic Missile Submarines: Captain
The first command would probably be one of the smaller vessels (a destroyer , frigate or light auxiliary vessel for SWOs, a fast attack sub for submariners). Many officers will get a shore assignment after their first command, then take command of a larger vessel after that (cruisers, boomers, etc.).
This is where I bring the aviators back into the picture. Once eligible for command of a ship (after being a squadron CO and, probably, an CVW CO), an aviator captain will probably get command of a large auxiliary vessel (like the ship I served on, USS Milwaukee {AOR-2}). They get this type of command to learn how to drive a "deep draft" ship. The aviator would then be eligible to take command of a carrier. Only aviators are eligible to take command of carriers, because of the need for intimate knowledge of flight operations.
After commanding the larger vessels of their type, some officers would then rise to become commodores. "Commodore" is the rank reserved for a captain who is in command of a type squadron (destroyer squadrons for SWOs, submarine squadrons for submariners).
At rear admiral, officers would then get command of cruiser-destroyer squadrons, carrier task forces ("battle groups"), and logistics groups (for supply ships).
That should give you a good progression from commission to group command.
Davy Jones
"Frightened? My dear, you are looking at a man who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe! I was petrified."
-- The Wizard of Oz
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