Why is Picard still a captain and Janway is Admiral?Picard as saved the Earth and the Fed for over 15years but is still a captain but Janway gets lost for a few years comes back and is now an Admiral!
I know star trek anit real but there is no why a man who as saved eveyone so many times wud still be a captain and get no rewards!
What do other people think?
And if its a silly question dont flame me am new!
Because one is not required to accept a promotion (assuming Starfleet is similar to the US Navy). Maybe Picard took Kirks advice.
Likewise, maybe Janeway had had enough zipping around the galaxy to suit her for a while.
Because Starfleet’s promotion system is outta whack. Let’s not forget that they gave Deanna “What’s a warp core” Troi a promotion during the run of the series, but not Data.
Zev Steinhardt
Well, off to a good start, you posted in the correct forum.
Welcome to the SDMB.
They gave Janeway a desk job so she wouldn’t kill people and break the Prime Directive weekly, starting war after war. Plus being a Captain is where it’s at! You can’t score with green chicks if you are an Admiral!
The military structure presented in Star Trek has about as much realism as the legal processes presented in Ally McBeal.
True, but at least with Star Trek, you can posit that a lot has happened in the 380 years between now and then that reflects the change. With Ally McBeal, you have to posit that Boston is in the universe where all the crazy wackos live. 
Zev Steinhardt
Actually, I’m pretty sure the U.S. Navy has an “up or out” system, at least for officers; officers who aren’t promoted are forced out.
We touched on this question in this thread: Questions about Nemisis (SPOILERS
Not much of a stretch, is it?
Naw, they all live in San Fran
Home of Starfleet headquarters. Coincidence?
Still on topic of startrek,I reckon there will be at least one more fiim,with staff from the other shows
Eg:Dax to replace Troi
Bashir or the EMH to replace crusher
Chakotay to replace Riker(for the love of god dont)
Kim to replace Data at ops
Becouse Troi and Riker get married(and Riker gets his own ship)
Data well you all sud know by now and crusher goes back to starfeet HQ
Getting promoted to admiral in Starfleet is a backhanded compliment. Most of the admirals seem to be guys that are too incompetent to be trusted with their own ships. Janeway and Riker’s former captain (from the “Pegasus” episode) being cases in point.
Picard gets the job done. Janeway got lost, played Gilligan’s Island 90210 in a different quadrant. Consider it the Peter Principle.
Whats the Peter Principle?
Don’t know the exact reference (bet it’s from Dilbert, though), but, seeing as how this is the second time it’s referred to incompetence in high positions, it’s probably similar to the idea of putting someone in a desk job where they can’t muck up the works.
The basic idea is that if you do well at a job, you’ll get promoted. You’ll keep getting promoted until you find yourself in a job you’re incapable of, where you’ll remain. Hence the incompetance of upper management.
… Which explains why 9 out of every 10 Star Fleet admirals is either incompetent, corrupt, or controlled by evil cockroaches.