A formal reprimand was a disciplinary action taken by Starfleet against officers or cadets who undertook unauthorized actions. It usually took the form of a written statement (aka "letter of reprimand") placed in the offending officer's permanent file by their superior, noting the improper action for future reference. While a reprimand typically carried no other immediate punishment, it could affect the offender's future career opportunities, such as promotions to a higher rank or position.
In 2151, Hoshi Sato had a leave of absence from Starfleet while she taught in Brazil. When Jonathan Archer wanted to order her to return, she told him he could only forcibly recall her after a reprimand which in turn would exclude her from serving on an active vessel. (ENT: "Broken Bow")
In 2152, after losing his communicator on a pre-warp planet, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed told his commanding officer Jonathan Archer that he was prepared for any reprimand he would give him due to his carelessness. (ENT: "The Communicator")
Later that year, Travis Mayweather worried that he might be the recipient of a reprimand on his record after he became late for his duty shift on Enterprise NX-01 when Dr. Phlox kept him in sickbay for quite a long time obsessing over his headache. (ENT: "Singularity")
In 2154, Commander Charles Tucker teased Malcolm Reed by suggesting that he would file a reprimand for disobeying a direct order. Reed countered that if this would have gone through, "it could be years before he would even be eligible for..." though he didn't finish his sentence. (ENT: "United")
In 2367, Worf was given a reprimand by Captain Jean-Luc Picard for his killing of Duras which, while legal under Klingon law, was tantamount to murder under Federation law and thus considered improper conduct for a Starfleet officer. (TNG: "Reunion")
In 2368, Rear Admiral Brand put a formal reprimand in each of Cadets Wesley Crusher, Jean Hajar, Sito Jaxa, and Nicholas Locarno's permanent records after they covered up evidence that they participated in an illegal maneuver called the "Kolvoord Starburst", which cost the life of Cadet Joshua Albert. (TNG: "The First Duty")
In 2370, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge was given a reprimand by Captain Picard for violating orders and reconnecting himself to the interface probe in an attempt to find his mother. (TNG: "Interface")
That same year, Lieutenant Commander Data, in the role of acting captain of USS Enterprise-D, took Lieutenant Worf to task for his vocal objections to Data's orders. He stated that if Worf did not feel capable of carrying out his role of first officer, he would give the job to La Forge instead and return Worf to Tactical, but would enter it as a transfer and not a reprimand. The two, however, were able to work out the disagreement. (TNG: "Gambit, Part II")
In 2373, Captain Benjamin Sisko stated that if Dulmur and Lucsly from Temporal Investigations wanted to put a letter of reprimand in his file for going up to James T. Kirk and speaking to him briefly in 2268, they were free to do so. However, Dulmur admitted that he probably would have done the same thing if given the opportunity. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
In 2374, Lieutenant Commander Worf received another formal reprimand from Starfleet Command after he failed to meet with Dominion informant Lasaran and instead took his injured wife, Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax, back to Deep Space 9 for treatment. Captain Sisko told Worf that, as Lasaran had information that could have saved millions of lives, Worf would probably never receive his own command. (DS9: "Change of Heart")
In 2375, Captain Kathryn Janeway put a formal reprimand in Ensign Harry Kim's record after he had intimate contact with Derran Tal. (VOY: "The Disease")
See also[]
External links[]
- Reprimand at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- Letter of reprimand at Wikipedia