On the first episode of Star Trek: Voyager, when Ensign Kim first met Captain Janeway, he called her, "sir." Janeway corrected him and then said she'd prefer to be addressed as "captain" instead of "ma'am." However, over the course of 7 seasons, she was called "ma'am " all the time.
I remember three specific episodes in which she was addressed as "sir." Tuvok once said, "aye, sir" when ordered to do evasive maneuvers, in "Living Witness," she was addressed as "sir" (though it was in an alternate reality), and also at the end of "Workforce Part 2" when she ordered Tom Paris to set a course and he replied, "aye, sir."
What's with Starfleet having female superior officers being addressed as "sir?" It also happened in Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan with Lt. Saavik being called "mister" and "sir."
Does this happen in the militaries of various countries today? What would happen if a soldier addressed a female superior officer as "sir " today? This intrigues me and I'd like to know what the rest of you think. Thanks!
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