Since 2IC is an acronym like XO, MRE, BDU, etc., it's written in dialogue as is. FWIW, 2IC is Canadian (British Commonwealth) military for second-in-command while XO (executive officer) is used in US military. And yes, it is spoken as two eye see.
. Thank you! I'd heard of XO (my dad was military, but a long time ago), but not 2IC; it being British explains why it flew over my head.
But... too many authors have John Sheppard referring to Lorne as his 2IC; since he's American, I guess XO would be more likely. Tsk, tsk. *frowns, then grins* .
Personally, I think 2IC snuck into fanon because British Commonwealth fen simply used their own military terms without bothering to do the research and it stuck.
Same goes for BDU. First season SG1 writers did the research and no one bothered to keep up with the changes in military terminology. (But then, neither did the show, SG1 or SGA.)
Actually, I was called LT (Ell-Tee) ALL THE TIME, and I loved it. When I was a company XO (executive officer, second in command), the company commander called me XO (Ex-Oh). Everyone else called me "Ma'am" (no more LT; I was a captain by then).
Bear in mind that my experience is in the US Army, but I've worked with people from other US services and NEVER heard the term 2IC. It drives me nutty when I see it in fiction. No idea where it came from, and I wish it could be killed with fire.
It's kinda funny; my ROTC instructor said we should never allow ourselves to be called LT, as it was demeaning and disrespectful blahblahblah. But I noticed that when the enlisted folks called a lieutenant LT, they liked and respected that person. When they were called "Lieutenant," not so much. I really missed it when I was promoted.
While we're setting things alight, can we also stop calling the SGA uniforms BDUs? They aren't BDUs. No one has worn BDUs on any of the Stargate shows since, what, season 1 of the original? BDUs have been out of the US system since 2005.
When I was in Kuwait that year, I had a British soldier ask me what the difference was between the desert camo I was wearing and the digital camo worn by others in the chow line we were in. I answered, "They're new here."
I think it depends on the branch of service, too. We never used ell-tee in the Navy, at least not when I was in. The officers that weren't respected so much were called sir or ma'am (with a certain subtle inflection) rather than by their rank. *lol*
I never heard 2IC ever used in the US. When I see that in a fic, I know the author is probably not American. When I was in, albeit a long time ago :), the second in command was always referred to as the XO.
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Thank you! I'd heard of XO (my dad was military, but a long time ago), but not 2IC; it being British explains why it flew over my head.
But... too many authors have John Sheppard referring to Lorne as his 2IC; since he's American, I guess XO would be more likely. Tsk, tsk. *frowns, then grins*
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Same goes for BDU. First season SG1 writers did the research and no one bothered to keep up with the changes in military terminology. (But then, neither did the show, SG1 or SGA.)
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Bear in mind that my experience is in the US Army, but I've worked with people from other US services and NEVER heard the term 2IC. It drives me nutty when I see it in fiction. No idea where it came from, and I wish it could be killed with fire.
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While we're setting things alight, can we also stop calling the SGA uniforms BDUs? They aren't BDUs. No one has worn BDUs on any of the Stargate shows since, what, season 1 of the original? BDUs have been out of the US system since 2005.
When I was in Kuwait that year, I had a British soldier ask me what the difference was between the desert camo I was wearing and the digital camo worn by others in the chow line we were in. I answered, "They're new here."
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