Navy Pilot

practical subordinate disciplined authoritative hierarchical unyielding

Navy superiors hold authority over pilots like Vickie Hilton, issuing orders that maintain military discipline. Leo presses President Bartlet to uphold their decisions, arguing pilots cannot overrule them on practicality grounds. This chain of command anchors debates on obedience, precedent, and presidential intervention, pitting institutional hierarchy against concerns over order wisdom and political optics. Their referenced role reinforces the principle that superiors' directives stand unquestioned.

2 appearances

Also known as: pilots, superiors

Navy Pilot's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

2 moments

S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Shielding Berryhill's Cabinet Seat

Protective of institutional norms (inferred).

Invoked by Leo as the professional constituency for whom chain-of-command cannot be easily compromised; not present but rhetorically active in the argument.

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S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Keeping Hilton Out of the Oval

Implied defensiveness of institutional norms; concerned about erosion of command authority.

Navy pilots are referenced by Leo as an institutional voice: their unwillingness to have subordinates overrule superiors frames Leo's argument for preserving command authority.

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