Those of you who, like me, are veterans of military service will recall officers have privileges not accorded (shall we say) non-officers; and Nerv is, at the very least, a paramilitary organization--albeit one which employs lots of civilians. Yet, it seems to me, Langley isn't accorded the respect customarily due a military officer: Katsuragi and other authority figures, officers and equivalent civilians alike, treat Langley with no more respect than they do non-officers or civilians of lesser equivalent rank.
For example: Langley is never consulted on anything, included in planning sessions nor put in charge of anything; neither does she live in quarters set aside for officers and equivalent civilians. Mind, I realize this is all make-believe; but one would think Hideaki Anno and his staff would have at least a passing grasp of how a military (or paramilitary) organization works. "Rank has its privileges" is a very old and very true saying.
So, what's going on with that? Is Langley's rank of captain just an honorary title, like Kentucky Colonel? I can't imagine the European Air Force promoting someone to captain without good cause; and a captain in Europe should be a captain in Japan as well, deserving all privileges due a military officer.
This isn't something which keeps me up at night, to be sure. But I'm interested in learning your thoughts on this matter. Thank you!
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