Starfleet Jedi

I've seen scaleings of planet side action questioned on the premise of not knowing how far up the starship in question is.

An order I remember hearing often on the show is to assume a "standard" orbit, so I'm wondering how much evidence we have of just how high that is?

one example I have in mind is from the Savage Curtain (TOS)

Kirk-Yes, if I recall, your Union Army observation balloons...
were tendered 600 or so feet high.
We're 643 miles above the surface of this planet.
Lincoln-You can measure great distances that closely?
Kirk-We do, sir.
-Spock(?)-643 miles, 2,02 1 feet,
2.04 inches at this moment,
using your old-style measurements.
Lincoln-Bless me!

http://www.voyager.cz/tos/epizody/78sav ... ntrans.htm

However it isn't indicated as a standard orbit at any point, though the planet takes up similar proportions to what we typically see

Does anyone else have any examples, or for that matter think it's a useful line of research.

How long is a piece of string?

It could be at any distance from the planet based on the planet's magnetic field, the planet's gravity field, the planet's size, the planet's atmosphere and even the proximity of local natural satellites. The fact is that it may well be a contextual thing based on the parameters of the planet, and 'standard orbit', is the mere standard for 'optimal orbit' programmed into the computer. I very well may be wrong, but a standard orbit doesn't strike me as being based on an arbitrary figure as much as a relational integer to the general parameters of the planet, star, moon or Big Dumb Object in question. You might end up having accidents otherwise

Of course, what I say is probably a bit baseless, and I haven't sat down to watch an episode of Trek in quite some time, but it makes more sense to me to set a series of parameters and integers based on possible factors of the object. That's my opinion on it, anyway.

Yeah, I had considerd the option that it may be situational, but I wanted to see if there was evidence either way, for instance if a similar range of figures occurs repeatedly.

In TOS, the following reference to orbital altitude comes from "The Deadly Years" [Season 2]:


KIRK: Oh, Mister Sulu. Increase orbit to twenty thousand mile perigee.
SULU: You mean another twenty thousand, Captain?
KIRK: I fail to understand why each one of my commands is being questioned. Now do as you're told, Mister Sulu.
SPOCK: Mister Sulu, what is our present position?
SULU: Orbiting at twenty thousand, sir.
KIRK: Maintain.
SULU: Maintaining, sir.

Previously reference had been made to maintaining a standard orbit about planet Gamma Hydra IV, which is an Earth-like class M planet. No reference is given to the orbit's apogee. So 20 thousand miles (32,180 km) is the only orbital parameter we have here.
-Mike