with the Honor Harrington example, it might be noted that it's at least partially a Justified Trope as Mc Keown wasn't passed up for command of the Fearless due to the Admirality being morons, but (from what I recall) because he wasn't actually qualified to command a hyper-capable ship yet. (in the Honor Harrington books, you had to pass a Commanding Officer's Course to command a Destroyer, then the Advanced Tactical Course (or by EXTREMELY lucky) to command a Light Cruiser. Mc Keown clearly hadn't, so...) It's possible he had been passed over for the opportunity to take the course, but considering how badly he himself admitted he handled his disappointment, it's possible that he wasn't seen as ready to command a ship until then.
with the Honor Harrington example, it might be noted that it's at least partially a Justified Trope as Mc Keown wasn't passed up for command of the Fearless due to the Admirality being morons, but (from what I recall) because he wasn't actually qualified to command a hyper-capable ship yet. (in the Honor Harrington books, you had to pass a Commanding Officer's Course to command a Destroyer, then the Advanced Tactical Course (or by EXTREMELY lucky) to command a Light Cruiser. Mc Keown clearly hadn't, so...) It's possible he had been passed over for the opportunity to take the course, but considering how badly he himself admitted he handled his disappointment, it's possible that he wasn't seen as ready to command a ship until then.