The title of acting captain was bestowed upon a starship crew member placed in temporary command in the event the normal commanding officer was incapacitated or otherwise unavailable. The line of succession normally started with the first officer and continued to the second officer, and on down until somebody was fit to command. In an alternate 2371, Lieutenant Veronica Stadi was made acting captain of USS Voyager after Captain Kathryn Janeway was killed during the transit to the Delta Quadrant. (The Mysterious Case of Neelix's Lungs: "Caretaker")