Suicide_King said:

Ok, Castle is my favorite show, even over Burn Notice, which is saying something.  But I hate, HATE the new captain.  Captain Call Me Sir……seriously?  Has she been Knighted by the Queen?  Does she have a p*nis of which we are not aware?  I am a former Marine Captain, and I very much respected my superior officers, but I never had any female tell me to address her as Sir.  The ones that I am still in contact with find the very idea ludicrous, and faintly insulting.  So, while I hope I haven't offended anyone here, I'm just putting it out there that maybe it's a bad idea.

SK

Welcome to these boards, SK!

We've discussed this, and there is a wide range of opinions, but I hope I'm not being presumptuous with this summary. Generally, while many don't like Capt. Permafrost, most are seeming to appreciate what her presence is forcing the gang of four to do – that is, they are working more closely with each other and becoming a tighter team. I happen to like her – as a character in the story, not in real life. I once worked for someone who was somewhat like that, and I stayed out of her way – she is now a State Representative.

grapes said:

You can ask yourself if it matters if gender is an issue when someone has a rank. If Gates was a man he would be called sir. Gates being a woman and wanting to be called sir indicates to me that she wants to be treated equally like men. Just like mentioning a women has got balls isn't meant literally but that is how the expression goes and people will understand that. So maybe to Gates it means that she got that rank because she earned it the way it is supposed to be earned and she wants to be respected for that. That may be a little too strong for anyone's taste but then again she supposed to be a strong character.

I agree it is a little discombobulating to call a woman "Sir" but it's not unusual, I guess.  It's mainly up to Gates and if that's what she wants, her subordinates have to comply.  And I agree with grapes' thoughts above in bold.  She's not someone who wants to be treated as a female Captain, but rather as a Captain.  Also, a co-worker of mine who retired from a local police department as a Corporal said she had some males calling her sir and she didn't correct them if that was their habit.  But all she really cared about was that they did their jobs properly. She didn't really care how they addressed her.

I think she's just being a pain in everyone's behind. Bosses like her should be reported to their superiors by every single person working under them. It's horrible to work at a place where your work is never appreciated or respected by those in command. I've been there. I'd have no problem if she were the next casualty in the war against the person that ordered all the murders surrounding Johanna Beckett's death. None at all. She's an unnecessary thorn in everyone's side. If they wanted to bring in a new Capt…that's fine. But make it someone that knows how to work WITH her people and not against them.All I've seen, is her causing everyone undue stress on the job, when their jobs are already among the most stressful anyway. That's not how a true leader should work.

And I couldn't agree more about the 'sir' thing. If she wants to be a man so badly, let her go get a sex change. THEN and only then would I address her as sir. Until then I'd choose the other alternative and call her captain. IMO, again, it's disrespectful to the female gender to expect anyone to address you as they would your male counterpart.

Today I was rewatching 3XK and there's a scene where Captain Montgomery "tells" Beckett to keep Gates (Marcus) from lawyer-ing up.

After she leaves, Castle asks him how she can do that, and he answers quietly by saying that he doesn't think she can.

Now lets replay that scene with I'm The Boss Gates ….

Ms. Gates storms out of her office and says … "KEEP HIM FROM LAWYER-ING UP!!!!!! !!!! !!!!!! !!!!  – and GET HIM TO CONFESS TOO!!! AND MAKE HIM CHANGE HIS NAME – I'M NOT SHARING!  I'M GOING TO CALL THE MAYOR AND TELL HIM THAT WE HAVE 3XK!!" and she bungees back into her office.

 The contrast is amazing. And I know who I would work my a$$ off for and who gets my minimal effort.

I think the new captain is filling an appropriate role in the show.  Yes, I thought she was annoying, but I am also seeing her slowly thaw with each episode.  Like others pointed out, she definitely forced the core team to work more tightly together.  I suspect the writers are planning some events that will make her more personable, and maybe give us a glimpse into her head that illuminates the "sir" thing.  They seem to be pretty clever, so I am sure they had her insist on being called "sir" on purpose and it connects to something we will learn about the character this season.  And think about the personal relationship Montgomery had with Beckett for a minute.  If something crazy had happened and Beckett and Castle had had a breakthrough and started making out in the precinct after solving a big case Captain Montgomery would have watched with a small smile on his face and thought "finally that girl might be happy".  But if such a thing happened now with Captain Gates she would flip out, and Castle might even be booted.  A really different atmosphere at the "home base" for their relationship could create some really fun situations for us as they start playing more with each other again like at the end of 4x10.

And Detective Eve Dallas in the "In Death" books is also called 'Sir'.