Departments & Positions
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Command (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
The Command department is ultimately responsible for the ship and its crew, and those within the department are responsible for commanding the vessel and representing the interests of Starfleet.
Commanding Officer Ultimately responsible for the ship and crew, the Commanding Officer is the most senior officer aboard a vessel. S/he is responsible for carrying out the orders of Starfleet, and for representing both Starfleet and the Federation. First Officer The liaison between captain and crew, the First Officer acts as the disciplinarian, personnel manager, advisor to the captain, and much more. S/he is also one of only two officers, along with the Chief Medical Officer, that can remove a Commanding Officer from duty. In the Challenger-era, this role is secondary to a Bridge role, though they may cede their "Chief" role to an assistant in order to do their First Officer duties. Coalition Liaison The Coalition Liaison is a senior staff member of the NX-03 Challenger, but is a secondary role. Held by a non-Human, non-Starfleet officer, this person has elected to act as (or been assigned) as the officer who communicates with their counterparts within Coalition forces. The character should have a complementary role on ship as their primary role. -
Helm (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
Responsible for the navigation and flight control of a vessel and its auxiliary craft, the Helm division includes pilots trained in both starship and auxiliary craft piloting.
Chief Helmsman Helm incorporates two job, Navigation and flight control. A Helm Officer must always be present on the bridge of a starship. S/he plots courses, supervises the computers piloting, corrects any flight deviations and pilots the ship manually when needed. The Chief Helm Officer is the senior most Helm Officer aboard, serving as a Senior Officer, and chief of the personnel under him/her. Helm Officer Helm incorporates two job, Navigation and flight control. A Helm Officer must always be present on the bridge of a starship, and every vessel has a number of Helm Officers to allow shift rotations. S/he plots courses, supervises the computers piloting, corrects any flight deviations and pilots the ship manually when needed. Helm Officers report to the Chief Helm Officer. Shuttle Pilot This is an Enlisted position. Shuttle Pilots are in place to pilot shuttlepods, inspection pods and most other extravehicular craft. They also help maintain the shuttlepods and shuttle launch bays, coordinating with engineers and operations personnel. -
Armory (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
Merging the responsibilities of ship to ship and personnel combat into a single department, the armory division is responsible for the tactical readiness of the vessel and the security of the ship. In modern wartime it shares some of these duties with the MACO attachment, especially when belligerent forces are expected.
Chief Armory Officer Her/his duty is to ensure the safety of ship and crew. Some take it as their personal duty to protect the Commanding Officer/Executive Officer on away teams. She/he is also responsible for people under arrest and the safety of guests, liked or not. S/he also is a department head and a member of the senior staff, responsible for all the crew members in her/his department and duty rosters. Brig Officer The Brig Officer is an Armory Officer and the Assistant Armory Chief who has chosen to specialize in a specific role. S/he guards the brig and its cells. But there are other duties associated with this post as well. S/he is responsible for any prisoner transport, and the questioning of prisoners. Armory Deputy There are several Armory deputies aboard each vessel. They are assigned to their duties by the Armory Chief and mostly guard sensitive areas, protect people, patrol, and handle other threats to the Federation. -
Engineering (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
The engineering division has the enormous task of keeping the ship working; they are responsible for making repairs, fixing problems, and making sure that the ship is ready for anything.
Chief Engineer The Chief Engineer is responsible for the condition of all systems and equipment on board a Starfleet ship or facility. S/he oversees maintenance, repairs and upgrades of all equipment. S/he is also responsible for the many repairs teams during crisis situations.
The Chief Engineer is not only the department head but also a senior officer, responsible for all the crew members in her/his department and maintenance of the duty rosters.Engineer The Assistant Chief Engineer assists the Chief Engineer in the daily work; in issues regarding mechanical, administrative matters and co-ordinating repairs with other departments.
If so required, the Assistant Chief Engineer must be able to take over as Chief Engineer, and thus must be versed in current information regarding the ship or facility.Damage Control Specialist The Damage Control Specialist is a specialized Engineer and is Enlisted personnel. The Damage Control Specialist controls all damage control aboard the ship when it gets damaged in battle. S/he oversees all damage repair aboard the ship, and coordinates repair teams on the smaller jobs so the Chief Engineer can worry about other matters. Systems Specialist With most stationed the Computer Control Room and the various subprocessor vaults, Systems Specialists are Enlisted staff that have focused their training on maintaining, upgrading, repairing, diagnosing and the writing of code and subroutines for the ship's various computer and interfacing systems. If Main Engineering is the heart of the ship, these personnel work in the ship's brain. Propulsion Specialist Propulsion Specialists are Enlisted staff that have focused their training on maintaining, upgrading, repairing, diagnosing the thruster, impulse and warp engines, as well as the propulsion on the shuttlepods. If Main Engineering is the heart of the ship, these personnel work in the locomotion- its legs. Most work in the warp nacelle control rooms, or the impulse drive rooms, though it is likely they move from engine room to engine room. Matter-Energy Specialist With most stationed in Main Engineering or monitoring the antimatter pods and deuterium tanks, Matter-Energy Specialists are Enlisted staff that have focused their training on monitoring, maintaining, repairing and regularly diagnosing the ship's fuel and energy generation and storage systems- including the warp core and the impulse fusion systems. -
Science (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
From sensor readings to figuring out a way to enter the strange spacial anomaly, the science division is responsible for recording data, testing new ideas out, and making discoveries.
Bridge Science Officer The Bridge Science Officer serves as the principle scientist aboard the ship, who serves in a role on the Bridge. Most are generalists or focus on the "Space Sciences," as those skills are most needed for interpreting sensor data in the day to day. The Bridge Science Officer is not the "Chief Scientist" as its impossible for someone to be an expert in all sciences. However, it is their job to take the data given to them by the Science division and distill it into mission-usable data by the command-level staff. Space Sciences Space Scientists are those who study aspects of outer space, the laws that govern it, and the bodies found within. Most specialize in a discipline: some may focus on quantum physics, string theory, wave theory or a number of other structural theorems. Others focus on subspace or stellar dynamics. Others- Stellar Cartographers- synthesize sensor data and construct new star maps for Starfleet. The Space Scientist may also double as an assistant Bridge Science Officer. Overall, they seek to understand the structure and function of the space-time continuum. Social Sciences Social Scientists study sentient and pre-sentient civilizations, both extant and extinct. Some study the abstractions of society like language (Linguistics), religion (Theology), laws (Sociology), history or culture (Cultural Anthropology). Others study the material leavings of a civilization like their artifacts (Archaeology), remains (Physical Anthropology), art, or architecture. Life Sciences If it is a life form- organic or theoretically inorganic- it falls under Life Sciences. These scientists study and catalog new life and try to understand it by comparing it to existing known life forms. Study specialties might include studying extant and extinct animals (broadly Biology), plants (Botany), or fungi (Mycology). Some may study more broadly, looking at genetics, organic chemistry or entire ecosystems. Planetary Sciences Planetary Scientists study the formation and enduring processes found on planets and other non-stellar bodies (asteroids, comets, moons, etc). Some study the formation and forces that act on the planet at large (Planetologists) while others focus on features and phenomena on the planet: seismic activity (Seismology), volcanoes and the interior core (Vulcanology), climate (Climatology), rocks, metals and minerals (Geology), chemical composition (Chemistry) to name a few. -
Communications (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
The Communications department is responsible for the operation of the Starfleet's communications systems. On many ships the Communications department is simply amalgamated with Operations; it is often only on Flagships (where a large amount of communications traffic can be received in a very short space of time) and Starbases (where there is an extremely large amount of communications traffic at almost all times).
Communications Chief Responsible for maintaining and upgrading the universal translator, controls the intercom and responsible for coordinating communications with other ships, stations or colonies/planets. Comms officers usually study languages and codes, learn to design codices. Most specialize in either linguistics or the technical aspects of communications equipment. Communications Officer Responsible for maintaining and upgrading the universal translator, controls the intercom and responsible for coordinating communications with other ships, stations or colonies/planets. Comms officers usually study languages and codes, learn to design codices. Most specialize in either linguistics or the technical aspects of communications equipment. -
Infirmary (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
The Infirmary division is responsible for the mental and physical health of the crew. In this era, UESPA Starfleet does not yet have a Medical Academy, thus Doctors and Nurses are contracted civilians who serve aboard ship. Their jobs include running annual physicals to combating a strange plague, to field medicine.
Chief Medical Officer In this era, the Chief Medical Officer is the senior civilian medical practitioner assigned to the ship, and may come from the Interspecies Medical Exchange. Their role is much the same as the other Doctor aboard- they are on call to maintain the health and safety of the ship's crew. When there is illness or casualties aboard, the Chief Medical Officer maintains the authority of Sickbay and directs resources to overcoming the crisis. They are one of two officers that can, in tandem, relieve a Command Officer on the basis that they are psychologically compromised or are unecessarily endangering the ship and crew. Doctor A Doctor- all of whom are civilians or from an exchange officer branch from one of the Coalition worlds- undertake the majority of the work aboard the ship/facility, examining the crew, and administering medical care under the instruction of the Chief Medical Officer. Currently there are two Doctors serving on the Challenger in total- one serves as the Chief Medical Officer. Nurse Nurses are trained in basic medical care, and are capable of dealing with less serious medical cases. In more serious matters the nurse assist the medical officer in the examination and administration of medical care, be this injecting required drugs, or simply assuring the injured party that they will be ok. The Nurses also maintain the medical wards, overseeing the patients and ensuring they are receiving medication and care as instructed by the Medical Officer. Like Doctors, Nurses in Starfleet are generally civilians or exchange officers. They may have been sponsored through their nursing schooling by Starfleet and now they are serving out the balance. Medic This specialized medical personnel is currently the only "homegrown" Starfleet Medical position. An Enlisted staff member, they have undergone emergency medical training for field operations on a planet or outside the Infirmary. They operate similarly to Paramedics- they stabilize and ship wounded or sick people for treatment in the Infirmary or an emergency Triage ward. They also help set up and maintain emergency triage centers in a crisis. -
MACO Detachment (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
When the standard security detail is not enough, MACOs come in and clean up; the MACO detachment is a powerful tactical addition to any ship, responsible for partaking in personal combat from sniping to melee.
MACO Commander The MACO Commanding Officer is responsible for all the MACO personnel assigned to the ship/facility. S/he is in required to take command of any special ground operations and lease such actions with security. The MACOs could be called the 23rd century commandos.
The CO can range from a Second Lieutenant on a small ship to a Lieutenant Colonel on a large facility or colony. Charged with the training, condition and tactical leadership of the MACO compliment, they are a member of the senior staff.
Answers to the Commanding Officer of the ship/facility.First Sergeant The First Sergeant is the highest ranked Enlisted MACO. S/He is in charge of all of the MACO enlisted affairs in the detachment. They assist the Commander as the go between them and the MACO Fireteams. Specialist Serving within a squad, the MACO Specialist is trained in a variety of means of combat, from melee to ranged projectile to the pulse plasma weapons that is standard issue. MACOs are specialists and should choose their specialty: Sniper, Electronic Warfare, Recon, Heavy Weapons, Field Engineer, Search and Rescue. -
Operations (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
Operations is sometimes seen as the rather inglorious but vital division that works with Engineering to keep the ship running. Operations deals with ship's food, fuel and resources- storing, distributing, obtaining and keeping records of it. Within Operations are three branches- Stewards clean and maintain the ship. Quartermasters maintain and refill the ship's stores and cargo bays. The Yeoman Pool distribute and collect personnel and personal logs and act as liaisons between the departments when it comes to sharing data and resources. Operations is the only all-Enlisted division aboard ship.
Quartermaster The Quartermaster is a seniro NCO and is the chief in charge of the cargo bays. Their role is to monitor, disperse and requisition supplies and resources aboard ship, as well as oversee restocking, refueling and requisitioning gear and resources when at a port of call. In this era, before an "Ops Officer" the Quartermaster's job can be unsung but is necessary. Yeoman Making up the bulk of the ship's crew, the Yeoman Pool are enlisted personnel who see to the interdepartmental resupply, communications, requests and deliveries aboard ship. Yeomen see to it that their department has the duty schedule posted, collect and request logs and disposition statements, collect and distribute communications and generally assure that each department has the equipment they need. -
Special Services (Crew of the Challenger NX-03)
Special Services- which may include Civilians- play an important role in Starfleet. Many specialists across a number of fields work on occasion with Starfleet personnel as a Mission Specialist. In other cases, extra ship and station duties, such as running the ship's lounge, are outsourced to a civilian contract. Captain Curry has specifically requested a Chaplain serve aboard as a sort of counselor.
Chef The Chef is usually a senior NCO or else a Civilian. They are the Chief of the Galley. They are responsible for planning and supervising the making of all meals served in the Mess Hall, and for the food during any special or diplomatic functions that may be held onboard. They also see to the ship's "hard rations" in case of emergency. Chaplain Requested by the Commanding Officer, the Chaplain is a combination of counselor and one who offers spiritual comfort. Present due to the fact the ship's crew is at war, Chaplains serve as a kind of Morale Officer. Many Chaplains come from a spiritual or religious background on their homeworld, but have become versed in many different philosophies and faiths to universally care for the crew. They are Civilians. UENB Correspondent UENB (United Earth News Broadcast) Correspondent is a photojournalist who has requested to be embedded abaord an Earth Starfleet ship to document their travels. -
Earth Starfleet Command (Recurring Cast)
Flag Officer Possessing a command-level position of Commodore or higher, most Starfleet Flag Officers oversee shipyards, major starbases or run the bureaucracies of the various departments and subdivisions Starfleet is composed of.