posted
I've been trying to noodle out some of the personnel requirements of a starship, and one puzzle I keep running into is that of jobs that are only needed on an occasional basis.
For instance, what about damage control teams? Plenty of times I remember some "damage control teams to wherever" dialogue during a crisis. What do they do when there's no damage to control? Do they stand around in Engineering, getting in Scotty's way? Are there enough minor maintainance problems to keep them busy? Or are there no dedicated DC personnel, and "damage control teams" consist of Scotty saying, "you, you, and you, go put that fire out."
Or torpedo room crews? How often, in a given week, does a Starfleet ship fire its torpedoes? What does the crew do the rest of the time? Swab the deck? Play mumblety-peg? Maybe the console has a version of Windows Solitaire...
Some posts obviously need to be manned at all times. Sensors, for instance--you never know when a warbird's gonna decloak. But what about transporter rooms? Does a guy really stand around for eight hours on the off chance someone might want to beam in?
Anyone have any ideas? I know Flare has some lurkers with real life navy experience. Is there a real-world example of someone standing a watch, mostly doing nothing on the off chance he might be needed?
posted
You're talking about their battle stations. However, the damage control teams often work elsewhere when not at battlestations, likely at maintenance. Or it's also likely that it isn't their shift most of the time, so they're sleeping or something.
In other words, they don't just do damage control or work the torpedo tubes all of the time.
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posted
Well, on Starfleet ships there tend to be a whole lot of science and support/maintenance people. During combat, they're not likely to be nickering at test tubes or replacing chips. They'll organize into teams, get some damage control equipement, and get ready for the intercom order to go somewhere.
posted
Most likely the science staff has extensive DC training. The odds that you'll be needing a geology sample tested during a fight with a warbird are very slim.
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posted
Damage Control teams would probably do normal maintainence during routine operations. Also the science personnel would be cross-trained in other duties.
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posted
Staffing requirments are going to change depending on the era: we're already banging around the crew needs of a Miranda and how automation would drop them by mabye as low as 90% (although seeing a Miranda with a crew of 12 is frankly, stupid- it's a biiiig ship for only 4-5 people working per shift!).
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posted
remember Lt. McGivers? she sat around painting for five years except for that one time they needed a historian.
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posted
I think that counts as more of a "specialist" position though....
I bet she was hot though.
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hot? freakin Khan married her! his intelligence is superior!
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quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: Manly plastic chest.
In two TWOK commentary Nick Meyer says people always ask him about the chest and he insists that's really Ricardo's chest.
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