Starfleet Staff Specialization

[Questor 501]

The original thread, by me

 

 

 

In TNG Era Star Trek, Starfleet personel wear three different variations on the duty uniform, each one is a different color, and the colors are supposed to represent departments on the ship. The colors, and the divisions they represent are:

 

 

 

Purple: Command

 

 

 

Yellow: Security/Support Services

 

 

 

Blue: Science/Medical

 

 

 

The problem is: Three major crew groupings is simply not enough if your goal is to ease specialty identification (Not to mention avoidinf viewer confusion). If that isn't the goal, why use different uniforms at all? To illustrate my point, I'm going to list the specializations that I think would be common (or at least needed) onboard a Starfleet Ship.

 

 

 

Command - Personel whose entire duties fall into the realm of commanding one or more ships.

 

 

 

Administrative - Personelle who perform the various full time administrative tasks that any large group of people need. Examples are logistics and human resources.

 

 

 

Services - People who function in service capacities. Examples would be bartenders, barbers, and other such positions.

 

 

 

Medical - Member's of the ship's practicing medical staff.

 

 

 

Sciences - Members of the ship's scientific research staff.

 

 

 

Propulsion - Members of the crew involved in the maintnance and operation of the ship's propulsion systems.

 

 

 

Maintnance and Operations - Crewmembers whose responsibility lies in the maintnance and operations of the ship's non-propulsive equipment.

 

 

 

Astrogation and Piloting - Navigators and pilots, both for shuttles and for the ship itself.

 

 

 

Tactical - Crewmembers involved in the operation of the ships tactical systems, such as weapons, sensors, communications, and jamming.

 

 

 

Information Technology - Crewmembers who are responsible for maintaining the ships computer systems, examples are LAN and database admins.

 

 

 

Diplomatic/Civillian - People who serve in a diplomatic or civillian capacity, advisors.

 

 

 

Security/Marines - Members of the ship's internal and external security forces.

 

 

 

Trainees/Cadets - People who have not yet completed specialty training.

 

 

 

The Starfleet system lumps these together in this fashion:

 

 

 

Command (Purple Uniforms):

 

Command, Administrative, and Trainees/Cadets

 

 

 

Security/Support Services (Yellow Uniforms):

 

Propulsion, Maintnance and Operations, Astrogation and Piloting, Tactical, Information Technology, Services, and Security/Marines

 

 

 

Science/Medical (Blue Uniforms):

 

Medical and Sciences

 

 

 

No Uniforms:

 

Diplomatic/Civillian

 

 

 

While a person could have very general knowledge of all the areas in thier division (color), it would seem nearly impossible that they could be as proficient as a specialist.

 

 

 

Another problem is that Starfleet does not appear to recognize the difference between these sub-groups. Worf and Tasha had to operate as both security personel and tactical personel. These are vary diverse jobs, one of them is vary physical, the other is a much more cerebral. I can recall at least one occasion where Worf was asked to provide technical consultation on the weapons as well.

 

 

 

Geordi is established as a propulsion engineer, he is portrayed as one of the most capable warp engine operators in Starfleet that kind of specialization indicates a life's persuit. On the other hand, we see Geordi doing everything from repairing transporters, replicators, weapons, sensors, and even computers, and every time he is portrayed as a person who is incredibly skilled at doing whatever job he is given. It seems highly unlikely that anyone could attain such expertise in such a broad range of fields.

 

 

 

Data is the one member of the crew that I can accept as being an expert in diverse fields. He has direct access to the ships computer, which would give him an incredible edge in troubleshooting and in research.

 

 

 

The clincher of the fact that Starfleet does not seem to care what its people are trained for is the times we have seen Geordi as part of a security detail.

 

 

 

Any and all comments will be appreciated.

 

 

 

P.S.

 

 

 

Why havn't we seen any LAN admins on the show, I can think of at least two dozen times an admin would be useful, and they act like they don't exist.

 

--

 

"This is Grand Moff Miles, Lord Vader, I am heading to the Milky Way with my 95,089 ship Oversector Group, I don't expect much resistance. Don't worry about sending Death Stars as support."

 

Questor

[Jason 27]

We did not know information need to make real judgment on Geordi Star Terk technology. We did not know how technology works or skill required to fixs . It possible skill need a lot less one would think.

 

 

 

.

 

At a longer amount techology look similar to me replicates, transporters and holodecks.

 

 

 

As for security personal possible they different kinds of security personal some are tactical train more boarding. The information we have to limit.

 

 

 

Another possible is they can send information thought minds.

[Airlocke 12,014]

We did not know information need to make real judgment on Geordi Star Terk technology. We did not know how technology works or skill required to fixs . It possible skill need a lot less one would think.

 

 

 

.

 

At a longer amount techology look similar to me replicates, transporters and holodecks.

 

 

 

As for security personal possible they different kinds of security personal some are tactical train more boarding. The information we have to limit.

 

 

 

Another possible is they can send information thought minds.

 

 

 

Dude....just....dude. STOP!!

 

 

 

Stop trying to make yourself sound intelligent. You are not. AT ALL. Succeeding.

 

 

 

Sending information through minds? Are you seriously suggesting that Star Trek personnel versatility is a by product of TELEPATHY?!?!?!?! REALLY?

[Airlocke 12,014]

No, no, let him continue, seriously his posts are the main reasons anything gets debated anymore.

 

 

 

True, but, for the most part, debates with him are incredibly one-sided and frustrating. He NEVER makes a point well enough to force a concession. The only concessions he has gotten were from me, and I was winning on all of those points. I only conceded because I did not need them to prove him wrong. Those points were superfluous. It was an attempt to make him understand how thoroughly he was getting stomped. It seems to have been partially successful...

 

 

 

Anyway, it IS true that his threads are the most active and the most spirited, but it isn't really fun. It's like beating up a cripple in a wheel-chair. It just isn't cool.

[Jason 27]

I am just put down possible Airlocker. It possible install some kind technology computer chip into people we is another one. I am not going just say it TV it no fun I have to try come every possible answer.

[enigma 521]

I am just put down possible Airlocker. It possible install some kind technology computer chip into people we is another one. I am not going just say it TV it no fun I have to try come every possible answer.

 

 

 

For fuck sake Jason. Every possible answer does not include retarded shit. Troi was supposed to be unique as she was an empath\telepath. Your suggestion made her practically useless as a character. I finally understood what Jason meant. I think he's talking about something like flash imprinting information into one's mind. But then while that is plausible it isn't something starfleet is willing to do. Heck, they and the Federation are very much opposed to genetic engineering.

 

 

 

Back on topic, I thought command was red not purple? (EDIT: Purple was used in the last TNG movie but from what I saw, everyone wore purple.)

 

 

 

I can see Geordi being able to do all of those things and still have a specialized field. Same goes for real life doctors. They all go to med school. They all have the basic training, yet not all are GPs. Many go on to specialize in certain parts of the medical field. Same goes for Geordi. He's got the skills and the training to fix "mundane" problems, yet pursued the field of "propulsion enginering".

 

 

 

Also back to the command color scheme. Red is for those that are strictly officers in the command field (maybe true for cadets. Trained for command?). BUT not all commanding officers wear red uniforms. Data is an XO yet as I recall wore yellow. Same did Worf and Geordi.

 

 

 

 

 

It is confusing but at the same time the color scheme was meant to simplify things. Grouping whole fields together under one general name and color to avoid confusion. Nevertheless it seems like near the end of the TNG era movies that they decided to unify everything under one color?

[Questor 501]

For fuck sake Jason. Every possible answer does not include retarded shit. Troi was supposed to be unique as she was an empath\telepath. Your suggestion made her practically useless as a character. I finally understood what Jason meant. I think he's talking about something like flash imprinting information into one's mind. But then while that is plausible it isn't something starfleet is willing to do. Heck, they and the Federation are very much opposed to genetic engineering.

 

 

 

Back on topic, I thought command was red not purple? (EDIT: Purple was used in the last TNG movie but from what I saw, everyone wore purple.)

 

 

 

Blame the TV I had when I wrote this. I didn't edit anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can see Geordi being able to do all of those things and still have a specialized field. Same goes for real life doctors. They all go to med school. They all have the basic training, yet not all are GPs. Many go on to specialize in certain parts of the medical field. Same goes for Geordi. He's got the skills and the training to fix "mundane" problems, yet pursued the field of "propulsion enginering".

 

 

 

 

My issue was not with him having general engineering skills, but with him being portrayed as THE expert in everything. Is a world-class eye surgeon going to also be a world-class neurosurgeon?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also back to the command color scheme. Red is for those that are strictly officers in the command field (maybe true for cadets. Trained for command?). BUT not all commanding officers wear red uniforms. Data is an XO yet as I recall wore yellow. Same did Worf and Geordi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only XO on the Enterprise was Riker. I would imagine they would retain their specialty colors during "acting" stints. Spock is another example, but then he was a working science officer at the same time he was XO. By the time he stopped being a working science officer, he was wearing white (the command color in TMP era). And when he resumed that post, he kept wearing white because he was the Captain of the ship. I really don't want to go into the logic of the command staff in STV and STVI. It makes my head hurt.

 

 

 

 

It is confusing but at the same time the color scheme was meant to simplify things. Grouping whole fields together under one general name and color to avoid confusion. Nevertheless it seems like near the end of the TNG era movies that they decided to unify everything under one color?

 

 

 

 

My rant wasn't really about color, it was about the fact that the show made each person within a color interchangeable, the whole "Geordi doing security" thing. I was at the time annoyed because of the whole "super-generalist" thing.

 

 

 

This was made as a response to Jason's assertion that Geordi is also an expert in weapons, which does not in real life even fall under the engineer's job. Hell, it doesn't necessarily fall under the engineer's job in ST. Remember who did the "surgery on the torpedo?" It was Spock, who I assume would be familiar with probes, and McCoy, who wasn't doing anything else.

[enigma 521]

But she is a useless character.

 

 

 

 

 

You didn't like the eye candy?

[Tyralak 12,068]

I think they tried to rectify this situation a bit at the end of the TNG movies, like Enigma was saying. Putting everyone in the same color uniforms. I see what you're saying, though. They made the specialties far too broad. The only thing I can think of that may have been going through their minds, was the lack of total specialization among Shuttle and Space Station crews. By necessity they're all cross-trained to a large degree.

[enigma 521]

A lot of Starfleet officers and noncoms are cross trained. Look at Geordi and how he'll eventually went from helmsman to chief engineer to getting command of a starship. O'Brien worked on helm then went to become transporter chief then later became chief engineer on DS9. Also he was a ground pounder in the Fed-Cardassian conflict.

 

 

 

Janeway I think was either from the science branch if I recall. Beverly Crusher was Chief Medical Officer then eventually became a captain of a hospital ship. Oh and Troi's a ship's counselor but later got command rank so in theory she could have eventually gotten her own ship.

 

 

 

Lot's of cross training.