Starfleet

Heirarchy and History

• The standing military of the Federation
  • Under jurisdiction of Federation Department of Defense
  • Federation President acts as civilian commander-in-chief (Novel: Articles of the Federation)
• Officially and legally a scientific and diplomatic body first with service as a military body only when necessary, but level of militarism has changed as interstellar situation and internal politics have has shifted (Various)
• Mission statement:

To explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before

• Originally descended from the combined forces of UESPA, the Andorian Guard, the Tellar Space Administration, the Vulcan Defense Force, and the Alpha Centauri Space Research Council (ENT Novel: A Choice of Futures)
  • When new members are inducted into the Federation, all members of any interplanetary military organizations are given the option of membership in Starfleet at equivalent rank and role or continued membership in their existing organization (DS9 Novel: Unity)
  • Existing military organizations continue to exist, are provided materiel from Federation sources within reason (DS9 Novel: Unity)
    • Presumably intended to handle issues local to their space to relieve Starfleet pressure (DS9 Novel: Unity)
  • Internal planetside issues outside the jurisdiction of Starfleet, though the governmental bodies of member nations can seek out Starfleet aid upon request (SCE Short Story: "Balance of Nature")
• From 22nd to 23rd century, five branches from original five fleets (ENT Novel: A Choice of Futures annotations)
  • UESPA
    • Logo: Earth Starfleet Delta
    • Duty: Exploration
  • Andorian Guard
    • Logo: Andorian "cursive" initial
    • Duty: Defense
  • Tellar Space Administration
    • Logo: Hoof design
    • Duty: Operational support and supply
  • Alpha Centauri Space Research Council
    • Logo: Rectangular bar with five circles
    • Duty: Scientific research, terraforming and colonization, logistics and administration
  • Vulcan Space Council
    • Logo: IDIC insignia
    • Duty: R&D and administration
  • Additional fleets of major nations initially maintained distinct status within Starfleet upon Federation membership, though this policy was later modified to fully integrate new fleets within Starfleet. (ENT Novel: Patterns of Interference)
    • Rigelian Defense Force (ENT Novel: Patterns of Interference)
• Fleets combined by 2280s, Starfleet delta maintained as overarcing insignia to cement exploration as core duty of Starfleet
  • On principle of exploration and discovery, the first duty of all Starfleet officers is considered to be to the truth, in whatever form that may take (TOS Novel: Ex Machina; TNG: "The First Duty"; TNG Novel: Available Light)

Records

Serial number

• 22nd-23rd century: AA####-####BBB
  • AA: Two-letter code reflecting division
    • SA: Retired (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")
    • SC: Command (DIS: "Into the Forest I Go"; TOS: "Court Martial")
    • SE: Engineering (TOS: "Wolf in the Fold")
    • SF: Unknown
      • Apparently Sylvia Tilly's serial number
    • SS: Science (TOS: "Court Martial")
    • First S or entire segment sometimes elided
      • To account for Spock's in "Court Martial", Pavel Chekov's in Voyage Home
  • ####-####: Randomly-assigned four-digit segment
    • First character A for Academy students, 0 for graduates
      • Per Tilly's serial number as compared to others
    • Leading 0's sometimes elided
      • To account for shortened segments
  • BBB: One- to three-letter code of uncertain meaning, possibly arbitrary

Rank structure

Officers

• Training provided at Starfleet Academy
• Officer rank structure, highest to lowest:
  • Fleet admiral
  • Admiral
  • Vice admiral
  • Rear admiral
  • Commodore (largely dropped by 24th century)
  • Captain
  • Commander
  • Lieutenant commander
  • Lieutenant
  • Lieutenant, junior grade (briefly dropped mid-2270s)
  • Ensign
• Officers are usually expected to serve until retirement or death, but resignations are allowed
  • Those faced with extremely traumatic events are offered honorable discharge (TOS Novel: Errand of Vengeance: Killing Blow)

Enlisted

• Training provided at various facilities depending on path to service
  • For basic training in engineering or command fields, Starfleet Technical Services Academy on Mars (TNG: "Eye of the Beholder")
    • As with Starfleet Academy, annex campuses are likely
  • Occasional advanced classes are provided to NCOs at the Academy (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
• Enlisted rank structure, highest to lowest:
  • Master chief petty officer
  • Senior chief petty officer
  • Chief petty officer
  • Petty officer [first class]
  • Petty officer second class (VAN Novel: Harbinger; TOS Novel: Ex Machina)
  • Crewman [first class] (TNG: "The Drumhead")
  • Crewman second class (ENT Novel: Uncertain Logic; TOS Novel: Ex Machina)
  • Crewman third class (TOS: "Charlie X")
• Enlisted crew sign on by tour, have no requirement to continue service after each tour (SCE eBook: "War Stories, Book 1"; Novel: Articles of the Federation)
  • Those faced with extremely traumatic events are offered honorable discharge (TOS Novel: Errand of Vengeance: Killing Blow)
• Due to people in enlisted positions almost always having training outside the Starfleet infrastructure prior to enlistment, granting them experience not necessarily reflected in their rank, enlisted crew are given a grade alongside their position to reflect level of certification achieved
  • Higher grade represents greater level of certification
    • Presumptive given references to crewmen in technical positions having their positions mentioned with an associated grade in "That Which Survives", "Good Shepherd"

Division structure

• Divisions indicated by color, location varying by uniform

Command and Control

• Generally referred to as just "command"

Astronavigation

• Generally shorthanded to "navigation"
  • Full name per Worf's First Adventure
• Briefly recategorized under Sciences division late-23rd century (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, et al.)

Flight control

• Often referred to as "helm control" or "conn"
• Briefly recategorized under Operations division late-23rd century (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, et al.)

Operations

Engineering

• Known subdivisions
  • Diagnostic engineering (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits")
  • Environmental engineering (TNG Novel: Greater Than the Sum)

Operations

• Encompasses logistics and support
  • Responsible for managing resource distribution across vessel, including:
    • Computer capacity
    • Power management
    • Sensor priority allocation
    • Personnel allocation and organization (TNG Novel: Greater Than the Sum)
  • Responsible for crew performance and efficiency oversight (TNG Novel: Greater Than the Sum)
    • Includes providing feedback, opportunities for education (TNG Novel: Greater Than the Sum)

Tactical

• Under Command division c.2260s (TOS: "Balance of Terror")
• Duties often subsumed by the Security department where a separate Tactical department isn't necessary

Sciences

Medical

• Provisional assignment of medical personnel determined by Starfleet Medical, with final approval by commanding officer (NF Novel: Into the Void)

Positions

• Positions listed in general order of authority, but specific scenarios may vary

Staff officers

Commander-in-Chief

• Highest-ranking position in Starfleet, answers only to the Federation President
• Appointed by President, confirmed by the Council

Chief of Staff

• Ranks immediately below C-in-C
• Directs fleet operations for each of the separate fleets: UESPA, Andorian Guard, etc.
• Less significant after combining of fleets, but still operates as commanding officer of Starfleet Command, go-between between C-in-C and other departments

Chief of <branch>

• Director of individual branch below Starfleet Command; e.g., Chief of Starfleet Operations
• May be used interchangeably with "Head"

Aide de camp

• Personal assistant and advisor to flag officer
• Organizes schedule, relays orders, arranges travel and access, and generally manages professional duties of the flag officer
• Main point of contact to officer (ENT Novel: Patterns of Interference)
• Generally required to be a senior officer
  • Usually higher rank for higher-ranked flag officers
  • Higher-ranked flag officers also receive more aides to manage duties

Operational leadership

Sector commander

• Flag officer serving to direct fleet operations within a sector as ordered by Starfleet Command (ENT Novel: Patterns of Interference; TNG: "The Measure of a Man", "Power Play")
  • Generally limited to sectors of major activity, where devoted command of operations is necessary for full sector
• Usually holds office in major starbase within sector

Fleet captain

• Equivalent of a sector commander, but for a starbase's devoted standing fleet (TOS Novel: The Captain's Oath; TOS: "The Menagerie", "Whom Gods Destroy")
• Generally filled by someone of captain rank or higher

Commanding officer

• Lead officer of a vessel or starbase
• For starbase commander, often serves in similar role to sector commander for near-starbase operations (ENT Novel: Patterns of Interference)
• Receives instruction from Starfleet Operations, implements orders by own determination of best course of action
• Empowered to serve as a representative of the Federation in diplomatic negotiations with alien civilizations (TNG Novel: The Buried Age)
• For vessel commanders, review board required after the conclusion of a commander's first mission (VOY Novel: Mosaic)
  • Common for missions after on a case-by-case basis (VOY Novel: Mosaic)
• Oath of service upon achieving the position of commanding officer
  • I, [name], having been appointed an officer in the United Federation of Planets as indicated in the grade of captain, do solemnly swear to uphold the regulations of the United Federation Starfleet as well as the laws of the United Federation of Planets: to represent the highest ideals for which they stand, to become an ambassador of peace and goodwill, to protect the security of the Federation and its member worlds, and to offer aid to any and all beings that request it. (TOS Novel: The Captain's Oath)

Adjutant

• Personal assistant to the to commanding officer/sector commander/etc.
• Manages administrative functions of a given organizational unit (station, fleet, sector)
  • Maintains personnel and unit records
  • Reviews crew performance, reports issues with crew (TNG: "Lower Decks")
    • Performance oversight includes considerations of crew morale and well-being alongside medical department (TNG Novel: Greater Than the Sum)
  • Generates duty assignments and shift schedules on discussion with department heads (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part I"; SCE Short Story: "Cold Fusion")
  • Handles transfer, promotion, demotion, discharge, retirement, commendation/medal requests
    • Main point of contact for providing approval/rejection recommendations for all the above to commander through knowledge of requirements and duties for relevant positions combined with demonstrated skills or abilities of all relevant Starfleet members in a given unit
  • Organizes ceremonial duties; medal ceremonies, farewells, funerals, etc.

Strategic operations officer

• Coordinates activities, fleet operations, and SIGINT within a given sector on behalf of the commanding officer/sector commander (DS9 Novel: The 34th Rule)

Executive officer

• First officer in chain of command below CO
• Liaison between CO and department heads (TNG Novel: Q & A)
• Generally performs administrative adjutant duties aboard ships or smaller stations without devoted adjutant position
  • Duties include daily reports on shipboard operations, summarizing reports from department heads (TNG Novel: Q & A)
  • Handles crew operations, disseminating orders from CO to individual ship departments
• Usually considered duty officer for alpha shift

Department head

• Directs operations of their department aboard their vessel/base in response to orders from XO
• If ship/station large enough to warrant second or third officer in chain of command, usually drawn from department heads
• Considered senior staff regardless of individual rank
• Almost always serves on duty during alpha shift to directly lead operations in their department
• Large departments may also have second in commands; if so, then such positions will often serve during beta/gamma/delta shift as department heads do during alpha shift
• On rare occasion, a single officer will take on the role of multiple department heads, or even serve dually as XO and department head, should they be capable of such
  • If an officer serves dually as XO and department head, they may wear either the color of command or of their department division as they wish

Operational personnel

Administration

Bridge watch officer

• Generalist bridge officer position on larger vessels (TNG Novel: The Buried Age)
• Supervision of all devoted bridge stations (TNG Novel: The Buried Age)
• Relief conn/ops officer as needed (TNG Novel: The Buried Age)
• Often serves as duty officer when command officers are off shift (TNG Novel: The Buried Age)

Astronavigation

Navigator

• Uses stellar and subspace charts in concert with local scans of conditions to chart the optimum flight path to a given location (TOS Novel: Ex Machina)
  • Necessary both for ballistic/orbital plotting and for FTL flight; in the case of the latter, subspace conditions mean that the speed of a given warp factor is not constant, and thus the fastest route to a given destination may not be a direct route
• Conducts periodic long-range sensor scans to ready for changes of course (SGR Novel: The Valiant)
• By the early-to-mid 24th century, duties are merged with flight controller
• Often works closely with astrometrics

Communications

• Department head: chief of communications
• Responsible for managing and monitoring all outgoing, incoming, and intercepted communications
• Duties include signals intelligence, general information processing, translation, and encryption/decryption (DIS Novel: Desperate Hours)

Engineering

• Department head: chief engineer
• Second in command: assistant chief engineer

General duty position

• Officer billet: engineer
• Enlisted billet: engineer's mate (VAN Novel: Reap the Whirlwind; SKR Novel: Long Shot Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
• Large departments often divided by field
  • Computer operations (TNG Novel: A Time to Harvest)
  • Systems diagnostics (TNG: "Realm of Fear")

Flight control

Helmsman

• Controls flight operations of the vessel
• Role renamed to "flight controller" upon merger with navigator role

Medical

• Department head: chief medical officer
• Second in command: assistant chief medical officer

Physician

• Duties
  • Performing regular full physical examinations on all personnel at their posting
    • Mid-23rd century, all personnel required to undergo a full physical at least once a quarter (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver"; TAS: "Yesteryear")
    • By mid-24th century, this requirement was relaxed to at least once a year (TNG: "Allegiance"; VOY: "Latent Image"; LD: "Mugato, Gumato")
    • Regardless of time since last physical, a full physical is also required for all personnel on an away mission lasting more than two weeks (VOY: "Memorial")
    • May be delegated to nurse or physician assistant as necessary (TOS: "The Deadly Years"; LD: "Mugato, Gumato")
    • Physical includes measurement of ESP quotient as late as 2350s (SGR Novel: The Valiant)

Surgeon

• Often not distinguished from physician on smaller postings, as personnel are required to perform both duties as needed.

Medical technician

• Open to both officers and enlisted (TNG: "The Drumhead", "Eye of the Beholder")
• Performs lab tests and operates specialized technology for physicians (TOS: "Wolf in the Fold")

Counselor

• Counselors first begun to be assigned to long-term vessels c.2330 (TTN Novel: The Red King)
  • "for nearly half a century as of 2380 per text
  • Starfleet Medical Mental Health began work towards official full-fleet counselor program 2359 (TNG Novel: A Time to Hate)

Operations

• Department head: operations manager

Sensor operator

• Officer billet: sensor officer (TNG Novel: Q & A)
• Enlisted billet: sensor technician

Transporter operator

• Officer billet: transporter officer
• Enlisted billet: transporter chief

Science

• Department head: chief science officer

General duty position

• Officer billet: science officer
• Enlisted billet: science specialist (SCE)
• Smaller postings have a single generalist science department, though members will have individual specialties
• Larger postings may have individual departments for particular fields
  • In that case, the lead of that department is referred to as the senior scientist in that field; e.g., "senior physicist", "senior geologist", etc.

Security

• Department head: chief of security
• Second in command: deputy chief of security

Section chief

• Generally only exists on larger vessels or bases where security forces require finer subdivision
• Leads an individual section (TOS Novel: Errand of Vengeance: The Edge of the Sword)

General duty position

• Officer billet: security officer
• Enlisted billet: security guard (SCE)
• Duties
  • Ship- and station board security measures consist of at least four classes of severity and breadth (TLE Novel: The Sundered)

Security technician

• Enlisted position for operation of more specialized equipment (TOS Novel: Ex Machina)

Support

Yeoman

• Common through to early 24th century (Various)
• Generally performed by enlisted
• Limited to larger vessels (TOS Novel: The Captain's Oath)
• Handles day-to-day organizational and logistic matters for commanding officer (TOS Novel: The Captain's Oath)
  • Filing and organizing logs (TOS Novel: The Captain's Oath)
  • Reviewing department reports (TOS Novel: The Captain's Oath)
• Also serves as personal assistant (TOS Novel: The Captain's Oath)
• As a result, larger 23rd century vessels commonly didn't have a ready room (TOS Novel: The Captain's Oath)
• Largely phased out by later 24th century
  • Improved VI technology allowed for logistical duties to be simplified and/or obsoleted even on larger vessels

Tactical

• Department head: chief tactical officer

General duty position

• Duties
  • Twice daily confirmations of photon torpedo containment field stability (TLE Novel: The Sundered)

Phaser technician

• Maintains operations of phaser control circuitry (TLE Novel: The Sundered)
• Takes direct control of target acquisition and phaser activation upon damage or disability of phaser control circuits (TOS: "Balance of Terror"; TLE Novel: The Sundered)
• Largely phased out by mid-24th century as transition from duotronic to isolinear systems allowed for greater miniaturization, rendering devoted phaser technicians as distinct from bridge controls unnecessary

Weapons officer

• Responsible for weapons operation and maintenance (SGR Novel: The Valiant)
• Lead maintenance and repair teams in weapons rooms, bridge (SGR Novel: The Valiant)

Miscellaneous Notes

• Available replicator options programmed by devoted team of dieticians at Starfleet Medical (TTN Novel: Taking Wing)
  • Taste and nutritional balance of equal concern, especially in providing for necessary nutrition across numerous disparate species (TTN Novel: Taking Wing)
  • Duties include documenting all possible undesired reactions of each provided pattern with any of the various species that may serve aboard or be transported by a Starfleet vessel
• For much of history, civilian families aboard vessels were discouraged
  • Policy shifted c.mid 24th century with development of Explorer-type vessels intended for years if not decades of independent operation, encouraged by relatively peaceful period in core Federation territories (TNG)
    • Policy shift continued to some degree on other vessels as well
  • Following Dominion War, policy not officially rescinded, but ship operations failed to include civilian support to the degree of Explorer-type vessels (TNG Novel: Q & A)

Related records

• Starfleet Code of Military Justice
• Starfleet members
• Starfleet starbases
• Starfleet vessels