Changes: Operations officer

Revision as of 23:26, 13 March 2015

AT: "xx" The operations officer was a Starfleet position within the operations division which was common in the 24th century.

Operations officers are responsible for overseeing internal systems control, communications and sensors, while also coordinating the scheduling of resources, hardware, and system usage for an entire starship, outpost, or space station. Operations officers also manned the ops station, which incorporated older 23rd century bridge positions such as communications and science.

The operations position was manned by a member of the command staff of a starship, regardless of seniority. On the starship USS Enterprise-D, Chief Operations Officer Lieutenant Commander Data (doubling as Second Officer) was the most senior member of the ship's crew, after the Captain and first officer, but on the starship USS Voyager, Operations Officer Ensign Harry Kim was the most junior bridge officer.

As analytical operations relied upon knowledge of science and engineering disciplines, chief operations officers often performed the additional duties of a science officer, especially when a dedicated science officer was absent, as exemplified by both Data and Harry Kim. (TNG: "Conundrum"; VOY: "Caretaker", etc.)

This designation was also used on one occasion to describe Chief of Operations Miles O'Brien during his assignment aboard Deep Space 9. (DS9: "Facets")

In an alternate timeline, Daniel Byrd was the operations officer on Voyager instead of Harry Kim, who had remained on Earth. (VOY: "Non Sequitur")

Much of the information about the writer's intentions for this new position, which described the term "operations manager", established at the beginning of Star Trek: The Next Generation, comes from the writer's bible of that series, which later was adapted into data for the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual.

The Star Trek Roleplaying Game Player's Guide describes the operations officer as a consummate master of technology.

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 The o'''perations officer''' was a [[Starfleet]] position within the [[operations division]] which was common in the [[24th century]].
+Operations officers are responsible for overseeing internal systems control, [[communications]] and [[sensor|sensors]], while also coordinating the scheduling of resources, hardware, and system usage for an entire starship, [[outpost]], or [[space station]]. Operations officers also manned the [[Operations station|ops station]], which incorporated older [[23rd century]] bridge positions such as communications and science.
-On board [[starship|starships]], the role of the operations officer evolved from older [[23rd century]] positions, involving some functions of the [[Navigator]], [[Science officer]] and even [[Engineer]] (although the bulk of duties of which the [[Navigator]] and [[Helmsman]] were traditionally assigned were later integrated into the singular helmsman role). As well as manning the [[Operations station|ops station]], overseeing internal systems control, [[communications]] and [[sensor|sensors]], operations personnel also coordinated the scheduling of resources, hardware, and system usage for an entire starship, [[outpost]], or [[space station]].
-The operations position was typically manned by a member of the command staff of a starship, regardless of seniority. On the starship {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}}, Chief Operations Officer [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Data]] (doubling as [[Second Officer]]) was the most senior member of the ship's crew, after the [[Captain]] and [[First Officer|first officer]], but on the starship {{USS|Voyager}}, Operations Officer [[Ensign]] [[Harry Kim]] was the most junior [[bridge officer]].
+The operations position was manned by a member of the command staff of a starship, regardless of seniority. On the starship {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}}, Chief Operations Officer [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Data]] (doubling as [[Second Officer]]) was the most senior member of the ship's crew, after the [[Captain]] and [[First Officer|first officer]], but on the starship {{USS|Voyager}}, Operations Officer [[Ensign]] [[Harry Kim]] was the most junior [[bridge officer]].
-As analytical operations relied upon knowledge of [[science]] and [[engineering]] disciplines, chief operations officers often performed the additional duties of a [[Science Officer|science officer]], especially when a dedicated science officer was absent, as exemplified by both Data and Harry Kim. ({{TNG|Conundrum}}; {{VOY|Caretaker}}, ''etc.'')
+As analytical operations relied upon knowledge of [[science]] and [[engineering]] disciplines, chief operations officers often performed the additional duties of a science officer, especially when a dedicated science officer was absent, as exemplified by both Data and Harry Kim. ({{TNG|Conundrum}}; {{VOY|Caretaker}}, ''etc.'')
 This designation was also used on one occasion to describe [[Chief of Operations]] [[Miles O'Brien]] during his assignment aboard [[Deep Space 9]]. ({{DS9|Facets}})