Engineering

From star trek: theurgy wiki.

Engineering Emblem.png

On any starship, the department of Engineering was assigned to monitor and maintain the starship's functionality. Engineers often did most of the "grunt work" that was involved in keeping a ship or space station up and running. Engineering officers were generally assigned tasks that included maintaining and/or improving the performance of the warp drive, ship's database , computer processors and circuitry, holographic emitters, tractor beams, transporter components, observational equipment (such as sensors, probes, and satellites), weaponry systems, deflector array, hull plating, life support, shields and alternative defense systems, and many other crucial parts of a ship's anatomy. They were expected to tackle all the problems that drained the ship's resources or lowered its efficiency.

  • 1 Mission Status
  • 2 Positions
  • 3.1 Auxiliary Engineering 01 & 02
  • 3.2 Warp Core Ejection
  • 4.1 Antigrav platform
  • 4.2 Anyon Emitter
  • 4.3 Bipolar Torch
  • 4.4 Cutter Beam
  • 4.5 Cyrosensor
  • 4.6 Directional Sonic Generator
  • 4.7 Duotronic Probe
  • 4.8 Dynamic Stabilizer
  • 4.9 Emergency hand actuator
  • 4.10 Gravitic Caliper
  • 4.11 Hyperspanner
  • 4.12 Isolinear Chip Recorder
  • 4.13 KLS Stabilizer
  • 4.14 Laser Torch
  • 4.15 Maglock
  • 4.16 Magnaspanner
  • 4.17 Microdyne Coupler
  • 4.18 Microoptic Drill
  • 4.19 Nanopolymer
  • 4.20 Neutrino Probe
  • 4.21 ODN recoupler
  • 4.22 Optic Cable
  • 4.23 Optronic Coupler
  • 4.24 Particle Emitter
  • 4.25 Phase Compensator
  • 4.26 Plasma Infuser
  • 4.27 Plasma Torch
  • 4.28 Power Pack
  • 4.29 Self-ratcheting Coupling Clamp
  • 4.30 Sonic Driver
  • 4.31 Subspace Field Sensor
  • 4.32 Superconducting Flux Degausser
  • 4.33 Tetryon Analyzer
  • 5 Disclaimer Notice

Mission Status

This segment describes the current situation aboard the Theurgy .

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

(Under Construction) As of 2381, these were the different roles in this department:

Main Engineering

Main engineering aboard a Theurgy-class starship was located on deck 25. The room was constructed around a class 9 warp drive with a tricyclic input manifold. The core provided a maximum output of four thousand teradynes per second. The warp drive was designed to operate for up to three years before refueling. The reaction chamber was equipped with a compositor, which allowed recrystallization of dilithium. The warp drive allowed the ship a top sustainable cruise velocity of warp factor 9.995. The Intrepid-class also featured two secondary warp assemblies.

The secondary warp assemblies were housed with the primary and secondary vector, and allowed each hull of the ship to enter warp independently in MVAM. During standard operation mode, these cores idled, providing additional power to subsystems across the vessel.

The main engineering room featured three levels. In front of the warp core was a large monitoring area on the lower engineering level. Also located on this level was the chief engineer's office and an open work area for special projects or situational analysis.

The main impulse engines on an Therugy-class starship were located on the aft primary hull. Each of the pylons leading to the warp nacelles held auxiliary impulse engines. Theurgy-class starships were also equipped with auxiliary impulse reactors.

MAIN-ENG-DECK-25.png

Auxiliary Engineering 01 & 02

The Theurgy had MVAM functionality, so this was one of the two auxiliary warp core areas, where the warp core was horizontal instead of vertical. The reaction chamber coukd be seen in the hole in the deck before the main console. Both auxiliary engineering areas were identical.

AUX-ENG-01-02.png

Warp Core Ejection

In the event of a warp core breach, the Therugy-class starship could eject the warp core. This procedure required the authorization code of the chief engineer or a member of the senior staff. The core was ejected through the ejection port on the hull. Magnetic rails inside the channel accelerated the core once disengaged from the vessel and fired it away from the ship. Under normal circumstances, the vessel then moved away from the core as fast as possible under impulse power.

Should the core not go critical, the vessel could recover it with tractor beams and reintegrate it with careful manipulation.

Engneering Tools

A Starfleet engineer was expected to fix different systems and/or consoles aboard their starship or starbase . In order to do this, they needed different tools for the job.

Antigrav platform

The Antigrav platform was a Portable device used aboard Federation starships for handling cargo and other items too large for a single crew member to carry. It operated by means of a small anti-grav generator and a micro-fusion generator the platform, which stood at three meters long and a meter and a half wide. It was capable of carrying a load of up to 200kg, and as a result of the anti-grav system and the reduction in friction, this was able to be pushed easily by a single person.

Most starships carried a number of these, primarily used for moving parts and supplies between cargo holds and where they are needed.

Anyon Emitter

An anyon emitter was a device that used anyon particles to neutralize the effects of an interphase generator and chroniton fields. It operated by projecting a directed stream of particles when targeted at a specific location.

Anyon emitters were not often carried in large numbers aboard starships, because they were easily replicable and only needed in highly specific circumstances, usually to clean a hull of Chroniton particles. They were found in larger numbers aboard starbases, as they were needed to sweep every ship that came into dock to minimize the risk of a temporal incident occurring.

Bipolar Torch

The bi-polar torch was an advanced type of plasma cutting torch, it was the most advanced torch used by Starfleet . For the bi-polar torch to work it required filling two chambers with plasma, each oriented to a different polarity, the two were then mixed in the torch flame which created an extremely powerful cutting beam. Most starships only carried one or two of these, because they were highly expensive and highly complicated.

Cutter Beam

The Cutter Beam was a large hand-held tool that emitted a beam of directed energy which was used to perform a cutting function. It was, in essence, a simple phaser , which was designed to emit a short, but very powerful beam of phased energy. The power of the cutter beam decreased as its length was increased and its maximum length was one meter.

A common device, the cutter beam was a key part of most engineer's toolkits. It was also highly versatile, able to cut through any metal used on a Federation starship quickly and efficiently.

The Cryosensor was an Engineering tool that utilized sonic energy for component analysis. It used pulses of sonic energy to analyze the temperature of a power conduit which was in use. It was highly sensitive and capable of detecting even minute fluctuations in temperature. It was also much more sensitive than a standard tricorder and as such was used by Engineers and in monitoring systems on a starship.

Directional Sonic Generator

The Directional Sonic Generator was a tool which produced a directional beam of sound, with highly variable frequencies and amplitudes as well as having a variable projection field, from a millimeter wide to tens of meters wide able to interpret the returning sound waves. This was a tool which had a wide range of potential uses and could be found in anything from a standard set of speakers, to produce high quality sound. It could also be used as an engineering tool which could detect micro-fractures in metals, when tuned to its most sensitive. It could also be used for pest control and for security functions, as it could be tuned to produce high frequency sounds which debilitated most humanoids who are capable of hearing.

As such, the Directional Sonic Generator was one of the most common devices on a Federation starship and could be replicated with ease.

Duotronic Probe

The Duotronic Probe was an engineering tool used to regulate the plasma flow on a Starship. It operated by utilizing a basic duotronic computer to measure the quantity of plasma which passed through a location at a set period of time. It was a relatively precise tool, suitable for most flow regulation calculations. A more modern and precise form of this tool existed in the Gravitic Caliper.

Dynamic Stabilizer

A dynamic stabilizer was a device used to keep liquids and gases in certain containers from shifting, sloshing, or interacting with other materials, also stored inside. If the container was truly air- and/or liquid-tight, the stabilizer maintained a continuous forcefield so it didn't move around in its container. It used technology similar to a ship's Structural integrity field, and was widely used in transporting hazardous materials.

Emergency hand actuator

Emergency hand actuators were small devices used to open doors aboard Starfleet vessels in the event of power loss. They were stored at convenient locations near turbolifts, Jefferies tubes, and other vital areas. Use of the device involved attaching it to either side of the door which de-magnetized the counterweights, then pulling the door open.

Gravitic Caliper

More precise than a Duotronic Probe, this Engineering instrument was used to help regulate Plasma Flow. It operated by creating a localized gravitic field, which could be used to more accurately measure the flow rate of Plasma in a conduit. A couple of these devices were carried on a Federation vessel.

Hyperspanner

The hyperspanner was an invaluable tool for all Engineering and Operations Officers. While somewhat similar in both use and appearance to the magnetic probe, hyperspanners were both considerably safer and easier to use. This device monitored, calibrated, and adjusted the plasma flow in the plasma injectors used in the electroplasma systems (EPS). It also helped control the plasma flow inside the EPS conduits.

Since EPS systems were the primary power generation system on both starships and starbases, and served as an integral portion of all impulse drives, taking the EPS system completely offline for maintenance and repair was usually impractical unless a ship was berthed in a repair facility. Engineers most often used hyperspanners to regulate the EPS plasma flow without shutting down critical systems. They also rerouted the plasma flow around damaged components and precisely measured compression stresses in the plasma if the internal EPS monitors were damaged or offline. This device could also temporarily shut off small portions of the EPS flow without compromising the integrity or the function of the rest of the system.

Hyperspanners used a miniature array of polarized gravimetric projectors to create and direct several different sets of force fields. The unit's primary force field activated when its xynium-based sensors detected significant plasma density. This field protected both the unit and the user's arm from actually encountering the plasma. Failure of the primary field could result in severe plasma burns. The secondary force fields actually measured and manipulated the plasma flow. If the primary field failed, the secondary fields automatically compensated to provide protection for the device and its user while manipulating the plasma. Unfortunately, the secondary field could operate in this dual mode for approximately two minutes only.

Isolinear Chip Recorder

A tool that recorded Isolinear Optical Chips with data and software, used throughout Starfleet .

KLS Stabilizer

A KLS Stabilizer was a device used to maintain power output stability of a starships warp core.

Laser Torch

Laser torches were devices utilizing laser technology which allowed for easy cutting of materials. In the 24th century, Bajorans often used laser torches to cut wood, compared to the saber saw's they used in the past.

An electromagnetic locking mechanism used to connect structural components together. Maglocks used on Federation ships typically employed both electronic and mechanical engage/disengage systems.

Magnaspanner

The magnaspanner was a handheld tool used by Starfleet engineers. No other info is provided.

Microdyne Coupler

A microdyne coupler was a device that could be used to delete information on a computer, leaving little or no trace.

Microoptic Drill

The microoptic drill was a handheld piece of equipment used to produce extremely small precision holes by Starfleet personnel and others.

Nanopolymer

A nanopolymer was a densified material that could be used to reinforce components of plasma flow conduits and was very important in engineering.

Neutrino Probe

A neutrino probe was a tool used to scan neutrino readings found in a Starship's warp signature. A standard Starfleet tricorder was not equipped to detect neutrinos.

ODN recoupler

An Optical Data Network recoupler was a tool used to connect OPN wiring together or to a OPN relay. It was also used to repair ODN lines.

Optic Cable

An optic cable was a fiber optic data transmission cable used aboard Federation starships.

Optronic Coupler

An optronic coupler was a tool used by Starfleet engineers for repairs of equipment.

Particle Emitter

Particle emitters were equipment used to project or release certain types of particles for use in specific kinds of energies. Examples used in Starfleet applications include:

  • Phaser emitters - in modern times arrayed in banks along the hull and most often referred to as such, technically the part of the assembly from which the phaser beam started was the emitter on any phaser weapon, be it starship-size or handheld
  • Holographic emitters, emitted both the photons and the force fields used to confine them to create the hologram, a special case was an Emergency Medical Hologram's mobile emitter, which was able to be fixed to its own projection (as evidenced by the Doctor wearing it)
  • Navigational deflector - emitted the navigational shields that protected the ship from spaceborne debris (at normal impulse velocities, a fist-sized rock has enough kinetic energy to blow a hole the entire length of the starship, hence the need for deflectors), also may be reconfigured or jury-rigged to emit a vast variety of particle and energy beams and fields. The emitter was the deflector dish and the related assembly where the beams and fields were created.
  • Shield emitters - these emitted the particles/energy required to create the shields around the ship. When they were damaged, parts of the ship or its entirety may be left unshielded.

Phase Compensator

A phase compensator was a tool used to calibrate or reset plasma manifolds and relays.

Plasma Infuser

A plasma infuser was a hand held engineering instrument used for the transfer of high energy plasma.

Plasma Torch

A plasma torch was a work tool used aboard Federation Starships and Space Stations.

A power storage unit that could be used to power devices of various kinds, from phasers to computers.

Self-ratcheting Coupling Clamp

A self-ratcheting coupling clamp was a tool used to install or repair couplings in a ship or station's Electro-plasma system (EPS). There were several sizes of the clamp and they were made of non-conductive materials and coated in a heat-resistant coatings.

Sonic Driver

The sonic driver was a hand held engineering device used to measure tetryon particle flux fields.

Subspace Field Sensor

A subspace field sensor was a hand held engineering device.

Superconducting Flux Degausser

A superconducting flux degausser was used throughout Federation starships to degauss Flux generators and Flux spectrometers. The process was done after the usage of either a Flux generator or a Flux spectrometer to eliminate residual magnetic fields. If a flux generator was activated without being degaussed it would at best provide incorrect results and at worst it could cause a cascading failure in the machine which could be damaging to personnel operating it as well as the ship itself.

Tetryon Analyzer

A tetryon analyzer was an engineering tool used specifically to track Tetryon particles, it was a little used tool that was usually used to locate localized tetryon emissions, in recent years it became a key part of weapons scanners to detect Tetryon based weaponry, as standard Starfleet sensors had extreme difficulty in scanning Tetryon particles.

Disclaimer Notice

  • Starfleet Engineering Emblem used with permission of Gazomg Art - granted Nov 24, 2016
  • Engineering tools info used with permission of USS Wolff CO - granted Jan 30, 2017
  • Departments

Rules Question: Department Chief's Advantages

Most of the Department Chiefs have an Advantage while aboard ship. Using the Chief Engineer as an example, the rules on page 127 of the Core book state:

“When aboard the ship, the chief engineer always has the Advantage “Engineering Department”, which represents the ship’s complement of engineers and technicians.”

My question is, does the Chief Engineer Player need to spend Momentum to bring this Advantage into play? The language here implies they do not need to spend Momentum to use the Advantage. Is that correct?

Advantages are Traits and Traits exist or they don’t, cf. p. 67 of the Core Rulebook. Further, Momentum is explicitly used to create adavantages, cf. p. 85. Since the Engineer is considered having the advantage, it exists and you do not have to pay Momentum for it.

So, while both the Chief Engineer and the Chief of Security would need to pay Momentum to create the Advantage ‘Repair Team’ on a foreign ship they’re rendering assistance to, only the Chief of Security would need to do so on the PCs’ ship. The Chief Engineer would rely on their Engineering Department and have their repair team present at will.

Of course, creating appropriate Traits, either by setting the scene or paying Threat, the GM can nullify this Advantage for a time.

This is what I thought. Thank you, @MisterX

It’s interesting that the Chief Science Officer doesn’t have a similar “Science Department” Advantage. The standing Advantages onboard a PC’s ship are Engineering Department, Security Detachment, and Medical Department.

Actually, I’d allow them to have, in exchange for their special trait as specified in the rules. But their existing advantage does fit their role better, especially if you consider your namesake as the archetypical Science Officer. Also, it is not as broad.

To be honest, I always thought the ‘department advantages’ lacked a bit of imagination and do tend to prefer the options the department supplements and the Klingon Core Rules offered.

That’s because there is no Chief Science Officer, only a Science Officer. The other roles are all department heads and have staff, but I can’t think of anyone who was “chief science officer” on the show. I think there are always various science departments, such as stellar cartography, where you can be the head of (e.g. Nella Daren ), but there is no position that oversees all science departments, i.e. chief.

:slight_smile:

That’s funny. I’ve been watching Trek since I first saw TOS reruns in the late 70s and I always thought Spock was the Chief Science Officer. I have this memory (perhaps an incorrect memory) of Kirk referring to Spock as his Chief Science Officer in one of the TOS episodes. This is what happens when you get old!

Anyway to make it more interesting, Memory Alpha does list Chief Science Officer as one of the Senior Staff positions ( Staff officer | Memory Alpha | Fandom ). And on the dedicated Science Officer page it says:

“The chief science officer or often more simply science officer was the senior staff member aboard starship or starbase with the broad responsibility of coordinating the science division of the post. (DS9: “Melora”)”

Source on that?

:vulcan_salute:

Oh, I thought you guys were saying in the actual series there was no “chief science officer” and I was wondering what that term was from then as I’m used to that term being used for Spock and others in similar roles and was wondering if maybe that was something FASA made up way back when.

:wink:

See the post of @Modiphius-Nathan I linked in a posting above on the reasoning behind STA’s differentiation between “Chief Security Officer” and “Science Officer”. I think it is, in part, due to some debate of whether Spock was Kirk’s science officer or the Chief Science Officer of the Enterprise. I cannot comment on how he was referred on-screen, because I think I never watched TOS in english. I recall Kirk refer to him as his science officer in the translations, but those translations were inaccurate in the 60ies and are still terrible, today (it’s funny, though, when you can derive the original-language dialogue from an out-of-context mistranslation: “they totally said xyz in the original dialogue but f*cked up translation!”).

Yet, both explanations are intuitively plausible. And it might even be that both are true; e.g. in a sense that some smaller ships without a genuine scientific purpose or task do have a designated “chief science” in charge of a specialised group of scientists aboard (take e.g. a Pathfinder/Reconnaissance Defiant with a small team of stellar cartographists) while larger ships, especially those built for science missions (take a Sovereign class built for scientific and survey operations) have multiple science departments with multiple department heads (chief of stellar cartography, leader of the xeno-linguistics team, head of geologists and arechologists etc.) and one science officer on the bridge functioning as some kind of a liason in between those and the captain.

Spock was kind of a special case, as he was XO as well as Science Officer.

I can’t recall him being referred to as “Chief Science Officer” in dialogue, but some of the behind-the-scenes stuff like signage design for the refit Enterprise in TMP (and possibly Phase II, maybe?) had door signs for Spock and Scotty’s quarters that had an additional element added to the Science and Engineering logos indicated the “chief” officer. But again, that’s background, not actually spoken.

On a ship with a ton of different science personnel across different disciplines, I would guess they would have a division officer to oversee them.

Considering that there were science officers serving under Spock (“The Naked Time” being a prime example), I would think that it’s safe to say that Spock was Chief Science Officer.

The fact that he did have authority over science officers (which could also have been due to him being executive officer and/or of higher rank) does not contradict the possibility that there were other science officers with authority over their own department and reporting directly to the Captain (or maybe someone outside of the Enterprise). We do not know. And debating this is a waste of time.

1.) Within STA, there are no chief science officers , as they are a) not mentioned in the materials and b) not devised to exist by the developers. 2.) If you play STA, you still may have them in your game, since the so-called rules of said game are mere guidelines and advice. Nobody will call the roleplaying-police (this, also, was backed several times by the head of the line). Besides, there is no roleplaying-police that I now of. 3.) Sorry, the roleplaying police is raiding my appartme–

This isn’t all that special. Both Michael Burnham and Jadzia Dax served in similar positions.

Oops! Sorry again! It was the Swedish Bikini Team!

Related Topics

Screen Rant

11 best engineers in star trek, ranked.

The cast of Star Trek would never have been able to boldly go anywhere if it wasn't for their engineers. Here we rank 11 of the very best.

While everyone can ogle the bridge crew all they want, the people who really keep every Star Trek operation running are the engineers. After all, without a spaceship there's nowhere to explore, is there? Exactly. Take that, medical degrees and diplomacy.

RELATED: 11 Best Doctors In The Star Trek Universe

Far too often shoved down by the warp core and ignored, it's time to give the best engineers of the franchise their dues. With such brilliant minds, they really deserve a lot of credit for keeping everything together. That, and advancing technology so that The Federation's future only looks brighter every day.

Here are the best engineers in Star Trek , ranked.

Wesley Crusher

Throughout TNG , the show makes it very clear that Wesley is a child prodigy, a genius before his time. He accidentally puts the ship in danger too many times with his experiments getting out of hand. This includes frying the systems when everyone was space drunk and accidentally creating intelligent life and trapping it in the ship's systems.

As I said, a genius. However, Wesley's fatal flaw is lack of experience and arrogance. He's been told he's incredibly smart all his life and it makes him think he always knows what to do. He has great potential, but his youth knocks him down quite a few pegs.

Rom never was good at being a typical Ferengi. He was always too soft, too caring, too un-businesslike. His species' lust for gold was never for him. He cared more about machinery and his son. After Starfleet took over DS9 , and a few years passed, Rom finally found his calling: engineering. The Ferengi had a knack with technology that his species doesn't normally value.

While Rom is a star engineer under Chief O'Brien, he never was formally trained. He does have his mistakes and gaps in knowledge. That doesn't stop him from being one of the most brilliant self-taught engineers, though.

Paul Stamets

Stamets is a multi-talented scientist. Helming the engineering crew as well as conducting research as an expert mycologist, the Discovery was lucky to have him. His work helped the crew on multiple levels, even without including engineering. Paul Stamets' multiple disciplines only made him a more effective, cross-study engineer.

RELATED: 10 Times The Show Predicted The Future

Also lucky for Discovery , they had him on board for their experimental spore drive and fungal-based technology. He was the perfect person to deal with it. In such a unique and bizarre engineering system, Stamets used all his capabilities to overcome and modify the problem at hand. Considering how temperamental and untested the tech was, he did wonderfully.

The fact his partner is also a fantastic medic is just a bonus.

Trip Tucker

Despite his unprofessional behavior and distrust of T'Pol, Trip Tucker was a fantastic engineer. Early starship exploration was wildly dangerous and he didn't just have to be intelligent, but also diplomatic. Trip had to get along with alien engineers to learn new technology and share best practices for surviving in space.

Over his years on the Enterprise , he greatly improved the ship around him and helped make long-term space travel safer and more efficient. Pretty impressive considering how little he often knew about what they were up against.

B'Elanna Torres

Sure, B'Elanna did drop out of Starfleet Academy in her first year. Despite her engineering aptitude, all the rules and regulations didn't fit her personality (or her fears). She did find a purpose and a home in the Maquis, though, a group of renegade Federation civilians fighting for their homes on the Cardassian border. They used her engineering skills to help aid in their cause.

When she joined Voyager , she was an easy choice for chief engineer. She helped create balance in the crew and was stellar at her job. She may have the shortest temper in Starfleet, but she deactivated a murderous AI ship and made many modifications that slowly helped them find their way back to earth faster. Without a stellar chief engineer, they never would have survived.

Reginald Barclay

When fans first met Reg, he was a socially anxious, sort of creepy dude that worked down in engineering. While he had potential, he wasted all of it on holodeck addiction and the disorders that crippled him. After Reg started working with Deanna Troi, though, he became a new man. Reg was able to manage his anxiety, focus on his work, and become an amazing engineer.

RELATED: Star Trek TNG Cast: Where Are They Now?

From TNG to Voyager , Reg grew professionally and became a front-running expert on holograms and long-range communications. While his holodeck addiction still plagued him sometimes, his brilliance still stuck out. Because of him, Voyager was able to finally communicate with Starfleet despite being in the Delta Quadrant. He changed the face of long-range communication forever.

Montgomery Scott

The classic Star Trek engineer, trying to fix countless things that keep breaking, Montgomery Scott always had a lot of work to do. However, no matter what they faced, he always figured out a way to solve the problem. Iconic and sarcastic, there are few engineers that could deal with all Kirk asked of him.

He deserves credit as one of the best engineers to ever grace Starfleet. After all, in the roaring chaos that is the USS Enterprise he always got the job done. No wonder, years later, he's honored as an engineering hero.

Miles O'Brien

While many of the engineers on this list had a natural aptitude or were always dedicated to their field, Miles O'Brien came to engineering by happenstance. During the Cardassian War, he was the only one in their unit that had any engineering training. Therefore, he became the go-to tech guy. Under situations of stress, he kept his team alive by fixing necessary tech and making life-saving modifications.

From war-time ensign to transporter engineer, to chief engineer, Miles ranked up the only way he's ever known how: as a persistent, hard-working every-man. Though the guy's suffered through a lot, he saved a lot of lives in the Enterprise 's transporter room and kept the entirety of DS9 running in top shape. He's impressive.

Seven of Nine

Even though the Voyager crew stuck Seven in the observatory, she always was an amazing engineer. Her Borg upbringing made her have a unique relationship with tech since she lives with so much in her body.

While she isn't meant for leadership, it doesn't diminish her engineering capabilities. She integrated Borg tech into Voyager 's systems, she saved the ship several times with her personal modifications, and she revolutionized other uses for Borg nanotech.

Fans never saw what she did after Voyager , but anything she engineered could upgrade Starfleet in ways we never imagined. Hopefully Star Trek: Picard will show that.

Zefram Cochrane

A mad scientist type, Zefram Cochrane is by far one of the greatest engineers in Star Trek history. While he was drunk and a little off-kilter, he made the greatest discovery vital to the future of mankind: the warp drive. This led to humanity meeting the Vulcans, their eventual space travel, and the entire formation of the Federation and Starfleet.

His great work in changing the face of space travel was pivotal and genius. Zefram deserves endless praise for his engineering contributions to humanity and its progress.

Geordi LaForge

As chief engineer of the USS Enterprise , Geordi dealt with a lot of bizarre scenarios that he had to engineer himself out of. It's part of the job. However, Geordi really went above and beyond. He was the first engineer to have to fight against the Borg. His modifications helped give The Federation a chance when in conflict with them. Also, he was the close friend of the only Soong-type android in Starfleet. He learned so much from his existence and friendship.

These are only a few examples, but Geordi got an experience like no other and made contributions to Starfleet like no other. With his visor and his dedication, Geordi was the best engineer out there.

NEXT: 10 Best First Officers In Star Trek, Ranked

star trek engineering department

Star Trek Has A New Scotty (Besides Strange New Worlds’ Young Engineer)

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 Finale - "Old Friends, New Scientists"

  • Chief Engineer Andy Billups loves the USS Cerritos just as much as Scotty loved the USS Enterprise, and he jumps to the ship's defense when insulted.
  • Billups shows his dedication to the Cerritos by being willing to fight on behalf of the ship, similar to how Scotty fought for the Enterprise.
  • The USS Cerritos currently has the best engineering team in modern Star Trek, surpassing the USS Enterprise in terms of the size and development of their team.

Star Trek: Lower Decks established the USS Cerritos' Chief Engineer shares the passion for his ship that Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan) felt for the USS Enterprise on Star Trek: The Original Series . From TOS through its subsequent movies to his appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation , Scotty loved the Enterprise. Over the course of his time as her Chief Engineer, Scotty learned all of the little quirks and idiosyncracies of the Enterprise, and he could repair her engines better than anyone. Because of his quick thinking and creative solutions, Scotty became known as a miracle worker when it came to any engineering-related problems on the ship.

The Star Trek Lower Decks season 4 finale saw the USS Cerritos and its crew confront disgraced Starfleet cadet Nick Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill) and foil his plot to create his own armada, Nova Fleet. As part of their plan to rescue the kidnapped Lt. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and stop Locarno, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and the Cerritos crew have to visit Orion and ask for a battleship. As Lt. D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) negotiates with the leader of the Orions (who also happens to be her sister), D’Erika (Ariel Winter) insults the Cerritos. Chief Engineer Andy Billups (Paul Scheer) quickly jumps to the Cerritos' defense, establishing that he loves his ship just as much as Scotty loves the Enterprise.

Related: Star Trek: Lower Decks Cast Guide - Who Voices Each Character In All 4 Seasons

Lower Decks’ Engineer Billups Just Became Star Trek’s New Scotty

Since Star Trek: Lower Decks shifts the focus from the senior staff to the lower-level officers, or Lower Deckers, Billups has not become as significant a character as many of Star Trek's other Chief Engineers . Still, Billups is a welcome and often hilarious presence on Lower Decks, and the season 4 finale gives viewers even more reason to love him. While trying to convince Tendi to join her on Orion, D’Erika says: "Having you back at my side would mean more than some measly support ship." Without missing a beat, Billups indignantly replies: "The Cerritos is not measly. She is the gem of the [California Class]!”

If Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) didn't stop him, Billups looked ready to fight several armed Orions in defense of his ship . Scotty, too, was willing to throw a punch to defend the USS Enterprise. In TOS season 2, episode 15, "The Trouble With Tribbles," Scotty dives into a fistfight with some Klingons who insult the Enterprise. The fight quickly devolves into an all-out brawl, after which Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) delivers an epic dressing down to his misbehaving officers. Billups may not have actually thrown any punches, but he looked more than willing to fight on behalf of his beloved Cerritos.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 6, "Trials and Tribble-ations," revisits "The Trouble With Tribbles," and Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney), Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn), and Constable Odo (René Auberjonois) all get involved in the brawl with the Klingons.

Lower Decks Has Modern Star Trek’s Best Engineer Team

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the USS Cerritos currently has Star Trek's best engineering team. With Chief Engineer Billups, Lt. Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and the rest of the engineers, the Cerritos has a more substantial team than the USS Enterprise of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . After the death of Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horack) in Strange New Worlds season 1, Commander Pelia (Carol Kane) took over as Chief Engineer, but the rest of the Enterprise's engineering team hasn't been developed in the prequel show.

With the introduction of the young Lt. Scotty (Martin Quinn) in the Strange New Worlds season 2 finale, the Enterprise will hopefully have him join Engineering and Strange New Worlds can define the Enterprise's Engineering team. But until then, the Cerritos may just have the Enterprise beat when it comes to its engineering department. Star Trek: Lower Decks has produced some pretty great Star Trek, and its engineering team remains one of the best.

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek Lower Decks

Summary: The animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks follows the support crew on one of Starfleet’s least significant ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Boimler (Jack Quaid), Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and Tendi (Noël Wells) have to keep up with their duties and their social lives often. At the same time, the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.

Release Date: 2020-08-06

Cast: Jack Quaid, Gillian Vigman, dawnn lewis, Noel Wells, Eugene Cordero, Fred Tatasciore, Jerry O'Connell, Tawny Newsome

Genres: Animation, Adventure, Action

Story By: gene roddenbury

Writers: Gene Roddenberry

Network: Paramount

Streaming Sevice: Paramount+

Franchise(s): Star Trek

Star Trek Has A New Scotty (Besides Strange New Worlds’ Young Engineer)

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Published Aug 23, 2023

The Starfleet Insignia Explained

No Star Trek symbol captures the eye or imagination quite like the delta.

Starfleet Insignia Explained

StarTrek.com

"The Starfleet Symbol." "The Arrowhead." "The Delta."

star trek engineering department

Star Trek uses symbols to convey a lot of things, but none captures the eye or imagination quite like the delta. In the years since The Original Series first aired, fans have tried to determine the meaning behind the various insignia shapes we see in the show. To most, it seems that the iconic delta shape is some sort of ship assignment patch meant to represent the U.S.S. Enterprise .

Some arrive at this conclusion because they see various Starfleet personnel wearing a number of different insignia. However, like any puzzle without a key, it’s impossible to precisely interpret the meaning of these other insignia.

The hidden key to the puzzle was finally uncovered a few years ago. The discovery was a memorandum written by producer Robert H. (Bob) Justman to  costume designer William Ware (Bill) Theiss . The subject? STARSHIP EMBLEMS.

A copy of that memorandum has been digitized from the Gene Roddenberry  Star Trek  Television Series Collection (held in the Library Special Collections division of the Young Research Library at UCLA in Irvine, California) and is shown below:

star trek engineering department

This memo, written during the production of the episode "The Omega Glory," and referencing Captain Ron Tracey, nullifies the long-held assumption that Starfleet assigned different insignia shapes to starships during TOS. Theiss’ inclusion of an alternate insignia for the  Exeter 's captain and chief medical officer, unfortunately, downplays how genuinely ubiquitous the delta insignia is within the  Star Trek  universe. As a result, fans of the series are left with conflicting visual information regarding the meaning of the insignia worn throughout the original series.

Nearly 50 years after Bob Justman wrote his memo, we now have the opportunity to clarify the use of each and every Starfleet uniform insignia used in   TOS. With a wee bit of Scotty's ingenuity, and a pinch of Vulcan logic, the complete picture of what Gene Roddenberry envisioned for the delta insignia should snap into focus.

There are six Starfleet duty insignia used in The Original Series:

  • Starship Duty Insignia (Fleet personnel emblem)
  • Spacecraft Duty Insignia (Auxiliary Fleet/ Merchant Marine personnel emblem)
  • Outpost Duty Insignia (Outpost and Colony personnel emblem)
  • Cadet Duty Insignia (Starfleet Academy student emblem)
  • Starbase Duty Insignia (Headquarters,  Space stations, Drydocks, and Ground installation personnel emblem)
  • Fleet Command Insignia (Senior field commander personnel emblem)

In the  Star Trek  universe, the delta emblem is a direct descendant of the vector component of the old NASA (and later UESPA) logos in use during Earth’s space programs of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Those symbols were worn by some of the first space explorers and adorned uniforms and ships during humanity’s first steps into the final frontier.

star trek engineering department

United Earth Space Probe Agency integrated with Starfleet as the leading United Earth space exploration service.

The delta insignia was first drawn in 1964 by costume designer William Ware Theiss with input from series creator Gene Roddenberry. The delta — or “Arrowhead” as Bill Theiss called it — has evolved into a revered symbol and one that's synonymous with  Star Trek  today.

The delta also conveys information about the wearer’s duties aboard ship using a series of division symbols. When paired with a distinctive, elongated “star,” the insignia represents someone assigned to the Command division aboard ship. When it displays the “planet” symbol, it represents the Sciences division, a stylized “e” stands for Engineering (later Operations), and a red “Swiss Cross” is worn by starship personnel assigned to the Nursing Corps.

star trek engineering department

Captain James T. Kirk wearing the Starship Duty Insignia, Command Division.

Let’s continue our study of  Star Trek ’s insignia with personnel assigned to other starships that are wearing the delta insignia.

Before we knew about this memo, we assumed that each ship had its own unique insignia, but there are problems that theory doesn't account for. For instance, does it bother you, or at least seem odd to see the surly guys in Starbase 11’s Officer's Club (in the episode "Court Martial") giving “their captain” a hard time over the presumed death of their mutual friend Ben Finney? Or, to see deceased crew members aboard the  U.S.S. Defiant  (in the episode "The Tholian Web") wearing the delta insignia?

If different starships had different symbols, why weren't they wearing them? Simple. The memo makes it clear that those Starfleet officers are not assigned to the  Enterprise ; they are simply wearing Starfleet’s standard-issue Starship Duty Insignia.

star trek engineering department

Non-Enterprise Starfleet personnel in Starbase 11’s Officer’s Club in Court Martial, and Below: Deceased U.S.S. Defiant crew member wearing the Starship Duty Insignia in "The Tholian Web."

By now, you might be saying, “What about U.S.S. Exeter ’s Captain Ron Tracey and his chief surgeon, Dr. Carter?” As these two insignia patches are the error being addressed in the memo, they need no further explanation. They alone are the anomaly (an anomaly Theiss never repeated), which led to the misconception that every ship has its own assignment insignia.

star trek engineering department

Above: Captain Ron Tracey of the U.S.S. Exeter, and Below: his CMO, Dr. Carter.

As you can see here, Theiss thoughtfully, if erroneously, provided both officers with unique assignment insignia patches, and in keeping with his fastidious reputation, insured both patches included their appropriate division symbols.

Early in TOS, we get our first look at non-delta insignia. In the episode "Charlie X,"  Antares ’ Captain Rampart and his first officer are wearing the Spacecraft Duty Insignia, which indicates that they are assigned to an auxiliary spacecraft serving in Starfleet's Merchant Marine Corps — just as Justman points out in his memo. 

star trek engineering department

Antares' Captain Rampart, and his XO wearing the Merchant Marine Spacecraft Duty Insignia.

Not long after that, we get a look at another new insignia. The Outpost Duty Insignia is worn by Starfleet personnel assigned to outposts on the very edge of Federation space, the frontier. This emblem is characterized by a gold spikelet against a black background. Warning: Do not put yourself in a situation where this insignia goes on your uniform. Personnel wearing this badge never seem to live happily ever after.

star trek engineering department

Outpost Crew from "Balance of Terror" & "Arena" pictured wearing the Outpost Duty Insignia.

A few episodes later, the Enterprise takes shore leave and Kirk reminisces about his days at the Academy. Worn by students attending Starfleet Academy, the Cadet Duty Insignia is characterized by a pewter colored, smaller version of the Starbase Duty Insignia.

star trek engineering department

Second Class Midshipman Finnegan wearing the Cadet Duty Insignia.

First seen in "The Menagerie," the Starbase Duty Insignia is worn by personnel assigned to Federation Starbases, which include Starfleet Headquarters, space stations, drydocks, and other ground installations. The emblem, which is devoid of any departmental symbol, is a stylized representation of an “Evening Starflower” (a flowering plant native to the western hemisphere of Earth).

star trek engineering department

Above: Admiral James Komack of Starfleet Command - Sector 9, and Below: Admiral Fitzpatrick.

star trek engineering department

Miss Piper, assistant to Commodore Mendez, and Lt. Areel Shaw Starbase 11 JAG Officer wearing the Starbase Duty Insignia.

So how does Commodore Wesley in "The Ultimate Computer," or Commodore Decker in "The Doomsday Machine," fit into the spectrum of Starfleet insignia?

Well, let’s talk about commodores for a moment. A commodore is a flag officer rank, one position above captain. A starship captain usually commands a single vessel, but a commodore ordinarily commands more than one ship. Usually, commodores command a group of ships (either close to their flagship or distant), or in the case of TOS, they normally command a starbase.

In charge of evaluating the operational performance of the M5 computer while it's in total control of a starship, Commodore Wesley sits in temporary command of the  U.S.S. Lexington  to lead a battle fleet in war games against the  Enterprise . Throughout the episode, Commodore Wesley continues to wear his Starbase Duty Insignia, while the  Lexington  crew would have been wearing the delta.

star trek engineering department

Commodore Bob Wesley in the transporter room briefing Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock about the M5 computer.

Finally, we come to one of my favorite characters ever — Commodore Matt Decker in "The Doomsday Machine." We saved him for last because we could only properly discuss his insignia and what it means after we talked about Starfleet’s other symbols first.

star trek engineering department

William Windom as Commodore Matt Decker

Unlike Commodore Bob Wesley, who was only in temporary command of the  Lexington , Matt Decker is a Flag Officer with permanent field command of a starship. In fact, he's the only Flag Officer we see in  Star Trek  with a field command. As a consequence of Commodore Decker's rank and status as Commander of the  U.S.S. Constellation  (his flagship), he wears the Fleet Command Insignia denoting his status as a Flag Officer in the field. If we had seen Commodore Decker's crew (may they rest in peace), we would have seen the delta shape insignia in use on their uniforms. Commodore Decker's own first officer would have held the rank of Captain and worn the Starship Duty Insignia.

It should be noted that "The Doomsday Machine," which was filmed early in Season 2, is not referenced in Bob Justman’s memo. Some speculate that Decker’s absence from the memo is further indication of the inconsistent use of emblems in  Star Trek , but that presupposes that the production staff missed that detail. However, the very existence of the Justman memo, and a whole forest of others just like it, demonstrates that the opposite is true.

The production team of  Star Trek  worked diligently to ensure that every aspect of the future they were busy creating held up under scrutiny. Gene Roddenberry was notoriously rewriting scripts himself to ensure no less than exactly what he wanted ended up on-screen, and that fastidious nature permeated the entire production staff. That Decker’s unique emblem is not mentioned in the production memo indicates that his particular insignia isn't an error at all; but represents something else.

Check out Commodore Decker's insignia. Remember that when Theiss created the insignia for Captain Ron Tracey, he went out of his way to ensure it was emblazoned with a Command Star department symbol. Commodore Decker has no such departmental symbol in his insignia patch, which places it in the same design lineage as the Starbase Duty Insignia, which is also devoid of any departmental symbol.

At this point in  Star Trek , we’ve seen a number of flag officers; but they have all worn the Starflower shape, which indicates assignment to a starbase, while Matt Decker alone in TOS series serves as a flag officer in permanent command of a starship. He is wearing an insignia that conveys his unique status, the Fleet Command Insignia, and if you look closely, you'll see that Matt Decker’s emblem is visually related to the Starbase Duty Insignia. Decker’s insignia is a stylized representation of an individual petal from the same “Evening Starflower” emblem that comprises the starbase symbol. This insignia isn't mentioned in the production memo because it's not an error at all.

Hopefully, by now, you can see how consistent the  Star Trek  costume department really was in their use of insignia, and that Bill Thiess never repeated the error he made during "The Omega Glory" after it was pointed out by the memo.

Returning to the delta, Roddenberry and Justman intended it to be a very special symbol that communicates something important. The insignia worn on Starfleet uniforms is the equivalent of the badges worn by U.S. Service members — to show how they serve, not where they serve. Both men served with distinction in World War II. Roddenberry was an Army Air Corps pilot and Justman was a radio operator in the Navy. In the air and at sea, they understood the value of visual communication. In uniform, they themselves carried those values on their chests, on their collars, and on their sleeves. Twenty years after they wore their own various insignia, they helped to create something new — a symbol to inspire others. In the 1960s, the Starfleet delta had far more in common with the golden pin awarded to a NASA astronaut than a simple mission patch, and it was intended to equal that proud emblem in both use and sentiment.

star trek engineering department

The NASA Astronaut Pin. There are two versions of this pin, a silver pin awarded to those who complete their training, and a gold pin awarded only to astronauts who have flown in space.

The delta proclaims that the person wearing it has achieved the goal of every cadet entering the Academy, and the dream of many a devoted fan — to serve aboard a starship and set sail in an endless sea of stars.

star trek engineering department

Starfleet Insignia Badge, Command Division from Star Trek Discovery

They used to say if man could fly, he'd have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to.

Captain James T. Kirk

star trek engineering department

I am grateful to have an experienced and learned group of expert Star Trek fans who helped with the research on this article — Steve Fronczek, Creative Services Manager, ANOVOS; Lieutenant Commander Michael J. Quigley, United States Navy; and Dayton Ward, Star Trek author.

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This article was originally published on October 7, 2018

John Cooley is a lifelong Star Trek fan.

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See USS Enterprise’s Engineering In ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Created Using Virtual Production Tech

star trek engineering department

| May 18, 2022 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 31 comments so far

The AR Wall virtual set technology introduced in season four of Star Trek: Discovery is being put to good use by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Not only is the AR wall being used to help create some of those alien worlds, but it is also being used for some sets within the USS Enterprise itself. Thanks to team behind the show’s visual effects, we can now get a closer look at how it’s done.

Pixomondo’s virtual engineering

The often talked about AR Wall used by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (and Star Trek: Discovery ) is located at Pixomondo’s and William F. White International’s virtual production stage in Toronto. Pixomondo has been working on the Star Trek shows since the launch of Discovery and introduced the AR wall for use in season four of Discovery .

The following video shows how practical set pieces and the AR wall are combined to create the set for engineering on the USS Enterprise.

Pixomondo also provided us with this photo from the production on Thursday’s episode “ Ghosts of Illyria ” showing off the engineering set.

star trek engineering department

USS Enterprise engineering set (Pixomondo)

The AR wall is also used for the Enterprise mess hall. Writer/producer Bill Wolkoff shared a video this week showing the ship at warp effect in action.

The Enterprise mess hall, in warp! This AR wall set by the genius Pixomondo artists was seen in the Strange New Worlds pilot. Best cafeteria view in the galaxy. pic.twitter.com/wvNbQxb9x7 — Bill Wolkoff (@flying_lobster) May 17, 2022

Of course, a big selling point for the AR Wall is creating alien worlds. Pixomondo shared some photos showing how the AR wall was used for Spock and T’Pring’s date on Vulcan in the premiere episode of the series. You can see in the following two photos a sort of before and after once the AR wall displays the virtual Vulcan environment.

star trek engineering department

AR wall stage getting set up (Pixomondo)

star trek engineering department

AR wall showing virtual Vulcan (Pixomondo)

Gaming tech driving new virtual sets

Pixomondo’s virtual set and AR wall utilizes technology from the Unreal Engine, which is gaming technology being applied for film production. Unreal released their own video showing off how the tech was used in season four of Discovery .

New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debut on Thursdays exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, Australia and the Nordics. The series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada. In New Zealand, it is available on TVNZ , and in India on  Voot Select .  Strange New Worlds  will arrive via Paramount+ in select countries in Europe when the service launches later this year, starting with the UK and Ireland in June.

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Discovery , Review

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Nice, but where are the huge vats?

This is no brewery!

Starfleet finally figured out that beer was not a good catalyst for generating a warp field.

Nope, just mushrooms.

Technically that wasn’t engineering as in the engine room but more the water reclamation room.

nice. It’s modern but enough of a reflection of what’s been done in TOS that you can almost hand wave TOS away as being the ‘standard def / you might have cataracts’ release and now we’re finally seeing the same ship but in high def and with our glasses on.

I like those designs. Retrofuturistic. Looks like an extension of the TOS-bridge to the engineering room, if they had the money back then.

I like this engineering design a lot, and a lot more than the version we’ve briefly seen on Short Treks. The physical set pieces of the warp core are super retro and the virtual conduits reflect the TOS basic design. The only downside is the frantic nature of this promo video. Not my style…

I definitely agree with that. I didn’t like the engineering look in Short Treks either, but yeah it was a quick thing to do for a few seconds, I don’t think anyone thought it would really look that way if it became a real show.

I still think this one looks ridiculously big but that’s the ship in general.

I assumed what was seen in Short Treks was the upper part of the warp core where the reactants are injected/directed, and what’s shown in Strange New Worlds is the actual intermix chamber & power distribution manifold.

It’s so interesting watching this concept in production tech evolve over the past 15 years or so. I remember using mods and Battlefield 2 for aircraft shots in a short film I was making back then… and then Sanctuary doing the old version of this with greenscreen physical “blocks” and MLG camera interfaces.

Beautiful. Looks TOS and functional. Love it!!! My only request would be the large display boards on the side where engineers can see the power distribution, warp fields, manipulate energy levels, etc and some ladders like TOS for access. Big displays, see TOS with some engineers for the chief engineer to demand more power from with the displays going red and sparks flying that he has to report to the Captain that she can’t do much more than this!!

I second that.

Yes, but where do they brew their beer?

Like I was saying…

Cool design but it looks way too big for a Constitution class ship. Or has SNW gone the JJVerse route of arbitrarily doubling the size of the ship?

Judging by the size of Pike’s quarters, the ship is bigger now.

It’s all way to big, just plainly showing this is not the TOS/TNG universe the producers keep insisting it is.

Oh, were you expecting canon? lol! The ship is gigantic now, I think the design is 442 meters vs ~289 for the original Connie

After seeing the vast empty spaces inside the ship in Discovery I don’t think anyone can or should care about this anymore :(

The sets are amazing but man this ship looks so big compared to the original Enterprise. And the ‘mess hall’ looks closer to a fancy New York restaurant lol. Not a huge deal it just feels more like a luxury cruise liner compared to the original which was closer to a Navy vessel; especially its more limited space.

But at least engineering doesn’t look like a brewery.

Baby steps. Some are still see TNG and think a hotel lobby is more the environment for drama and excitement than a cramped combat information centre. Hmm… what is more exciting warship navy environment complete with displays or the lobby of the Best Western complete with elevator door and couch? That being said I think some Producers/Directors on SNW who shoot a scene on a bridge set where people can talk to each other in a shot without screaming and without just a giant door in the background going “wow, this is amazing!!! Why hasn’t this been done before?!?!” Gives me hope for the future of Trek.

Is the part where everything comes at the camera like the lightning tunnel Spock passes through in TMP supposed to be a warp reaction? Couldn’t make head nor tail of any of that.

I can’t wait till I see some sort of official blueprints to see how Engineering fits into the Secondary Hull.

Might as well ask for a blueprint of the Tardis

Discovery make Tardis-style ship interior canon. I can’t care about those details (blueprints etc) anymore thanks to that.

Isn’t this nothing more than a high tech version of “blue-screen” Star Trek , “Hidden Frontier” from 2000-2007?! :) Another thing Fan Films did first!

It’s not a blue screen because the backgrounds are projected in real time so the actors actually have something to react to. If anything it’s closer to a 21st Century version of the front projection system that Kubrick used for the Dawn of Man scenes in 2001: A Space Odyssey where (and I’m really oversimplifying this) prehistoric backgrounds were projected onto a giant screen.

It’s a giant curved LED screen. The imagery on it is a virtual set, generated in real time by Unreal Engine software, most commonly used in game development.

It tracks the real-world camera position to match views / movement in the virtual set accordingly, so it doesn’t look like a flat mural, but a real 3D space.

Virtual lighting inside the scene is matched with on-set lighting rigs, and bonus, since the LED wall surrounds the actors, you get realistic reflections etc so they don’t look like they’re standing in front of a green screen.

Great behind-the-scenes video from the Discovery production team here: https://youtu.be/WDGmLE6IiGQ

No, because it’s displayed and then actually filmed with the actors, it also reacts to camera movements so it appears to have 3D depth.

If anything this is the exact OPPOSITE of a blue/greenscreen

Fleet Engineering Personnel - Common Quality Duty Officer

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  • Fleet Engineering Personnel - Common Quality Duty Officer is a bound item and cannot be traded or sold.Cannot be purchased from Zen Store .

Right-click or double-click to Use the item.

You will receive 1 Common duty officer with a random specialization from the tables listed bellow:

Engineering department [ | ]

Operations department [ | ], item variations [ | ].

There are 4 variations of this item according to the quality :

Fleet Personnel - Common Quality Duty Officer icon

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Faction Federation

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Faction Klingon

  • Contribute in Fleet Starbase Upgrade Projects (Engineering Projects and upgrade Starbase Tier)
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  • Sell or trade with other players.

Notes [ | ]

  • 2 Playable starship
  • 3 Delta Recruitment

USS Ticonderoga

USS Ticonderoga

Engineering department.

DEPARTMENT MEMBERS:

DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

The following is a list of the duties and responsibilities of the Engineering Department. Changes can be made as the situation demands. These duties and responsibilities are not all inclusive.

  • The Chief of Engineering and the Engineering Department will have fun.
  • The Chief of Engineering reports directly to the Executive Officer.
  • The Chief of Engineering is responsible to keep the members of the Engineering Department active and involved by informing them of activities and events. This includes creating departmental projects, making assignments, and solving problems and concerns.
  • The Chief of Engineering may appoint an Assistant Department Chief to assist with these duties. The Chief of Engineering will need to report this to the Command Staff.
  • The Chief of Engineering will attend staff meeting. If that person cannot then a replacement will need to be assigned (age 16 or older) from the department to go in the Chief’s stead and report back. The Chief also needs to inform a member of the Command Staff of the change. At the staff meeting the Chief will give reports on departmental meetings, activities, and projects. Crew member monthly duty reports and any proposals will be turned in and previous reports will be returned with the crew members latest gains towards rank advancement.
  • The Chief of Engineering can collect money for the ships fund on the sale of club paraphernalia. This money would then be turned over to the Executive Officer. Money should be collected in an envelope with the crew member’s name, address, sizes and colors (if needed), total amount included and what the money is for.
  • The primary duty of the Engineering Department is to coordinate the production of club paraphernalia and other items (T-Shirts, hats, jackets, fanny packs, etc.)
  • The Engineering Department will keep a running list of all equipment seen, used or mentioned in Star Trek. The members of the department are encouraged to develop a knowledge of the equipment used in Star Trek. This list will be made available for the crew to help in research and study. This could also be displayed on a departmental web page to be linked to the Ticonderoga web page.
  • The Engineering Department is encouraged to find any and all information about the actors (James Dohann, LaVar Burton, Connor Trinner, etc.) that are connected with the Engineering department or the characters (Montgomery Scott, Geordi LaForge, Charlie “Trip” Tucker, etc.) they portrayed. The department members may join their fan clubs and keep the rest of the ship informed as to the activities thereof.
  • The Engineering Department is responsible to submit an article for each newsletter.
  • Any additional duties as deemed necessary by the Command Staff.

Proud chapter of Starfleet Command's Seventh Fleet

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November 6, 2013

All I Really Need to Know About Engineering, I Learned From Star Trek

Since its premiere in 1966, the television program Star Trek has inspired multiple generations of young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. The iconic science fiction series followed the crew members of the star ship Enterprise as they travel the galaxy on a five-year mission to "explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no man has gone before." Star Trek provided its viewers with a vision of the future that was both optimistic and exciting, and suggested that scientific thinking and technological know-how are keys to realizing such a bright future. Why learn math and science? Well, how else are you going to fly a star ship and explore the universe?

As I think back on the formative influence that the show had on me as a young person, I realize that it taught me some important lessons that I have brought with me into my adult career as an engineer:

Under-promise and over-deliver On multiple occasions throughout the series, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott says that a given technical feat can't be done. Then he does it.

Clearly, this strategy has its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that it bolsters Scott's reputation as a miracle worker. A disadvantage is that his commanding officer, Captain Kirk, routinely expects him to achieve the impossible. Another possible disadvantage, for real-world engineers, is that management might actually believe you when you say that something is impossible, and never give you the chance to prove otherwise. Or, worse, they may give the job to someone who is willing to make less conservative promises. That being said, it is a much better strategy than claiming that a task will be easy, then failing to do it.

The interaction between Kirk and Scott exemplifies the relationship between management and engineering at its best. One role of engineering is to point out the technical difficulties involved in achieving the goals that management has set. The other role of engineering is to solve these technical difficulties so that these goals can be successfully achieved.

Infinite diversity in infinite combinations The original series was remarkable for its time in portraying men and women of all races and nationalities (and even extraterrestrials like Mr. Spock) working side-by-side in harmony. Each of the characters has unique strengths that make the Enterprise crew effective as a team.

Despite the stereotype of engineers as misanthropic individualists working in isolation, engineering is very much a team sport. To be successful as an engineer, you need to be able to work together with a wide variety of people. This means that you need to be able to respect differences, and to recognize the unique contributions that each member brings to the group.

The three main characters in the series (Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy) have very different personalities and ways of approaching problems. Kirk is brave and decisive, Spock is logical and analytical, and McCoy is skeptical and compassionate. They don't always agree, and neither one of them is always right, but the three of them, working together, are usually able to solve most problems. Similarly, in a successful engineering team, different individuals' approaches complement one another and balance each other's extremes.

Don't fear the unknown In an early episode of the show, Kirk says: "There's no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood." Just like the crew of a star ship venturing into uncharted reaches of space, engineers often need to deal with uncertainty.

With any luck, in your engineering career, you will have the opportunity to design something the world has never seen before. This is exciting, but it can also be scary. It's not always possible to predict every potential failure mode before it happens. You may have to make major design decisions before you have complete data. If you're doing something that no one else has ever done, there will be no one to show you the way.

About the Author(s)

Dave Palmer

Dave Palmer

Dave Palmer is a licensed professional metallurgical engineer, specializing in failure analysis and materials selection. He lives in Waukegan, Illinois, and works as a metallurgist for a major marine engine manufacturer. He holds a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and is completing his MS thesis at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. When not working or spending time with his wife and two teenage daughters, he teaches a U.S. citizenship class for legal permanent residents. He can be reached by email at [email protected] .

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Star Trek: Fleet Command Wiki

Engine Technology Lab

  • View history

Description [ ]

Engine Technology Lab becomes unlocked at Level 23 via Research along with the Foundry & Science Lab , these buildings also help your overall power and the Ships lvl also.

Note also, that all building costs will vary depending on the research of Building Efficiency (lowering cost) and other Researching.

The Armory becomes available at Operations level 40.

See Also Operations , Starbase

Upgrades by Level [ ]

  • 1 The Swarm
  • 3 Faction Reputation

Memory Alpha

Starfleet division

  • View history

Voyager efficiency analysis by division

A ship-wide efficiency analysis by division

Starfleet divisions were specialized organizational structures within Starfleet .

In various editions of the Starfleet uniform , three main divisions (and the cadet division or crew support, in some issues) were identified by a departmental color , and sometimes a patch insignia. Some uniforms showed organization by different means, like collar or insignia color, and with different meanings than the three division structure used by other eras' uniform issues. ( DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ", VOY : " Good Shepherd ", et al.)

  • 1.1 Uniform divisions
  • 1.2 Starship divisions
  • 1.3 Starfleet divisions

Divisions [ ]

Uniform divisions [ ].

Starfleet division insignia, 2266

Divisions in 2266

  • Command division
  • Operations division
  • Sciences division

Starship divisions [ ]

  • Engineering division
  • Planetary Geosciences Division
  • Training division

Starfleet divisions [ ]

  • Division 14
  • Exploratory Division
  • Stellar Imaging Division
  • Tactical Analysis Division

See also [ ]

  • Division of Planetary Operations , a division of the Federation government
  • Skywalker Division , a shipbuilding division
  • Yoyodyne Division , a shipbuilding division

IMAGES

  1. Star Trek: Every Chief Engineer Ranked

    star trek engineering department

  2. Image

    star trek engineering department

  3. See USS Enterprise’s Engineering In ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

    star trek engineering department

  4. Engineering

    star trek engineering department

  5. Designing The Next Generation's Engineering

    star trek engineering department

  6. Star Trek: Who Was The Best Starfleet Engineer?

    star trek engineering department

VIDEO

  1. Star Trek INtakes: Taking Data to Engineering

  2. Star Trek Engineering Playset!

  3. Classic Star Trek Engineering Trident Scanner Prop

  4. Reviewing and customizing a Playmates Star Trek Engineering playset

  5. Star Trek Next Generation

  6. User Interface Overview and some Basic Hot Key Commands

COMMENTS

  1. Engineering department

    The engineering department or engineering division was a major department aboard Starfleet starships. In 2268, Montgomery Scott showed Elaan, the Dohlman of Elas, his engineering department. (TOS: "Elaan of Troyius") In 2369, William T. Riker denied a request by stellar sciences department head Nella Daren to use the main sensor array a few hours longer, because it had been allocated to ...

  2. "Engineering Department" and other Role-specific Advantages

    There's the obvious use of the engineering department being the personnel who carry out orders given by the Chief Engineer, making that virtually every one of their engineering tasks has difficulty reduced by one. However, you can also get more creative with a little imagination. The Chief Engineer might also know the engineering staff more ...

  3. Engineer

    Tests were performed regularly through main engineering, which was the hub of activity for the entire department. From main engineering, all ship functions could be monitored and checked for any abnormalities. (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits"; DS9: "Starship Down"; VOY: "Parallax") John B. Watkins held the rank of "Engineer, Grade 4" in 2268.

  4. Engineering

    Main Engineering. Main engineering aboard a Theurgy-class starship was located on deck 25. The room was constructed around a class 9 warp drive with a tricyclic input manifold. The core provided a maximum output of four thousand teradynes per second. The warp drive was designed to operate for up to three years before refueling.

  5. Every Starship Enterprise Chief Engineer In Star Trek

    A starship is only as good as the engineer that keeps it running, and Star Trek's legendary USS Enterprise is no exception. As established by the legendary Captain Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan) in Star Trek: The Original Series, the Chief Engineer is an integral part of each Star Trek show's main line-up.From TOS to Star Trek: Picard season 3, there have been seven ships to bear the ...

  6. Any additional character roles that are mechanically defined?

    Star Trek Adventures. HappyDaze February 19, 2020, ... (a joint medical or engineering research project might be best served by a liaison officer from the medical or engineering department). In all cases, a good score in the Command discipline would still be very helpful. ...

  7. STAR TREK

    The Engineering department or engineering division was a major department aboard Starfleet starships. In this group all technical details relating to Starfleet ships can be discussed. Including...

  8. Rules Question: Department Chief's Advantages

    Rules Question: Department Chief's Advantages. Star Trek Adventures. Spock February 1, 2021, 5:02pm 1. Most of the Department Chiefs have an Advantage while aboard ship. Using the Chief Engineer as an example, the rules on page 127 of the Core book state: "When aboard the ship, the chief engineer always has the Advantage "Engineering ...

  9. 11 Best Engineers In Star Trek, Ranked

    Miles O'Brien. While many of the engineers on this list had a natural aptitude or were always dedicated to their field, Miles O'Brien came to engineering by happenstance. During the Cardassian War, he was the only one in their unit that had any engineering training. Therefore, he became the go-to tech guy.

  10. Star Trek Has A New Scotty (Besides Strange New Worlds' Young ...

    Star Trek: Lower Decks has produced some pretty great Star Trek, and its engineering team remains one of the best. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 is available to stream on Paramount+. Star Trek ...

  11. The Starfleet Insignia Explained

    Star Trek uses symbols to convey a lot of things, but none captures the eye or imagination quite like the delta. In the years since The Original Series first aired, fans have tried to determine the meaning behind the various insignia shapes we see in the show. To most, it seems that the iconic delta shape is some sort of ship assignment patch meant to represent the U.S.S. Enterprise.

  12. See USS Enterprise's Engineering In 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

    New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debut on Thursdays exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, Australia and the Nordics. The series airs on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi ...

  13. Fleet Engineering Personnel

    Star Trek. Fleet Engineering Personnel - Common Quality Duty Officer is a duty officer pack which contains one (1) random Common quality duty officer from the Engineering department or Operations department and can be bought for 750 fleet credits at the Personnal Officer from your Starfleet Base.

  14. Engineering Division, But No IT Division? : r/startrek

    IT would be sub-department of Engineering like exobiology or geology is a sub-department of Sciences. The chief engineer supervises IT as the computers are vital to maintaining the ship's systems which is engineering's job. ... I've seen the tie of software engineering being the responsibility of general engineering in Star Trek as a kind of ...

  15. Engineering Department

    The Engineering Department will keep a running list of all equipment seen, used or mentioned in Star Trek. The members of the department are encouraged to develop a knowledge of the equipment used in Star Trek. This list will be made available for the crew to help in research and study.

  16. All I Really Need to Know About Engineering, I Learned From Star Trek

    November 6, 2013. 3 Min Read. Since its premiere in 1966, the television program Star Trek has inspired multiple generations of young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. The iconic science fiction series followed the crew members of the star ship Enterprise as they travel the galaxy on a five-year mission to "explore strange ...

  17. Sciences division

    The sciences division was the corps of officers and crewmen within Starfleet who specialized in both scientific and medical research and control functions on starbases, aboard starships, and at Starfleet Command. Members of the sciences division specialized in sensors, research, theoretical and physical laboratory work, biological studies, and also worked as technicians, medics, and surgeons ...

  18. Engine Technology Lab

    Engine Technology Lab becomes unlocked at Level 23 via Research along with the Foundry & Science Lab, these buildings also help your overall power and the Ships lvl also. Note also, that all building costs will vary depending on the research of Building Efficiency (lowering cost) and other Researching. The Armory becomes available at Operations level 40. See Also Operations, Starbase

  19. Starfleet division

    Starfleet divisions were specialized organizational structures within Starfleet. In various editions of the Starfleet uniform, three main divisions (and the cadet division or crew support, in some issues) were identified by a departmental color, and sometimes a patch insignia. Some uniforms showed organization by different means, like collar or insignia color, and with different meanings than ...