First Officers on Star Trek

[The Wormhole]

Can we really say for sure the double duty was common to 23rd century Starfleet?

The novels generally go with the idea that double duty XOs were rare to the point that Spock and Number One were exceptions rather than the rule. On screen, this is somewhat reflected to an extent, Decker only took on double duty due to emergency circumstances, and the XOs we've seen on Disco don't seem to have been doing double duty.

I kind of wonder about the 22nd century. On the NX-01 T'Pol was XO, though she was a late addition to the crew so it kind of makes me wonder who would have gotten the position had the Vulcans not insisted on T'Pol being on board the ship? Trip, maybe? Though it seems odd to me to have the chief engineer double as XO, they're both jobs that would require one's undivided attention.

For that matter, who was XO on Columbia? Trip was the highest ranking officer seen on the ship after Captain Hernandez, but he only stayed on the ship for a week, so even if he was XO, who took over after he left?

 

[Tenacity]

On the NX-01 T'Pol was XO

I wonder. Yes she was second in the chain of command, but she didn't seem to perform any of the actual duties of a "executive officer." Meaning crew management, administrative responsibilities.

We did see Spock performing these duties on occasion.

Given the size of the ship and crew, Archer might not have a XO taking care of the duties himself, although he did have a second in command.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

I've always assumed that the role was split between Trip and Reed, with Trip as the de facto "second in command" prior to T'Pol's arrival, but Reed as the "First Lieutenant" (in charge of running the "deck" outside Engineering day-to-day).

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I wonder. Yes she was second in the chain of command, but she didn't seem to perform any of the actual duties of a "executive officer."

In Trek, that's effectively the same thing. The terms "second in command", "first officer" and "executive officer" are interchangeable.

Yes, I know it's probably not realistic. But it's the most likely explanation.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

In Trek, that's effectively the same thing. The terms "second in command", "first officer" and "executive officer" are interchangeable.

Yes, I know it's probably not realistic. But it's the most likely explanation.

I do recall Peter David using the terms “first officer” and “executive officer” to refer to separate positions, but that seems to be the exception rather then the rule.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

^ If that were the case the ship would have one First Officer and two Executive Officers, seeing as how the FO is always on shift with the Captain and there are two other shifts (typically) that would need an officer to supervise them.

 

[Kronos]

The novels generally go with the idea that double duty XOs were rare to the point that Spock and Number One were exceptions rather than the rule. On screen, this is somewhat reflected to an extent, Decker only took on double duty due to emergency circumstances

That brings up a good question, who was Decker's XO supposed to be? if it was Sonak then it would have been double duty, otherwise someone is missing.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

That brings up a good question, who was Decker's XO supposed to be? if it was Sonak then it would have been double duty, otherwise someone is missing.

Most likely Scotty, as he was a full commander and wore blue rather than beige, brown or white like the other officers (with the exception of the oddity of Illia) and was second officer pre-refit. However, IMO it would perhaps have made more sense for LTCDR Sulu to have the role.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Maybe Decker's XO was beaming up with Sonak?

 

[GNDN18]

Maybe Decker's XO was beaming up with Sonak?

Maybe, but she must have been a singularly unimpressive officer as no one said a word about her loss or necessary replacement. Perhaps when Kirk assumed command, Decker's XO had been waved off and they never reported aboard. (That just sounds absurd now that I've written it.)

I think the Exec vacancy was overlooked by the writers, much as the murder of the Sternwoods' chauffeur was dropped by Faulkner and Brackett. If they could do it, Livingston and Roddenberry can't be too hardly faulted, right?

 

[The Old Mixer]

Yeah, I think that when people bring up Decker as an example of a dedicated first officer in the TOS era, they forget that he was supposed to have been the captain of the voyage, so it's hard to use him as a measure of that being a common position. We could read his being made to double as science officer not as an unusual thing on its own, but as a further indignity heaped upon him by Kirk.

 

[GNDN18]

We could read his being made to double as science officer not as an unusual thing on its own, but as a further indignity heaped upon him by Kirk.

SPOCK: Did you enjoy it, Captain?
KIRK: Yes, I enjoyed it. After all these years. I did enjoy it.

 

[Verteron]

Probably because in TOS, there wasn't enough room on the bridge for a dedicated first officer's chair, so the XO would have to double up at another station.

In universe, It seems more likely the bridge's chair arrangement would be determined by the command structure, rather than vice-versa. I'm sure they could've replicated a dedicated XO a seat if they'd wanted.

 

[Nerys Myk]

In universe, It seems more likely the bridge's chair arrangement would be determined by the command structure, rather than vice-versa. I'm sure they could've replicated a dedicated XO a seat if they'd wanted.

Yep. They had all those chairs usually filled by extra that could have been an XO's station.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I kinda wonder if the later series had followed the same pattern as TOS and had the XO double in another position, what jobs do you think Riker and Chakotay might've had on their respective ships.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Navigator.

 

[MacLeod]

I kinda wonder if the later series had followed the same pattern as TOS and had the XO double in another position, what jobs do you think Riker and Chakotay might've had on their respective ships.

I thought Chakotay had one, the position of lapdog.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Chakotay was so bad at the job of assisting the Captain, that Janeway later promoted a little girl to take over his duties.

 

[Verteron]

I kinda wonder if the later series had followed the same pattern as TOS and had the XO double in another position, what jobs do you think Riker and Chakotay might've had on their respective ships.

Both have backgrounds as pilots (and conn officer in the case of Riker), so I imagine Chief Conn Officer or as @Nerys Myk suggests, something involving Navigation or Stellar Cartography.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I kinda wonder if the later series had followed the same pattern as TOS and had the XO double in another position, what jobs do you think Riker and Chakotay might've had on their respective ships.

Riker: Chief Operations Officer (Data would be Chief Sciences Officer instead)
Kira: Chief "I got yer hailing frequencies right here, pal" Communications Officer
Chakotay: Chief Security Officer (Tuvok would be Chief Operations Officer and Kim would be Sciences Officer)