Intrepid-class bridge: splitting Tac and Security roles / stations

[Sumghai]

Whilst dabbling in writing my own Trek fanfic / episodic screenplay, I began to ponder the following issue.

In Voyager, Tuvok both serves as Security Chief and Tactical Officer - even his station is an amalgamation of both roles.

In my WIP, which is also set on an Intrepid-class vessel, I have separate roles for Security Chief and Tactical Officer, mainly because I prefer the idea of the Security Chief being able to accompany an away team down to a planet / security team to repel boarders whilst concurrently not jeopardising the ship's ability to defend itself in space combat.

I've also specified that the Tac Officer is a competent helmsperson, and so she has double duty as Conn Officer too.

My question is thus:

If there were separate Chief Security and Tactical Officer roles on an Intrepid-class ship, and Tactical controls were moved to Conn, how would the rear starboard Security/Tactical station (i.e. Tuvok's station) then be configured?

Would relegating that back station to just security be a poor use of bridge station functionality? What else could be operated there? (Forcefields / defense systems in the corridors to contain / repel boarders? Security feed monitors? Remote link to brig controls?)

 

[T'Girl]

You might question why there would be a security station on the bridge at all. Security is the ship's police force, under certain conditions there would be a guard posted there, but why is the head of security's work station there? They should be down inside the ship doing their job.

Separating tactical from security is a great idea. It's what we saw during TOS. I'd leave Tactical in the current position, complication the ship's pilot duties by adding gunner to his workload during combat, with a whole separation set of sensors, isn't automatically a good idea.

And yes I know Sulu did it, but he had a assistant gunner next to him at navigation.

 

[Shatinator]

You might question why there would be a security station on the bridge at all. Security is the ship's police force, under certain conditions there would be a guard posted there, but why is the head of security's work station there? They should be down inside the ship doing their job.

Separating tactical from security is a great idea. It's what we saw during TOS. I'd leave Tactical in the current position, complication the ship's pilot duties by adding gunner to his workload during combat, with a whole separation set of sensors, isn't automatically a good idea.

And yes I know Sulu did it, but he had a assistant gunner next to him at navigation.

Don't know if I agree with that T'Girl.

By that standard, can we not say that the Chief Engineer has no place on the bridge, and should be keeping an eye on the engine?

Or for that matter, then science officer should be supervising his Science department?

 

[Timo]

Separating tactical from security is a great idea.

One might even go as far as say that combining Tactical with Security is something you only do when half your crew gets killed by a strange alien transporter beam and its messy aftermath...

...Or when oily goo kills your previous Security Chief and you never quite get around to writing down the report and your Chief Tactical Officer is underemployed anyway (at least in his own opinion).

Regarding the bridge stations, I trust they are trivially reconfigured, so that Tuvok can add Tactical functions to his Security console or vice versa if he so pleases. And the big Sciences station can be taken over by Ops when the CSO dies and the replacement SO can be given a tiny little side console formerly dedicated to Environmental. And so forth.

If the big aft station no longer handled Tactical, I'd give it to whatever function was the most important to the ship's mission. Is this particular Intrepid doing lots of research, surveying, mapping? Then give it to Sciences, and move Security to a smaller console. Is the ship going to engage in battle a lot? Allow the Engineering department to use this console for Damage Control, then. Or have more than one officer from the Tactical department on the bridge.

On the other hand, we have seen Picard physically reconfigure his bridge when needed: he has had new chairs installed, auxiliary consoles next to the command chair rearranged, the two forward pulpits repositioned and so forth. If there's going to be a combined Helm/Tactical console up front (which I frankly think is not a very good idea because that's definitely the one field of operations where you'd prefer several pairs of eyes and hands and brain lobes!), it could be made much larger than on Janeway's ship, and the aft console might be removed altogether and replaced by anything ranging from a gunner's swiveling seat (like on Klingon ships) to an observer's comfy chair to a bridge coffee replicator.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Use of Time]

You might question why there would be a security station on the bridge at all. Security is the ship's police force, under certain conditions there would be a guard posted there, but why is the head of security's work station there? They should be down inside the ship doing their job.

Separating tactical from security is a great idea. It's what we saw during TOS. I'd leave Tactical in the current position, complication the ship's pilot duties by adding gunner to his workload during combat, with a whole separation set of sensors, isn't automatically a good idea.

And yes I know Sulu did it, but he had a assistant gunner next to him at navigation.

Don't know if I agree with that T'Girl.

By that standard, can we not say that the Chief Engineer has no place on the bridge, and should be keeping an eye on the engine?

Or for that matter, then science officer should be supervising his Science department?

It is odd how the term science officer blends in with OPS somehow. We basically saw Data and Kim handle the same functional "science related" duties that Spock and Dax had. In the books the science officer is prevelant again but there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason.

 

[Tiberius]

You might question why there would be a security station on the bridge at all. Security is the ship's police force, under certain conditions there would be a guard posted there, but why is the head of security's work station there? They should be down inside the ship doing their job.

Separating tactical from security is a great idea. It's what we saw during TOS. I'd leave Tactical in the current position, complication the ship's pilot duties by adding gunner to his workload during combat, with a whole separation set of sensors, isn't automatically a good idea.

And yes I know Sulu did it, but he had a assistant gunner next to him at navigation.

Don't know if I agree with that T'Girl.

By that standard, can we not say that the Chief Engineer has no place on the bridge, and should be keeping an eye on the engine?

Or for that matter, then science officer should be supervising his Science department?

Yep. No security, engineer or science unless they have a specific reason to be on the bridge.

On the bridge you need to CO, a pilot/helmsman (I'm assuming that the plotting a course thing can be largely automated and doesn't require an actual person), communications officer, tactical and ops.

Also have several stations so on occasions other officers can work on the bridge. Security if there is some security problem going on that can interfere with the mission, having the security chief on the bridge allows the CO to be aware of everything that is going on and also allows orders to be given and carried out quicker. Similar arguments for science and engineering.

At best, those three jobs would only need a junior officer on the bridge to report the current status of those divisions to the CO if a situation suddenly called for it. "Sir! Security reports a prisoner has escaped from the brig! The chief is on his way to the bridge to coordinate!" Because really, when does the chief of police go hunting criminals? He's got too much paper work!

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

There are instances when I've split up the roles of Security Chief and Tactical Officer, because to me it just makes sense.

In these situations, I have it that the Security Chief isn't a Bridge officer. Instead they man the Security Officer (like Odo on DS9), supervise ship's security, training of their staff, crew safety drills, etc. This leaves the Tactical Officer to man the controls on the Bridge, as well as a small ordnance staff, to look after phaser, torpedo, and shield operation and maintenance.

I'm confused about why tactical controls are being moved to the Conn. The officers at both stations would equally have their hands full in a combat situation and it would be a little excessive to expect the Conn Officer to handle weapons whilst also dodging incoming weapons fire. They had it on TOS, but the controls for both could have been split between the Helmsman and Navigator.

During normal operations, the Tactical Officer would have access to sensors as well as communications, and provide support for Ops in both regards. They would also ensure the operational status of weapons and defenses, and running tactical drills.

The Security Chief and Tactical Officer would still work closely together, with both their staffs being cross-trained to handle the full workload (especially on a ship with a crew of 150-odd).

But that's my take on it.

 

[T'Girl]

You might question why there would be a security station on the bridge at all.

Don't know if I agree with that T'Girl.

By that standard, can we not say that the Chief Engineer has no place on the bridge, and should be keeping an eye on the engine?

Excellent example of what I was referring too. Torres spent little time on the bridge, except for meetings and the occasional consultation with the Captain. Similar with Tucker and LaForge.

That's when the Security Chief should be on the bridge, meetings and consultations.

Or for that matter, then science officer should be supervising his Science department?

Strictly speaking did Voyager, Enterprise D or Defiant even have a "chief science officer?"

Ensign Wildman was on the Voyager bridge on rare occasions, at a science console on the port side of the bridge, but I don't think that she was the chief.

The Enterprise D likely had multiple chiefs of different disciplines, who were off the bridge and worked through the ops officer, or the first officer.

The Defiant probably did not have a science officer per se, but instead someone at a dedicated combat scanner station.

 

[Sumghai]

Appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions on the matter.

Interesting to see some form of consensus that, under normal circumstances, Tac and Security roles are held by separate officers. Supposedly, Worf from TNG and Tuvok from Voyager were exceptions rather than the norm, then.

In the case of *my* Intrepid-class (USS Odyssey, NX-94276), it is primarily an exploration vessel, with some research/surveying/mapping duties and putting out the occasional diplomatic brushfire. And whilst by no means intended for heavy combat, the Odyssey does have its standard complement of phaser arrays, exclusive use of Quantum torps and a handful of mines.

I'll also add that the series is set in the 25th Century - specifically, a more "positive" version of Star Trek Online's 2409 - so presumably there would have been some technological advances between the end of VOY/DS9 and the series' setting.

After reviewing the Voyager Tech Manual, I've decided on the following:

• The CO and XO remain as they are, with the XO sometimes operating the aux tactical console behind the command area.

• The aft station with Mission Ops and the MSD is either monitored by a Sci/Med officer (who is also both the ship's counselor and diplomatic officer). During red alert, she spends most of the time shouting out crew casualties figure and environmental system disruptions - for dramatic effect, of course .

• The port aft Ops station continues to be staffed by the Operations Chief.

• The port bow Science station is usually left empty. For "routine" survey missions a junior Sci Officer is present, whilst a negative space wedgie calls for the CSO.

• The starboard bow station Engineering station is rarely occupied, unless the Chief Engineer needs to monitor the warp core whilst being present on the bridge to be consulted on the tech/gizmo of the week.

As for the Conn and the former combined starboard aft Security/Tactical stations, I now have these options:

• Assign the security chief to her own office within the security complex on Deck 4 (near the brig and armory), dedicate the starboard aft station completely to Tactical, and have a random crewman at the helm

• Give basic weapons and shield control to the Tac Officer doubling as helmswoman at the Conn, insert some cop out "25th Century tech" line about the ship's computer being able to share some of the workload, and retain the combined Security/Tactical functionality at the starboard aft station for interior security monitoring and advanced tactical analysis features.

Thoughts?