Chief of Security and Tactical Officer

[Vanyel]

Why, in modern Trek, why are the Security Chief and Tactical Officer filled by the same person? Wouldn't having each position filled by a different person be best? During battle the Security Chief would be securing the ship, making sure security teams are near Engineering, a couple of officers on the bridge, a team or more at the shuttle and cargo bays. They could also be making sure non essential personnel and civilian specialists are secured. The Tactical Officer would be manning the ship's weapons controls.

The Chief Security Officer could coordinate security teams from the bridge. The ship's internal sensors should be able to tell where boarding parties are or where people are beaming too and allowing the Chief Security Officer (Chief of Security??) send help or set up blocks where needed.

All the while the Tactical Officer is concentrating on weapons.

Thoughts opinions...besides the one that goes along the lines of: it's a TV show and that would mean hiring another actor.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Could be the Security Chief has a little seen deputy whose job is to coordinate security teams during a battle.

 

[Captain Rob]

I liked that TOS had the Helmsman and navigator handle weapons. While the security force was led by a seldom seen Security Chief (Commander Giotto?) whose office was probably near tyhe brig and armory. How big of Security force does a crew of 430 need anyway?

 

[jpv2000]

I like how Titan split up the positions.

Commander Tuvok is the Tactical Officer, and also the Second Officer of the Titan. Ranul Keru is the Chief Security Officer. It has worked out very well.

 

[SchwEnt]

I liked that TOS had the Helmsman and navigator handle weapons. While the security force was led by a seldom seen Security Chief (Commander Giotto?) whose office was probably near tyhe brig and armory. How big of Security force does a crew of 430 need anyway?

How big a security force for a crew of 430?
90, according to FJ's complement breakdown.

TOS bridge had a Weapons/Defense station, opposite Scotty's Engineering station. Presumably, a tactical officer or security officer would man that post and handle weapons.

But that station was the camera's POV, so we rarely ever saw it, and thus all the weapons battle action took place at the helm/navigation station.

And yeah, it really is silly to have one Security Chief for all the various duties. I'm no expert, but aboard any naval vessel today, the fellow below decks loading the missiles (armory officer) is not the same fellow who's an expert in small arms in the weapons locker and not the same fellow in the CIC firing the missiles and not the same fellow conducting patrols for ship security and so on. There are Marines and Tactical officers and Weapons officers and Security and no one person does all these functions.

Plus, a Security Chief is a department head and I think would stay aboard to command and delegate rather than get right in the line of fire like a typical redshirt.

 

[Dream]

Plus, a Security Chief is a department head and I think would stay aboard to command and delegate rather than get right in the line of fire like a typical redshirt.

They have a big tough looking Klingon on the show. They might as well have go with the away team for the action scenes!

You know Riker always picks Worf and Data to go with him on away teams for the extra muscle!

 

[C.E. Evans]

With TNG, I think it was a case of not wanting to have ten or eleven cast members so both the chief communications officer and chief weapons officer positions were combined into the chief of security position.

An "in-universe" explanation might be that the security chief and tactical chief positions are separated on other vessels, particularly aboard those whose primary mission is defense & interdiction.

Personally, I probably would have still have he chief tactical officer would still be the one tasked with overseeing the overall defense of the ship and crew, but would rarely leave the bridge. The security chief would be a noncom that we'd only see on away missions and when security is needed on the ship. He or she wouldn't be in every episode and would be more of a reoccurring character like O'Brien was in TNG.

 

[SchwEnt]

TNG could have worked around the issues of casting actors versus number of ship's positions to fill.

TOS never had a regular Security Chief, only guest roles.
First season TNG had no regular Chief Engineer and never a regular Science Officer.

I could see TNG continuing with Tasha Yar as the Tactical Officer, manning the ship's weapons. Worf could be the Security Chief, handling the hand-to-hand redshirt duties.

 

[C.E. Evans]

TNG could have worked around the issues of casting actors versus number of ship's positions to fill.

It seems like they actually did that through consolidation of positions.

 

[T'Girl]

How big of Security force does a crew of 430 need anyway?

In terms of a internal police force, likely only a ten or so would do. Modern aircraft carriers with 6,500 in the crew have only a couple of dozen cops on board.

The TOS Enterprise would have more because they are basically the ship's "troops." If they needed more than that number of professionals, the ship's commander could do what Picard did in FC and arm non-security members of the crew.

The security chief might just be the section chief, with immediately below him two people who are the direct (and separate) officers who do the daily running of security and tactical.

Security could be further broken down between law enforcement and people who specialize in away team operations.

Tactical separated between people who handle and maintain the weapons, and those who are basically "gunners."

 

[J.T.B.]

How big a security force for a crew of 430?
90, according to FJ's complement breakdown.

Which would be more in line with "security" being basically a marine detachment in an old-school navy.

And yeah, it really is silly to have one Security Chief for all the various duties. I'm no expert, but aboard any naval vessel today, the fellow below decks loading the missiles (armory officer) is not the same fellow who's an expert in small arms in the weapons locker and not the same fellow in the CIC firing the missiles and not the same fellow conducting patrols for ship security and so on. There are Marines and Tactical officers and Weapons officers and Security and no one person does all these functions.

Plus, a Security Chief is a department head and I think would stay aboard to command and delegate rather than get right in the line of fire like a typical redshirt.

In the "old navy" the marine detachment commander would typically be a 1st lieutenant on a cruiser or a captain on a battleship or carrier. He was a department head in some ways, though a fairly junior one, and also fell under the Gunnery Officer for some matters. If all the marines or a good portion of them were used as landing force, the detachment commander would generally lead them personally. If it was a smaller party, it would be led by an NCO.

As for a ship's internal security, in the US Navy that falls to the Master-at-Arms force, which is headed by a petty officer or, on a large ship like a carrier, a warrant officer, who reports to the XO.

With TNG, I think it was a case of not wanting to have ten or eleven cast members so both the chief communications officer and chief weapons officer positions were combined into the chief of security position.

I think those are the main considerations. In TMP as well: Chekov was supposed to be security officer but ended up firing weapons from a station on the bridge.

 

[R. Star]

Well TNG and VOY both did this a lot. It always struck me as silly at best when Worf or Tuvok would leave their station during the middle of a fight to go fight intruders. Wouldn't you want your tactical officer... at tactical?

Heck, if it's standard Starfleet doctrine for the tactical officer to leave their post, I'd send a few redshirts to board at the beginning of every fight to get him away so I can proceed to pound them.