Crew Complement of Starships

[Timo]

Basically the underage complement, then (Keiko was a beneficial civilian in TNG and may have done some good on Bajor, too).

But this young "ballast" still sails with Picard through the daily danger - perhaps to be groomed for future greatness? Or then for their own protection from the usual Earth-shattering threats (not to mention the boost they give to their more productive parents by their presence - that is, an extra motivation to help the ship survive).

Perhaps some of the heroes' insistence that Starfleet isn't Teh Militray!! comes from this blending of assets?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

But this young "ballast" still sails with Picard through the daily danger - perhaps to be groomed for future greatness?

I've always been a fan of the idea that starships and starbases big enough to maintain a civilian complement would use the opportunity to recruit "Starfleet officers of the future" and use them as trainees and crewmen. In fact, I've occassionally thought that the 'all Starfleet are officers' might be possible if teenage "acting ensigns" (really rated deckhands) do much of the "routine" work as part of on-the-job training. Sort of like a hybrid of JROTC and Civil Air Patrol?

 

[Timo]

On the E-D, we got two civilian youngsters explicitly training for a Starfleet future - Kurland and Crusher. Did we ever get one who did not have such plans or ambitions?

Jake Sisko got to say no eventually, but his dad had been expecting a yes.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tenacity]

I wonder which killed more "starfleet children?"

All the adventures of the enterprise from farpoint to generation.

Or the single breen attack on san fransisco.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

I think Jake is probably the only "Starfleet brat" that canonically opted for a different career, although Alexander didn't join Starfleet but rather the Defense Force so he's a zigg-zagged example.

Naomi and Icheb both joined the crew in at least one timeline and we know that Icheb intends to attend the Academy (in TrekLit he joins VAdm Janeway's flag staff though it's not entirely clear whether he's assigned to her or Torres). About the only thing we know about Miral Paris is that she may/will join Starfleet when she's older.

Canon hasn't touched on the future of the O'Brien kids, but TrekLit has Molly as a budding artist and STO has Yoshi serving first with the SCE, then as ChEng on the Enterprise-F.

Of course, Janeway, Paris, LaForge, Troi, Wesley and (to a lesser extent) Riker were also "Starfleet brats", so I think we can assume that it's common, but not inevitable.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Of course, Janeway, Paris, LaForge, Troi, Wesley and (to a lesser extent) Riker were also "Starfleet brats", so I think we can assume that it's common, but not inevitable.

And Kirk and Tuvok, canonically. And non-canonically, Pike as well.

 

[MAGolding]

I wonder which killed more "starfleet children?"

All the adventures of the enterprise from farpoint to generation.

Or the single breen attack on san fransisco.

In Star Trek sometimes living on the home planet of your species or a long established and highly developed colony world isn't as a safe as might be expected.

"Errand of Mercy":

KIRK: Even if you have some power that we don't understand, you have no right to dictate to our Federation
KOR: Or our Empire!
KIRK: How to handle their interstellar relations! We have the right
AYELBORNE: To wage war, Captain? To kill millions of innocent people? To destroy life on a planetary scale? Is that what you're defending?
KIRK: Well, no one wants war. But there are proper channels. People have a right to handle their own affairs. Eventually, we would have
AYELBORNE: Oh, eventually you will have peace, but only after millions of people have died. It is true that in the future, you and the Klingons will become fast friends. You will work together.

"The Alternative Factor":

KIRK: What's going on? This leaping from universe to universe. This wild talk about a murdering creature who destroys civilisations What's the purpose?
SPOCK: Jim, madness has no purpose or reason, but it may have a goal. He must be stopped, held. Destroyed if necessary.
KIRK: I don't follow you.
SPOCK: Two parallel universes project this. One positive, the other negative. Or, more specifically, one matter, the other antimatter.
KIRK: Do you know what you're saying? Matter and antimatter have a tendency to cancel each other out. violently.
SPOCK: Precisely. Under certain conditions, when two identical particles of matter and antimatter meet
KIRK: Like Lazarus. Identical. Like both Lazarus', only one is matter and the other antimatter. If they meet.
SPOCK: Annihilation, Jim. Total, complete, absolute annihilation.
KIRK: Of everything that exists, everywhere.

LAZARUS: Yes, him. You understand.
KIRK: Not completely. This is a parallel universe?
LAZARUS: Of course.
KIRK: Antimatter?
LAZARUS: Here, yes.
KIRK: And if identical particles meet
LAZARUS: The end of everything. Civilisation, existence, all gone. I tried to stop him, Captain. That's why I took your dilithium crystals.

"Operation Annihilate!":

KIRK: Evaluation, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: As I speculated, Captain, the overall pattern of mass insanity destroying civilisations follows an almost straight line through this section of the galaxy. Over here the Beta Portilin system the ancient civilisations. Archaeologists have given us information indicating that they were the beginning. Two hundred years ago, Levinius Five was swept by mass insanity, then Theta Cygni Twelve. The last was Ingraham B, two years ago.
KIRK: And next in line, Deneva. Bones, what's your theory about the cause of all this?

Captain's log, stardate 3289.8. I am faced with the most difficult decision of my life. Unless we find a way to destroy the creatures without killing their human hosts, my command responsibilities will force me to kill over a million people.

[Briefing room]

KIRK: Gentlemen.
SPOCK: I regret I see no other choice for you, Captain. We already know this thing has destroyed three civilisations. Perhaps more.
MCCOY: Gentlemen, I want it stopped, too, but not at the cost of destroying over a million people.

"The Changeling":

KIRK: Any response from the Malurians, Lieutenant?
UHURA: Nothing since their original distress call, sir.
KIRK: What about the Federation science team working there? Doctor Manway had a special transmitter.
UHURA: There's nothing, sir. I'm scanning all frequencies.
KIRK: They have to answer.
SPOCK: Captain. They will not answer. The long-range sensor sweep of this system reveals no sign of life.
KIRK: That can't be. The last census reported a total inhabitation of more than four billion people.
SPOCK: I register no life readings at all, sir.
KIRK: That's impossible. What could have happened?
SPOCK: We would have known in advance of any system-wide catastrophe, and in the event of an interplanetary war, there would be considerable radioactive residue. Our instruments show only normal background radiation.
KIRK: Any other possibilities?
SPOCK: Unknown, sir. Sensor readings would have revealed the presence of any disease organisms. They do not. In addition, we received the routine report from this system only a week ago. Even the Symbalene blood burn does not act that swiftly.

"The Doomsday Machine":

ALMER: The distress call definitely came from one of the solar systems in this sector.
KIRK: Can you pinpoint it any closer, Lieutenant?
PALMER: Negative. It was so badly garbled all we got was the name Constellation, then we lost it.
SULU: Sir, we're now within the limits of System L-370, but I can't seem to locate
SPOCK: Captain, sensors show this entire solar system has been destroyed. Nothing left but rubble and asteroids.
KIRK: But that's incredible. The star in this system is still intact. Only a nova could destroy like that.
SPOCK: Nonetheless, Captain, sensors show nothing but debris where we charted seven planets last year.

SULU: Entering limits of System L-374, sir. Scanners show the same evidence of destruction.
KIRK: Every solar system in this sector blasted to rubble and still no sign of the Constellation. Matt Decker's in command. What could have happened to him?

CCOY: No casualties, Mister Spock. How are we doing?
SPOCK: We have outrun it, Doctor.
DECKER: Status report.
SPOCK: Impulse and warp engines operative, transporter and communications under repair. Random chance seems to have operated in our favour.
MCCOY: In plain, non-Vulcan English, we've been lucky.
SPOCK: I believe I said that, Doctor.
SULU: It's veering off, back on course for the next solar system. The Rigel colony, sir.
SPOCK: Evidently programmed to ignore anything as small as a ship beyond a certain radius. We'll maintain a discreet distance and circle back to pick up the Captain.
DECKER: You can't let that reach Rigel. Why, millions of innocent people would die.
SPOCK: I am aware of the Rigel system's population, Commodore, but we are only one ship. Our deflector shields are strained, our subspace transmitter is useless. Logically, our primary duty is to survive in order to warn Starfleet Command.
DECKER: Our primary duty is to maintain life and safety of Federation planets. Do you deny that?

In "Obsession" after tracking the vampire space cloud to it's home planet:

SPOCK: Doctor, evidence indicates the creature is here to spawn. If so, it will reproduce by fission, not just into two parts, but thousands.

"The Immunity Syndrome":

UHURA: Captain, I have Starbase Six readable now. Switching to audio, sir.
KIRK: Kirk here. Go ahead.
STARBASE [OC]: You will divert immediately to sector three nine J.
KIRK: Sir, the Enterprise just completed an exhausting mission. We're on our way in for R and R. There must be another starship in that sector.
STARBASE [OC]: Negative. This is a rescue priority. We've lost all contact with solar system Gamma Seven-A, which the Intrepid was investigating. And we've just lost contact with the Intrepid. Report progress.
KIRK: Order acknowledged. Kirk out. Mister Kyle, you heard the order. Set course for Gamma Seven-A, warp five.
KYLE: Aye, sir.
CHEKOV: Captain I have just completed a full long-range scan of Gamma Seven-A system. It is dead.
KIRK: Dead? It's a fourth magnitude sun. There are billions of inhabitants there.
CHEKOV: It is dead.

"For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky":

Approaching a spaceship that looks like an asteroid on the outside:

SPOCK: Typical asteroid chemically, but it is not orbiting. It is pursing an independent course through this solar system.
KIRK: How could that be? Unless it's powered. A spaceship?
SPOCK: It is under power, Captain. And correcting for all gravitational stresses.
KIRK: Source of power?
SPOCK: Atomic. Very archaic. Leaving a trail of debris and hard radiation.
KIRK: Mister Chekov, plot the course of the asteroid vessel.
CHEKOV: Aye, sir.
SPOCK: Asteroid has an outer shell, which is hollow. It surrounds an independent inner core, which has a breathable atmosphere. Sensors read no life forms.

SPOCK: The course Ensign Chekov just gave for the asteroid would put it on a collision course with Daran Five.
KIRK: Daran Five? Inhabited?
SPOCK: Correct. Population approximately three billion and seven hundred twenty four million, if memory serves me correctly. Estimated time of impact three hundred ninety six days.

SPOCK: I believe that I can. (Kirks stops him as women walks past) The writing is definitely Fabrini, Captain. I recognise it.
KIRK: Fabrini? Didn't the Fabrini sun go nova and destroy its planets?
SPOCK: Yes. Towards the end, the Fabrini people lived underground, as these people do, to protect themselves.
KIRK: Some of them must have been put aboard this ship and sent to another planet. And these are their descendants. (Once the coast is clear.) Now.

"The Empath":

Captain's log, stardate 5121.5, orbiting the second planet in the Minarian star system. This star has long given evidence of entering a nova phase, and six months ago, a research station was established to make close-up studies of the star as its end approaches. Minara is now entering a critical period, and the Enterprise has been ordered to evacuate the station before the planet becomes uninhabitable. Yet our attempts to contact the station's personnel have been, so far, unsuccessful.

SPOCK: What purpose can be served by the death of our friend, except to bring you pleasure? Surely beings as advanced as yourselves know that your star system will soon be extinct. Your sun will nova.
THANN: We know.
SPOCK: Then you also know that the millions of inhabitants on its planets are doomed.
LAL: That is why we are here.
KIRK: This arena of death that you have devised for your pleasure. Will it prevent this catastrophe?
LAL: No, it will not, but it may save Gem's planet. Of all the planets of Minara, we have the power to transport the inhabitants of only one to safety.
THANN: If Gem's planet is the one that will be saved, we must make certain beyond any doubt whatsoever they are worthy of survival.

So there are two or more inhabited planets in the MInara system and the people of only one can be saved, dooming the people of other planets.

"All Our Yesterdays":

Captain's log, Stardate 5943.7. We have calculated that Beta Niobe will go nova in approximately three and a half hours. Its only satellite, Sarpeidon, is a Class M planet, which at last report was inhabited by a civilised humanoid species. Now our instruments show that no intelligent life remains on the planet.

KIRK: Any sign of survivors?
SPOCK: No signs of sapient life forms.
MCCOY: How can a planet full of people just disappear?
KIRK: If they knew that their sun was dying, it could be anything up to mass suicide.
SPOCK: Reports deny that they had any space flight capability. This appears to be an archive or library of some kind.

It turns out the Sarpeidons had a unique method of escape, one not available to less advanced societies in their situation.

So it seems that the era and the region of space of TOS was an incredibly dangerous and deadly one, which must be countless millions of times more dangerous than normal times and regions of space - otherwise there wouldn't be any planets with life left in the entire universe. And this level of danger may have continued into the era of TNG, making some parents think that keeping their kids aboard a galaxy-class starship would not put them in any greater danger than keeping them on an advanced planet would be.