Staffing a Starship

[kkt]

No one's taking into account that half the engineering crew don't work in the engineering section, but rather all over the ship doing routine maintenance. Double your engineering complement accordingly.

Yes, and if they are in a battle they are needed for damage control.

 

[flandry84]

Yep,remember those people stuck in the nacelle control room.There must be others like computer specialists,deflector controls etc.
I would think,given educational standards in the Federation that there must be some crewmen with experience and qualifications outside of their current assignments.Pre-med and the like.

 

[kkt]

Just rewatched DS9 "Adversary" and they said they had 47 people on board the Defiant... when she was prepared for the possibility of battle. That would include the Ambassador who was really a changeling - but he was coming along only as an observer so he would have no role as crew.