The Bridge

[herofan]

I have a few questions concerning I g the bridge. Obviously, viewers see the more interesting things in screen, but I’m curious about what we don’t see.

When it was the Captain’s shift on the bridge, how much time did he spend there? If there was t much going on, did he leave and do other things or stay in the bridge for 8 hours.

I wonder if there was ever awkward silence in the bridge or if there was constant chatter about things going on.

What was the top rank of the ones on the other shifts?

 

[C.E. Evans]

I always felt that there was a key or "Alpha" shift which featured the captain and senior officers, but that it was fairly flexible and it wasn't always at a set time. Sometimes the duty schedule could change so that the captain and the senior officers could be on the bridge for an important mission or impending crisis situation. Otherwise, bridge shifts could vary from week to week (or day to day), IMO. Sometimes the first officer could be in the center seat while the captain is off-duty. Sometimes it could be the second officer or a junior command-level officer in charge of the bridge with no other senior officers present.

 

[Nyotarules]

When things were quiet on the bridge they all played holo candy crush

 

[The Wormhole]

When it was the Captain’s shift on the bridge, how much time did he spend there? If there was t much going on, did he leave and do other things or stay in the bridge for 8 hours.

The Captain would presumably spend the majority of a routine shift in their shift in the ready room.

What was the top rank of the ones on the other shifts?

On a ship like the Enterprise, presumably no lower than a full Lieutenant. Though we know on Voyager, an Ensign can be left in command of the night shift.

 

[herofan]

I know that Scotty eventually became Captain of engineering, but did starships usually have one Captain and one Commander rank?

 

[Tim Thomason]

My assumption is that the Captain spent most of their working time in the Ready Room (TNG, DS9, Voyager, Discovery, LD) or in their office in their quarters (TOS, TAS, Enterprise). Duties on the Bridge were for important rendezvouses or emergencies only. Captains have a large workload as is, and devoting eight hours of their day to sitting in a chair staring ahead would be a huge waste of time.

 

[The Wormhole]

I know that Scotty eventually became Captain of engineering, but did starships usually have one Captain and one Commander rank?

Starfleet ships do tend to have one officer ranked Captain, though not necessarily one Commander. By the end of TNG, the Enterprise D had three Commanders, Riker, Deanna and Crusher. Disco in the second season had at least five Commanders, Saru, Michael, Nhan, Reno, Space Whale Medical Specialist. Possibly seven, as one assumes the CMO and Chief Engineer were likely Commanders as well.

Then there's the Enterprise A which in TFF had three Captains, Kirk, Spock and Scotty, and four Commanders, McCoy, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov.

 

[NCC-73515]

Do they plan their warp speeds so that the alpha shift is on duty when they arrive at an important planet? XD

 

[BK613]

Do they plan their warp speeds so that the alpha shift is on duty when they arrive at an important planet? XD

In real life, US Navy ships set what is called "the sea and anchor detail" when entering or exiting port (or transiting narrow waterways like straits.) This heightened level of readiness purposely puts senior, experienced personnel on duty as the watchstanders. This is because entering and exiting port presents navigational and traffic hazards not normally encountered in the open ocean.
Trek never mentions such a scenario but it's part of my headcanon that the reason the senior staff is on the bridge when the ship reaches or leaves a planet is they are manning a similar level of readiness.

 

[tesral]

In real life, US Navy ships set what is called "the sea and anchor detail" when entering or exiting port (or transiting narrow waterways like straits.) This heightened level of readiness purposely puts senior, experienced personnel on duty as the watchstanders. This is because entering and exiting port presents navigational and traffic hazards not normally encountered in the open ocean.
Trek never mentions such a scenario but it's part of my headcanon that the reason the senior staff is on the bridge when the ship reaches or leaves a planet is they are manning a similar level of readiness.

It makes perfect sense. In deep space they do not need a senior officer in the chair staring at the viewscreen.

My headcanon has the Captain and First Officer not standing watches. They are on call. They keep as regular a schedule as possible. But command has lots of data work too.

 

[Maurice]

In real life, US Navy ships set what is called "the sea and anchor detail" when entering or exiting port (or transiting narrow waterways like straits.) This heightened level of readiness purposely puts senior, experienced personnel on duty as the watchstanders. This is because entering and exiting port presents navigational and traffic hazards not normally encountered in the open ocean.
Trek never mentions such a scenario but it's part of my headcanon that the reason the senior staff is on the bridge when the ship reaches or leaves a planet is they are manning a similar level of readiness.

Which makes logical sense.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Do they plan their warp speeds so that the alpha shift is on duty when they arrive at an important planet? XD

The ship just circles a system until Alpha Shift comes on duty when they finally drop out of warp.

 

[Tenacity]

Disco in the second season had at least five Commanders, Saru, Michael, Nhan, Reno, Space Whale Medical Specialist.

So why was Tilly (cadet/ensign) placed in a high command position?

 

[Timo]

Because most of the high ranks were essentially "honorary", given for science prowess, while Tilly had actual command training?

Starfleet usually doesn't treat Engineering or even Science ranks that way. But we could well argue that Scotty had plenty of all-around command training, while Stamets had never seen the point of getting any. So having an Ensign lord over Lieutenants and Commanders was more or less the only option available.

That is, when Saru gave Tilly a top command position, it was clear why she'd have to command Stamets and not vice versa: the man's an ass when it comes to command, and generally makes a bigger mess of engineering crises because of his bias towards the spore drive and other me-issues. It's less clear why the ship lacks level-headed engineers of high rank, though. One might expect Nilsson to be one, say. Why not build a chain of command around her? But neither Lorca nor Saru appear to believe in chains of command, or in organizing of any sort. And perhaps Pike thought it was not within his powers to set matters right during the tenure that in theory still was Saru's?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Nyotarules]

But neither Lorca nor Saru appear to believe in chains of command, or in organizing of any sort. And perhaps Pike thought it was not within his powers to set matters right during the tenure that in theory still was Saru's?

There is an argument that in the 23rd century a combined service like Starfleet will be totally different from the real life rigid armed forces that we know. However, I believe the real reason for the messy command structure on DISC is erroneous writing.
They wanted to avoid the Engineering Chief, Medical chief, Science chief, Security chief, Tactical chief norms of Star Trek but made a mess of it. So apart from the role of Captain and XO, no one was in charge of anywhere else.

 

[F. King Daniel]

So why was Tilly (cadet/ensign) placed in a high command position?

Friends with the captain. Haven't you watched Star Trek? Nepotism is everywhere.

 

[Timo]

They wanted to avoid the Engineering Chief, Medical chief, Science cheif, Security chief, Tactical chief norms of Star Trek but made a mess of it. So apart from the role of Captain and XO, no one was in charge of anywhere else.

Which makes perfect in-universe sense for the first season, when it's a flying lab full of mad scientists and then one even crazier guy who rules by sowing chaos. And perhaps also for the third, with the team seriously contemplating whether to be Starfleet at all. It's the second season that stands out here, with the supposedly level-headed Pike in charge, even if via exceptional means. He's not afraid to introduce his own Chief of Security. Why not shake some sense into the engineering team, too?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[BK613]

My headcanon has the Captain and First Officer not standing watches. They are on call. They keep as regular a schedule as possible. But command has lots of data work too.

Oh, absolutely. IRL, the CO and XO are not watchstanders.

 

[Nyotarules]

Which makes perfect in-universe sense for the first season, when it's a flying lab full of mad scientists and then one even crazier guy who rules by sowing chaos

Nah I doubt Starfleet will have a ship with no CMO and no Engineering head, the ship might be a science one but they still need those roles. However they did not need to cast the roles, just refer to them.

 

[Timo]

When the whole point of the ship is to do engineering marvels, the CEO would appear to be a key character. But during S1, we don't need to believe in the existence of a CEO: none ever got mentioned!

The absence of the CMO is excusable, and an example of how this new thing could work: the medical emergencies and plotlines of the S1 episodes only ever involve the personal physician/lover of Stamets, for the in-universe reason of Lorca wanting it that way. There is no contradiction in the CMO being offscreen, and we can freely choose to say that he was the full Commander we glimpsed in "Magic to Make".

S2 is where the thing breaks down. Engineering is no longer exclusively about spore magic. A CEO is referred to several times but never shown. And the ship is bursting her seams from excess engineers of high rank, none of whom is the CEO!

Also, medicine is no longer about Stamets exclusively. But this isn't a problem: we now get medic characters who could hold the CMO status, while the medic of interest is dead for much of the season and recuperating for the rest. And we stop getting references to an offscreen CMO.

S3 involves reshuffling the now all-volunteer crew, and it makes sense to assume Culber is the CMO now, him being the highest-ranking whitecoat and all. But things only get worse as regards the CEO business, now that the high-ranking Reno is a full-time crew member but rarely does any work and never commands, and Stamets still refuses to be the formal boss while nevertheless ordering everybody around.

Trek in general doesn't work unless the main characters are the bosses, because in Starfleet the bosses do everything. Or if we want to look at people who do something specific rather than everything, we still need to acknowledge the bosses, as in Lower Decks. DSC sorta managed for a single season, without actually trying much... But it's been a dismal failure ever since.

Timo Saloniemi