When there's only one bridge chair...

[USS Excelsior]

What station does the First Officer have in the TNG era ships?

In TOS we had First Officers that were also Science Officers and Communication Officers. I suppose the same could be asked of First Officers that were in Command Uniform of that era too.

 

[scotpens]

Unless the First Officer is also the Science Officer, Communications Officer or any other position with an assigned bridge station, do the First Officer's duties even require a regular presence on the bridge?

Any of you Navy people want to chime in here?

 

[JarodRussell]

What I never understood was the need for a third chair for the counselor.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I think the counselor's chair was probably a personal preference of Captain Picard's. I mean Janeway didn't have that extra seat. BTW isn't it funny how Voyager decided to retain a bridge chair for a first officer but they also decided to retain the idea of the captain's chair being in the center? I think it's funny because you got Janeway in the center and Chakotay way the fuck off to the side by himself. The only thing that would have been funnier is if she took a big piece of tape and divided the bridge in half so there would be a Starfleet side and a Maquis side of the bridge. I dunno why I find that funny. Personally I think the design of Voyager's bridge is proof that Herman Zimmerman was completely out of good ideas at that point.

 

[Anji]

In TNG, the first officer sits to the right of the captain.

Why there are three command chairs on the bridge, I really don't know.

 

[Kelso]

I think the counselor's chair was probably a personal preference of Captain Picard's.

Whoever's idea it was, Worf approved. Nice view from up there.

 

[caisson2delta]

It that, at least during TNG, the first officer was more involved in the general "running" of the ship. It appeared that Riker was always assisting with some problem in engineering, heading up the away teams, or other general ships duties. Spock seemed more concerned with looking into that sensor hood and analyzing things and only occasionally assisted with the more technical runnings in engineering.

 

[ChadHydro]

Whoever's idea it was, Worf approved. Nice view from up there.

"It was VERY stimulating"

hahah

 

[USS Excelsior]

It that, at least during TNG, the first officer was more involved in the general "running" of the ship. It appeared that Riker was always assisting with some problem in engineering, heading up the away teams, or other general ships duties. Spock seemed more concerned with looking into that sensor hood and analyzing things and only occasionally assisted with the more technical runnings in engineering.

But what would Command Uniform First Officers be doing and be stationed. And in the TNG era there aren't any Communication Officers or Science Officers on the bridge, and if there's only one chair where would the Command First Officers be stationed?

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

What I never understood was the need for a third chair for the counselor.

Picard probably wanted that because Troi was an empath. It was a big advantage to him having her right by his side to tell him when anyone is lying.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I've always questioned how effective an empath would be compared to a pure telepath and I have to say not very. Some people are very good at convincing themselves that the story they're telling is the truth. That's how people pass polygraph tests. That's how women win arguments. That's how politicians get elected. By convincing themselves and others that whatever bullshit they've dreamed up is the truth. An empath is just going to read what's on the surface. If you're cool as a cucumber she isn't going to read anything but coolness. A telepath however would be able to skip past the surface bullshit and see what's hidden inside your fool skull and you wouldn't get away with shit.

On the flip side there's the day-by-day factor of having an empath on the bridge. Just imagine knowing a coworker could feel your emotions. You would always be on your guard around Troi. Imagine if just before your shift you whacked off fantasizing about Deanna. Then you come on the bridge and all of a sudden you remember she's an empath. So you spend the entire shift feeling guilty. And you just know at some point she's going to whisper into Picard's ear: "He's hiding something"

What do you do with that?

 

[sbk1234]

^^^^Sounds like Barkley.

About the thread: Realistically, the captain's and first officer's shifts probably wouldn't overlap that much, except in emergency situations. Therefore only one of them would be on the bridge most of the time, so only one chair would be needed.

Of course, if the captain was like me, I still wouldn't want anyone sitting in MY chair, even when I wasn't on the bridge.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

On Navy ships do the first officer's really spend much time on the bridge? I've heard that they basically run the ship for the captain and that they're all over the place so he doesn't have to be. Is that accurate? Because if it is it's unlikely Riker would have been on the bridge at the same time Picard was.

 

[NIUPonyBoy]

On Navy ships do the first officer's really spend much time on the bridge? I've heard that they basically run the ship for the captain and that they're all over the place so he doesn't have to be. Is that accurate? Because if it is it's unlikely Riker would have been on the bridge at the same time Picard was.

It depends, their is an XO and First Officer, sometimes they are the same person. Sometimes not.

The XO (Executive Officer) set's duty rosters, discipline aboard ship, chow rotations, PT times and types etc etc etc.

The Captain sets the standard and expectations and has complete charge over everything.

The First Officer acts in the Captain's name and does the same things the Captain does usually during a different duty shift. Can be and "often" is the XO too, but does not have to be.

The Second Officer is the same as first officer, only to a lesser degree. They are usually not the XO as well and have the least desired duty shift but do have command of the ship.

When second and third officers and sometimes even first officers they have a limited amount of discretion. Whereas the Captain has the final word and must stirred and briefed and he makes the call. (ie if a USN ship has the 1st Officer in command he cannot make the call to fire on a ship that may be dangerous but not currently firing on the USN ship, whereas the Captain can just blow the thing out of the water)



I remember in some TNG episodes Ricker is discussing things of the XO field of work so he is also the XO and First Officer. In 'reality' you would not often see the Captain and First Officer during the same duty shift.

This is not a set in stone Navy SOP but what I have gotten from some of my Navy buddies after all I am just a groundpounder.

 

[Amaris]

I've always questioned how effective an empath would be compared to a pure telepath and I have to say not very. Some people are very good at convincing themselves that the story they're telling is the truth. That's how people pass polygraph tests. That's how women win arguments. That's how politicians get elected. By convincing themselves and others that whatever bullshit they've dreamed up is the truth. An empath is just going to read what's on the surface. If you're cool as a cucumber she isn't going to read anything but coolness. A telepath however would be able to skip past the surface bullshit and see what's hidden inside your fool skull and you wouldn't get away with shit.

On the flip side there's the day-by-day factor of having an empath on the bridge. Just imagine knowing a coworker could feel your emotions. You would always be on your guard around Troi. Imagine if just before your shift you whacked off fantasizing about Deanna. Then you come on the bridge and all of a sudden you remember she's an empath. So you spend the entire shift feeling guilty. And you just know at some point she's going to whisper into Picard's ear: "He's hiding something"

What do you do with that?

She's free to ask me whenever she likes!

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I...

 

[Kelso]

On the flip side there's the day-by-day factor of having an empath on the bridge. Just imagine knowing a coworker could feel your emotions. You would always be on your guard around Troi. Imagine if just before your shift you whacked off fantasizing about Deanna. Then you come on the bridge and all of a sudden you remember she's an empath. So you spend the entire shift feeling guilty. And you just know at some point she's going to whisper into Picard's ear: "He's hiding something"

What do you do with that?

She gets off on it. Why else would an empath wear a tight, cleavage-showing bodysuit instead of a uniform every day? She can sense everyone lusting after her.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I've always questioned how effective an empath would be compared to a pure telepath and I have to say not very. Some people are very good at convincing themselves that the story they're telling is the truth. That's how people pass polygraph tests. That's how women win arguments. That's how politicians get elected. By convincing themselves and others that whatever bullshit they've dreamed up is the truth. An empath is just going to read what's on the surface. If you're cool as a cucumber she isn't going to read anything but coolness. A telepath however would be able to skip past the surface bullshit and see what's hidden inside your fool skull and you wouldn't get away with shit.

On the flip side there's the day-by-day factor of having an empath on the bridge. Just imagine knowing a coworker could feel your emotions. You would always be on your guard around Troi. Imagine if just before your shift you whacked off fantasizing about Deanna. Then you come on the bridge and all of a sudden you remember she's an empath. So you spend the entire shift feeling guilty. And you just know at some point she's going to whisper into Picard's ear: "He's hiding something"

What do you do with that?

You'd think a hot, empathic counselor in the 24th century would have learned to be more tolerant of people's private sexual fantasies, but the way she went off on Barclay was really quite unprofessional.

 

[captcalhoun]

in the TNG novels set post Nemesis, after Troi left, the third seat is either vacant or used by a 'mission specialist'. Picard's new chief counsellor doesn't have a bridge duty station.

in the Titan novels, Troi's the ship's chief diplomatic officer as well as chief counsellor, so she has the third seat with Riker and the first officer, as her job is basically to be the 'ambassador' for the ship on its exploration mission into unexplored space in the Beta Quadrant.

 

[Timo]

One'd think the layout of the bridge could be changed at a moment's notice to match the preferences of the current skipper, or his current mood...

The idea of a "standard" bridge basically appears in TOS and the TOS movies, thanks to the recycling of sets to portray different vessels - but disappears in TNG where the hero ship bridge cannot be easily disguised as a guest ship bridge (unless the guest is a fellow Galaxy) but where a second bridge set is readily available for the guest roles yet requires a bit of rebuilding every time, thus becoming "customized" to lesser or greater degree. No two bridges look alike in late TNG or in DS9! That's probably a sign of advancing technology that liberates the skippers of a single formula...

Timo Saloniemi