From Archimedes

Engineering

The Engineering Department maintains the ship's physical functionality through routine monitoring and repair of the warp core, computer, tractor beams, transporters, weapons, deflector array, sensors and probes, the hull, life support and anything else that a hyperspanner and some elbow grease can fix. On ships, Engineering is usually the largest department, and Engineers can be seen working all over a vessel at any given time.

The Chief Engineer is the head of the department and manages the large number of Engineers in keeping the ship flying and in one piece. She or he advises the Commanding Officer on technical problems both inside and outside of the ship. Due to the essential nature of Engineering, the Chief Engineer is not bound by the same rules of rank and chain of command as other officers, and may give orders to more senior officers when directly related to Engineering. Unlike other department heads, Chief Engineers are chosen more for experience and knowledge than for seniority, and the Commanding Officer has the authority to appoint the most qualified individual to the post, regardless of commissioned or enlisted status or rank.

The Assistant Engineer is the primary assistant to the Chief Engineer and assists in creating duty rosters for the department, delegating tasks, and prioritizing repairs and maintenance.

An Engineer is responsible for maintaining and fixing the ship. Because a starship runs through a vast and complex array of systems, Engineers are often assigned to a specific team that regularly monitors, repairs and upgrades a specific system or piece of a system. As such, an Engineer may become an Engineer Specialist. Some engineering specialties include:

• Starship subsystem (Transporters, Life Support, Phasers, etc.)
• Warp field
• Computer
• Holographic
• Communications
• Auxiliary Craft

Department Numbers:

• Officers - 2
• Enlisted - 19
• Civilian - 0

See also Crew, NPCs, Past Crew, Open Positions