An engineer helps ensure a starship or space station's systems are running optimally and correctly. An engineer can be responsible for hardware, software or other areas. This includes maintenance, systems checks, improvements and upgrades.
On Starfleet vessels, the chief engineer usually bears responsibility for the ship's other engineers, with several teams responsible for different areas. The main area responsible for engineering on a starship is main engineering. Starfleet starbases, space stations and other outposts usually have a chief of operations bearing responsibility for this, with the main engineering hub usually being the operations center.
"Engineer" is used as a title for engineers who are enlisted personnel as an alternative to "Crewman" (e.g., "Engineer Smith"). (Star Trek: Outpost, Deep Space 9, et al.)
On the USS Mumbai in the 23rd century enlisted engineers were referred to as "mechanic", with "engineer" used only for officers. (TOSS)
Areas and equipment engineers could be responsible for include, but are not limited to:
- warp drive;
- databases;
- software;
- computer core;
- computer processors and circuitry;
- holographic emitters and equipment;
- tractor beam machinery;
- transporters and their components;
- sensors, probes, satellites;
- offensive and defensive equipment, such as phaser arrays and shields;
- hull plating;
- environmental systems, life support and gravity control;
- deflector array; and
- communications array and equipment.
In the Federation Starfleet, engineers are usually members of the operations division.
Some engineers are members of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers.
In the Lyran Starfleet and in Stone Trek, engineers formed their own division. (Stone Trek, Star Trek: The Stoneship Files)
External link[]
- Engineer article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.