Departments

Command

The heart of leadership. The Commanding Officer (CO) and Executive Officer (XO) are responsible for the fulfillment of the ship's mandate, completion of ship's missions, welfare of the crew, and the welfare of the ship. These officers work on the bridge and are part of the senior staff. 

The Commanding Officer and Executive Officer can be called Captain and Number One, respectively. Number One is the traditional nickname for the XO in Star Trek.

In ST:B, the Captain is the Game Master (GM) of the duty station, and the First Officer is the Assistant GM. Together, they guide the storyline, coordinate the crew, and keep the adventure flowing.

Security

The ship’s shield against danger. Security officers handle combat, tactical operations, investigations, and internal safety.

The Security department is charged with maintaining law and order on the ship. They are responsible for enforcing the law, manning the brig, keeping accurate inventory of the armory, and ensuring the general safety of the crew. Ultimately their job is to keep the good guys in and the bad guys out or locked up. They serve as the ship’s police force and serve as a line of defense against invaders.

The Tactical Officer controls the main defense systems aboard the ship. He/She is the security officer assigned to the bridge to handle tactical and defensive systems. 

Although sometimes trekkers confuse the roles of Chief of Security and Tactical Officer, the Chief of Security is the highest rank in the security/tactical department, and all security officers assigned to tactical  (tactical officers) also respond to Chief of Security (CoS).  

The Chief of Security can also handle the Tactical Station in the bridge. During their shifts in the bridge, the tactical officers respond to the officer commanding of the ship (CO or XO). 

The officer in charge of this department is the Chief of Security (CoS).

NOTE: To avoid confusion and to keep the same designation across ST:B duty stations, we dont use the expression "Chief Tactical Officer (CTO)" because the CTO is, in fact,  the CoS.

Engineering

Miracle workers, the engineers keep the ship flying — repairing damage, tweaking systems, and pushing engines to their limits.

The Engineering department is responsible for the operation, maintenance, and repair of the ship's engines, propulsion systems and other technology aboard. Led by the Chief Engineering Officer (CEO), the ship's engineers monitor and control the flow and reaction of the matter-antimatter (warp) and fusion (impulse) engines and distribute the power produced according to the needs of the ship, as determined by Starfleet/DFA/Galae procedure and the ship's Operations department.  They are often called upon to find ways to stretch systems well beyond their designed functions, and at its most intensive, engineers may have to immediately design solutions to previously unprecedented challenges. Transporter control and personnel fall under the authority of the Engineering department.

Counselling

That friendly shoulder we all need from time to time. 

Unique to Trek, this department focuses on the mental and emotional resilience of the crew. Counselors provide guidance, empathy, and support during crises. 

The officer in charge of this department is the Head Counsellor. 

Note#1: Counselling is a department separated from Medical, so the Head Counsellor doesn't report to the Chief Medical officer but to the Captain.

Note#2: Romulan ships traditionally do not have Counselling departments. 

Science

Explorers at heart, the science officers study anomalies, analyze data, and make the discoveries that expand our understanding of the galaxy.

The Science department is responsible for collecting and analyzing gathered data in the course of the duty station’s exploration. They are responsible for classifying discovered planets and species, analyzing flora, fauna, and geological samples, and reporting on their findings. Science officers are usually the ones operating the tricorders. 

The officer in charge of this department is the Chief Science Officer (CSO)

Medical

From routine check-ups to battlefield triage, the Medical team protects the health and well-being of the crew. 

The Medical department is responsible for the physical well-being of the crew. The duties of a medical officer include manning and maintaining sickbay; tending to sick and injured patients; and determining whether crew members are physically fit for duty. They are often called upon to work with the Science department to find cures for new and exotic diseases. 

The officer in charge of this department is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO)

 Operations (OPS)

The Operations (Ops) department is responsible for efficiently allocating the resources of the ship, ensuring there are sufficient resources to carry out missions and daily functions.  They are constantly in contact with all other departments.

OPS is responsible for distribution of power throughout the ship. Weapons, shields, deflector control, replicators, gravity plating, life support, turbolifts, internal communications, transporters, and auxiliary systems are all things operations officers must constantly monitor and control. When the need arises to reroute power to an area, OPS must compensate for the increase or decrease on the other systems.  

Other duties include assigning docking space, ensuring that replicators are sufficiently stocked, keeping an accurate inventory of cargo holds, and making sure that all other departments have the equipment they need.

Helm control is part of Operations, responsible for piloting the ship — warp, impulse, thrusters, docking, and landing. Helm is sometimes referred to as Flight Control Operations. 

The officer in charge of OPS is the Chief of Operations (CoO).

Marine Corps (optional)

Some duty stations also include Marine detachments for ground combat and boarding actions, led by a Marine Commanding Officer (MCO).