Rapid Response Team

Ok,

So I was working on an NPC and I am using the Players' Guide.

In it I notice a Tour of Duty called The Rapid Response Team.

What exactly is that?

Is it Special Forces or Starfleets equivalent?

I see they get skills like Heavy Weapons and Planetary Tactics (Small Units).

Can anyoe clear up exactly what a Rapid Response Team is for me?

Thanks!

Stule

:D

Rapid response teams are a Starfleet ground forces unit, detailed in The Price of Freedom. The Tour you're looking at is an assignment to one of those teams.

I think they are still an elite form of officers. Ordinary ground duties are - as I see it depicted in the series' - done by ordinary Starfleet personnel, the RRTs are fast response units, who are deployed in case of emergencies - in POF there is a ship mentioned, I tihnk it is Bolarus-Class, an escort which is intended as especially used for RRTs for deployment. They are trained in small unit tactics, infiltration, etc. But I think they are also used as boarding units, etc.
However if I remember correctly there is an archetype of RRT-officer in the back of the Player's guide, which might explain some more.

Opinions have been wide on the topic from saying that RRTs are star fleets marines to a specialized security force. I have aways seen them as the specialized Secuirty force which can function as marines in cases of emergency but there is little screen evidence for even there existence. Even when ground battles occured in star trek there was no mention of who these people were and they usually looked like ordinary security forces just detached for the duty. The general opinion (and official position) has been that Star Fleet has no marines and in fact no ground force at all. That has led many to feel that what ground forces that do exist in the Federation comes from the indivual members armed forces but then that brings up the question why whould those members need such a force anyway? generally fans heve at least donsented taht some force does in deed exist hence the birth of RRT's, it was not till the Domminion War source book that a force called the ground froces came into existence.

While it has been established that there is no such thing as a "Starfleet Marine Corps", it has also been firmly established on-screen that Starfleet does indeed have ground forces - they're shown in two DS9 episodes, and explicitly mentioned in at least one other episode (series finale: What You Leave Behind).