Quote:
Operations:
Quote; "Turn it off, turn it on, It'll be OK!"
The Operations department is a hybrid department covering Helm, Tactical and some Engineering. Their area of expertise is the control and distribution of power and resources around the ship. They deal with Transporters and Communications as well as Shuttlecraft and Tractor beams, however under combat conditions many of these systems also fall under Tactical control. Operations also deal with Damage reports when they come in, as well as the Coordination of damage control teams during the aftermath. Officers in Operations are usually easily transferred between Helm, Engineering or Tactical in an emergency. They wear Gold/Yellow jersey's. Along with the Security and Engineering Departments, the majority of Starfleet's enlisted personnel serve within this department.
Chief of Ops: The Chief of Operations is also known as the Operations Manager, this individual is extremely reliant on Artificial Intelligence subroutines built into the main computer network to carry out a significant majority of routine work in tasks such as the routing of power and sensor requirements and usage to different departments. All are mostly handled by the ships main computer, although the actual, allocation of such resources is often decided by the Operation Officer in charge. The important necessity of the Operations Chief is highlighted by its positioning on a ships bridge, often, right next to either Conn or Tactical.
An Operations Manager has at their disposal a series of readouts that give a continually updated list of current shipboard activities, thus allowing Ops to prioritise resources on request, or alter the balance in cases of emergency or potentially dangerous tactical situations. The way in which resources for a ships sensors are allocated is particularly important for exploratory vessels as a number of differing departments require the usage of this resource for a wide variety of reasons. In cases when there is a chance of one department's use interfering or preventing the success of another, the Operations Manager may reschedule the allocation of resource usage and even request more drastic recommendations, such as course changes, to ensure total success.
For all these reasons an Operations Manager is often particularly skilled in Computer use and often a skilled engineer to boot. The Operations and Engineering departments will work very closely together, blending almost imperceptibly, and it is true that many of their skills and abilities are interchangeable...
On the Bridge as Operations Manager, the senior Ops console provides access to the status of a ship’s Sensors, Shields and Communications, often enabling the senior Ops officer on the bridge to access and report much of the same information also available to a Tactical Officer.
It must also be noted that many of the newer style of Starfleet ships bridge arrangement, have begun integrating many of the Operations and Helm controls into a single panel (such as in the Defiant and Prometheus classes), as a result, more than a few Operations managers have found themselves serving as Conn officer as well. (Examples: Lt. Commander Data, Chief Petty Officer Miles O'Brien, Ensign Harry Kim)
Deputy Chief of Ops: The deputy chief of Operations is there to back the chief up, and effectively coordinate any departmental operations across the ship while the Chief is busy on the bridge. He is also expected to take over on the bridge if the chief of ops is unavailable to take the position, likewise this officer is in charge during the Ops chiefs absence.
Outside of that, the deputy chief of Operations is usually found in charge of one of the other duty shifts, effectively delegating responsibilities between duty shifts of personnel.
Transporter Chief: The Transporter systems are one of the most important facilities available to Starfleet vessels and facilities, enabling the near-instantaneous transportation of personnel and materials from one location to another, and reducing the need for shuttlecraft or other auxiliary vehicles having to hard-connect via a docking station or shuttlebay. The transporters are overseen by a senior NCO in the Operations department serving as Transporter chief.
The number of enlisted personnel under the chief depends directly upon the size of the vessel, with usually 1-2 personnel per transporter room, and nearly double that with trained Transporter Technicians among the regular Operations and Engineering crews.
The transporter chief’s primary duties are to supervise the personnel and maintenance of the various transporter systems that operate aboard a Starship. Its this crewmembers responsibility to ensure the safe transportation and retrieval of officers during away team missions, as well as assist their colleagues during the various unusual requests that seem to crop up on a regular basis. Another of the chief's responsibilities is to ensure that the equipment cabinets located in the personnel transporter rooms are always fully stocked and that the weapons and equipment stored within are always fully charged, to be ready at a moments notice.
Should something go awry it is also the job of the transporter chief to conduct an official investigation to find out what went wrong and prevent it happening again.
During periods when Transporters are not in use, the senior Transporter Chief may order technicians to carry out test transports, or even undertake such duties personally, utilising test materials. Such maintenance is to ensure the equipment is operating at optimum conditions, as the loss of any vital component during transportation can have catastrophic results on the individual caught in the affected beam. (Example Chief O'Brien (aboard the Enterprise-D))
Mission Operations/Communications Officer: While the role of Communications Officer has lessened considerably since Starfleet Ships of the 23rd century, primarily due to increased technology and automation available within the Communications field. It has typically been the case for Starfleet to expand and increase the rolls of such officers who might find their positions undermined by such increases in technology.
In the case of the Communications Officer, Starfleet has expanded the role to include that of Mission Operations. Effectively the officer serving the position on the Bridge is there primarily to monitor and control multiple communications channels and support the Senior Operations an Tactical bridge staff. But also to monitor the Mission Operations terminal, and keep an eye on the status of any Away Teams.
This officer often also serves as a 'floating specialist' serving on the bridge and able to take over from the Operations Chief should he get called away. Thus a Communications Officer remains an important link in a Starship crew and commonly a senior Operations officer.
Communications Officers, like Security Staff, must also be aware of Starfleet codes and emergency conditions, in order to immediately inform the Commanding Officer of potentially hazardous situations. This position can also sometimes be filled by a Tactical officer. (Example: Lt.(jg) Worf (as a tactical officer))
Operations Officer: The rank and file of the operations department, generally filling a bridging role between Science, Command and Engineering. They often specialise in a particular system, focusing on Computer, Sensors, Holographic or Transporter systems, and will be technically proficient both in their use and in their repair, working closely alongside Engineering, and often the lines between Operations and Engineering get a little blurred. The Operations department often has the largest contingent of officers aboard a Starship. (Example: Ensign Nog, Rom)
Hope all that is of some help.
