Uniform Color

[Bluecoat1861]

TNG question: what color uniform would a Star Fleet Historian wear?

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Blue.

[Cpt. Lundgren]

I agree. Blue as it would be a science position.

[Dan Gurden]

Yep. Sciences blue.

Although its a somewhat limiting role (unless working with Department of Temporal Investigations or Timefleet).

[JALU3]

Having meet a real life Nuclear Naval Officer, what you major in, especially liberal arts degrees, has very little impact on what field one is assigned to. He majored in Foreign Affairs, but was slotted as a Nuclear Engineer. He was telling me that due to the limited number of nuke powered surface ships the way they have it now, one tour he gets engineering department, next he gets a line officer position as a normal Surface Warfare officer. Therefore, just because the individual is a historian, or History graduate, doesn't automatically make him automatically slotted in the science field.

[Owen E Oulton]

However, the question was "What colour would a Star Fleet Historian wear?" Not just Joe Blow in Engineering who happened to have a BA in History, but an officer assigned as an Historian. An Historian would fall under Sciences, although we saw a few people in TOS who should have worn blue wearing red.

[Dan Gurden]

although we saw a few people in TOS who should have worn blue wearing red.

Ah yes Ms Mgyvers.

There is another explanation here. For the most part a historian is likely to be a rather underused position. Unless a captain has a habit of tripping temporal accidents like a skipping rope most historians are likly to be sat in a small office twiddling their thumbs on the off-chance that an expert in 19th century Canadian Politics is required on a mission.

I suspect that such a role might well be a secondary speciality. although perhaps one that would be more likely amongst the boffins in the science department... But not limited too.

Mission specialists however, say a specialist in early 20th Century on a mission to Sigma Iotia II for example, is another matter.

[JALU3]

Thank's Dan. That is what I didn't say, but should have included. Given the limited need for the specialization, in order to assist those 'Fleeters with career progression, Starfleet would likely encourage them to gain a secondary specialty that has more practical day to day use in Starfleet so that maybe while serving on a ship somewhere among the stars, that if their primary focus becomes relevant they will be at hand. Otherwise, a historian is likely to be assigned core ward, or at a place with significant temporal flux (like by the Guardian of Forever), and would need to travel a significant distance in order to be where they are needed. (Not that they couldn't communicate through subspace to those who need their expertise, or that the officers aboard ship can't readily access the vast amount of data available via Starfleet's computers aboard ship and those accessible via whatever network is maintained).
I can see a whole bunch of historians at someplace similar to the History and Heritage Command, or Center of Military History, or at Starfleet Academy, or various post museums that dot the various Starfleet bases that exists. But unless they want to super focus, and become historians first, and operationally versed 'Fleeters a distant second, I can see most historians spattered around the fleet, but with secondary training in another field that is less focused. Otherwise, you'll likely end up with a bunch of Historians much like Lt. j.g. Picard sitting around not advancing in their careers, and retiring at that rate; reminds me of a term I have come across recently "Terminal Lance".

[Dan Gurden]

So really its all a matter of taste. A focused multi discipline historian would indeed be sciences blue. But it would depend upon the ship and the mission as to why they would be aboard. Otherwise crew fles might indicate several members of the crew with doctorates or papers written about specific periods of interest at which point they might be called upon should this specialisation cross purposes with the mission in hand (otherwise the required information would likely be available in the ships computer library). Picard took the ships historian into the Holodeck for Dixon Hill. But that was a Galaxy class ship with an awful lot of crew. For most of our games we are likely to be on smaller vessels and a dedicated historian would seem a luxury.

As for the Guardian of Forever. I definately see a cache of Starfleet and Academical Historians located at site. Perhaps even the HQ of the Department of Temporal Investigations as the Guardian seems to offer some protection against temporal changes which might allow monitoring and repair of the timeline. Something that was ni my notes for the origins of Federation Timefleet.

Now the the far future Timefleet. THERES an organisation that will have historians on the crew.

[Cpt. Lundgren]

Hm... I'm talking purely from a position point of view, not skill-set or degrees. So a historian massaging the historic database, making sure any searches made by those having a historian position, would end up in a yellow uniform.

The reason to take a position like that might be because there is no historian position open, it would be a good position to cultivate contacts to later get one, and also in a good position to do some hobby research even during work hours.

I also see Starfleet having a wider job description than any current day navy. Which also gives some opportunities to have some political infighting, pulling Starfleet in different directions.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

So did a player ask to play a historian? What's the story here?

[Bluecoat1861]

Honestly nothing caused me to ask this besides a crazy thought. This is the type of question that use to be ask here all the time the stuff that keeps all the creative juices flowing.

[Dan Gurden]

See as an aside I know there was a deleted scene in Nemesis (i think) in the 1701-E library. And this thread made me think of the uniform colour of the Librarian...

I was going to say Sciences blue as well, but actually it makes more sense that it would be an Ops position, and have major compueter skills.

Now. What department uniform should the guy who has to mop out the Holodecks wear under his Bio Hazard coveralls

[Cpt. Lundgren]

See as an aside I know there was a deleted scene in Nemesis (i think) in the 1701-E library. And this thread made me think of the uniform colour of the Librarian...

You must be in error. There can't be deleted scenes in a movie that doesn't exist

Now. What department uniform should the guy who has to mop out the Holodecks wear under his Bio Hazard coveralls

Green. What better way is there to desensitize medical staff that might have to deal with combat casualties or exploding console victims?

[JALU3]

I also see Starfleet having a wider job description than any current day navy. Which also gives some opportunities to have some political infighting, pulling Starfleet in different directions.

Starfleet might be bigger, in the sense that it may have more duties then just what a normal Navy would do. For instance Nog was talking about his period spent doing border/customs work. That being said, it need not necessarily be bigger, but could be like the U.S. military post Civil War when it was for the most part the largest part of government, and when things needed to be done, like securing the new National Parks, they were the only ones to do it until a new non-military (in the case of Starfleet Quasi military) service could be planned, organized, and stood up. Futhermore, given the federal nature of the Federation, Starfleet is only really there for areas outside of where member planets cannot extend their control/influence (that is except Earth and other key places with large support facilities). At the same time I don't see Starfleet running your own local neighborhood library.