Night Shift Crew

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auroraborealis
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Night Shift Crew

Postby auroraborealis » Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:30 am

I've been wondering latly. Who man's the bridge when everyone else is asleep? It seems like Archer, Trip, T'Pol, Hoshi, Malcolm, and everyone all work around the same time. I'm assuming they sleep at some point. So when the Captain and everyone else is asleep who is acting as captain? Is the bridge just empty? Did the show ever establish that? I would love some advice.

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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby aadarshinah » Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:36 am

There are probably 3-4 shifts (it's never determined exactly, but, with a ship of Enterprise's size, I'd guess more likely 3), each working 6-8 hours. Archer, T'Pol, Trip, Reed, etc would be on the alpha/first shift and, because they're the senior officers, would be wakened/called upon during other shifts to deal with non-routine matters. But the bridge would never be left unoccupied.

I'm personally a believer they use something like the Merchant Watch System or, again, something similar. I'm pretty sure DS9 referenced a 26/28 hr day a couple times, though, as that's after the Federation and Stardates have been implimented, that's probably not how things are done in ENT, even if the 26/28hr day thing isn't tailored specifically to DS9's Bajoran diurnal cycle.

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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby Silverbullet » Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:07 pm

Depending, threee shifts with a duty officer manning the Bridge and a bridge crew. Same in Engineering. There would be someone in charge and a crew on duty.

I can see Senior Officers being called to battle stations but the shift crews should be able to handled normal operations and emergencies that don't threaten the ship Too, if is is a Security matter then the Security and MAACOs would be called out and everyone else stay in quarters until the emergency is handled. If immiment boarding then battle stations.

In Harbinger I always thought that the Security and Maacos should have handled the alien and the bridge crew would have been able to track the alinen. I f they are not capable then thye are useless. If the Senior Officers have to be called out for every emergency then the crew needs some serious training.

duty Officers or Watch Officers whatever they are called should be capable of handling ordinary duties and emergencies. that is why they are on board because the should be able to take Duty officer and handle it.

On a ship like Enterprise the crew should be the best available to Starfleet and should be comppetent enough so Senior Officers are not called out for every emergency.

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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby aadarshinah » Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:18 pm

but if they weren't SB, we wouldn't have a show... :D

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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby Linda » Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:57 am

I like SBs analysis of the way the ship should operate. I think they could have done things more realistically and still had a good show.
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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby auroraborealis » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:49 pm

Where any specific cannon people mentioned? If not who would be your best guess about the separate shifts?

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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby aadarshinah » Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:12 pm

the most cannon I think we ever got were people talking about being on shift, going off shift, et cetera. But, seeing as how there are only so many hours in a day, we do know that there have to be at least 2 shifts and that the normal shift cannot be longer than 12hrs at a time... but that's all I got. Sorry.

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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby Silverbullet » Thu Oct 21, 2010 7:44 pm

Think that if they did have shifs it would be three on duty and one on break. that is the way it worked when I was in the Diplomatic Service. Same in the Air force.

Doubt if any shift would be more than nine hours. Eight work and one hour Lunch Break except the mid watch which would just be eight hours.

In Harbinger when Trip was in Engineering the Engine room looked empty as it seemed to be dark in there. I would belive that anything as importnt as the Engine Room would be fully staffed 24/7. Also, When the alien got loose why did they think he was going to harm anything he might have been heading for his ship.

Trip raising his hands as if to fight the Alien? Of course Trip is down for the count so he cannot go back to T'Pol's quarters. I doubt if Engineering would be empty and dark and doubt if Trip would be trying to take on the Alien that way. He would probably grab a spanner first.

anyway, three shifts of eight hours a day. duty Officer on each shift. Duty Officer would be on the Bridge. Bridge would be fully staffed too. So, Bridge and Engineering fully staffed three shifts a day with a duty officer or shift supervisor (for Engineering)
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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby Navigator » Sat Oct 23, 2010 7:31 pm

Ok, let's see, where to start? On a ship the size of Enterprise you would likely see a three section watch. That means if the watches were 4 hours long each watchstander would stand two per 24 hour period. If six hours then they would rotate around the clock; if 8 hours then once per 24 hours.

The bridge watch would have been a minimum of two. A watch officer and a helmsman (or pilot, as I think they sometimes called him). Possibly a communications watchstander also, depending on the level of automation. Watch officers should have been Reed, Mayweather (although junior has a lot of practical experience), and the unnamed LT mentioned below. Sato should have been under instruction - working hard to get her quals in. T'Pol would not have normally stood watches as she is the XO and science officer and apparently admin officer also. Tucker, as ChEng on an experimental plant, would normally be off the watch bill.

There would have been an engineering watch. This is an "experimental" engineering plant so the likelihood of running it lights out is remote. Main propulsion and auxillary watchstanders would be an engineering officer of the watch (EOOW), who could be a junior officer or senior enlisted and technicians for each section. Just a wild guess would be 10 people per watch section.

Also needed would be some sort of electronics systems maintenance (ESM) watch with duty repair people (not part of engineering). I mean you don't need to be waking people up everytime something breaks. There would also need to be weapons control watches and security watches. It's ugly when your shiny new ship gets boarded.

T'Pol's Science department would probably not be watchstanders. They may be qualified in other areas, but I see them being more on call for special evolutions that could last days.

One of the problems with Enterprise was they were missing a Lieutenant (or two). There should have been an Operations Officer who owned Navigation, Communications, sensor operations, and the helmsmen/pilots. Mayweather and Sato were far too junior to have their own departments.

A breakdown might be:

Bridge - 3 per watch - 9 total
ESM - 2 per watch - 6 total
Weps - 1 per watch - 3 total
Security- 3 per watch - 9 total (MACO's)
Eng - 10 per watch -30 total
Total 57

I haven't even gone into own unit support which is things like supply, food service, etc.

Hope this helps.

One other thing: When they went off into the expanse, they should have had stuff (spare parts, etc.) stowed everywhere. Sort of like U-96 in Das Boot. Much more realistic.

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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby Silverbullet » Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:05 pm

Navigator, agree with your breakdown.

What the Enterprise was lacking was a few Lt Commanders in addition to a few more Lt's

Also, since the Warp Coil was not that big there should have been one in the Cargo bay as backup which would have prevented boarding and stealing one from the alien ship.

Mayweather and Sato should have been promoted to J.G. automatically from Ensign. I believe it is automatic after six months.

But then, what do I know?

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Re: Night Shift Crew

Postby Navigator » Sun Oct 24, 2010 5:47 am

Silverbullet wrote:Navigator, agree with your breakdown.

What the Enterprise was lacking was a few Lt Commanders in addition to a few more Lt's

Also, since the Warp Coil was not that big there should have been one in the Cargo bay as backup which would have prevented boarding and stealing one from the alien ship.

Mayweather and Sato should have been promoted to J.G. automatically from Ensign. I believe it is automatic after six months.

But then, what do I know?

SB


Actually Reed should have been a LCDR, too. Maybe the missing dept head I talked about was the LCDR. (Rigil is one author who fixed that.) For a ship the size of Enterprise Archer should actually have been a Commander not a Captain. But then his appointment was political. And on a practical level the producers had to make sure the ship had a CAPTAIN. Tucker is a bit senior for a ChEng but the plant is experimental. At his grade he should have been dirtside building the next generation.

The warp coil is a perfect example of loading up on spares. With no logistical support in the expanse, they had less stuff comparatively than I have in my truck to run around town in. That ship should have been crammed to the overheads with extra everything.

Also promotion to JG comes at about the two year point. I actually knew someone (acquaintance not friend) who didn't make it, but he was out of the Navy real shortly thereafter. Promoting them at the beginning of the expanse mission would have been good.

And actually you know a lot. The problem is the producers, et al, didn't.

But quite frankly Hollywood has done no better making NCIS resemble anything real. I can't even stay in the room when that one is on.


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