Engineers were responsible for maintaining and repairing all the systems on starships, space stations, and other bases and installations. (VOY: "Prototype") They often did most of the "grunt work" that was involved in keeping a ship or space station up and running. Engineering officers were generally assigned tasks that included maintaining and/or improving the performance of the warp drive, ship's database, computer processors and circuitry, holographic emitters, tractor beams, transporter components, observational equipment (such as sensors, probes, and satellites), weaponry systems, deflector array, hull plating, life support, shields and alternative defense systems, and many other crucial parts of a ship's anatomy. They were expected to tackle all the problems that drained the ship's resources or lowered its efficiency. (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits"; VOY: "Parallax")
On a Starfleet vessel of any kind, the chain of command in the engineering department tended to be simple with smaller teams broken apart from the whole. A chief engineer lead the entire engineering team, often delegating tasks to smaller teams formed within the whole. Because the operations of a starship, starbase, or space station were so complex, the engineering department ran routine maintenance on all ship systems. Tests were performed regularly through main engineering, which was the hub of activity for the entire department. From main engineering, all ship functions could be monitored and checked for any abnormalities. (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits"; DS9: "Starship Down"; VOY: "Parallax")
John B. Watkins held the rank of "Engineer, Grade 4" in 2268. (TOS: "That Which Survives")
Major logistical tasks were addressed by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; VOY: "Friendship One")
According to Chief Miles O'Brien, it was very unusual for a Starfleet engineer to simply take a tool belonging to his chief without asking. (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets")
Engineer specialties[]
- Aerospace engineer
- Agricultural engineer
- Consulting engineer
- Design engineer
- Electronics engineer
- Engineering physicist
- Genetic engineer
- Geological engineer
- Holo-engineer
- Maintenance engineer
- Mining engineer
- Orbital engineer
- Research engineer
- Sanitation engineer
- Systems engineer
- Warp field engineer
Engineer titles[]
- Assistant chief engineer
- Captain of engineering
- Chief engineering officer
- Engineer's assistant
- Engineer's mate
- Professor of Engineering
Appendices[]
Apocrypha[]
Engineers are the focus of the Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers novels.