How to Play a Science Officer

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Welcome to Star Fleet, Cadets. In this course we will examine the duties of a Star Fleet science officer and what it takes to join them in their mission to seek out new life and unknown phenomena across the galaxy.

I can guarantee that you will find being a science officer an exciting job, one that you will always be proud to complete. As a science officer you will:

  • Be in command of all the scientific resources aboard your starship.
  • Be relied on in situations where the lives of the crew will depend on your ability, skill, and ingenuity to save the day.
  • Explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no man has gone before in the name of science and the Federation of course.
  • Many good Captains, and First Officers were originally science officers. Scientific knowledge can turn the tide of any battle.

The course will be broken down in to several lessons containing valuable information.

Scientific/Technical Knowledge & Equipment

Let me put your worries to rest by saying that you don’t have to be a real life scientist to play a science officer on Federation Space. As a player you are not expected to quote scientific hypotheses. You will not be required to give detailed explanations of quantum entanglement or explain why delta waves are extremely hazardous to living organisms.

That being said, a little knowledge goes a long way. The goal is to give the impression that you know what you are talking about. There are many resources available to aid you in your posts in the Star Fleet Science Institute section. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, try startrek.com or Memory Alpha. Also, feel free to ask other players, your CO, or the Commander of the Star Fleet Science Institute. Another great resource is the book Star Trek Science Logs by Andre Bormanis, the science consultant for DS9. For more recommended readings, please see the recommended readings section at the bottom of the page.

Standard Ship Duties

  • Science officers have several duties. They are responsible for gathering and analyzing scientific data. For example, let's say that your ship has been ordered to survey an unexplored nebula or an uncharted area of space such as the Typhon Expanse. On that mission the ship runs into a strange astronomical occurrence that is siphoning power from your ship’s warp core and unless prevented will drain all of your deuterium reserves, therefore leaving you powerless with no life support systems. It would be your job to find a way to compensate for the power drain and get the ship and crew out of danger.
  • Also as a science officer you don’t sit around waiting for something that requires your attention to come to you, you search it out. Experiments are constantly being conducted in the science labs. A great idea is to come up with a research subplot for your character. Not only will it help flesh out your character, it will help keep you occupied when the spotlight of the main plotlines moves away from your character.

Away Team Duties

Sometimes in order to complete your objective, an away mission will be necessary. Depending on the parameters of the away mission, a science officer might be needed. In these situations, the science officer would join the team where he would assist by providing scientific expertise as needed.

There are two things to keep in mind concerning away missions.

  • You will not participate in every away mission
  • Your tricorder is your best friend.

Be careful

When posting make sure that your posts are open-ended. This means that when writing your posts, they need to be written to allow other players and the GMs to interact with you pots. Remember: don’t solve everything with one post. You want to allow for everyone to get into the game and have fun.

Conclusion

Science officers make important contribution to the success of the mission. Don’t worry if you don’t know everything there is to know about science, you will pick up a lot as you go. I look forward to the day of welcoming you into the Federation Space Community as a fellow science officer.

One last thing; have fun!

Recommended Readings


Written by Quill Dramar.
Edited by Skyler Gray.
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