The life of crewmen?

[sunnyside]

I'm curious what we know about what things were like for crewmen.

For example I don't know that they had holodeck privaledges. And there was that special replicator room for making gifts and stuff in TNG and that seemed like it might be officers only.

Do we know if they got rooms to themselves on the different ships?

Do we think it was just a twenty year or so stint thing the way it is currently?

[GrahamKennedy]

Well, the only crewman we really see is O'Brien, and he seems to live a lifestyle exactly the same as the officers. He has nice big spacious quarters, fitted out with his own personal replicator (seen in The Wounded), bedroom, all that. We also know he was a regular on the holodeck, as we saw him injure himself there (Transfigurations).

That said, we also know that Ensigns share a room with one another on the Enterprise (Lower Decks). If Junior officers share, it's hard to believe that junior crewmen don't; I'd guess, then, that O'Brien's relative luxury comes from his being a relatively senior crewman. Possibly he also gets perks from being married - The Wounded was just after he married, so that might explain his large quarters. Transfigurations is before, however, so the marriage wouldn't explain the holodeck access.

I often wonder how they allocate holodeck time. One would assume some sort of booking system... yet the officers simply stroll into one any time they please, and they're always empty. Even Reg Barclay can have a holodeck addiction that occupies a large percentage of his time. With a thousand people on board, how does that possibly work?

[McAvoy]

Alot of Holodecks perhaps?

I'd imagine crewmen up to O'Brian as a roommate or two even in a Galaxy class ship unless married. Higher up you go like O'Brian the better accomodations you get.

I don't see it as Navy ships where even Master Chiefs (the highest you can go as an enlisted) do not get their own suites but bunk up with other Chiefs. They get far larger bunks than lower enlisted though. Lower officer ranks get similar accomodations as well. I see Starfleet being (obviously) more accomodating to their grunts and lower ranks since typically Starfleet ships operate on their own for years even with occasional docking with bases. Your typical Navy ship doesn't do that. Go out for a few weeks, come back in, go out, go back in, go on deployment for months, and come back.

[sunnyside]

Well, the only crewman we really see is O'Brien, and he seems to live a lifestyle exactly the same as the officers. He has nice big spacious quarters, fitted out with his own personal replicator (seen in The Wounded), bedroom, all that. We also know he was a regular on the holodeck, as we saw him injure himself there (Transfigurations).

He's some kind of grand poobah petty officer rank though I believe, with a bit of E-9 flavor.

That said, we also know that Ensigns share a room with one another on the Enterprise (Lower Decks). If Junior officers share, it's hard to believe that junior crewmen don't; I'd guess, then, that O'Brien's relative luxury comes from his being a relatively senior crewman. Possibly he also gets perks from being married - The Wounded was just after he married, so that might explain his large quarters. Transfigurations is before, however, so the marriage wouldn't explain the holodeck access.

The Galaxy class did have a thing for civilians. I could see something where civilians get relatively nice quarters based on family size, and O'Brien was staying with them. And in a way he also had to share

(Also Lower Decks was a great episode)

I often wonder how they allocate holodeck time. One would assume some sort of booking system... yet the officers simply stroll into one any time they please, and they're always empty. Even Reg Barclay can have a holodeck addiction that occupies a large percentage of his time. With a thousand people on board, how does that possibly work?

I vaguely recall mentions of timeslots of holodeck access. However they also occasionally have mission critical functions in addition to recreation. It would make sense that some number of them are reserved for officers on an as needed basis.

Also Barclay did a lot with the holodeck as part of his job, and he was an officer. I'd imagine he could have a holodeck addiction the way a cubicle dweller could have a video game addiction at work....for a while before it all comes crashing down.

[Mikey]

Didn't O'Brien tend to fluctuate between CO and NCO, though, according to his insignia?

[Jim]

I always thought of O'Brien as Staff Sergeant or Master Sergeant as he was a ground pounder before going onto the Enterprise. Or, if it is Navy... Chief Petty Officer if not a Master Chief...

[McAvoy]

Didn't O'Brien tend to fluctuate between CO and NCO, though, according to his insignia?

What is the Starfleet insignia for jack of all trades?

[Mikey]

Didn't O'Brien tend to fluctuate between CO and NCO, though, according to his insignia?

What is the Starfleet insignia for jack of all trades?

No, they didn't wear specialty insignia... I meant sometimes he had a lieutenant's bars, sometimes an NCO pin.

[McAvoy]

Didn't O'Brien tend to fluctuate between CO and NCO, though, according to his insignia?

What is the Starfleet insignia for jack of all trades?

No, they didn't wear specialty insignia... I meant sometimes he had a lieutenant's bars, sometimes an NCO pin.

That was sort of a joke...

[GrahamKennedy]

On a GCS you get 10 minutes per person per week per holodeck.

So for each person to have even one hour a day holodeck time, you would need 42 of them.

[Captain Seafort]

I always thought of O'Brien as Staff Sergeant or Master Sergeant as he was a ground pounder before going onto the Enterprise.

No he wasn't - he was the Rutledge's tactical officer. The only time he was on the ground was at Setlik III.

Didn't O'Brien tend to fluctuate between CO and NCO, though, according to his insignia?

He didn't fluctuate, he just switched - started off as an Ensign in Farpoint, worked his way up to a full Lieutenant, then got bumped down to CPO or WO when they needed Barclay to outrank him in Realm of Fear. DS9 brushed the whole thing under the carpet by acting as though he'd always been a rating.

[McAvoy]

On a GCS you get 10 minutes per person per week per holodeck.

So for each person to have even one hour a day holodeck time, you would need 42 of them.

Where did you get the 10 minutes per person per week per holodeck from?

I doubt everyone uses one even when they have the time for it though.

[Mikey]

started off as an Ensign in Farpoint, worked his way up to a full Lieutenant, then got bumped down to CPO or WO when they needed Barclay to outrank him in Realm of Fear.

Yeah, I'd call that "fluctuating." Bumped from enlisted to office when far removed from his most decoratable action, then bumped down from an office to a rating for no discernable punitive or performance-based reason...

[Captain Seafort]

Yeah, I'd call that "fluctuating." Bumped from enlisted to office when far removed from his most decoratable action, then bumped down from an office to a rating for no discernable punitive or performance-based reason...

Another possibility is that he received a field commission during the war, along with various acting promotions, and lost it either a) when the war officially ended (which wasn't until late season 7) or b) when Starfleet HQ finally got its paperwork up to date.

[McAvoy]

Yeah, I'd call that "fluctuating." Bumped from enlisted to office when far removed from his most decoratable action, then bumped down from an office to a rating for no discernable punitive or performance-based reason...

Another possibility is that he received a field commission during the war, along with various acting promotions, and lost it either a) when the war officially ended (which wasn't until late season 7) or b) when Starfleet HQ finally got its paperwork up to date.

Interesting idea.