Lore: Ratings

Boatswain: The boatswain’s mates can be thought of as professional jacks of all trades. Their duties include maintenance of the hull (including hatches, ladders, overhead lights, decks & carpets, etc.), cargo handling, EVA, firefighting and damage control, internal communications, and security. Boatswain’s mates most often supervise unrated sailors in these tasks.

Commando: Commandos are trained in planetary assault. "Death from above!"

Coxswain: There are two Coxswain’s mate ratings. Coxswain’s mates (B) operate and maintain small craft (longboats, shuttlecraft, etc.) Coxswain’s mates (Q) operate and maintain quantum teleporters, usually known as leap rings. When aboard a small craft, the senior coxswain or coxswain’s mate is THE coxswain (and pilot), even if aboard ship he is part of a department with a more senior coxswain or if he is not a chief petty officer.

Electrician: Electrician’s mates maintain all electrical and electronic systems, including computer hardware. They also maintain the electrical power transmission lines where they branch from the EPS grid (which is a stoker’s mate’s responsibility).

Gardner: On early long-range ships, oxygen was provided primarily by hydroponics gardens. Gardner got applied to the life support technicians, and the term stuck. Gardner’s mates work on the combination of biological, mechanical, and electrical systems that keep the ship’s life support systems running, and incidentally produce fresh food.

Guardian: Guardian’s mates operate and maintain the shields, electronic countermeasures, and other defensive systems.

Gunner: Gunner's mates operate and maintain the ship's impulse cannon. If other direct fire weapons are mounted, those are also the province of this rating.

Lookouts: Lookout’s mates operate and maintain the ship’s sensor systems, and work in the Combat Information Center to analyze sensor data.

Machinist: Even in the 23rd century, a ship has a lot of mechanical parts for Machinist’s mates to maintain. On Phoenix, that includes the mechanisms that move the wings and pods, plus the more usual turbolift and hangar door motors.

Nurse: The surgeon will figure out what’s will figure out what’s wrong with you and what needs to be done, but other than actual surgery the nurse will get it done. Nurses provide most hands-on medical care, especially to the wounded in recovery. They must be qualified as medtechs as well.

Pharmacist: Traditional name aside, the pharmacist’s mate is an emergency medical technician. A pharmacist’s mate will keep you from dying until you can get to sick bay and a surgeon’s attention. They must be qualified as medtechs.

Quartermaster: Quartermaster’s mates assist the Navigator in plotting courses and maintaining navigational fixes. A quartermaster’s mate typically mans the helm.

Raider: Raiders conduct boarding and counter-boarding operations, and are trained in close-quarters battle. "Who dares wins."

Rigger: So named for reasons of tradition, riggers’ mates are warp and impulse drive technicians. Aboard Phoenix, riggers also maintain and operate the cloaking device.

Shipfitter: The structural components of the ship are the responsibility of the shipfitter’s mates. Responsibility for the hull is divided between the boatswain’s Mates, Life Support Technicians, and shipfitter’s mates, depending on the nature of the repairs or maintenance required.

Signalman: Signalman’s mates operate the ship’s external communications, and have responsibility for translations, cryptography, and signal intelligence. Signalmen’s mates are also part of the Combat Information Center team.

Stoker: Again named for historical reasons, stoker’s mates are power technicians. Batteries belong to the electrician’s mate rating.

Storekeeper: Storekeepers have responsibility for the ship’s supplies, tracking inventories and making sure anything that might be needed is on hand. This includes maintaining and operating the ship’s synthesizers and fabricators.

Steward: Stewards provide services to the crew. For most crew, this means they keep the laundry operating and see that the shared spaces (mess & recreation compartments, etc.) are kept clean and functional. Officers receive some personal service from their stewards; their uniforms and quarters are cleaned for them, and their meals served to them in the wardroom or their quarters. The captain has a personal steward to see to anything he needs.

Surgeon: The Terran Star Fleet does not have the modern concept of restricted duty officers; surgeons are enlisted like all other technical specialists, and the head of the ship’s medical division may be a nurse or pharmacist rather than a doctor. Ratings exist for some medical specialties, but most ship’s doctors are Surgeons.

Sysadmin: As a rigger’s mate is to a warp drive or a gunner’s mate to a pulser, the sysadmin’s mates are to the mass of software that runs a starship. Sysadmin’s mates focus on the underlying digital infrastructure; software development is part of the basic technical skill set of every rate that might use it.

Torpedoman: Torpedoman’s mates deal with the ship's torpedoes and other indirect fire weapons. Drones and probes are also their responsibility.

Yoeman: Star Fleet is an organization, and that means, inevitably, paperwork. Yeoman are the administrative staff that keep it moving. The captain and executive officer have a personal yeoman to help with ship’s administration.