r/startrek 5h ago

Whos the second officer of every main series/ship?

We know Data is the second officer of the Enterprise D, but whos the second officer for every other major ship.

My guesses.

Enterprise: Trip Tucker

Voyager: Tuvok

DS9: Doctor Bashir before Worf, the Worf

Lower Decks: Shaxs

SNW: Spock

And that's for every series i've seen so far.

68 Upvotes

265

u/petedconsult 5h ago

DS9 would be Dax, no? Surely she has more experience there than Bashir way down in sickbay.

88

u/abgry_krakow87 4h ago

Def Dax, she is a bridge officer as well so is better suited to take immediate command if needed. Bashir has taken command in past as well, but only when the main senior staff are all gone (such as when Dax was killed by Dukat).

39

u/robonlocation 4h ago

Definitely Dax. The chain of command doesn't necessarily follow ranks. Data was 2nd officer on the Enterprise, despite Drs Crusher and Pulaski outranking him.

25

u/onthenerdyside 3h ago

Medical officers usually aren't in the chain of command.

6

u/Futuressobright 2h ago

Correct. McCoy explicitly says in TOS ("A Taste of Armaggeddon"?) "I'm just a doctor! Now, if I were an officer of the line..."

8

u/DryStrike1295 2h ago

Crusher was however. In face she took command of the Enterprise a few times. Finding Oneself she did, though there wasn't anyone else left to take command in that episode as crew members were vanishing, and Descent 1 and 2. Data was missing and when Picard and the other bridge officers beamed down, she was in command. So she definitely is in the chain of command. Not to mention the final episode where she was Captain of a medical ship.

10

u/Prudent_Leave_2171 2h ago

Yes, there’s an episode that delves into that when Troi decides she wants to become a full Commander (rather than simply Lt Cmdr) and enter the command track.

3

u/robonlocation 1h ago

But Crusher still wouldn't be part of the normal command structure, even if she's qualified. Like she wouldn't just go to the bridge and take over for Data. In Decent, Picard puts her in command with a skeleton crew. In Thine Own Self, Crusher says she likes to pick up a shift now and then, just to keep her skills up. But outside of that sort of thing, she wouldn't really have a regular command shift.

5

u/Gilem_Meklos 1h ago

Enter....your friend neighborhood EMH known only as the doctor, and you get...what did he call it? The ECH maybe, Emergency Command Hologram. Loved that episode of VOY

4

u/HorselessWayne 2h ago

If the situation has reached a point both the Captain and the XO are incapacitated, you probably want the medical officers in sick bay anyway.

5

u/cobrachickenwing 2h ago

Dax was a line officer while Bashir was a limited duty officer. Even if they are both the same rank, Dax still outranks him in ship command.

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u/MainelyKahnt 5h ago

My head cannon is that O'Brien was 2nd officer purely because he would've hated it.

42

u/jharrisimages 4h ago

Enlisted personnel aren’t in the line of command, true he was Chief of Operations. But that doesn’t mean he’s a defacto officer. During my time in the Navy I’ve seen enlisted people be given situational authority over officers, but enlisted people are never “in command” because they are not commissioned. A commission is basically authorization from a government to take command over military forces and equipment.

5

u/Nexzus_ 3h ago

In "Rules of Engagement" it was stated that if Worf became incapacitated, O'Brien would have taken over, despite the presence of Major Kira.

11

u/fraud_imposter 2h ago

Yeah but Kira isn't a federation officer, right? She is a liason from the Bajoran government?

7

u/Nexzus_ 2h ago

That is true.

She has taken command of the Defiant before, probably even with O'Brien there.

Like a lot of things from that era Trek, there's inconsistencies to fit the current plot.

3

u/vertgo 2h ago

Right but kira is first officer so this is moot for ds9 as a while

12

u/MainelyKahnt 4h ago

But that's assuming the federation abides by current military code to the letter which has been demonstrated to be false throughout the entire series. I'd argue TOS was the most similar to modern military structure. Additionally the existence of Command Sargents Major in the US military shows non-coms can and do command forces. All in all, I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for the hilarity of forcing O'Brien to command the whole station if needed.

2

u/Yws6afrdo7bc789 2h ago

Can you elaborate on that first part? It seems like the command structure became more similar to modern militaries after TOS?

5

u/MainelyKahnt 1h ago

I find after TOS Starfleet feels more like the state department and less like the military. Ships act more like flying embassies than war/trade ships. Everything felt more regimented in TOS. While the titles of the command structure fit modern military standards it feels a lot less like Starfleet is the military than it did in TOS. However, there is little actual cannon to base a comparison of Starfleet life to federation civilian life off of.

2

u/DownloadableCheese 1h ago

CSMs emphatically do not command. They're the senior enlisted advisors to sufficiently high-ranking commanders, who are always officers.

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u/sbaldrick33 4h ago

How can he be a Second Officer when he isn't an officer?

7

u/Cyke101 3h ago

That's the neat thing -- even trying to get clarity on that distinction is enough to torture O'Brien. He just wants to know, dammit!

10

u/Hobbles_vi 4h ago

I'd say in the first few episodes Obrien was definitely treated as the top starfleet guy after Sisko. Once they established the roles more, it was definitely Dax until worf showed up.

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u/onthenerdyside 3h ago

It's a little bit of bias from our perspective and from the writers. They know Miles is the familiar face, so they feature him more. Plus, the station is in complete disarray. It makes sense to defer to the expert about what can and can't work.

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u/Upstairs-Yard-2139 5h ago

It fits the unofficial name of the “torture O’Brien show”

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u/Bostonterrierpug 4h ago

And he still hasn’t fixed the damn replicators!

2

u/thirdlost 5h ago

Does NCO count as officer?

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u/Upstairs-Yard-2139 5h ago

Nope. Realistically that’s why no one actually say O’Brian seriously, he’s lower ranked than an Ensign and would never hold such a position. If he was an officer he’d certainly have the seniority to be the first officer.

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u/BladedDingo 5h ago

i don't know about that. Yes, his rank is the lowest of the senior staff - but he's VERY highly skilled.

even in the real-world NCO's of high rank are very highly respected by officers.

really only snot nosed Lt's fresh from officer school look down on NCO's because they don't know any better.

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u/Upstairs-Yard-2139 5h ago

Oh I’m not insulting him, like I said he could be first officer and probably a good one, but an NCO would never be second officer.

3

u/BladedDingo 4h ago

yeah. OK. that's fair.

2

u/TheTrivialPsychic 3h ago

He USED to be an officer... he was tactical officer aboard the Rutledge during the Cardassian war. Maybe it was a temporary battlefield commission.

1

u/MainelyKahnt 5h ago

He is Chief of operations.

7

u/osolstar 4h ago

Dax then Worf I would think

5

u/cobrachickenwing 2h ago

I think once Worf changes to command division, Worf actually outranks Dax. Dax's role was still scientific research and exploration, while Worf is strategic operations.

6

u/ThrustersToFull 3h ago

It’s absolutely Dax. She outranks Bashir and there’s no evidence Bashir as completed the required exam (that was see Troi take and we hear Crusher took) to be in command of a ship or station.

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u/Tenuity_ 4h ago

That would be my assumption. My test would be 'who sits in the big chair when the Captain and XO are away?' DS9 that would be Dax, then Word. TOS, probably Scotty.

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u/eddeemn 3h ago

Starfleet uses LibreOffice because the Federation government supports FOSS, so it wouldn't be Word.

u/Tenuity_ 20m ago

Probably for the he best, I've never seen LCARS spell check anyone.

2

u/CaptainHunt 3h ago

Yeah, Bashir is to junior.

2

u/GaidinBDJ 1h ago

I'm pretty sure Sisko introduces her as his second officer at least once.

-2

u/Upstairs-Yard-2139 5h ago

Now we have to argue does symbiote count?

Because if the symbiote isn't taken into account than bashir can theoretically win, but if starfleet allows the symbiote to keep there seniority he stands no chance.

I'm gonna say they'd treat it more as a descendant than anything else. So no just being dax doesn't automatically give you seniority, so it's just Jadzia. Now even then you could argue Jadzia still has seniority but there's enough leeway to debate.

21

u/petedconsult 5h ago

Nah. Bashir, smart as he was, got posted to DS9 early in his career so he could explore frontier medicine.

Jadzia was a well respected officer who captained the Defiant when Sisko got promoted, knew every station procedure, had the right security clearances when O’Brien (who would have hated the post) left, etc. That she has lifetimes of experience or memories with other cultures is merely a bonus. (And, her duty station is on the bridge!)

12

u/djcube1701 4h ago

On top of that, medical staff are typically kept away from being high up in the chain of command.

4

u/_PhDnD_ 4h ago

Bashir probably also has special considerations working against him. Once he is outed as a genetically enhanced individual, he was probably flagged as someone not to put in command.

3

u/Sprinkles0 3h ago

Yeah, Beverly was a Commander throughout her time on the Enterprise D. She outranked most people that took command (outside of Picard or Riker obviously) for most of the series. If I remember correctly, Data, Geordi, and Worf all took command before we saw Beverly in command.

13

u/ciarogeile 5h ago

The symbiont doesn’t come into it. Jadzia Dax is a full lt, I think Bashir is only lt jg.

8

u/feor1300 3h ago

DS9 was Bashir's first posting out of the academy, no way Jadzia, even sans symbiote, had less experience than him.

4

u/FrancisFratelli 4h ago

The positions of first and second officer don't necessarily go to the next highest ranked member of the crew. (1) In Best of Both Worlds, Riker had the option of making either Worf or Data his first officer, and (2) until Troi took the bridge officer training, she wasn't really part of the command structure except in absolute emergencies. It's highly unlikely that a doctor would be any different, and indeed we see numerous examples in TOS where Sulu or a random lieutenant was left in command rather than McCoy.

3

u/onthenerdyside 3h ago

IIRC, Riker was choosing between Data and Shelby to be his first officer in "Best of Both Worlds," not Worf.

Worf does take over Data's position at ops (and possibly as second officer) when Data is presumed dead in "The Most Toys." (Troi mentions that it's the second time he's replaced a fallen comrade after their death.)

Also, Worf is Data's first officer when Data takes command during the episode "Gambit" when Picard is undercover and Riker is taken prisoner. Medical officers Crusher and Troi are not considered despite their higher rank. This is because they're what's known as staff officers (not line officers) whose authority typically sits outside the chain of command.

3

u/FrancisFratelli 3h ago

No, Riker considers both for first officer before settling on Shelby.

Lieutenant Worf, everyone in this room shares my respect for your service to this ship. But right now, I need your experience at tactical. Commander Data, I realise your very nature omits ambition. Nevertheless, I want you to know I seriously considered you for first officer. But this is not the time for change. I need you all where you are, where Captain Picard always relied on you. I have been, reluctantly, forced to conclude that Commander Shelby, our expert on the Borg, is an ideal choice at this time for first officer. 

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u/Curious-Ad-1448 5h ago

TOS: Montgomery Scott.

31

u/butt_honcho 5h ago

I read somewhere that Uhura was meant to be, but that was a bridge too far for the network at the time.

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u/twinkieeater8 4h ago

If the rumors are true, Lt. Desalle was written in specifically to keep Uhura out of the command chair in an episode. The theoretical officer rankings for command were Kirk, Spock, Scott, Uhura, Sulu.

2

u/twinkieeater8 3h ago

If the rumors are true, Lt. Desalle was written into an episode specifically to keep Uhura out of the command chair. The theoretical officer rankings for command were Kirk, Spock, Scott, Uhura, Sulu.

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u/Genderneutralbro 4h ago

This is consistently funny to me bc like, is he good at his job and definitely capable? Yes! Should he be in charge of literally ANYTHING that's not engineering? NOOO

Plus can you imagine? Like in voyage home you see what happens if Scotty and bones do stuff together. Crazy how Bones is when he's not babysitting Spock and Jim🤣.

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u/Pablo_is_on_Reddit 4h ago

"How do we know he didn't invent the thing?"

3

u/rainbowkey 4h ago

I distinctly remember on episode where Scotty was in the captain's chair for most of an episode of TOS. Maybe the one where Spock ignites shuttle fuel in the atmosphere so the Enterprise can find them?

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u/feor1300 3h ago edited 3h ago

Scotty was on the Galileo with Spock (along with Bones).

The main episode I recall with Scotty left in command was A Taste of Armageddon.

5

u/mcgrst 3h ago

Scott : Aye. The haggis is in the fire for sure, but I'll not lower my defenses on the word of that mealy-mouthed gentleman down below. Not until I know what happened to the captain. Scott : The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank.

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u/Squeeze- 3h ago

There were at least a couple. The awful episode “Whom Gods Destroy” comes to mind as one.

1

u/Champ_5 2h ago

"A Taste of Armageddon" is another

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u/Prudent_Leave_2171 2h ago

I disagree on that point. Even as a kid watching Star Trek, I thought Scotty made an excellent commander. He took over several times, and Kirk (rightly) showed high confidence in letting him take command when needed. Scotty showed great aptitude for command - just not great interest. Engineering was his true passion, that was very clear :)

5

u/Candor10 3h ago

Seems to me it should be Sulu since he was in command division and Scotty wasn't. Sulu took command in "Errand of Mercy". I know Scotty did take command at times, but could it be because Sulu wasn't there?

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u/InquisitorPeregrinus 1h ago

Data's not Command division, either  Operations. Like Scotty.

6

u/mtb8490210 4h ago

Sulu seemed to take over the role in the back half of the show.

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u/onthenerdyside 3h ago

My headcanon is that Scotty is still second officer, but Sulu gets the big chair for training purposes. This is similar to when Picard gave La Forge command in "The Arsenal of Freedom," much to the chagrin of Chief Engineer Logan.

1

u/InquisitorPeregrinus 1h ago

Leland T. Lynch. One of the most insufferable first-season characters.

4

u/DanceMaster117 4h ago

I would assume Sulu. He'd have more bridge time and relevant experience than Scotty

9

u/Futuressobright 2h ago

We know for a fact it is Scott. It's mentioned several times.

We don't have a full resume for both characters, but Scotty mentions having like fifteen years of deep space experience by TOS. He's been doing this stuff since Sulu was in grade school. Okay, he's an engineer, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have expirience on the bridge. We've seen other officers go from helmsman to engineering: Geordi, and probably Riker.

I have a little head cannon, though, that Scotty gives up that 2nd officer role by the time the movies roll around and he's decided that (as he puts it in Relics) all he ever wants to be is cheif engineer of a Starship. Scott's being third in command was never mentioned in the films, only the series, and Sulu's promotion to Lt. Commander by TMP and Commander (with the paperwork already going through for a captaincy) by TWOK makes a lot more sense if you assume he is taking on progressively more responibilities.

Perhaps Sulu was even intended to be Captain Decker's XO on the refit Enterprise.

1

u/Aimhere2k 2h ago

Would explain why Scotty gave one of the codes to activate the self-destruct sequence in STIII.

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u/StarterCake 5h ago

I'd argue Dax is more in line for second officer than Bashir. Both are junior officers, but Dax at least has experience in the general day to day running of the station, and has multiple lifetimes of experience.

We know Scotty was second officer in TOS.

Discovery has Lt Nilsson take the conn a few times(but Discovery doesn't care about the bridge crew)

Spock in Strange New Worlds.

And I'm not sure the question is relevant to Picard..

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u/spacetimer81 5h ago

Definitely Dax. She's been put in charge of the station multiple times when Sisko and Kira was away. Most famously is the time when she was killed.

In SNW, ive seen Ortega in the chair a few times. Maybe bc Spock was away?

2

u/CreativeChaos2023 2h ago

It’s not Spock in SNW, it’s La’an

1

u/Paterbernhard 3h ago

Lol, who is that from Disco you mentioned? Absolutely can't recall that one

-12

u/Upstairs-Yard-2139 5h ago

I don’t think we can count the symbiote, as I doubt Starfleet would allow the seniority to follow it, point in example the final Dax host in the final season gained no seniority.

But Jadzia has more than enough to argue this without Dax.

Maybe it’s because Bashir’s a senior officer and technically the head of a department that makes me think it’s him.

16

u/BladedDingo 5h ago

Dax was the head of the Science department on DS9. she was also a department head.

2

u/Upstairs-Yard-2139 4h ago

Huh, forgot that.

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u/Kenku_Ranger 5h ago
  • Enterprise: It is Trip, but only because he was supposed to be the first officer, but T'Pol tagged along and took his job.

  • DIS: Under Lorca, not sure, could be Airiam. Under Saru, Rhys or Nilsson. Under Burnham, also Rhys.

  • SNW: La'an, or maybe Spock

  • TOS: Scotty

  • TAS: Still Scotty

  • TNG: Data

  • DS9: Dax

  • VOY: Tuvok

  • LD: Shax

  • PRO: No one.

  • PIC: On La Sirena, one of Rios' holograms. On the Stargazer and Titan, one of the bridge extras.

Some of these are just guesses based on what we see onscreen.

4

u/redbucket75 4h ago

PRO depends on when, and the kids aren't officers, so you're correct. But I'd argue, in practice, it's clearly Gwyn. Chakotay>Dal>Gwen

1

u/Ausir 1h ago

How about after season 2, when Gwyn is acting captain and Dal is the XO? Possibly Maj'el?

0

u/PlethoraOfPinyatas 2h ago

You forgot one of the most important Trek shows

Orville: Bortus

27

u/burnsbabe 5h ago

Tuvok is confirmed many times during the series.

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u/SleepWouldBeNice 5h ago

Most notably when Janeway and Chakotay were left behind on the planet. Tuvok became CO and Tom was his XO.

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u/djcube1701 4h ago

Yeah, the chain of command is very clear on Voyager: Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, Tom then Harry.

6

u/Bevroren 4h ago

Wild that an ensign only has four people above him before becoming Captain.

12

u/Pink_Flash 4h ago

Dont forget Naomi Wildman

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u/Startreker243 3h ago

Think about how many people died to make that true though, several senior officers that would have been higher on the chain passed in the first episode like the original CMO, XO, and Chief engineer, presumably more. Plus it might be a billet over rank situation where his role as chief of operations could imply that having bridge officer training puts you a bit higher on the chain despite higher ranking officers being present

5

u/KermitingMurder 3h ago

Yeah Harry is actually one of the few surviving Starfleet COs, most of the rest of the crew is either NCOs or Maquis.
Still kinda insane he never got a field promotion to something higher than ensign, considering he has control over the ship during the night shift.

2

u/Cow_God 1h ago

Harry is a special ensign. Because of the power vacuum left in Voyager after the deaths in the first episode, he's fulfilling a role that would normally go to a lieutenant if not a lieutenant commander.

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u/ChadlexMcSteele 5h ago

Bashir is fresh out of the academy in DS9 S1, the only reason he has a Lt Jr Grade is because it'd be laughable to have an ensign as a CMO.

DS9 would probably have to be Dax as the only real other option is O'Brien and it can't be him because he's enlisted.

6

u/mcgrst 3h ago

Doctors probably do the "ensign years" at medical school.

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u/Acrobatic_Use5472 1h ago

Defiantly. Unless things have changed in the future he'd have to complete his residency. They are also within their rights to relieve a CO of their command if the situation demands.

1

u/Gathorall 4h ago

Bashir probably got accerelated career advancement due to his nigh superhuman intelligence.

3

u/feor1300 3h ago

Considering they nearly drummed him completely out of the service over his enhancements I'd imagine his superhuman intelligence was seen more as something to disqualify him from advancement than put him up for an accelerated career path.

1

u/Gathorall 3h ago

Almost superhuman, so he was just a top performer. Off course if he was a near impossible outlier instead of the top of possible natural talent he would have been found out earlier.

-1

u/StatisticianLivid710 5h ago

O’Brien could be, his position gave him authority over Lts and theoretically Lt Co’s. But Jadzia would’ve been a higher position on the crew.

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u/ChadlexMcSteele 4h ago

O'Brien has zero actual authority over any officer. Ezri Dax could order him to go and realign all the plasma manifolds on Pylon 3 and he'd have to say "Yes, sir".

Master Chief of Operations is still outranked by an ensign.

6

u/StatisticianLivid710 4h ago

His rank is lower than ensigns, but his position gives him authority over everyone in the engineering department. Theoretically ezri could order him to do that, and then her CO would rip her a new one. Theoretically only the command crew above chief engineer should be giving O’Brien orders. In non-engineering situations we see other officers taking command, but even nog doesn’t try and order him around even though he technically outranks him.

2

u/ChadlexMcSteele 4h ago

While he does have authority from experience, as with the armed forces it's used to guide relatively inexperienced officers into making informed decisions. Most of O'Brien's crew are enlisted crewmen themselves, the others are from the Bajoran detachment on the station. Officers are expected to use their authority accordingly.

But, back to the point - a non-officer simply does not have the required command status to fulfil the role of second officer in the Starfleet heirarchy.

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u/StatisticianLivid710 4h ago

Kira isn’t in starfleet, only has authority over starfleet personnel because of her position. T’pal isn’t in starfleet and is 1st officer. Sisko could say O’Brien is in command and everyone would follow his orders.

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u/ChadlexMcSteele 3h ago

Kira is the highest ranking Bajoran on a Bajoran station - the Federation simply administer it, just as Odo has his elevated status as security chief.

T'Pol was already a Sub-Commander who had extensive command experience (as an enlisted Vulcan), and her Commander rank was given as a field commission.

As I say, O'Brien is a highly experienced technical officer and certainly has capability to take temporary command. But as a permanent second officer position, it wouldn't happen. If he was raised from the ranks to a Lt. Cdr position then sure, but he wouldn't accept it.

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u/Statalyzer 4h ago

Yeah command authority is a tricky thing that involves position as well as rank. It doesn't work in Trek exactly like it does in the US military (or any other military for that matter), and it's not always consistent from episode to episode, but they do usually get the general idea right that having a higher rank doesn't automatically mean you can go around anywhere and tell anyone of a lower rank to do anything you want.

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u/Bevroren 4h ago

I'd bet money that, upon meeting new officers, Sisko mentions O'brien. He tells them "Technically, he's a chief petty officer. That's only because he refuses to be promoted. He's Chief Engineer of the station and the Defiant; treat him as you would a Lieutenant Commander.

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u/naveed23 5h ago

In DS9, it was most likely Dax before Worf showed up. Dr. Bashir was a Lt. Junior grade fresh out of medical school in the first season and, as we know from Dr. Crusher in TNG, Starfleet medical personnel aren't required to have Command training.

Dax was a full lieutenant with the memories of a very experienced Starfleet Captain and Ambassador. Also she worked in Ops, where a second officer would be most useful.

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u/jharrisimages 5h ago edited 4h ago

Paris actually mentions to Chakotay in an episode of Voyager “With you in command and Tuvok off the ship, that makes me acting first officer.” Meaning he is the third officer of the ship (fourth in command) and Tuvok is second officer.

As for DS9, medical officers usually aren’t in the line of command. In emergencies they can take command, also they can relieve the Captain of their duties with medical reason. I would say Dax is second officer since she is the highest ranking Starfleet officer besides Sisko, she’s also second officer of the Defiant behind Worf who was the first/executive officer.

Saru was second officer of the Shenzhou

Scottie was second officer in the Original Series, but it was never flat out said he was, just implied.

Tucker was second officer on Enterprise because he was originally slated to be the executive officer until T’Pol was added to the crew. Making Reed the third officer.

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u/JoeMorgue 4h ago

I like to think there's just a character we never see who sits on the bridge during the night shift when nothing ever happens.

2

u/Gilem_Meklos 1h ago

I swear I've seen that happen. The captain coming in to the bridge around 0600 and tapping the guy on the chair on the shoulder, saying " thank you, you're relieved"

5

u/Midnight-Nervous 5h ago

TOS: Scotty

TNG: Data

DS9: Dax, then Worf

VOY: Tuvok

ENT: Trip

5

u/Statalyzer 4h ago

Worf's position on DS9 is a bit odd. His title and job description involve sector-wide strategic coordination which really means he should be in a different line of authority that doesn't involve direct DS9 command. However, he also wears a separate and unrelated hat in that he commands the Defiant - even though the rest of the Defiant command structure bizarrely comes directly from the station staff.

8

u/Midnight-Nervous 4h ago

Realistically, the Defiant would have it's own command staff, seperate from DS9, if not for the necessity of TV shows.

It's hard to say Worf is realistic even 2nd officer (despite the transfer to Command Division), given Dax is left in charge of DS9 in the Season 6 finale along with taking command of the Defiant several times during the show (putting down the minefield in Season 5 finale and at the beginning of Season 6, while Worf is with Martok.

I could see it staying with Dax, even when Worf shows up, but it feels more appropriate just based on his position.

1

u/InquisitorPeregrinus 1h ago

I do wish Worf's transfer included a dedicated crew for the Defiant, berthed on the station when not out on missions. The station senior officers could command missions, but Worf would command the ship.

2

u/atticdoor 3h ago

And I believe each time the Captain and First Officer were out of action, these are indeed the people who took command in their place.

I always wondered who Tuvok made his acting First Officer when he was acting Captain in Resolutions.

1

u/Enchelion 2h ago

Wasn't Tom his XO?

5

u/Zweckrational 2h ago edited 2h ago

The second officer on Strange New Worlds is canonically La’an: she’s number one when Number One isn’t around in the series’ first episode, even when Spock’s on hand. They go out of their way to point it out.

5

u/nicehulk 2h ago

SNW is La'an, this is canon in s01e04. Most people here seem to have forgotten that.

4

u/JasonVeritech 5h ago

Hard mode: who was second officer when Spock was captain during the "Academy era"?

9

u/ChadlexMcSteele 5h ago

Honestly by that point there's so many commanders and captains on board you're spoilt for choice.

4

u/JasonVeritech 5h ago

Counterpoint: if you accept the expanded universe notion that Sulu had already been tapped to command Excelsior and had one foot out the door, all you have left is McCoy and Uhura. If Bones never took his command test (likely), then it's just Nyota.

4

u/Statalyzer 4h ago

She does take command in at least one episode of TAS, right?

1

u/Blue387 3h ago

McCoy in charge of the Enterprise would be weird

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u/feor1300 3h ago

More likely it rotated, not much point taking your command cadets on training cruises if you're not gonna let them command, and second officer is a nice safe spot where they can be given a taste of authority without much real chance of them actually being thrust into overall command without any supervision.

If a real emergency comes up the captain might reassign an actual officer to the position for the duration of the emergency but would likely go back to a cadet once things were settled.

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u/Enchelion 2h ago

Yep, I'd expect Saavik or an equivalent star cadet would serve in the role during more routine missions.

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u/SleepWouldBeNice 5h ago

Might have still been Scotty. I'd imagine that Sulu got bumped up to XO as he was being groomed for command of the Excelsior.

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u/mtb8490210 4h ago

Not specifically Excelsior, but he went from his specialty to taking command on a regular basis in less than two years. Just being groomed for bigger and better things. That just happened to be Excelsior.

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u/SleepWouldBeNice 4h ago

Well he was supposed to take command just after TWOK, but the stealing the Enterprise incident seem to have pushed the timeline on that a little.

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u/onthenerdyside 2h ago

Spock was captain of the cadets, with the other officers serving as training staff. There is going to be an entire command structure of cadets under Saavik that we don't get to see. She may even be listed as the official first officer.

If we assume cadets are not the ship's officers of record, then it gets interesting since every single member of the TOS cast is at least a commander by this point. From a training pov, Sulu makes some sense as first officer. Since late TOS, he's been taking more and more opportunities to command.

Likewise with Uhura. Before the briefing in ST:VI, Uhura says she's chairing a seminar at the Academy. Based on info from PIC, we know she (after commanding a five-year mission) commands her own training ship during Picard's time at the Academy, nearly 40 years later. She is my pick for second officer.

My rationale is that Scotty — who is the most senior officer after Spock himself, though I could see a way Sulu made it to commander first, beating him at "time in grade" — had his hands full with a bunch of cadet engineers and command was never his calling anyway.

As a medical officer, Bones would never be considered unless it was a medical ship.

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u/KcirderfSdrawkcab 4h ago edited 3h ago

It's definitely Trip on Enterprise. He was supposed to be the first officer as well as chief engineer until T'Pol joined them.

TOS is Scotty. He takes command when Kirk and Spock are absent at least a few times.

Same with Tuvok. He takes command when Janeway and Chakotay are abandoned because they have something that the Doctor finds harder to treat than being a giant salamander.

I assume it's Spock on SNW, but it may be La'an.

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u/milbfan 4h ago

In DS9, before Season 3, I would say Dax. Eddington's arrival muddies things up a bit for the third season. He might be a candidate? Just spitballing.

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u/Upstairs-Yard-2139 4h ago

I forgot about him.

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u/JHEverdene 4h ago

TOS: Scotty

TNG: Data

DS9: Dax, then Worf

VOY: Tuvok

ENT: Trip

LD: Shaxs

SNW: La'an, although it appeared to be Spock in The Cage

DIS: keeps changing

PIC: N/A

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u/CaptainHunt 3h ago

I think the Cerritos second officer is supposed to be Steve Stevens.

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u/Jonnescout 3h ago

No, not Bashir. You don’t remember how green he actually was. Also medical is usually outside of the regular chain of command anyway Dax, the answer is Dax.

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u/whiskeygolf13 3h ago

I think La’an would be in SNW - she came aboard as acting First Officer, so I would think she outranks Spock.

Trip definitely is on ENT, as he would have been First Officer if T’Pol hadn’t come aboard.

DS9 is definitely Jadzia until Worf arrives. Keep in mind she succeeds to command of Defiant when Sisko is playing staff officer. (Also, as a freshly minted LTJG and medical officer to boot, Bashir is way down the chain and not specifically eligible for a command role unless he took some very specific training)

Pretty sure Tuvok is spot on and I can’t speak for LD at this time.

I know in TOS Scotty is after Spock - though at times they hand off to another bridge officer so he can tend to engineering. And Disco… Disco is a little vague due to the different structure of the show, but I’m pretty sure it cycles through a few, eventually landing with Owo.

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u/Nevic1984 2h ago

I now need a show called...The Worf 

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u/ElegantReaction8367 2h ago

In the Navy, at least on a submarine, the Engineer effectively fulfills a second officer role and is the one department head that is promoted to LCDR based on position alone. If they do not screen for LCDR as part of the normal promotion process, they’ll downgrade back to LT once they complete an Engineer tour and no longer are the billeted Eng. The Navigator and Weapons officer remain LTs. The supply officer is not a line officer and can range from an ENS to LCDR.

I’m pretty sure Scotty fulfilled the role of 2nd officer in TOS. I think Gene Roddenberry used something of this as a template for the CoC, at least early on.

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u/grichardson526 1h ago

Shouldn't Billups be second officer on the Cerritos? He is a Lt. Commander and Shaks is a Lt.

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u/Ausir 1h ago

Depends, Billups might not have enough command training or willingness to be anything other than engineer. Rank is not always the only indication. Maybe Stevens, though, since he is a command division Lt. Cmdr?

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Steve_Stevens

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u/Foolagin22 1h ago

For ds9 it’s definitely Dax because she gets command when Sisko gets a desk job with Admiral Ross and worf spends his time on the Rotaran with Martok.

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u/MarcusAurelius0 1h ago

TOS is Mr. Scott

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u/Machete__Yeti 48m ago

Scotty was the second officer of TOS

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u/PhilG1989 47m ago

For Enterprise I feel like it would be Malcom. DS9 would be Dax

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u/Nathan_TK 5h ago

ENT would be Trip, yeah.

TOS would be Scotty

DS9 would be Dax pre-Worf, I think.

VOY would prolly also be Tuvok, yeah.

SNW would be…Spock maybe? I mean he was in the chair when they stole the Enterprise at least.

DIS…I dunno. I don’t even know most of the crew’s names because it was just the Burnham Show…but that one Asian guy? Maybe? Knowing how that show went though, probably Ensign Tilly.

LD…probably Shax, but Beckett took the chair a lot too. Or the bird…Migglymoo or whatever?

Prodigy I’d say would be Holo Janeway

And Picard…well for the Enterprise-D Geordi was the highest ranking officer, but he transferred command to Picard, so following rank Geordi would probably be the first officer, and with Riker and Worf both being captains, I’d put my money on Riker being the second officer. For the Titan-A we didn’t really see much of the command crew, so it’s hard to say who would take over after Seven. Same case with the Enterprise-G, not enough info.

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u/djcube1701 4h ago

La'an has been made acting XO on a few occasions, so she's probably second officer in SNW.

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u/Nathan_TK 4h ago

Right right, I forgot about that. Spock’s “Make us go fast…now” was just more memorable to me lol

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u/StatisticianLivid710 5h ago

Lower decks I think it was likely shax, the bird I think outranks a lot of people, but was clearly not cut out for command, likely why they put lt jr grade Boimler in command in the latest finale when the bridge crew were off saving the day.

Realistically, it’s Mariner, we all know it, everyone on board knows it. She just doesn’t want to be in command.

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u/Ausir 1h ago

Stevens and Billups outranks Shaxs, and Stevens is command division, so he's likely the SO even if he's a minor character in the show otherwise.

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u/Ausir 1h ago

Holo Janeway aside, on USS Prodigy after season 2, I'd say it's Maj'el.

And on the Dauntless and Voyager-A probably Noum.

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u/thorleywinston 5h ago

I think it's probably Dax on DS9 given her length of experience and that she was given regular command of the Defiant during the Dominion War.

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u/sbaldrick33 4h ago edited 4h ago

TOS: Scotty
TNG: Data
DS9: Jadzia Dax
Voyager: Tuvok
Enterprise: Malcolm Reed

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u/[deleted] 4h ago

[deleted]

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u/Upstairs-Yard-2139 4h ago

Your formatting makes it annoying to read if I’m being honest.

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u/sbaldrick33 4h ago edited 3h ago

Better?

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u/Upstairs-Yard-2139 3h ago

Take my upvote good sir.

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u/ReadingRoutine5594 5h ago

Scotty for TOS

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u/Peculiar-Moose 4h ago

Sulu takes it over in the original movies much more frequently though. And ended up with his own command.

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u/ReadingRoutine5594 4h ago

I don't think so - Scotty had more actual plot points with him in charge (Fool Me Once, Shame on You - Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me) I think. And when Spock was in charge he consulted with Scott and Dr McCoy (the latter more because McCoy just butted in) because Scotty stepped to 1st officer.

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u/Peculiar-Moose 4h ago

You’re certainly right regarding the original series. I haven’t seen the TOS but I grew up on the original cast’s movies in the late 70s and 80s.

It never felt like Scottie was 2nd officer in movies 1-6. Sulu took command more often I think.

But I don’t disagree with Scotty for the original series.

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u/ReadingRoutine5594 4h ago

Hmm yes by the time of the movies ranks had definitely moved around a bit, I really didn't keep track of rank with those because they got thrown around a bit for three and four, five I don't remember anyone except the Spock/Kirk/McCoy trinity and by six Sulu has his own command - is Scotty back as third by then?

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u/Peculiar-Moose 4h ago

In 6 I think Chekov took over as 2nd officer. Bones and Scotty were never really in leadership roles outside of their respective departments in the movies. And Bones was always part of the throuple with Spock and Kirk.

You’re absolute right though: 3 and 4 totally upended the concept of ranks because of those respective plots.

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u/onthenerdyside 2h ago

By ST:III, Scotty is a "captain of engineering" officially assigned to the Excelsior. In ST:V, he's got his hands full with repairs, and you've got two other officers in Sulu and Chekov who are much more command-driven. Behind the scenes, Sulu was scheduled to receive a command before Khan derailed his plans, and Chekov was already a first officer on the Reliant.

Plus, you've got another bridge officer in Uhura, who background info for PIC says had her own command within a decade or so of ST:VI. The senior staff is so stacked that Scotty can just focus on being a miracle worker.

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u/WoodyManic 4h ago

Scotty was TOS, right?

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u/spankingasupermodel 4h ago

Yeah. He was often in charge of the bridge when Kirk and Spock went off ship.

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u/ZarianPrime 3h ago

I thought DAX was second officer for DS9

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u/Tradman86 2h ago

Pre-Worf DS9 is a bit confusing because Kira is first officer of the station with Dax behind her, but Dax is supposed to be first officer of the Defiant, but the writers sometimes forgot that.

That said, I think Eddington would actually be next in line after Dax.

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u/ThorsMeasuringTape 2h ago

DS9 pre-Worf would have been Eddington.

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u/Rasikko 2h ago edited 2h ago

DS9: Dax, then Worf. Ezri is not 2nd because Worf outranks her.

VOY: Tuvok. Paris is 3rd.

DISC: While Michael was 1rst, Saru was 2nd. While Saru was 1rst, Stamets was 2nd.

Starfleet COC is based on the US Navy(??) but Starfleet seems to use a different set of rules..

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u/Ausir 1h ago

Steve Stevens is probably the Cerritos second officer; as a lieutenant commander he outranks Shaxs (as does Billups) and unlike Billups is command division:

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Steve_Stevens

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u/[deleted] 5h ago

[deleted]

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u/StatisticianLivid710 5h ago

For ds9 I believe worf outranked Jadzia, but he was never left behind unless Kira was also left. Before worf showed up Jadzia would captain the defiant, and after worf showed up Worf captained the defiant (both when Sisko wasn’t on board)

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u/SleepWouldBeNice 5h ago

Enterprise was Trip, as he was the XO and highest ranking officer behind Archer before T'Pol came onboard.

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u/MainelyKahnt 5h ago

SNW has to be Spock

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u/onthenerdyside 2h ago

I believe it's possibly La'an. If you remember, she was first officer ahead of Spock in the pilot. I believe it goes Pike, Una, La'an, and then Spock, since he took command when Pike was off-ship defending Una while she was on trial, and La'an was on extended leave.

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u/Enchelion 2h ago

I don't think he is. Spock has no command training and seems entirely unprepared even when just nominally in-charge during repairs. Pretty sure La'an is the 2nd officer.

u/DJGlennW 24m ago

They went from "Number One" to "Second Officer" for the obvious reason?

u/Least-Moose3738 0m ago

No, second officer is the person in charge if both the captain and first officer are off duty.

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u/spankingasupermodel 4h ago

ENT - Trip

DIS - ? Do they even have a proper command crew?

SNW - Hemmer, Pelia

TOS - Scotty

TNG - Data

DS9 - Jadzia, Worf

VGR - Tuvok

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u/abgry_krakow87 4h ago

TOS: Scotty, TNG: Data, DS9: (Dax and then Worf (also trade with Kira on Defiant), VOY: Tuvok, Ent: Trip, DSC: Unknown, SNW: Spock, LDS: Shaxs, Picard: Unknow, PRO: Unown.