First officer

AT: "xx" Aboard a starship the first officer was the second-in-command, just below the captain. On a Federation starship, the first officer had the following functions:

• Serve as the principal adviser to the captain
• Implementing the captain's orders
• Preparing and issuing duty rosters (VOY: "The Gift", "Tsunkatse", "Endgame")
• Commanding the vessel in the event of the captain's absence, incapacitation or death (VOY: "Night", "Before and After"; TNG: "The Battle", "Tapestry")
• Working with the chief medical officer or counselor on crew evaluations (TNG: "Lower Decks")
• Attending important meetings and briefings with the captain (Star Trek Into Darkness)

In Starfleet the position was usually held by an officer with the rank of commander or lieutenant commander. The position was also referred to as executive officer (or XO).

In Starfleet's early period of existence, the first officer would accompany the captain on landing parties, depending on the situation. By the 24th century, however, it was the first officer who usually led away teams while the captain remained on the ship.

In the 22nd and 23rd centuries, the first officer served as a department head first and the executive officer second (similar to the second officer and third officer) and only took command when the captain left the bridge, as such, there was no first officer's station as there would be in the 24th century, as the XO would alternate between the command chair and their station as a department head.

By the 24th century it was not uncommon for the first officer, as adviser, to give orders to the crew even with the captain on the bridge. While the captain had the authority to countermand such orders, the captain usually supported the first officer's decisions.

Some noted first officers in Starfleet history were:

• Sub-Commander/Commander T'Pol of Enterprise NX-01
• Lieutenant Commander (later Commander, and later Captain) Spock of the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-A
• Commander William T. Riker of the USS Enterprise-D and the USS Enterprise-E
• Major (later Colonel) Kira Nerys of Deep Space 9
• Lieutenant Commander Worf of the USS Defiant
• Commander Chakotay of the USS Voyager

The Starfleet of the alternate reality established in 2233 by the temporal incursion of the Romulan Nero had the following noteworthy first officers:

• Lieutenant Commander George Kirk of the USS Kelvin
• James T. Kirk, briefly first officer of USS Enterprise (promoted by Captain Christopher Pike following Spock's transfer to the USS Bradbury, but never serving in that capacity shipboard)
• Commander Spock of the USS Enterprise and Bradbury (the latter in name only, as he never had the chance to serve there)

First officers

Sub-Cmdr./Cmdr. T'Pol

Cmdr./Cpt Spock

Cmdr. William T. Riker

Major/Colonel Kira Nerys

Lt. Cmdr. Worf

Cmdr. Chakotay

Alternate reality first officers

Lieutenant Commander George Kirk

Commander Spock

James T. Kirk

List of first officers

Earth Starfleet

• Sub-Commander/Commander T'Pol
  • Enterprise NX-01 (2151-2161)

Federation

• Commander Brink
  • USS Brattain (2367)

• Lieutenant Maxwell Burke
  • USS Equinox (2370-2376)

• Lieutenant Commander Cavit
  • USS Voyager (2371)

• Commander Chakotay
  • USS Voyager (2371-2378)

• Commander Pavel Chekov
  • USS Reliant (2285)

• Lieutenant Commander Data
  • USS Enterprise-D (2369)

• Commander Willard Decker
  • USS Enterprise (2270s)

• Lieutenant Ducane
  • USS Relativity (29th century)

• Commander Flaherty
  • USS Aries (2365)

• Commander Steve Gerber
  • USS Yamato (2365)

• Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hobson
  • USS Sutherland (2368)

• Commander Steven Mullen
  • USS Essex (2167)

• Lieutenant Tom Nellis
  • Antares (2266)

• Lieutenant "Number One"
  • USS Enterprise (2254)

• Major/Colonel Kira Nerys (Bajoran Militia liaison officer)
  • Deep Space 9 (2369-2375)
  • USS Defiant (2371-2375)

• Lieutenant Commander/Commander William Riker
  • USS Hood (2361-2364)
  • USS Enterprise-D (2364-2371)
  • IKS Pagh (2365, part of the Officer Exchange Program)
  • USS Enterprise-E (2372-2379)

• Lieutenant Saavik
  • USS Enterprise

Saavik is never named as a First Officer, however the Enterprise was being used at that time to train cadets and give junior officers command experience, in particular, Saavik. As she was given command several times during the training, it can be assumed that, as a trainee, Saavik was the First Officer.

• Lieutenant Commander/Commander Shelby
  • USS Enterprise-D (2367)

• Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Sisko
  • USS Okinawa
  • USS Saratoga (2367)

• Snodgrass
  • SS Mariposa (2123)

• Lieutenant Commander/Commander/Captain Spock
  • USS Enterprise (2266-2270)
  • USS Enterprise-A (2286-2293)

• Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander Worf
  • USS Enterprise-D (2370)
  • USS Defiant (2372-2375)
  • USS Sao Paulo (2375)

A deleted scene from Star Trek Nemesis introduced Commander Martin Madden as the new first officer of the USS Enterprise-E

Klingon Empire

• Hon'Tihl
  • IKS Toh'Kaht (2369)

• Kaz
  • IKS Klothos (2269)

• Korax
  • IKS Gr'oth (2267-2269)

• Commander Kurn
  • USS Enterprise-D (2366, part of the Officer Exchange Program)

• Lieutenant Commander Worf
  • IKS Rotarran (2373-2375)
  • IKS Ch'Tang (2375)

Other

• Human - Matthew Ryan
  • ECS Fortunate (2151)

• Ferengi - Kazago
  • Bok's Marauder (2364)

• Tellarite - Gaavrin
  • Tezra (early 22nd century)

• Tygarian - Romah Doek
  • Nanut

Mirror universe

• Commander Jonathan Archer
  • ISS Enterprise (2165)

• Lieutenant Commander T'Pol
  • USS Defiant (2155)

• Commander Spock
  • ISS Enterprise (2267)

Alternate timelines

• Lieutenant Sato
  • Enterprise NX-01 (2165)

• Commander Thelin
  • USS Enterprise (2269)

• Commander Worf
  • USS Enterprise-D (2367-2370)

• Commander Spock
  • USS Enterprise (2258)

• Cadet James T. Kirk
  • USS Enterprise (2258)

• Ayel
  • The Romulan mining vessel Narada

This chart shows only general equivalencies based on the ranks used by many governments on Earth, as well as the rest of the galaxy.

Appendices

Apocrypha

• Commander Jon Cooper
  • Starbase 47 (Star Trek: Vanguard)

• Commander Sonya Gomez
  • USS Da Vinci (Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers)

• Commander Shelby
  • USS Excalibur (Star Trek: New Frontier)

• Lieutenant Commander Demora Sulu (2301 - 2311)
  • USS Enterprise-B (Star Trek: The Lost Era)

• Commander Christine Vale
  • USS Titan (Star Trek: Titan)

• Commander Elias Vaughn (2376 - 2379)
  • Deep Space 9 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Pocket))
  • USS Defiant

• Commander Worf
  • USS Enterprise-E (2380)

External link

• First officer at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works