A function aboard a starship, a second officer assumed command of the ship when both the captain and first officer were unavailable. It was common for a second officer on a Starfleet vessel to hold the rank of lieutenant commander. The second officer was a department head aboard the ship first, and a second officer second. He or she was rarely involved in the day to day command of the starship or starbase the way the captain or first officer was.
It was standard procedure for the second officer to accompany the away team. (TNG: "Time's Arrow")
List of second officers
- Commander Pavel Chekov
- Lieutenant Commander Data
- Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax
- Lieutenant Klag
- Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott
- Commander Charles Tucker III
- Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander Tuvok
- Timothy's father
- Rata
Note: Spock seemed to be the second officer of the USS Enterprise in "The Cage", since he seemed to assume command following the abduction of Number One, but this was not established in dialog.
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