Spacemonkey
"Spacemonkey get up, siren blaring
Spacemonkey you got a job
Spacemonkey have to suit up and be a hero
Spacemonkey turn that knob.
When we get back to the spaceport bar scene
When we get back under safer skies
I'm gonna drink with you or pour one out
Do the same if I'm the one that dies!"
~Spacemonkey Rag, The Starseeker von Stumbleblaat, Liam Stirsky
General Duty Technicians
The official job title is General Duty Technician, (GDT), in the Fleet and either that or Crewman-at-Large (CAL) on less formal ships. They are usually informally trained enlisted crewmembers who learn on the job, bouncing around different subsystems as needed and generally picking up good background knowledge on all of them while lacking specialization and expertise in any one thing. They're often utilized for emergency response and for extra hands in a pinch, their knowledge of several systems together being an asset for heading off cascade failures. They also take up for crewmen who can't perform their duties, either temporarily or on a permanent basis. That being said, they're often doing the most dangerous jobs, giving them a reputation for being daredevils and reckless.Nobody Calls them That
Everyone, from starship admirals in the fleet to small corvette freelance crews call the Spacemonkeys. The term is a bit of Memetics from a popular long-running children's cartoon. Tibby the Spacemonkey had adventures in space on his rocket and engaged in formulaic problem solving applied to increasingly ridiculous and edge case problems. The intention of the showrunners was to teach kids not to panic in emergencies and think through their options, and to teach them a little about space travel. The perceived similiarities between the GDTs and Tibby's apparent 'job' on the show are unavoidable, and even after the show has faded into the background culture, Tibby has become the Spacemonkeys' mascot everywhere.Working Hard and Playing Hard
Spacemonkeys don't spend all of their time haphazardly taping ship components back together or rerouting capacitor lines through the communications array to prevent an engine blowout in an unexpected darksand cloud. Their position and reputation for fearlessness allows them to engage in off-ship missions where they behave just as creatively and daring as they do on ship. During shore leave, spacemonkeys have a reputation for outdrinking the local town drunk, starting and winning barfights, stealing the flag from the local courthouse, and leaving a small mob of star-eyed paramours behind.
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