bridge crew

"Grand Navarch on the bridge."
Shane's arrival dutifully announced by the officer of the deck, Fleet Captain Haveid rose from their chair to offer a quick salute. "Do you wish to assume command, Sir?"
"She's your ship, Captain," Shane nodded, noting Haveid's smile at the reminder of their first command. "I'm just along for the ride."
"He." A disgruntled voice emerged from the Navigations console, the young Auxiliary Void Necromancer behind the screen wincing at Shane with mouthed apologies for her superior's impending behavior.
Running a hand through his hair, Shane felt his shoulders slump slightly. If only he'd paid closer attention to Javon's crew roster. So many new people to learn. "My mistake, Navigations. I'm more accustomed to the Inevitable."

— Mordena Dawn, Book 2: Spirits of the Relentless

The bridge crew is responsible for a spacecraft's full operations and functionality, in addition to the well-being of the crew. While their are differences in responsibilities between civilian and military vessels, both ship types maintain a clear chain of command from the lowliest roles to the Ship Captain. Not all members of the bridge crew are formally located on the bridge, but they all have their place in succession for control of the ship.

Composition

Structure

The bridge crew is led by a Ship Captain, often simply addressed as Captain regardless of rank, even within military ships. An Executive Officer, the captain's second in command, is also considered part of the bridge crew even if posted elsewhere in the spacecraft. The Officer of the Deck holds responsibility for the ship and its crew if the Captain and XO are not currently on duty, and otherwise assists the bridge crew as needed. The Morale Officer reports directly to the Captain and XO as well, but is not authorized to assume command of the bridge unless the remainder of the posted officers are unavailable or otherwise incapacitated.
On ships built to utilize Hyperjumps for long-distance travel, Navigations falls next in the chain of command. Reporting direction to Navigations is the on-duty Auxiliary Void Necromancer, who is otherwise listed directly above the Morale Officer in the chain of succession. On military ships Weapons comes next, while on civilian craft the role of Weapons is often ranked below Shielding, if present at all.
On spacecraft without Navigations, Maneuvering, usually referred to verbally as Helm, is elevated to the bridge crew, with Shielding ranked directly beneath them.

Ranks & Titles

• Executive Officer
• Maneuvering
• Morale Officer
• Navigations
• Officer of the Deck
• Shielding
• Ship Captain
• Weapons

Further Reading