Chief science officer

Multiple realities
(covers information from several alternate timelines)

The chief science officer or often more simply science officer was the senior staff member aboard starship or starbase with the broad responsibility of coordinating the science division of the post. (DS9: "Melora")

Duties

Science officer was a standard position aboard space vessels. Starfleet, Arkonian, Klingon, Romulan, and Vulcan vessels all operated with science officers. (ENT: "Dawn", "Impulse"; TOS: "Day of the Dove"; TNG: "The Next Phase"; DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire") In the Vulcan High Command, the science officer was assisted by a deputy science officer. (ENT: "Impulse") In Starfleet, several junior science officers assisted the science officer. (VOY: "Flashback")

The science officer's primary responsible was analyzing, observing and theorizing explanations for strange or seemingly explainable circumstances in such a way as to provide answers. (TOS: "The Naked Time", "Spectre of the Gun", "The Savage Curtain", "Shore Leave", "Plato's Stepchildren") Then supply the commanding officer with all reports, observations, and speculations that might have affected the safety of their vessel. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "Balance of Terror")

When it came to the matter of explaining procreation to the Vaalians, Captain Kirk passed the responsibility of providing an explanation to Spock, citing that "You're the science officer. Why don't you explain it to the young lady." (TOS: "The Apple")

Additional duties included:

• In a medical emergency, the findings of the science officer were heavily relied upon. (ENT: "Observer Effect")
• Required to keep sufficient data, "all the time". (TOS: "The Immunity Syndrome")
• General survey party required the direction of a science officer. (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")
• According to Jadzia Dax, it was a science officer's job to always have a "better idea." (DS9: "Paradise")

Science officers

In 2268, Harry Mudd observed that Spock "may be a wonderful science officer, but believe me, you couldn't sell fake patents to your mother." (TAS: "I, Mudd")

In 2270, James T. Kirk considered Commander Spock to be the best science officer in Starfleet. (TAS: "The Jihad")

In 2285, Commander Pavel Chekov assumed the position of acting science officer aboard the USS Enterprise following the death of Spock. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

When Admiral Gregory Quinn wished to show Commander William T. Riker the parasitic being he had brought aboard the USS Enterprise-D in 2364, Riker told him that he wished to summon his science officer. Quinn then grabbed Riker by the arm and told him that it wouldn't like his science officer, and proceed to attack the commander. (TNG: "Conspiracy", "Shades of Gray")

When Captain Jean-Luc Picard spoke of the mission he had to complete at the Epsilon Pulsar Cluster to Katherine Pulaski, instead of attending to his own medical needs, Pulasksi was quick to point out that the mission was an "astronomical survey to be conducted by the science officers, I believe." (TNG: "Samaritan Snare")

In 2368, Jean-Luc Picard honorably made Jay Gordon Graas an acting science officer during a ship-wide emergency. (TNG: "Disaster")

When Kieran MacDuff attempted to gain the allegiance of Worf, explaining that they were not like the others on the ship. He noted that the "Enterprise had "science officers, medical specialists, engineers. Our captain is undoubtedly an accomplished diplomat. But we, we are the warriors." (TNG: "Conundrum")

The Romulan officer Parem referred to Geordi La Forge as "the science officer." (TNG: "The Next Phase")

In 2370, acting Captain Beverly Crusher requested that Ensign Taitt stay on because she needed a science officer at the aft science station. (TNG: "Descent, Part II")

List of science officers

• Adislo, Hars – 2375 (Star Trek: Insurrection)
• Burnham, Michael – USS Discovery, 2257 (DIS: "Will You Take My Hand?")
• Chu'lak – Deep Space 9, 2375 (DS9: "Field of Fire")
• Dax, Jadzia
  • Deep Space 9, 2369 – 2374 (DS9: "Emissary", "Tears of the Prophets")
  • USS Lexington, 2371 (illusion) (DS9: "The Search, Part II")
  • IKS Rotarran, 2373 (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire")
• Decker, Will – USS Enterprise, 2270s (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
• Frazier, Riley – USS Roosevelt, 2365 – 2366 (VOY: "Unity")
• Kalandra – USS Tecumseh, 2372 (DS9: "Nor the Battle to the Strong"
• Kustanovich – USS Livingston, 2350s (DS9: "Invasive Procedures")
• Janeway, Kathryn – USS Al-Batani, 2360s (VOY: "Caretaker", "Innocence", "Bride of Chaotica!", "Live Fast and Prosper")
• Mara – Kang's battle cruiser, 2268 (TOS: "Day of the Dove")
• Masada – USS Constellation, 2267 (TOS: "The Doomsday Machine")
• Mirok – Romulan science ship, 2368 (TNG: "The Next Phase")
• Saru – USS Shenzhou, 2240s – 2256 (DIS: "The Vulcan Hello")
• Sonak – USS Enterprise, 2270s (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
• Spock – USS Enterprise, 2250s – 2270; 2270s (TOS: "The Cage"; Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
• Spock (alternate reality) – USS Enterprise, 2258 – USS Enterprise-A, 2260s (Star Trek; Star Trek Beyond)
• Stamets, Paul – USS Discovery, 2256 (DIS: "Context Is for Kings")
• Swenson – USS Enterprise-D, 2364 (TNG: "Skin of Evil")
• Syvar – 2372 (DS9: "Shakaar")
• Taitt – USS Enterprise-D, 2370 (TNG: "Descent, Part II")
• T'Pol – Enterprise NX-01, 2151 – 2161 (ENT: "Broken Bow", "The Andorian Incident", "These Are the Voyages...")
• Tuvok – USS Excelsior, 2293 (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; VOY: "Flashback")
• Valtane, Dimitri – USS Excelsior, 2293 (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; VOY: "Flashback")
• Vanderweg, Greta – Deep Space 9, 2372-2375 (DS9: "Field of Fire")
• Wildman, Samantha – USS Voyager, 2371 (VOY: "Dreadnought")

See also

• Chief scientist
• Scientific advisor