Yeoman

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Yeoman Janice Rand

An unnamed yeoman aboard the USS Enterprise-A

"When I get my hands on the Headquarters genius that assigned me a female yeoman..."
"What's the matter Jim, don't you trust yourself?"
"I've already got a female to worry about. Her name's the Enterprise.""

– James T. Kirk and Leonard McCoy discussing Yeoman Janice Rand, 2266 ("The Corbomite Maneuver")

Yeoman was a Starfleet title used during the 23rd century. They functioned as personal assistants, performing various tasks, such as carrying a Starfleet tricorder and retrieving information for a starship's captain, announcing one's arrival with a boatswain's whistle, bringing them meals, scheduling appointments, and running errands.

Throughout the 2260s and 2270s, yeomen were typically – but not exclusively – young women; there were also male yeomen during the 2250s and the 2290s. (TOS: "The Cage"; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Some yeomen, such as Janice Rand, were enlisted personnel during their time in this position. There were different rates of yeoman, all the way down to "third class." Seventeen-year-old Tina Lawton carried this rate in 2266. (TOS: "Charlie X")

The final draft script of "Charlie X" abbreviated this, calling Lawton a "Yeoman 3rd" in the scripted stage directions.

Yeomen could also have held the rank of a junior officer, as seen with a yeoman assigned to the USS Enterprise-A, who wore an officer's uniform with the rank of lieutenant junior grade. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

According to Zac Nguyen, serving as a yeoman on the USS Enterprise had made him an expert at identifying shuttle trails in the sky. (SNW: "Among the Lotus Eaters")

Una Chin-Riley was called "where fun goes to die" by the Enterprise yeomen, which Erica Ortegas dismissed, saying if they knew any better, they wouldn't be yeomen. (SNW: "Spock Amok")

Dr. Joseph M'Benga noted that captain Christopher Pike could have called or sent a yeoman to retrieve Deltan parsley from him. (SNW: "Under the Cloak of War")

Pike apologized for interrupting a busy Marie Batel, saying he would "book an appointment through your yeoman" when he next wanted to speak to her. (SNW: "Hegemony")

In 2266, Captain James T. Kirk, annoyed at Janice Rand's attentiveness and compliance with Dr. Leonard McCoy's diet restrictions for him, grumbled, "When I find the headquarters genius that assigned me a female yeoman...". (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver")

In 2267 of the mirror universe, Marlena Moreau told James T. Kirk that she would have a yeoman help her move her things to Commander Kenner's quarters if he was rejecting her. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")

Yeoman, as a billet, seems to have been phased out by the mid-24th century

In 2381, during a simulation in which they were to save Spock from the Genesis Planet, Beckett Mariner assigned Jack Ransom the role of yeoman and told him to bring coffee. (LD: "I, Excretus")

Quick Answers

What tasks did a yeoman on Star Trek typically perform?

Yeomen in Star Trek, especially in the 23rd century, acted as personal assistants on ships like the USS Enterprise. They carried tricorders, retrieved information for the captain, announced arrivals with a boatswain's whistle, and served meals. Initially, yeomen were mostly young women, but male yeomen appeared in later series.

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How did the role of yeoman evolve in Star Trek's timeline?

In Star Trek, the role of yeoman evolved from mainly female assistants in the 23rd century to include male yeomen by the 2250s and 2290s. Yeomen served as personal assistants on starships, performing tasks like carrying tricorders, retrieving information, and serving meals to captains. Initially, the original series featured female yeomen, but later adaptations included male yeomen, reflecting broader representation within Starfleet.

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Who were some notable yeomen in Star Trek TOS?

In Star Trek: The Original Series, yeomen were mainly female, serving roles like Captain Kirk's adjutant. Notable examples include a female lieutenant junior grade who served Kirk in 2287, providing his log recorder and officer jacket. She was injured during a Klingon attack in 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'. Male yeomen appeared later in the animated series and films.

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What is the significance of the boatswain's whistle for a yeoman?

The boatswain's whistle is important for a yeoman on Star Trek as it is used in formal greetings for high-ranking officials or VIPs arriving on a starship. The whistle, blown by the boatswain, is part of the protocol maintained from old sailing ships to Starfleet vessels in the 23rd to 25th centuries.

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How did the role of yeoman differ between male and female characters?

In Star Trek: The Original Series, female yeomen, like Yeoman Janice Rand, served as executive secretaries, valets, and military aides. Male yeomen appeared later in Star Trek: The Animated Series and films. Both male and female yeomen worked closely with the captain, often having offices near the captain's quarters.

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List of yeomen

• Atkins
• Barrows, Tonia
• Burke
• Colt, J.M.
• Landon, Martha
• Lawton, Tina (third class)
• Mears
• Nguyen, Zac
• Rand, Janice
• Ross, Teresa
• Samno (petty officer, first class)
• Smith
• Tamura
• Tankris
• Thompson, Leslie
• Zahra

Unnamed

• Unnamed USS Enterprise command yeoman
• Unnamed USS Enterprise operations yeoman
• Unnamed USS Enterprise-A yeoman

Appendices

Background information

Gene Roddenberry always imagined an attractive young woman as his Star Trek captain's personal assistant, writing the first yeoman on Trek as Chris Pike's young Yeoman Colt in "The Cage". However, Pike states in the episode that he cannot get used to seeing women on the bridge, Number One being the exception. This indicates that his previous yeoman was male, a fact which has since been confirmed in SNW: "Among the Lotus Eaters", where he's identified as Zac Nguyen.

The following information regarding the yeoman was taken from the The Star Trek Guide (third revision):

Played by a succession of young actresses, always lovely. One such character has been well established in the first year, "Yeoman Janice Rand", played by Grace Lee Whitney. Whether Yeoman Rand or a new character provided by the writer, this female Yeoman serves Kirk as his combination Executive Secretary-Valet-Military aide. As such, she is always capable, and a highly professional career girl. As with all female Crewman aboard, during duty hours she is treated co-equal with males of the same rank, and the same level of efficient performance is expected. The Yeoman often carries a small over-the-shoulder case, a Tricorder, about the size of a small handbag, which is also an electronic recorder-camera-sensor combination, immediately available to the Captain should he be away from his Command Console.

In the words of actress Grace Lee Whitney, she viewed her role as a yeoman thusly: "Her duties were that of a right-hand woman, a girl Friday. In other words, she took care of Kirk's personal needs, like a valet would do. I had a pet name I used to call myself: a 'space geisha.'" (Starlog #105, April 1986, p. 48)

During the run of the original series, only female yeomen were featured. Male yeomen later appeared on screen in both Star Trek: The Animated Series and the Star Trek films.

In foreign translations of Star Trek, the yeomen of TOS were usually not referred to as yeoman, as their title was changed to "corporal", "sergeant", or another naval rank.

Apocrypha

The Pocket TOS novel The Captain's Oath noted that Kirk's yeoman had an office close to the captain's quarters.

External links

• Yeoman at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Yeoman at Wikipedia