Poll of the Week: Which Position Carries the Most Risk?

[Randal Shayne]

Which Position Carries The Most Risk?

Let’s face it- space travel is a risky business. Swimming through a void specifically designed to kill any organic life as we understand it is no mean feat, and that’s not even mentioning the various dangers that the political climate can bring to bear. If the vacuum doesn’t boil your character’s blood, the Romulan disruptors pointed at them will. If the hostile natives don’t run a spear through their body, the flesh-consuming bacteria they picked up will finish the job quick enough.
No matter what position and department they fill on a ship or a station, there is always immense risk. But while some of that risk is universal, others are more specialized. A security officer is the first line of defense against enemy incursions. A doctor runs the greatest risk of infection by plagues, due to their exposure to them. Engineers constantly effect repairs in dangerous and less than ideal circumstances. Counselors deal with potentially violent or disturbed patients.
This poll asks you which duty post/department carries the most risk overall. Give us your vote, and explain away in the comments section below!

[+ Edward Spears]

I’m going to go a little toward the unexpected here with a choice of “diplomat”, and let me explain why. 

Choices like “security” and “marines” elicit that knee jerk reaction when thinking of risk. The risk to their personal safety is great in most circumstances. But they are also trained to anticipate and mitigate the risk to themselves and their teams no matter how grave. It’s what they do. 

Diplomats can incur a whole other level of risk. There is still personal risk, which is harder to mitigate through their typical skill set. They are also considered valuable targets for kidnapping as they can be leveraged. But diplomats also incur risk on a galactic scale. A poorly chosen word. A careless gesture. The wrong offering. Wars can start over these, and can cost countless ships and lives in their course. 

[Blaidd Vescori]

I agree that there are multiple kinds of risk we have to take into account. Stabilizing a warp reactor during a combat situation with the ship going all kinds of crazy motion wise and artificial gravity on the fritz? Delving deep into the nightmares of a crewman to help prevent him from going postal? Being expected to gracefully move a Galaxy class through a minefield?

It is easy to see that challenges will wait with every class and position there is out there. And while I agree that the ramifications of diplomacy hold enormous potential, we also have to keep in mind that more often than not every individual Starfleet officer ends up being a piece in the grand play of diplomacy. Every first contact, every visit to another world, every time we work side by side in space or on the ground with members of other culture that travel the stars our deeds have the chance to reflect good or poorly on the Federation as a whole.

Based on all that I think the most risk rests on the shoulders of those who try to arrange for harmony, to bring all these various skilled people together as one crew and combine their best efforts to change the world. So my vote will be on Command. CO and XO are the people we want to be able to look up to, to offer us guidance and to make sure that our crew is more than the sum of its parts.

[Jona ch'Ranni]

I'd have to say Security. As was stated - First Line of Defense. They will be in the forefront of any engagement, except for unexpected situations. Even then they will be some of the first responders. With the various wars and skirmishes the Federation has faced, it is our Security forces who are tasked with stepping in the line of fire. On the opposite end, the safest position would probably be helmsman. That's what my character's duty is. Helm is pretty cushy. You got the padded seat, the nice view. Any danger you get in, you're rarely alone so there's just as much risk as there is to everyone else. 

Except for the exploding helm console...There is an inordinate amount of exploding helm consoles in episodes. Perhaps that's why we don't always see the helm officer as a very senior officer. Come to think of it I don't remember seeing a helmsman over the rank of Lieutenant. Maybe I should switch professions.

Edited January 31, 2019 by Jona ch'Ranni

[+ German Galven]

I couldn't bring myself to vote because there's no science option. We are such fragile creatures!

[Sal Taybrim]

I say security, but that's only because the command staff is lumped into one.  I think the FO is the riskiest job since the CO usually stays back and masterminds things but your FO's always on the front lines!

[Hannibal Parker]

Everyone has made some good points, but I have to say the Marines are fraught with the most risk. Here is why:

1. Marines are fewer in number, and not all are stationed on starships or embassies. As a percentage, they would suffer the greatest number of casualties.

2. Marines come when all else has failed, which mean they come into a combat situation instantly. That requires a different set of skills and tactics that would be found with Security. Marines are taught to advance towards an enemy, hold territory, and break ships and beings.

3. Marines are not always warriors. They can fulfill many roles, such as Engineering, construction, winning hearts and minds. These roles can also place them at great risk.

4. In war, you need a force who can take the fight to the enemy, deliver as much punishment as possible, and achieve the objectives set out by Starfleet and the Federation, and the Marines are best suited for such operations, both long and short term conflicts. When you need to hold a planet, an embassy, or a starship, it's the Marines who get the call.

[Wallace Williams]

On 2/3/2019 at 3:28 AM, Hannibal Parker said:

Everyone has made some good points, but I have to say the Marines are fraught with the most risk. Here is why:

1. Marines are fewer in number, and not all are stationed on starships or embassies. As a percentage, they would suffer the greatest number of casualties.

2. Marines come when all else has failed, which mean they come into a combat situation instantly. That requires a different set of skills and tactics that would be found with Security. Marines are taught to advance towards an enemy, hold territory, and break ships and beings.

3. Marines are not always warriors. They can fulfill many roles, such as Engineering, construction, winning hearts and minds. These roles can also place them at great risk.

4. In war, you need a force who can take the fight to the enemy, deliver as much punishment as possible, and achieve the objectives set out by Starfleet and the Federation, and the Marines are best suited for such operations, both long and short term conflicts. When you need to hold a planet, an embassy, or a starship, it's the Marines who get the call.

I agree with you Hannibal, but the others do indeed have valid points aswell.