Duties and Responsibilities: Engineers are the "mechanics" of the ship. What the Medical Officer is to the crew, the engineer is to the ship. He is knowledgeable in all aspects of starship engineering, from the warp engines to the food replicators and innermost conduits. He can usually be guaranteed to at least find the cause for a problem or malfunction, although he may need more extensive facilities than those found on his ship to effect repairs. he has his own office on the main engineering deck, and can monitor and control all engineering functions from his position on the bridge.
Engineering Officers may range from computer technicians to maintenance personnel. This staff is generally commensurate with the size and mission of the ship, and includes both enlisted and officer personnel.
The primary responsibilities of the engineer are monitoring, maintaining, and repairing starship/station systems. Since most systems are critical, they must be monitored on a continuous basis. While much of this monitoring is automated, during critical situations officer interaction is required. Keeping systems in prime condition is extremely important. For this reason, the engineer has control over diagnostic and maintenance equipment pertaining to each separate system. Damage to any system can lead to disaster. For this reason, the engineer has many resources with which to repair damage systems. These include personnel, materials, and special equipment.