Hey during a recent game had a 2nd officer insist on always carrying 2 phasers and a knife on him while onboard our ship. Playing as the captain I felt that this was against starfleet protocol. I am a long time fan of the show and it always seemed it was only the security officers that carried weapons and only in times of crisis. I was looking for some regulation to back this up but other than speculation have found none. Maybe i am just being idealistic or too controling but it seems a very unwise thing to allow any character to just always be armed onboard a starship that can have mind altering events happen to its crew or it may encourage less than diplomatic interactions when disagreements arrise? Any thoughts or source material is appreciated as usual
You are the captain and you say what goes on your ship. Thatâs the only rule that matters.
And if the first officer still does it, they should be reprimanded.
Mission to Farpoint: The first time Q âvisitedâ the Enterprise the Helmsman tried to draw a Phaser Typ 1 and stun Q.
Me two would not allow that and if he insisted in carrying a conseald knive, I would recommend the âPersonal Item talentâ.
Worf on DS9 is a good example. He has the Personal Effects Talent and a Mekâleth, and he seems to always have the Mekâleth ready. However, that does not automatically mean that he can run around with the Mekâleth equipped all day. He has it in dangerous situations (when other crew members would have phasers).
Ultimately, it is up to the captain to determine what goes and what not. Similarly, Picard allowed Ro Laren to wear her Bajoran earring even though it is technically against regulations. I guess it depends on the cultural significance of the item and how much it means to the person. But even then itâs hard to imagine a culture where it is significant or important to always carry two guns and a hidden knife.
If the first officer has an appropriate Value (e.g. âAlways Be Preparedâ), I would allow that they use the Value to say they have a hidden knife in their boot, or even a type-1 phaser, or a type-2 phaser under their seat or something, because that would fit the character. And you can discuss disciplinary issues later.
I thought there was a Starfleet regulation on the types of personal allowed to carry weapons while on duty aboard a Station/Ship. I do know that according to the old technical manuals the phaser used by the helmsman in Farpoint was claimed to have been stored in a compartment near the console, even though he clearly draws it.
And that weapon caches under security seals are located throughout starships so that they can be used as needed, those caches seem to more or less be as frequent as damage control and first aide lockers when you see them used in TNG.
I would assume that with weaponry being relatively âon handâ aka use a Determination and the trait âAlways Preparedâ to quickly open a locker and grab a Type-1 Phaser is fair game. But just carrying around weaponry is probably against starfleet regulation, especially as (unlike the current series would have you believe) Starfleet principally reaches for Diplomacy first not a gun.
Iâd probably talk to your GM and the other players and explain why you think that character is acting out of starfleet tradition. The game rules has room to make it part of the storyline, perhaps they get demerits for their aggressive behavior and should see a the Ships counselor. Or if your the captain make it a Standing Order.
You could always point to a character like Tasha Yar. She didnât âalwaysâ carry a Phaser when on the Enterprise, certainly when not on duty. And her backstory would be the sort to make someone want to always keep a weapon on hand.
If you go by what seems to be modern naval protocol (and I know thereâs at least one person on here that knows more than me!), officers (and crew members) aboard ship would not be armed as a matter of routine.
The only routine exceptions would be security personnel, who probably carry p-1s at all times and would have access to the weapons lockers (generally p-2s). Tasha would fall into this category.
In an emergency or battle situations, senior officers (at least the CO, XO, Watch/Deck/Day Officer, Tactical and/or Security head) would be able to order the lockers opened and anyone with appropriate training to be armed.
Otherwise, you would definitely need some kind of cultural background to override this, and even then many cultures would allow modifications of their strictures.
TNG Tech Manual has this to say:
PERSONNEL TRAINING AND OPERATIONS
All Starfleet and attached personnel receive initial basic instruction on the operation and use of a low-power variant of the Type I phaser (limited to Setting 3). All Starfleet officers receive advanced training and are issued full-power Type I phasers as personal defensive arms. During Alert conditions aboard ship and during Away Missions, the Security Division will oversee the distribution of Type II units.
Training for the use of Type III phaser rifles is available on starbases only. Continued proficiency training in defensive techniques is maintained at four-month intervals for shipboard personnel, and at one-month intervals for Away Team candidates. Each Security Division officerâs continuing phaser training progresses at varied rates, depending on individual specialties.
Iâd say that this overall means:
- Starfleet personnel in general are trained in self-defence, but donât typically carry a sidearm.
- Starfleet Officers carry a Type-1 phaser as a defensive sidearm while on duty.
- Security personnel will issue Type-2 phasers during emergencies, alert situations, away missions, etc.
- Nobody carries Type-3 phasers, they are issued only to those trained and certified in their use during emergencies at the express command of the Commanding Officer and the Chief Security Officer.
Why is the player so obsessed in carrying weapons? If there is need for some weapons, just let him create an advantage with 2 momentum and he can have access to a stash with phasers⌠Itâs not that youâre playing D&D where nothing exists except when itâs written down on someoneâs character sheet.
I think if heâs obsessed with this many weapons there is a bigger concern then just the weapons themselves, he takes the wrong viewpoint into a trek game. A dagger and phaser, could be explained (especially if the char was say⌠a Sikh or something) but two phasers is just excessive. As a Captain this would likely strike as behavior overly agressive for a starfleet officer (even Worf who was from a warrior culture didnât pack that much firepower) . The first thing Iâd do about this is talk to your GM, tell him that you are of the opinion this conduct is unbecoming of a starfleet officer. suggest that your captain would wish to take steps to curb this. Let him give you some guidance, (honestly it strikes me as an OOC issue more then anything else, the guy proably doesnât âgetâ trek) assuming the GM approves, you could gently rebuke him for carrying excessive weaponry, if he continues issue a formal repremand. after that, relive him of duty until the time that the ships councelor declares him fit for duty. (this would proably be about when your GM would need to pull him aside and talk to him on an OOC level if he hasnât already)
Great idea thank you
Ever been to Texas? 
If the character were a Sikh the dagger he carries would not be for drawing blood, ever.
The Knife should be explored. Is it a âtoolâ? Carrying around a cutting tool because you have an engineering background, or had a bad training accident where you needed one and didnât have it could be explainable. Wearing an open blade in a sheath could be a cultural thing, and would be as allowed as a Bajoran wearing an ear ring. Klingon Exchange officers are going to have their knife. Andorians might have a knife discretely on their person and want to take Hrisals on away missions. As the Captain, In character, I would do a legal search to see what the GM ruling is from the Admiralty and then act accordingly. If the character has a Federation Citizenâs right to it⌠let it go. If they donât, have a sit down and explain your policy. If its an IC problem then turn it over to Counseling and let the player miss out on other fun scenes while they get psychotherapied. YMMV
lol !
I wonder what a 25th century straight jacket looks like?
A stasis field?
The important thing is not that itâs function improves, but instead that the colors reverse and patterns change every few years for no discernible purpose.
I guess Iâm late to the party but here are my thoughts on this. Generally I would allow the first officer to carry one type II phaser. Yes, itâs unusual but there are lots of good reasons for it. Generally itâs a bad idea that only the tactical officer has a phaser in a boarding situation. Maybe the XO knows it, maybe he had problems with that in the past, maybe he comes from the tactical/security branch and still feels responsible for the safety of the ship. Now thatâs one phaser. Your guy carries two of them and a knife. Thatâs where the rules come in. If he thinks he can just take two type II phasers from the armory and be a futuristic gunslinger thatâs a big no-no. If he has the personal effects talent and chooses to have a hidden knife and type I phaser (not entirely RAW since itâs standard issue and doesnât have a cost) in addition to the type II phaser, thatâs his choice and something no one will know about until he pulls it out at the right moment.
I donât think it would be unreasonable that there are weapons lockers in key areas and they are accessed when the ship goes to Red Alert. This is where the XO would get that phaser to repel boarders, since itâs not something that makes sense for a Starfleet officer to carry at all times while aboard ship.
There were way too many instances of TNG where boarders beamed right aboard the bridge and didnât leave anyone enough time to go to a weapons locker.
Thereâs nothing that can counter bad writing and railroading. If your GM wants to catch you without a weapon, itâs going to happen. The TNG writers & directors obviously were OK with this.