We are just starting to create new characters and learn the system. A question has come up about crew assignments and the bonus for having them. Using the online character generator it is the last page and seems to give another talent\bonus if you use the 2 page Next Gen sheet but not listed at all on the core sheet. The Players Handbook has them defined but is this an optional rule or not? Also it seems to break the 4 talents maximum at character creation. We are using Core\Division books and the Players Guide. Any help is appreciated as we play several other 2D20 games but this one is much more different than Dune or Conan.
You are referring to the positions on the ship like Commanding Officer, or Chief Medical Officer? They’re also in the Core Rules, look at the last step of character creation where you define name, rank, etc.
They are optional in the sense that if the character doesn’t have a position that fits, the character doesn’t get a bonus (this was discussed e.g. for junior officers prior to Lower Decks and Cadets prior to the Players Guide). Yet, normally, they are part of a typical character and you are, normally, intended to have such a position and its bonus.
While position effects, mechanically, work a lot like Talents, they are, strictly speaking, not and thus don’t break any limits for Talents.
Thank you for the reply. We are converting legacy characters from the Decipher system and trying to recreate them. I have 2 non Star Fleet characters, a soldier and a diplomat. From what I am seeing the assignment/position gives a reason for the soldier to be on a ship as his position is “bodyguard” to the Chief Medical officer who is also a captain of a medical frigate. Gaining the bodyguard bonus for that. Likewise, the diplomat has a intelligence background as part of his. If I understand this would be normal then for those characters?
Sorry for all the questions but I had another as well. If the XO is now the captain of another ship in the fleet he would have the captain position but if he returned under a captain to his original ship he could be assigned the XO position if open/bonus? Basically the position is tied to the ship or base that they are assigned?
If you see a position that fits, assign it and get the bonus. Only one position/bonus per character, simple as that. If a character holds additional positions (e.g. the chief engineer is also the first officer), only one counts for the bonus, the other(s) are for your story, only.
There are no specific rules on changing/reassigning position, so feel free to come up with your own. 
The 2-page sheet includes longer descriptions of mechanical items, which is why the “role,” which has a mechanical ability, is included there.
I’m very interested in how converting from Decipher is going. Are you using the Lifepath system from STA? Or are you just using the number of attributes/disciplines total a character should have at the end of creation, and distributing them?
One role per scene is the 1E rule. So for example the chief medical officer can use the CMO role on the ship, but when they beam down (and the advantage they get from their ship’s medical staff no longer applies) they can take the ‘field medic’ role.