Shifts and Watches

The shift schedule of a Starfleet vessel is set at the commanding officer's discretion, and can vary greatly depending on the physiological needs of the crew. Most human-majority ships use either a three- or four-shift schedule built around a 24-hour day.

An 'ideal' schedule has each crew member working a single shift, with another dedicated to recreation and other light tasks such as continuing education, and a full eight hours devoted to sleep. This is obviously somewhat theoretical, as the ship's needs change depending on the current activities. A biologist may work first shift while in interstellar space and then be faced with double shifts while in orbit over a newly discovered planet. The number of people on each shift varies heavily between departments, as some functions require constant attention while others are easily kept to the day shift. Generally, the leaders of each department are on duty during Alpha shift, but their schedules are adjusted as needed.

In addition, each shift is broken into two four-hour watches, numbered consecutively with first watch at 0800 and continuing to sixth watch at 0400. During a watch, certain crew members are assigned to specific stations or duties that require constant monitoring, as opposed to more general maintenance or laboratory tasks. These are most commonly found on the key bridge and engineering stations. As these require a higher degree of concentration, it is preferred that individuals not spend an entire eight-hour shift doing them. For example, a bridge tactical officer may spend half of Alpha shift on watch, and the other half supervising torpedo bay maintenance.

At all times, there is a Bridge Officer of the Watch. This person "has the conn" and is responsible for command of the vessel until relieved. This position rotates among command-qualified officers. While the CO and XO routinely take watches, the majority of the time this falls to junior officers, allowing them to gain experience. There is a corresponding Engineer of the Watch as well.

For the sake of convenience, the ship's arrival at destinations such as planets, starbases, and other points of interest are often scheduled near the start of the day. This may vary depending on local time or emergencies.