Captain SOPs
- Upon arriving at the bridge, confirm that all bridge officers can hear each other ("mic check"), and everyone's console is operational
- Activate the navigation display on the viewscreen controls so everyone can see the current speed and heading on the top of the viewscreen, and ask your helm officer if they prefer the default or exterior viewscreen view
- The captain is the only person on the bridge who can see the mission objectives; if they change, only the captain will know; it is imperative for the captain to monitor the mission objectives and communicate them to the rest of the crew
- The captain's console receives more detailed information about scanned anomalies than is available at any other console; share this information with your crew
- The captain is primarily responsible for coordinating the actions of the helm, tactical, and engineering stations. Ensure you are giving the correct commands in the correct order. For example, don't ask helm to fly through an anomaly if you haven't asked tactical to scan it yet, because you won't know if it's hazardous; don't ask engineering to charge warp coils if you haven't asked helm to plot a warp course yet, because the charge may expire by the time the ship heading is aligned.
- Tell the crew the reason for your orders, in addition to the orders themselves, so that they can better implement mission goals; for example, telling helm to set a specific heading "in order to avoid that anomaly" is better than simply telling helm to set a specific heading
- On the Aegis, typically tactical will handle system intrusion and engineering will handle transporters; most experienced bridge officers will assume these assignments unless you order otherwise
- There are multiple ways to achieve virtually all mission goals; learn your ship's abilities and your crew's abilities, and choose a mission strategy that takes advantage of their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. For example, the Aegis can fire weapons while undetected, while the Galaxy class is capable of cloak hunting; if you have a rookie engineer, you may want to avoid choosing a mission strategy that requires frequent complex power rerouting; if you have a skilled helm officer, you may be more comfortable taking the ship into a close-range dogfight.
- When time allows, it's helpful to give a "prepare" order prior to an "execute" order, rather than just giving a single order. For example, "prepare to fire phasers, fire phasers" rather than just "fire phasers." This ensures the crew will be ready to execute your order at the exact time you give your order, and avoids catching a crew member "flat footed." For example, a "prepare" order will allow your crew to ensure they are looking at the right screen on their console to execute the order when the "execute" order is given.
- Stay calm, be encouraging, keep crew morale high
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