Communications Officer: Difference between revisions

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When [[The Captain]] needs to contact [[Mission Control]] to talk to the [[Voice with an Internet Connection]], he has a number of options. He could call him up on his [[Comm Links|Comm Link]], or maybe even [[What Are Records?|find a pay phone]]. But maybe this is a job for someone more specialized, or maybe [[The Captain]] needs someone to delegate this to while he deals with other things. He needs the Communications Officer.

 

Overlaps with [[Mission Control]]. Will often be working as one of the [[Bridge Bunnies]]. A key member of the [[Command Roster]].

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== Anime And Manga ==

* In ''[[Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh]]'', the giant robot in question is so complex to operate that it needs ''two'' communications officers.

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'': Fuery

 

== Film -- Animated ==

* Mrs. Packard on ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]'', although she spends most of the time chatting up her friend over the phone (which, unless she's also in the submarine, [[Fridge Logic|would be quite a feat using 1914 technology]]).

 

== Film -- Live Action ==

* ''[[Down Periscope]]'' has Nitro, a skilled but very [[Cloudcuckoolander|eccentric]] electrician who manages to coerce the [[What a Piece of Junk!|aging ship's]] radio equipment to work via various short-circuits (including several passing through [[Amusing Injuries|his own body]]).

* ''[[Fantastic Voyage (film)|Fantastic Voyage]]'' has Charles Grant, a rare example of where the Communications Officer is also [[The Hero]].

 

== Literature ==

 

== Live Action TV ==

* ''[[Babylon 5]]'': On the station itself, this job would typically fall to Lieutenant Corwin (in the first season, it alternated between him and an un-named [[Bridge Bunny]].) If Sheridan or Sinclair was in Command and Control, this job would instead go to [[The Lancer|Commander Ivanova.]] When traveling out and about aboard one ship or another, this job would fall to whichever character was serving as [[The Lancer]] for that mission (Lennier or Marcus, usually).

* ''[[Star Trek]]''

** ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' brings us one of the most famous examples, Lieutenant Uhura. In the [[Star Trek Expanded Universe]] and the [[Star Trek (film)|2009 film]] she is also a [[Cunning Linguist|xenolinguistics expert]].

** ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'': Harry Kim got a battlefield promotion to chief communications officer, despite only being ([[Status Quo Is God|perpetually]]) an ensign.

** ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'': Hoshi Sato handled communications. Her linguistics expertise also came into play because the [[Universal Translator]] was still a work-in-progress.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* One of the crew specialties in [[GURPS]] [[Traveller]] ''Starships''.

* One of the standard Mandatory Bonus Duties in ''[[Paranoia]]''. In practice, it mostly plays into the [[Witch Hunt|Commie Hunt]] dynamic.

 

== Toys ==

* GI Joe communications officer "Breaker" was one of the first 3 3/4" GI Joe figures produced, and came with a helmet-mounted radio.

* In every incarnation of [[Transformers]], some version of Soundwave is the Decepticons' Communications Officer. And in many continuities, Blaster serves the same role for the Autobots. There are also some occasional secondary characters who also fill the role, such as Hubcap in ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'' and Kup in ''[[Transformers: Wings of Honor]]''.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* In the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' series, this role is typically filled by [[Ace Pilot|Joker]], [[Bridge Bunnies|Yeoman Chambers, or Specialist Traynor.]]

* In ''[[Wing Commander (video game)|Wing Commander]] III'', "[[Everybody Calls Him Barkeep|Radio]]" Rollins is both this in the literal sense, being the TCS ''Victory'''s communication's officer, as well as in the informal sense, considering himself as the one person on the ship who will tell you exactly what's ''really'' going on. You have the option upon first meeting him to lay down the law and get him to stop hurting ship's morale with his rumors.

 

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[Exo Squad]]'' features team member Alec DeLeon, with his specialized Communications E-Frame.

* In ''[[Sealab 2020]]'' and its [[Gag Dub]] ''[[Sealab 2021]]'', the com officer for the title installation was Lieutenant Sparks (apparently his real last name).