I don't see the need (at all) for a dedicated astronavigator or communications person.
We're not travelling by map and compass anymore. Even our home computers can calculate n body orbital maneuvers.
We also don't need a person to flip switches on a radio.
A pair of bridge officers to cover 24 hrs should be able to handle the infrequent navigation changes and queue of messages tagged for them by the computer. They won't have instant communication with anyone while "out on patrol" so to speak
Look at modern military vehicles and the blue force tracker. Grow that technology ~50 years.
Sensors and weapons do have a need for humans to sort through any immediate issues the computer may bring to them.
I struggle to think of why radiator and reactor techs can't be one and the same. Heck, why don't robots handle dangerous work?
Even missile launcher techs sound odd... In the heat of combat they are not likely to EVA or suit up to leave the crew compartment to work on anything. Simply too dangerous. They're definitely not hand loading any munitions either.
That's a vast oversimplification.
Home computers don't calculate N-body orbital maneuvers, they just simulate them. Vastly different.
2 people running a CIC is laughable, short of AI.
And without A.I. a computer can't decide what is important to show the officers in the CIC.
So Sensors need a full time officer who just focuses on that, Comms and Astro needs the same,
even more so during battle.
So I submit, 1 of each of these plus a Commander (3-4 people) is not a lot for a CIC of a spaceship.
This is logical and reasonable.
My reasoning is below. It's clear we don't agree
bdcarrillo, but no current tech, or anything on the horizon
would allow what you are proposing, and COADE is supposed to be based on real tech. Thanks.
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-The Comms officer does not flip switches on a radio. They would have to communicate and coordinate
all communication with Command, the other ships in the fleet, other ships distant and nearby, space
stations and other settlements, intercept enemy communications and decrypt them, transmit private
messages back home and receive them, recieve transmissions from listening posts and satellites, etc
and all in real time and all at the same exact time.
-The Astronavigation officer would not only plot the current orbital maneuvers, but have plans already
in place for emergencies, if the enemy was to be suddenly detected at various points, if there was a
malfunction or loss of propulsion, complex intercepts like what was seen in Lagrange Graveyard, etc.
and all in real time. That is more than enough work for 1 person esp during battle.
-The Sensor Officer would need to carefully analyze data from hundreds or even thousands of sources
including that from other ships, space stations, satellites, listening posts, etc. and distinguish sensor
ghosts from the real thing, and hunches and guesses would come into play. Things would never be as
clear as they are in our simulations. This is more than enough work for 1 person esp during battle.
And most importantly, in real life, if mistakes are made in the CIC, everyone dies. So it doesn't make
any sense to cut things down past this number. Computers can help, that's how we get from 24 people in the CIC
today to 3 or 4 in COADE, but they can only assist, they can't think. You need at least 1 person in each spot.
