Helm vs. Engineering (changing of speed)

Question

The vast majority of the time, the helm officer plots the new course and speed (Warp 7 at heading 141 mark 11).

Sometimes, though, Engineering is asked to change speed/put the ship into warp. Such a case can be seen in "Best of Both Worlds," when the Enterprise-D leaves the Paulson Nebula.

I don't recall a course change ever being done from Engineering, though. It seems like it most definitely should be possible, of course.

Is there an advantage/disadvantage of using the helm (or Engineering) to effect a change in speed? Is there a situation in which one would be preferred over the other? I'm mainly interested in the Enterprise-D, but this is also relevant for Kirk's Enterprise and Voyager.

Answer 1

Out of universe: In the navy ships that the writers would have information about there was no direct control of engine speed from the bridge. The officer in charge on the bridge would order a course and speed, the helmsman would turn a wheel to operate the rudder (as you can read in the linked article, there may be secondary and tertiary controls for the rudder in case the bridge is destroyed). Someone else on the bridge would set an engine speed (e.g. "full ahead") on the "Engine Order Telegraph" which rang a bell in Engineering and indicated the desired engine speed. the engineers would then do whatever magic it took to get the engines to that speed (I don't think they got to say "Captain, she canne take it!").

The way course and speed is set in Starfleet vessels seems similar to this. A course and speed is called for on the bridge, and the helmsman operates controls to achieve that goal. Engineering monitors these actions and may need to take actions to ensure the engines can deliver the requested speed. While it doesn't seem that Engineering would need to do anything to assist with steering, it seems reasonable that Engineering would have backup steering controls in case of problems on the bridge.

In universe. In TNG, the Enterprise's saucer section (which includes the bridge) is detachable. When separated, both sections would need to be able to set their own course and speed.

Answer 2

Engineering in general (for even real ships) has to be notified in some fashion of what the bridge is intending to do as far as power to the engines. Otherwise you call for a speed and the ship cannot respond adequately. This produces a natural tension for plotlines, as the chief engineer and captain must be in communication with each other as to what state the ship's engines and power production. A captain issues orders, an engineer knows what the ship can actually do

In TOS (more pronounced in the movies), Scotty would sometimes play fast and loose with his estimates to get things working, as this TNG scene plays out

Navigation in general is directed from the bridge, but in Star Trek you have (more in the later series than TOS) fly by wire, where the computer can accept navigational inputs from qualified crew members from anywhere on the ship (in theory anyways, as I don't know of any situations where the helm was controlled solely by remote command). With warp drive you would probably want computer control doing the driving anyways, since a small navigational error could put you light years off course.

TNG was the series that created the engineering console on the bridge (Voyager and DS9 would feature something similar) and it was believable in a computer driven environment. Presumably the chief engineer does most of his work on a computer console, and thus can work anywhere (it also helps with the drama element).

To your question about why you'd want to steer from the bridge, generally the bridge is the central hub of the ship's operations. You can see everything about the ship's operations from the bridge. That's important in issuing orders so they can be executed by key members of the crew in a timely fashion. For instance, tactical is also on the bridge. You'd want to coordinate the movement of the ship with any weapons you're firing, as well as to avoid any incoming fire. Communication is also there, allowing you to coordinate movement with allies.