In Star Trek, engineers are some of the most important members of the crew. Engineers keep the ship or space station running, so the rest of the crew can complete its mission. They are the lifeblood of Starfleet. But not all engineers in Star Trek are created equal.
Depending on the series or film, the chief engineer may have had more research available to help with their mission. Some chief engineers, like the crews they served with, had to fly by the seat of their pants. But, in the end, all the engineers rise to the occasion for the betterment of the crew.
8 Jankom Pog (Prodigy)
Jankom Pog is an argumentative teenager who handles the repairs on the Protostar in the Nickelodeon series, Star Trek: Prodigy. He is a Tellarite who was born before the Tellarites joined the Federation.
Pog is actually very good at fixing issues on the Protostar, but he often has to be tricked into actually doing his work. He always wants to prove the opposite position of the person he is talking to, so crew members often have to make the work seem impossible to get him to even attempt it.
7 Hemmer (Strange New Worlds)
Lt. Hemmer is an Aenar, a blind albino Andorian subspecies, serving aboard the Enterprise during the days of Captain Pike on Strange New Worlds. Hemmer was a qualified engineer who wound up giving his life for his crew in a unique way.
When a Gorn attacks Pike, Hemmer is attacked and essentially impregnated by the reptilian species. Hemmer takes his own life to protect his crew from the Gorn, making him one of the few main characters to die in a Star Trek series.
6 Montgomery Scott (The Original Series)
Scotty is a fan favorite that was featured in The Original Series, as well as seven films. He's also one of the few characters to appear on bothThe Original Series and The Next Generation. Kirk relied on Scotty to keep the Enterprise going on the original "5-year mission." Whenever something went wrong, Scotty was there to fix it.
But Scotty, by his own admission, fudged a lot of his work. He told Geordi La Forge that he often told Kirk a repair would take longer than it did, so he looked like a better engineer than he was when he completed it faster than expected.
5 Geordi La Forge (The Next Generation)
No Star Trek fan can deny that Geordi is an accomplished engineer, despite being blind. He saved the Enterprise crew time and again on The Next Generation. He was a student who had read every book there was to be good at his craft. Plus, his character, like all the others on The Next Generation, was amazingly well-written.
The only flaw in La Forge is that he was so well-read. Yes, it makes him great, but it also makes it harder to judge his greatness against others. Still, his impact on Star Trek is a thing of beauty.
4 Paul Stamets (Discovery)
While Discovery certainly has its flaws, engineer Paul Stamets is one of the better characters on the series. He's a gruff but loyal member of the crew who does more than just lead engineering. He is also an expert in mycology.
Stamets' expertise and discipline comes in handy while working on the experimental spore drive. He becomes a key reason for the crew's success in the mirror universe, and found a unique way to correct the problem even with untested tech.
3 Charles "Trip" Tucker III (Enterprise)
In the Star Trek timeline, Trip is the original engineer on the first mission to explore the outer reaches of space. He was in charge of maintaining and repairing the first "Warp 5" engine in the history of Starfleet and the Enterprise.
While someone like Geordi read every book to become a better engineer, when Trip Tucker was on the Enterprise, he had to learn everything as he went and was one of the most vital reasons the crew under Captain Archer survived their mission. Like Hemmer, Tucker eventually sacrifices himself to save his crew.
2 B'Elanna Torres (Voyager)
The Starfleet Academy dropout was the obvious choice to take over as Chief Engineer on Voyager as the crew and the Maquis had to work together. She had joined the Maquis because Starfleet regulations clashed with her personality, but she was always adept at engineering.
She continued her stellar performance as an engineer on Voyager and helped create a balance between the Starfleet part of the crew and the Maqu crew since she had been a part of both. She was short-tempered, but also intelligent and creative and her modifications helped Voyager return to the Alpha quadrant faster.
1 Miles O'Brien (Deep Space 9)
Ever known someone who seemed like they could fix anything with a stick of gum and some duct tape? That's Miles O'Brien. He wasn't naturally gifted at engineering, but he was the only one with the necessary training to take on the role during the Cardassian War. O'Brien always rose to the occasion to keep his team alive.
Miles O'Brien wasn't the child prodigy; rather, he was the hardworking every-man. He saved a lot of lives on the Enterprise, and then kept Deep Space 9 running his entire time on the station. He's an inspiration who proved hard work gets the job done.