Mr. Brown,
We know from the series that the standard crew of an Explorer-class starship is three hundred. In addition, we know from episode 4, that the minimal operating crew needed to properly operate an Explorer-class starship is one hundred. But, does that crew of three hundred include its flight operations personnel and troops it would carry? Or does that crew of three hundred serve as a base naval crew and the flight operations personnel/ground troops are additional on top of that? The presence of one hundred Corinari and one hundred Ghatazhak in addition to the Aurora's crew from episode 7 onward would seem to suggest the latter rather than the former.
Standard crew complement of 300 (100 per shift x 3 shifts) is what is needed to operate the ship, and conduct normal operations of support flight ops. (Shuttles running crew and cargo from the ship to/from off-ship locations.) It does not include additional personnel for full combat flight ops. Those personnel are attached to an airwing and are not considered 'standard crew' of the ship.
In addition, the ship's crew may change in size based on mission. The total operational housing capabilities of an Explorer class ship is around 500, 600 if hot-racking. In addition, cargo spaces can be converted into barracks when carrying large number of troops for deployment off-world. When fully utilized and configured for such a mission, they could carry a crew of 300, a flight ops complement of 200, and an additional 500 troops, for a total of 1,000 souls aboard.
Now, all of those calculations are based on original design, which utilized FTL systems. Using jump systems, they could easily carry 1500 troops alone, but only for a day, as their environmental systems would become overtaxed, and their galleys are not equipped for such numbers.
I assume that that 300 includes more than merely the personnel needed to support flight operations, correct? Such as the ship's medical staff, engineers, and security personnel. Or are those in addition to that 300 as well?
Operating the ship includes not only controlling it and making it go from place to place as designed, but also the ongoing maintenance that keeps the ship able to operate. Engineers repair things. Security keeps everything and everyone safe. Medical staff keep the crew healthy so that they can keep the ship operational. So, yes, medical staff, engineers, and security personnel ARE included in that 300, as without them, the ship would not be able to operate for long.
The same is true of basic flight ops, as the movement of personnel and supplies to and from the ship are necessary for normal operations.
A combat wing is not required for normal operations, only for military operations, and therefore is NOT part of the standard crew. Neither is a platoon, or two, or three, of troops meant for surface ops.
Are the ratios between the groups even or are there more of one group than another? (i.e. are there more engineers to maintain the ship's systems than there are security personnel to secure and protect the ship or does the ship carry as many engineers as security personnel)
