The “Star Trek” conn officer’s role parallels the real-world naval duty Officer of the Deck (OOD), which is said to be in command of a ship’s “conn.” The OOD directs the ship’s conn, controlling its speed, course, and movements. The term “conn” derives from the “conning tower,” the tower on a naval vessel that houses its bridge.
Much like its real-world counterpart, in the world of “Star Trek,” “conn” is used both to refer to the duties of a ship’s navigator and to the physical station where the helmsperson controls the flight path. The Doctor references a shortened version of the job title during a conversation with Tom Paris while tending to the wounded pilot during his stay in the brig in the “Star Trek: Voyager” episode, “Thirty Days.” Recounting another officer’s fancy evasive maneuvers during Paris’s absence, the Doctor advises Tom that Captain Janeway is considering Ensign Culhane as Paris’s replacement for chief conn officer. Leaving little doubt about what this role entails, Tom replies, “You’d think he’d never flown a shuttle, much less a starship.”
Also in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode, “11001001,” Captain Jean-Luc Picard refers to the station itself as the “conn” when stepping into the helm seat for a spell. “It’s been some time since I had the Conn,” the Captain muses to Riker.
