Star Trek: 10 Starfleet Jobs You Won't Believe Exist

8. Whatever The Hell Mr. Kosinski's Job Was

Star Trek Kosinski
CBS

On the surface, Mr. Kosinski had a standard job title in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was called a propulsion expert who, by the use of his warp theories, improved the warp output on both the USS Ajax and the USS Fearless, which granted him the permission to come aboard the Enterprise-D and begin work on their warp drive.

Kosinski lands on this list because of his rather unique position in Starfleet. The rank insignia on his collar was only seen once - a white rectangle that contained a smaller black rectangle. This has no other contemporary in the fleet, so propulsion expert would seem like the perfect title. However, it was quickly revealed that Kosinski was not responsible for any of the warp improvements on these ships. It was his assistant, the mysterious Traveller, from Tau Alpha C.

Therefore, what exactly was Kosinski's role in Starfleet and how did he advance so quickly to get such high access? Even after the Traveler's role was revealed, Kosinski was still held in high enough regard that he continued to work within the fleet. Wesley Crusher contacts him during the events of Remember Me, though he is as little help in that case as he was in Where No One Has Gone Before.

Effectively, Kosinski has a job that he is unqualified for, can't be fired from and this seems perfectly fine with Starfleet.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"