Star Trek: 10 Starfleet Jobs You Won't Believe Exist
7. Ship's Historian
This entry comes with thanks to Mark Malebranche, who inspired us with this suggestion to begin with.
In both the Original Series and the Next Generation, ship's historians were a part of the Enterprise's crew. On Kirk's ship, one such historian was Lt. Marla McGivers. She was serving on the ship at the time that Khan Noonian Singh and his compatriots were located and unfrozen from their cryo-sleep. She proceeds to fall in love him, owing to the fact that he is a relic of the time in which she specializes. This does not have a happy ending, as McGivers ends up on the wrong side of a Ceti Eel.
Later, aboard the Enterprise-D, Captain Picard invites Dr. Crusher to join him in the holodeck, to be a part of his new program, Dixon Hill. He is less than pleased when ship's historian Whalen walks out of the turbolift, physically buzzing with excitement as the 20th Century, in which the program is set, is his special area of study. This too does not have much of a happy ending, with Whalen is shot after the holodeck's safety protocols are disabled.
The real question is, why were either of them stationed on the flagship's anyway? While historians are an incredibly important facet of society, making sure the past remains under study, one has to question the wisdom of assigning Starfleet officers to the role, especially when starship space and provisions are at a premium.