Space Quest Omnipedia
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Background[]

The main difference between a janitor and a Sanitation Engineer, is that while Sanitation Engineers can be hired as janitors, not all janitors are Sanitation Engineers. Sanitation Engineers are specialist field that requires education from accredited trade school, university or college.

Typically it appears that Janitors come in at least three known classes, 3rd class, 2nd class, and 1st class (with the 1st class being the highest rank a janitor can hold). Sanitation Engineers also have a similar class system.

Roger Wilco was hired as the Head Janitor (2nd Class) on board the Arcada (depending on the universe he was either an apprentice janitor, or the Chief Sanitation Engineer (2nd Class) as well). He later after being stripped of his rank and commission at start of SQ6, he was actually demoted to 3rd-class crew on board the SCS DeepShip 86.[1] Though he was given the rank of Janitor 2nd Class.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] This indicates that janitors in general are considered 3rd-class crew.

Rogerjan2ndclass

Janitor 2nd Class is generally the lowest position on a starship, even though Janitor 1st Class is lower, but because they are not typically assigned to ships, 2nd Class bears the honor.[citation needed] The standard uniform from the time of Space Quest 6 is shown to the right; rank pips are not worn because the rank does not merit any.

The rank entails no security clearance, yet demands perhaps some of the worst responsibilities available in StarCon.

The model shown is Roger Wilco, the most noted individual of the rank.

Classes and grades[]

References[]

  1. Ah, there's nothing like the feel of a solid 3rd-class crew deck under your feet!
  2. File Cabinet (SQ6): Corpsman Stellar Santiago was a member of the StarCon Fleet before her departure from this world while attempting to rescue a janitor second class who was stationed aboard SCS DeepShip 86.
  3. Commander (SQ6): "You are hereby ordered to resume your duties immediately as Janitor Second Class on board...the SCS DeepShip 86.
  4. SQ6: "Hear ye, hear ye! We at StarCon have made a dreadful mistake. Janitor Second Class Roger Wilco is now Commander."
  5. SQ6: "I believe her friend, Janitor Second Class Roger Wilco has a few words he'd like to say. Mr. Wilco?"
  6. Roger (SQ6): "That's Janitor Second Class, Pal, and don't you forget it!"
  7. SQ6: Excuse me, Janitor SECOND CLASS. As I was saying, Sharpei feared dying -- enough to take the lives of others to save her own. She knew I loved her. I remember the day I met her.
  8. SQ6: Janitor Second Class Roger Wilco reporting as ordered, Ma'am.
  9. 1990 10th Annviersary Catalogue
  10. SQ1VGA Hintbook, pg 39
  11. SQ4CD manual: A Brief Welcome From Roger Wilco
  12. TSQC, pgs: At the time of SQ1 (on the Arcada): "Although just a janitor on the research starship Arcada at the time, I was the head janitor and sanitation engineer second class. Despite my entry-level station, I was on the Confederation Service fast track to the top. By the time I retired, I would, with luck, be a master maintenance engineer, perhaps even decorated with the fabled Reversed Half-Moon Crescent, and my name inscribed on the solid brick outhouse walls of the Sanitation Engineering Hall of Fame. Little did I know what lay ahead, and how my once ordinary human ambitions would be washed away by a flood of interstellar events, like dirty socks in a high-detergent bath.", "Actually, I had been napping in the head janitor's closet (and depository of old mops); but it was my closet, and I felt I could call it anything I wanted. Permanent latrine duty on a starship is not the galaxy's most exciting job, but the Service does classify the position as management training, and the career possibilities (assuming you have the right connections) are infinite. To be sure, I didn't have the right connections then, but get them I would. In the meantime, I scrubbed and swabbed whatever spots I couldn't ignore any longer, and hoped that the others would disappear due to my benign neglect. 1 filled the rest of my time napping frequently, dreaming, and learning about life.", "The scene on Beta deck was even worse than the one on Alpha. Dead-murderedbodies lay heaped and scattered all around the corridor. The stench matched the sight, and as I moved off to my left, I tried to avoid looking at the blank eyes of my former shipmates. True, for most of them the head janitor was someone beneath notice, but I did make some of their more private moments a little more pleasant. There was a bond between us that went deeper than semi-regular renewals of bathroom tissue du jour."
  13. Narrator (SQ2)
  14. TSQC2E, pgs Roger during the events of SQ2: "The beeping of my WristoCommunoHoroChronoFonic watch began screeching up the audible scale, rapidly approaching a point midway between compulsion and pain. As usual, it was enough to break into my current daydream and yank me back to current reality. In this case, current reality was construction zone Groucho Harpo Zeppo 3 on the outside superstructure of XOS Orbital Station 4, floating many dozens of kilometers above the surface of Xenon. XOS 4 was a stop-over point for passengers traveling between Xenon and destinations on the other side of hyperspace. Roger Wilco, sanitation engineer and head janitor, was back on the job.", "But, the monetary rewards I had dreamed of never materialized. Oh, along with the Gold Mop came a check for a few thousand buckazoids, but the amount was nowhere near enough for me to retire and buy my own spaceship. With my duty station, the Arcada, a thin vapor of imaginary particles, I took a year's leave of absence from the service before re-upping and being named head janitor on xos 4.", "Level Four did make a weak acknowledgment to the principles of sound sanitation: a one-facility-fits-all, species nonspecific, gender neutral, organic lifeform, intimate waste product self-disposal and dumping station had its home there. I had spent many a day in space-going potties, cleaning and polishing to perfection, and reading the wisdoms scribbled on the walls and in the grout between tiles. Indeed, lavatories were my licensed specialty, and I still wear the badge of head janitor with pride. I took the opportunity to make a quick pit stop. Even there, the ship seemed deserted, a state of affairs that I was perfectly satisfied with. I left the can much relieved.", "I opened the lid to the sleep chamber and climbed inside. As the top came down to seal me in and slow my body down, I checked out the collection of sleep stims. I decided to pass on the Lone Star Ranger. Instead, I picked an EduStim on how to pilot a spaceship. The universe had turned out to be a dirty place. I figured I was the right man to clean it up. Roger Wilco, head janitor and sanitation engineer slowly fell asleep. Roger Wilco, Space Ranger prepared to awaken."
  15. TSQC2E, pg, As of the time of SQ3: "It mattered little, just then, that I considered myself a Space Ranger. The closet smelled like, looked like, and felt like home. Spontaneous tears wet my eyes and rolled to my lips. They tasted mildly of two all-plankton patties and special sauce. As I tasted my tears, I recalled all the warm, happy moments I had had as a space janitor, especially as a head janitor. The stolen naps. The graffiti. The random stains that needed extra elbow grease and attention. The days spent studying Sanitation Engineering at Xenon University, good ol' SEX U. My brain and body took that hit of nostalgia and drew new strength from it."
  16. TSQC2E, pgs Roger Wilco during SQ5: "One of the most rigidly enforced of these is that there is to be no sleep or napping at any time by future officers in training. It is a regulation which I broke with regularity and with impunity, the legacy of my career as a head janitor in the Sanitation Engineering Service of Xenon. Old, familiar, warm habits seldom die; a year of caffeine implants may promote efficiency and productivity, but do little to replace dreaming. I could always find my little snoozing spots and times. Never caught, my perfect record was no doubt on account of my natural ability to appear completely awake while dozing, and vice-versa.", "Today, Eureka's main mission-and mine-is to perform routine garbage disposal at Confederation colony worlds and research stations. It is important work, preventing environmental degradation before routine litter becomes a toxic problem. StarCon could have assigned no one more suited for this job than myself; as an experienced sanitation engineer and head janitor, I know a dirty job when I'm given one. "To boldly go where no one has swept before!" could easily become the motto of the Eureka. We are about to give a sniff test to the galaxy, and the sweet smell of a job worth doing will lead us onward."
  17. SQ1SCI box
  18. SQ1VGA Hintbook, pg 4
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