Bureaucrat

A bureaucrat is a member of a government bureaucracy.

In 2152, Subcommander T'Pol used her experience with Klingon bureaucrats to secure Captain Jonathan Archer's release from Rura Penthe "for the right price."

In 2268, Captain James T. Kirk noted his displeasure with his secret diplomatic mission to the Tellun system by commenting, "Some desk-bound Starfleet bureaucrat cut these cloak-and-dagger orders." Later, Kirk informed Elaan that she was to be properly prepared for Troyius, "as ordered by councils, rulers, and bureaucrats."

When Kirk was kidnapped on Gideon in the following year, the efforts of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) crew to recover him were frustrated by the Federation Bureau of Planetary Treaties and Starfleet, who each insisted that the issue fell under the other's jurisdiction. First officer Spock observed, "Diplomats and bureaucrats may function differently, but they achieve exactly the same results."

In 2367, rogue Starfleet Captain Benjamin Maxwell argued that if he informed Starfleet of his suspicion that the Cardassians were preparing for war, he would have to wait six months for bureaucrats to make a decision. When Captain Jean-Luc Picard questioned Maxwell's motives in attacking Cardassian targets, Maxwell remarked, "It smells musty in here. Like a bureaucrat's office."

While visiting Deep Space 9 in 2369, Captain Picard was due to discuss water management with ten Bajoran bureacrats. 

In 2372 Gul Dukat argued that Kira Nerys's talents were wasted on Deep Space 9, commenting "On Deep Space 9, you're nothing but a bureaucrat, an administrator. But if you come with me, you can be a soldier again."

As Tekeny Ghemor lay dying in 2373, he undertook the Shri-tal, passing political secrets to Kira Nerys. Kira found the ritual exhausting, however, as Ghemor appeared to have information on every bureaucrat and politician on Cardassia Prime. 

When three of Kasidy Yates's cargo runs were reassigned in 2375, she observed, "Bureaucrats. Who knows why they do anything?" In fact, Captain Benjamin Sisko had "pulled a few strings" so that Kassidy could play in a baseball game against Captain Solok and his crew. 

Wendell Greer, an alias of Section 31 agent Luther Sloan, was described as a mid-level bureaucrat in the Federation Department of Cartography. 

After Commander Hilliard refused to release information on the changeling morphogenic virus to Doctor Julian Bashir later that year, Miles O'Brien observed that it sounded like a typical bureacrat flexing his muscles, but Bashir dismissed this as a motive.