There are a handful of cards, like Engine Techs, have a command symbol before the text. Does that mean I need to have revealed the command dial with that command, spend a command token of the appropriate type, or is it just to give an idea of the card's function?

You have to execute that command, either with a dial or with a token (or with both). When you execute the indicated command you get the command's normal effect and may trigger any other effects that have the same command symbol.

Thanks!

Important distinction: If you spend a dial and token of the same type (with Raymus Antilles, for example) that counts as ONE command. Which is important for cards like Engineering Team that add bonuses for each command.

Further, you do not need to actually use any of the abilities of a command dial or token - you can spend a Navigate token, for example, and not change course or do anyhting unusual, and the command will still trigger upgrades.

Yep, just note that if you spend both a dial and a token of the same command they have to be spent simultaneously.

For some reason I was under the impression that tokens did not trigger things like engine techs, but I guess a command is a command regardless of dial or token, amazing that it has never come up for me in an actual game.

For some reason I was under the impression that tokens did not trigger things like engine techs, but I guess a command is a command regardless of dial or token, amazing that it has never come up for me in an actual game.

Yes. A command is a command. It comes in to versions: dial and token.