A surgical system comprises a patient side cart, a motor, and a telesurgically operated instrument. The telesurgically operated instrument is coupled to the patient side cart and comprises a transmission and a surgical end effector having a plurality of end effector components. The transmission is driven by the motor and comprises a first effector drivetrain comprising a first gear, a first input gear, and a first locker arm, and a camshaft defining a longitudinal axis, the camshaft comprising a first power cam and a first locker cam. The motor is configured to drive the camshaft to a plurality of rotational states, the camshaft being configured to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the camshaft. In a first rotational state of the plurality of rotational states, the first power cam is configured to engage the first input gear with the first gear, and the first locker cam is configured to disengage the first locker arm from the first gear.