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R A N K S O F F E D E R A T I O N S T A R F L E E T
by Kasey K.S. Chang (Ksc1)
Last Update : 4/25/92
INTRODUCTION
This article attempts to clarify the confusing situation of ranks
in Star Fleet. Many ranks were never mentioned, while others leaving
us with no details. Furthermore, there is a question of whether
enlisted personnel exist in StarFleet or not. It is hoped that this
article will satisfy some curiosities while helping others write more
authentic stories.
There should be no doubt that enlisted personnel must exist on a
starship. Indeed, a quick calculation showed that enlisted personnel
should comprise over 90% of the crew. A heavy cruiser usually have
one captain, one commander, five lieutenant commanders, eight
lieutenants, ten lieutenant j.g.s, and fifteen ensigns. Since the
normal complement of a heavy cruiser is about 450, that leaves over
90% unaccounted for, which must then be enlisted personnel.
Yes, I've read in THE MAKING OF STAR TREK that comment about "no
enlisted personnel in StarFleet". The only thing I can say is, the
book is NOT the bible of Star Trek, and it has its own share of
mistakes. I also have screened evidence to back me up.
It can be assumed that other major political entities (with
possible exception of the Ferengis and the Orions) with a semi-
military deep space fleet have similar rank structures.
COMMENTS (GOOD OR BAD)
Comments are welcomed about this article. Contents are hereby
copyrighted (c) 1992 by Kasey K.S. Chang, all rights reserved except
as follows: based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry. "Star
Trek" and "Starship Enterprise" are trademarks of Paramount Pictures
Corporation. The information in this article are drawn from the
following sources: TNG Officer's Manual (FASA), TNG Technical Journal
(Starlog), SFB Captain's Log #7 (TFG), and TOS Technical Manual
(Ballantine). Mr.Scott's Guide to the ENTERPRISE (Pocket) have the
rank pins and emblems for the movies.
This article may be distributed freely within the Star Trek
fandom with the following conditions: 1) This notice and author's name
must accompany all copies of the article. 2) The article must not be
modified in any form. If you think I made a mistake, write to me, and
I'll look into it and maybe issue an update. 3) No charge other than
resonable distribution compensation be charged for its distribution.
4) If you quote from this article PLEASE quote the source also. (I
was quite p***ed when someone quoted my HISTORY OF ENTERPRISE without
even mentioning the article title nor my name on INTERNET.)
Comments should be sent to:
Kasey K.S. Chang PC-Link : Ksc1
2220 Turk Blvd. Apt.6 America On-Line : Ksc1
San Francisco, CA 94118 Promenade : Ksc1
FIDOnet Mail as "Kasey Chang" at Clawmarks BBS (1:161/314).
CONVENTIONS USED
There are three groups of ranks: Flag Officers, Commissioned
Officers, and Enlisted Personnel. Under each group are listed the
ranks in that group.
For each rank, a few paragraphs will describe the rank, the
positions and functions available with that rank, and so on. An
example if available is listed, plus the insignias used in TOS and
TNG. The movie insignias are too complicated to reproduce with ASCII
characters, so please refer to "Mr.Scott's Guide to the ENTERPRISE"
for them. The ranks during the movies are the same during TOS.
It should be understood that the rank stripes in TOS are worn on
the edge of the right sleeve. Half stripe is a broken stripe instead
of a solid stripe. For TNG, half pip means a hollow pip instead of a
solid pip, and the insignia is worn on the right collar. All stripes
and pips are gold.
FLAG OFFICERS
In Star Trek (and TNG), there are only "Admirals", with no
distinguishing ranks, so these information are at best conjectural.
Flag Officers will almost never command a single ship except in
special circumstances (Kirk being one of them). There are three
grades of admirals: Flag Admiral, Vice Admiral, and Rear Admiral. It
is acceptable to call all admirals by the title of "Admiral", as the
difference in the rank is not that great. It is the positions they
hold that differentiate them.
In TOS, all branch departments are held by Flag Admirals who
usually came up from command. By TNG's time, the rank can be held by
people not of the command branch. Mr.Scott and Dr.McCoy each became
branch admirals of their own department: engineering and medical.
Major departments include: Fleet Operations, Base Operations,
Logistics, Personnel, Security, Science, Engineering, Medical,
Research, Colonization, Justice, Exploration, and Academy. The
departments are sometimes also known as "corps" or "command". For
example: StarFleet Engineering Corps, StarFleet Exploration Command.
Flag Admiral
Flag Admirals are the ones making the strategic decisions for
StarFleet. There are actually two types of Flag Admirals. The ones
commanding numbered fleets (i.e. Seventh Fleet [Romulan Border]) are
known as Fleet Admirals. Those who command a major deparment
(logistics, personnel, etc.) are known as Branch Admirals.
Example: Admiral Cartwright (ST6:TUC)
TOS Insignia: N/A, probably four stars
TNG Insignia: Three pips with gold border, on both sides of the
collar
Vice Admiral
Vice admirals are often involved in a variety of roles, ranging
from diplomatic and scientific to traditional planning and
organization tasks. Diplomatic liaison and/or negoatiations with new
member planets would often require services of an admiral.
They also head the "junior" departments that does not require a
Branch Admiral to operate.
When commanding ships, vice admirals command special task groups
under the major fleets about two dozen ships or more. They also act
as the heads of commands within the StarFleet command structure.
Example: Vice Admiral Rittenhouse (TOSN:"Dreadnaught!"), Vice
Admiral Lori Ciana (TOSN:The Lost Years, ST:TMP Novelization)
TOS Insignia: N/A, probably three stars
TNG Insignia: N/A, probably two pips with gold border on both
sides of the collar
Rear Admiral
Commander of an operation fleet of approximately dozen ships,
they perform tasks of the admiralty that involves more of a "local"
nature, limited to a more specific astrographical location.
In TNG, the rank of Rear Admiral are bestowed to the most senior
officers in their respective fields, even for the non-command branches
such as science and medicine, who before never made flag rank. They
are sometimes known as "branch admirals".
Example: Admiral James T. Kirk (TOSN:The Lost Years)
TOS Insignia: N/A, probably two stars
TNG Insignia: N/A, probably one pip with gold border, on both
sides of the collar
Commodore
Commodores only exist within TOS. They do not exist in TNG,
which reflects the recent navy decision to abolish the rank of
"Commodore". In TOS, they are flag officers but not of the admiral
rank. They usually command a squadron of ships (about 3 to 6),
sometimes known as a Tactical Operations Group (TOG).
Example: Commodore Matthew Decker (TOS:"The Doomsday Machine")
TOS Insignia: N/A, probably one star
TNG Insignia: N/A, no such rank, could be five pips.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
The "regular" officers are the ones actually running the
starships and starbases around Federation space. They include:
captain, commander, lieutenant commander, lieutenant, lieutenant
junior grade (j.g.), and ensign. Due to the nature of the stories
told in TOS and TNG, almost all the action will involve exclusively
officers. The Commissioned Officers comprise less than ten percent
(10%) of the crew on a starship.
Fleet Captain
This rank was only referred to twice in TOS, and was never
defined, therefore the information presented here is purely
conjectural. The rank does not exist in TNG.
A Fleet Captain is the senior captain of a fleet under command of
a Rear Admiral. The Rear Admiral will usually delegate the authority
to the Fleet Captain, who will actually run the fleet. Later, the
rank evolved to a more administrative position.
Garth of Izar is of that rank due to his importance in the Battle
of Axanar. He was the only one to have defeated Klingon fleet in
battle at that time. The Commodore who reinforced him with additional
fleet decided to delegate the overall command to Garth, promoting him
to Fleet Captain. The only other fleet captain known is Fleet
Captain Christopher Pike.
Example: Fleet Captain Garth of Izar (TOS:"Whom Gods Destroy"),
Fleet Captain Christopher Pike (TOS: The Menagerie)
TOS Insignia: N/A, probably three stripes
TNG Insignia: N/A, no such rank, could be four and a half pips
Captain
This is a confusing rank since it is also a position. Most
people are rank of "captain" holding position of "captain" of a ship.
They command cruiser-class or heavier starships. They can also be
senior StarFleet ambassadorial attache.
By the 2280's, officers not belonging to the command branch can
also be promoted to this rank. Montgomery Scott is Captain of
Engineering in ST5 and ST6, and has the rank pins to show it.
Example: Captain James T. Kirk, Captain Jean-Luc Picard
TOS Insignia: Two and a half stripes
TNG Insignia: Four pips
Commander
The executive officer of a major ship (which has a "Captain" as
captain) is probably a commander. Some smaller ships (frigates, maybe
destroyers) are commanded by commanders. They are known as "brevet
captains", and are usually addressed as "skipper" (instead of captain)
while onboard. Since these cruises are usually to train up the
commanders for promotion, it is possible for a full captain (albeit a
young one, recently promoted) to command a small ship.
The Chief Medical Officer of a heavy cruiser holds the rank of
full commander.
Also, during a crisis, with the captain incapacitated, the
executive officer can take over a cruiser as "brevet captain". If the
captain cannot be returned to duty, the promotion will be made
permanent after the crisis is resolve.
Example: Commander Spock (TOS), Commander William T. Riker
TOS Insignia: Two stripes
TNG Insignia: Three pips
Lieutenant Commander
An officer with rank of Lieutenant Commander could be commander
of a frigate or a police corvette, or executive officer of a ship with
a commander as the skipper. A third possibility is s/he was given the
post of executive officer and will be promoted to full commander if
s/he can handle it.
On starships, the LtCmdr's are the department heads (engineering,
medical, navigation, etc.). Senior department head onboard is also
second officer, third in chain of command after captain and exec.
In TNG, Counselors hold the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
Example: LtCmdr Montgomery Scott (TOS), LtCmdr Data
TOS Insignia: One and a half stripe
TNG Insignia: Two and a half pips
Lieutenant
Full lieutenants are those junior officers with the most skill
and seniority. They are also the deputy department heads or deputy
department heads on cruiser or larger vessels.
Captains pick the best ensigns to be jay-gee's, and the best jay-
gee's to be full lieutenants.
Lieutenants may be in charge of a very very small ship, like a
freighter, in special situations. Lieutenants are also commanders of
fighter-shuttle squadrons at times of war.
Example: Lieutenant Worf, Lieutenant Tasha Yar.
TOS Insignia: One stripe
TNG Insignia: Two pips
Lieutenant j.g.
Also known as "jay-gee's", these are the junior lieutenants,
usually on their second or third cruise. They might in in charge of a
very small ship under very special situations. Otherwise they are the
ones who get their hands dirty in ship departments. They also could
be deputy department heads in the minor departments.
Example: Lt.jg Geordi LaForge (TNG 1st Season)
TOS Insignia: N/A, probably half stripe
TNG Insignia: One and a half pips
Ensign
The lowest officer rank; "working" officers on their first
cruise. Because an officer is an officer, ensigns are sometimes
assigned to command small units or to perform certain tasks that
cannot be delegated to petty officers. They can hold bridge duty, but
only the most senior do so during primary shift.
Most away teams are composed of the First Officer (Cmdr), a
LtCmdr or a Lt, and several jay-gees and ensigns.
Example: Ensign Ro Larrin, Ensign Wesley Crusher
TOS Insignia: No stripe
TNG Insignia: One pip
Cadet/Midshipman
Cadets are neither officers nor enlisted personnel, but are
officers in training, therefore they are included under commissioned
officers, even though they have not yet received their commissions.
As ungraduated students of StarFleet Academy, they might be on a ship
for a training cruise, as seen in ST2:TWOK.
Naval cadets are known as midshipmen from old wet navy sailing
ship days, when the cadets live in the middle of the ship, as opposed
to the crew who lived forward and the officers who lived in the rear.
They wear special uniforms that designate their status. In TNG,
Wesley Crusher wore a regular duty uniform but with the color scheme
reversed from that of the command uniform.
In TNG:First Duty, rank pins are shown on Cadet uniforms, which
are black squares. Wesley had two while the team leader had four.
Those appear to be semester pins, reflecting the current naval academy
policies, which would indicate StarFleet Academy to be a two-year
institution. It can be assumed that TOS would be similar.
Example: Cadet Peter Preston, Cadet Wesley Crusher
Insignia: N/A, special uniforms, semester pins (black squares)
ENLISTED PERSONNEL
The following information is partially based on FASA's TNG
Officer's Manual, but much simplified, since FASA's claim of three
grades of specialists, three grades of Petty Officers, plus three more
grades of Warrant Officers is rather absurd.
Under some circumstances, the senior commissioned officer onboard
(usually the captain) can give a field commission to enlisted
personnel, thus making them full ensigns, for "above and beyond the
call of duty". On the other hand, they can also give out acting
commissions, thus creating "acting ensigns".
Please keep in mind the following ranks are conjectural: petty
officers, senior specialists, junior specialists, and recruits.
One enlisted personnel has been shown in TNG, Crewman Tarsus in
TNG:"Drumhead". He wore no pips on the collar.
Petty Officer
Specialists who showed excellent leadership capabilities are
promoted to the rank of Petty Officer. While called an officer, they
are non-commissioned officers, and are junior to ensigns. Petty
officers typically commands a group of enlisted personnel, often
independent of direct supervision by junior officers.
In actual operations, these are technical specialists who have
shown command capabilities.
There are no "chief petty officers" since the title is often
confused with the transporter chiefs.
Conjectural TOS Insignia: Three pips
Conjectural TNG Insignia: Three stars worn on right sleeve
Senior Specialist
Junior Specialists who have greater experience and capabilities
are promoted to Senior Specialist.
Conjectural TOS Insignia: Two pips
Conjectural TNG Insignia: Two stars worn on right sleeve
Junior Specialist
Recruits who have demonstrated competence in specialized skills
in addition to training they have received may be promoted to Junior
Specialist.
Conjectural TOS Insignia: One pip
Conjectural TNG Insignia: One star worn on right sleeve
Recruit
Recruits may enter StarFleet at the age of seventeen (17). They
will undergo extensive training and orientation, plus specialized
training depending on their preference and aptitude.
Being the lowest rank, they simply wear the regular uniforms with
no insignia or rank pins. In TNG they usually wear jumpsuits of their
respective branch colors, so probably something similar exists for TOS
as well.
Conjectural TOS Insignia: None
Conjectural TNG Insignia: None
CHAIN OF COMMAND : TOS
Captain
First Officer
Department Heads (senior rank takes precedence, no order)
Science
Engineering
Helm
Nav
Security
Medical
Deputy Department Heads
CHAIN OF COMMAND: TNG
Captain
First Officer
Second Officer
Department Heads (senior rank takes precedence, no order)
Ops
Conn
Engineering
Security
Medical
Civilian *
Deputy Department Heads
* Counselor is the head of the "Civilian" department.
SPECIAL SITUATIONS
Plenty of people have been wondering that how did Counselor Troi
take command in TNG:"Disaster" if she was not in chain of command.
Technically, she IS in the chain of command. Counselor is the
head of the civilian administration onboard the ship, which qualifies
as a department. She is also a senior bridge officer. It's true that
she probably did not attend the Academy, and received no command
training. On the other hand, her rank of Lieutenant Commander is NOT
honorary, despite numerous claims.
Due to her lack of command expertise, Troi usually defer the task
of command to other trained officers of senior or equal rank when
possible. No such officers are available on the bridge in
TNG:"Disaster". Troi could have refused command, in which case Ensign
Ro will take over, but Troi accepted command.
Which brings up an interesting question: if Dr.Crusher is on the
bridge, could she take command if necesary? The answer is YES.
AND NOW ABOUT O'BRIAN...
Transporter chief O'Brian's rank have most people puzzled (okay,
those of us who cared). Is he a lieutenant or a chief petty officer?
The answer is: no one knows, not even the TNG staff and Paramount. So
far, the evidence available are contradictory.
On the "chief petty officer/NCO" side:
* In TNG:"Family", Sergei Rozshenko, after taking a look at
O'Brian, said "I too, was a petty officer." Which would
seem to indicate that O'Brian is a NCO/CPO.
* O'Brian is always referred to as "chief", which *in the
present* corresponds to "chief petty officer"
* Writer's Bible showed that O'Brian never went to the Academy
On the "lieutenant" side:
* Numerous shots showed he wore two pips, which should
indicate rank of full lieutenant
* He is senior enough to temporarily replace Worf at tactical
in TNG:"Redemption II", and there is no evidence that any
NCO have ever served on the bridge.
* In TOS, "Chief Kyle" is identified as a lieutenant
* Picard had called an ensign transporter operator "chief" in
TNG:"We'll Always Have Paris".
So unless Paramount make up their mind, we will be still arguing
about this for a while. At this moment, I will take the "lieutenant"
side until I receive conclusive evidence otherwise.
That is all about the ranks of Federation StarFleet. Please send
any comments via the ways listed at the front of this article. In the
meanwhile, keep trekkin'!
--Kasey K.S. Chang, treknologist
