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- Information regarding promotions within the fleet is available at the Promotions section of our Member Resources.
Ranks in Starfleet follow a specific order, and are of three types: Flag Officer, Officer, and Enlisted. Enlisted crewmen are not trained in any command fields and fulfill many of the operational duties of a starship. Officers are trained to assume leadership roles within their departments, and those within the command division train to lead an entire starship as part of the command staff. Flag officers often fulfill administrative duties and sometimes command taskforces of ships. Promotions are awarded for quality of service, not for length of time served.
Overview
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Rank
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Grade
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Fleet Admiral
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A flag officer is both a historic naval and military rank and a modern Starfleet title. It generally refers to all officers of Fleet Captain rank or higher. The term traditionally denotes any officer that commands a squadron of vessels, possibly in addition to one under their direct command.
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Admiral
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Vice Admiral
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Rear Admiral
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Commodore
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Fleet Captain
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Captain
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A commissioned officer is an individual who has attended, and graduated from the cadet program of Starfleet Academy or has been commissioned through the Officer Candidate School after having attained their education in their field elsewhere. Those graduating from Starfleet Academy earn a four-year degree (Bachelor's) in their major field of study such as communications, engineering, the sciences, or nursing.
Medical officers attend an additional four years at Starfleet Medical Academy before earning their medical degree (or earn their commission through Officer Candidate School after having obtained their degree elsewhere).
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Commander
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Lieutenant Commander
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Lieutenant
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Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Ensign
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Chief Warrant Officer, 4th Grade
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Warrant Officers are drawn exclusively from the ranks of enlisted personnel. CPO or higher may advance directly to WO (skipping other ranks) provided they attend Officer Candidate School.
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Chief Warrant Officer, 3rd Grade
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Chief Warrant Officer, 2nd Grade
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Warrant Officer
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Command Master Chief Petty Officer
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Enlisted personnel are those who have not completed the four-year Starfleet Academy course or otherwise been given a commission as an officer through Officer Candidate School. In most cases, enlisted crewmen sign up directly to a ship or posting, and receive basic training, as well as any specific courses required for their position.
Its predecessor, the Earth Starfleet, also had a hierarchy of enlisted positions. Other force structures, such as the Klingon Defense Force and the Bajoran Militia, have enlisted men in their ranks, but it is unclear as to how they differ from their standard officer ranks.
As with commissioned officers, there is a rank structure amongst enlisted crew. In naval systems, these are referred to as "rates". In military systems these are called "grades". The term "non-commissioned officer" refers specifically to any enlisted personnel given authority over other personnel. In Starfleet, this could refer to any petty officer (up to master chief).
All commissioned officer ranks, from ensign upward, outrank all enlisted in the chain of command. However, in certain cases, non-commissioned officers can exercise authority over commissioned officers. (Miles O'Brien is one such case, in his position as chief of operations aboard Deep Space 9). Additionally, chief petty officers such as O'Brien wield influence far beyond their place in the rank structure due to their extensive experience and skill and are expected to mentor junior officers as well as other non-commissioned officers.
Enlisted personnel may be promoted to receive a commission, but must pass necessary examinations and/or attend the Academy.
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Master Chief Petty Officer
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Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Chief Petty Officer
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Petty Officer, 1st Class
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Petty Officer, 2nd Class
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Petty Officer, 3rd Class
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Crewman, 1st Class
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Crewman, 2nd Class
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Crewman, 3rd Class
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Starfleet's Marine Corps uses an entirely different rank system than the rest of Starfleet. The Marine Corps has the same number of ranks as Starfleet's Naval system, but draws its ranks from military traditions such as that of the United States Marine Corps.
Forms of Address
Note: The information refers to addressing an officer directly. When referring to an officer in the third person, however, you would always use the full rank name.
Flag Officers
- Commodores are addressed and referred to as 'Commodore.'
- All admirals, regardless of their rank, are directly addressed as 'Admiral,' not 'Vice Admiral', 'Rear Admiral', etc.
- A Fleet Captain is directly address as 'Captain'.
Commissioned Officers
- Captains and full commanders are addressed as 'Captain' and 'Commander', respectively.
- A lieutenant commander is addressed as 'Commander.'
- The commanding officer of a vessel is called 'Captain' in direct address, regardless of grade. Some smaller ships have captains which are not actually of the captain rank; however, while on their vessels they are addressed as 'Captain.'
- Both lieutenant and lieutenant junior grade may be addressed as 'Lieutenant'.
- Officers of the rank of commander and below may also be addressed by the title of 'Mister' (e.g., Mr. Scott, Mr. Spock, etc.).
Cadets
- Cadets are addressed as 'Cadet' or 'Mister'.
Starfleet Marine Protocol
- Marines are addressed by their rank. They are not called 'Mister'.
- All generals, regardless of their rank, are addressed as 'General', not 'Major General', 'Brigadier General', etc.
- In direct address, Lt. Colonels are called 'Colonel' (pronounced "kernel"), and Second Lieutenants are called 'Lieutenant'.
Enlisted Crewmen
- Enlisted crewmen are addressed by their rank. Enlisted crewman can also be called by last names, without 'Mister' attached.
- Senior enlisted personnel are almost always referred to by their rank or 'Mister' (such as Chief O'Brien/Mr. O'Brien).
- All 'Crewmen' and 'Privates' are called such, regardless of their grades.
Content from this article may have
come partially, or entirely from
Memory Alpha |
