General

General is a military rank, the equivalent of which is used by the service organizations of many civilizations. As a traditional grade, general is the most senior officer rank in the ground forces of a military organization. In comparison to naval ranking systems, this rank is equivalent to the admiral grade. The rank of marshal is usually considered senior to that of general.

Earth

Earth General insignia
File:US o-10 rank pin.png
U.S. military
File:EKOSGENERAL.PNG
Nazi Germany
File:SSGeneralCollarPatch.JPG
SS

On Earth, generals have commanded armies of soldiers since before the 18th century. The militaries of Europe were mostly commanded by generals and marshals, which such figures often dressing in elaborate uniforms adorned with various medals and awards. (TNG: "Hide and Q")

On the planet Gothos, the entity Trelane displayed himself as a 19th century general and called himself "General Trelane, retired." (TOS: "The Squire of Gothos")

During the 20th century, the militaries of Earth were involved in several major wars, with generals commanding the many armies called upon to fight in these conflicts. By this time, various "grades" of the rank of general had come into being. In the United States armed forces, the general insignia was comprised of various silver stars with a four star general considered a "full" general.

A five star General of the Army rank also existed but has never been seen on camera. The U.S. military also maintains a supreme rank known as General of the Armies of the United States, often considered the equivalent to a six star general.

The nation of Germany also used the rank of general, in particular during World War II when Germany fought as a major combatant in the conflict. The lowest general rank (Generalmajor) was denoted by a gold shoulder board. (ENT: "Storm Front")

German military insignia would make an apperance three hundred years later on the planet Ekos, when historian John Gill recreated a government based on Nazi Germany. This government had a military with generals using the same insignia as their 20th century counterparts as well as SS generals who displayed rank in the form of collar patches. (TOS: "Patterns of Force")

Some of the more famous Earth generals include

• General of the Army Douglas MacArthur (US Army)
• General Casey (MACO)
• General Ulysses S. Grant (Union Army)
• General Antonio López de Santa Anna (Mexican Army)
• General Norman Schwarzkopf (US Army)
• General Sun Tzu
• Lieutenant General George Washington (US Continential Army
• Lieutenant General Rex Denning (US Army Air Corps)
• Lieutenant General William Tecumseh Sherman (Union Army)
• Major General Georges E. Picard (UESPA)

Other cultures

The Cardassian Union's rank of legate and the Breen Confederacy's rank of thot are both considered general rank equivalents. The grade also exists in the Romulan Star Empire, Andorian Imperial Guard, Bajoran Militia and the Klingon Defense Force.

Many rank systems have several grades of the general officer rank, which include: general, lieutenant general, major general and brigadier general (also known simply as brigadier).

Generals

Martok, a Klingon general.

Velal, a Romulan general.

File:GeneralKrim.jpg

Krim, a Bajoran general.

Klingon

• General Chang
• General Chu'vok
• General K'Trelan
• General K'Vagh
• General Korok
• General Korrd
• General Martok
• General ShiVang
• General Stex
• General Tanas
• Brigadier Kerla

Romulan

• General Movar
• General Velal

Other

• General Gosis
• General Krim (Bajoran militia)
• General Nassuc (Palamarian Freedom Brigade)
• General Thy'lek Shran (Andorian Imperial Guard, alternate timeline)
• General Ardelon Tandro (Klaestron military)
• General Valen (Annari)

This chart shows only general equivalencies based on the ranks used by many governments on Earth, as well as the rest of the galaxy.