Memory Alpha
Register
Memory Alpha
Line 4: Line 4:
 
'''Starfleet ranks''' were the identifying titles for the officers and enlisted members of [[Starfleet]], under both [[United Earth]] and the [[United Federation of Planets]]. These ranks used the titles and positions adopted from earlier [[Earth]] naval forces.
 
'''Starfleet ranks''' were the identifying titles for the officers and enlisted members of [[Starfleet]], under both [[United Earth]] and the [[United Federation of Planets]]. These ranks used the titles and positions adopted from earlier [[Earth]] naval forces.
   
==Creation and early usage==
+
==Creation and early usage==is. Here
 
Starfleet ranks were first created sometime in the mid [[22nd century]] due to the expansion of the United Earth Starfleet. These early Starfleet ranks had at least three enlisted positions, four officer ranks, and three ranks for use by flag officers.
 
Starfleet ranks were first created sometime in the mid [[22nd century]] due to the expansion of the United Earth Starfleet. These early Starfleet ranks had at least three enlisted positions, four officer ranks, and three ranks for use by flag officers.
   

Revision as of 20:19, 25 May 2013

Captain rank pin

The rank insignia of a Starfleet captain in the late 23rd century

For the mirror universe counterpart, please see Starfleet ranks (mirror).

Starfleet ranks were the identifying titles for the officers and enlisted members of Starfleet, under both United Earth and the United Federation of Planets. These ranks used the titles and positions adopted from earlier Earth naval forces.

==Creation and early usage==is. Here Starfleet ranks were first created sometime in the mid 22nd century due to the expansion of the United Earth Starfleet. These early Starfleet ranks had at least three enlisted positions, four officer ranks, and three ranks for use by flag officers.

Starfleet uniforms of this period were mainly worn as single fitting jumpsuits with a colored shoulder trim denoting what field a particular officer or crewman specialized in (command, security/engineering, or science/medical).

The original Starfleet rank pattern was as follows:

Starfleet 3rd crewman insignia
Crewman 3rd class
Starfleet 2nd crewman insignia
Crewman 2nd class
Starfleet 1st crewman insignia
Crewman 1st class
Starfleet ensign insignia
Ensign pip
Starfleet lieutenant insignia
Lieutenant pips
Starfleet commander insignia
Commander pips
Starfleet captain insignia
Captain pips
Starfleet commodore insignia
Commodore pip
Starfleet rear admiral insignia
Rear admiral pips
Starfleet vice admiral insignia
Vice admiral pips
Dialog from Star Trek: Enterprise indicated that the "four star" rank of admiral also existed in the United Earth Starfleet, but no one holding this rank was ever seen on camera.

23rd century

Early-23rd century

In the 2230s, the Starfleet uniform was using a sleeve stripe system to denote rank instead of pips. The rank of lieutenant commander had also been added. (Star Trek)

No insignia
(Enlisted ranks)
Lieutenant insignia
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander insignia
Lieutenant Commander
Captain insignia
Captain

Mid-23rd century

By the mid 2250s, Starfleet had changed its uniforms and had adopted a much simpler rank and insignia system. Enlisted personnel wore no rank insignia while the rank of Chief Petty Officer was denoted by a special sleeve stripe. Commissioned officers wore a solid gold stripe. This system would stay in place for at least fifteen years, with only a slight modification in the early 2260s, when those holding the rank of Captain were authorized two gold stripes whereas other officers wore one.

By 2265, the rank system was as follows:

No insignia
(Enlisted ranks)
Chief petty officer insignia
Chief petty officer
Commissioned officer insignia
Commissioned officer
Captain insignia
Captain
No ranks above Captain were seen in the Star Trek pilot episodes, leaving the question as to admiral insignia completely unknown.

Alternate reality

By 2258 in the alternate reality, Starfleet had adopted uniforms and an insignia pattern more reminiscent of the late 2260s in the prime reality.

It is unknown if the mid-23rd century uniforms and rank insignia were ever used in the alternate reality, or if these uniforms and rank insignia were directly preceded by the early 23rd-century ones.

These new insignia consisted of silver bands worn on the lower sleeves of the Starfleet uniforms. Ensigns and enlisted personnel wore no rank insignia.

Ensign insignia
Ensign
Lieutenant insignia
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander insignia
Lieutenant Commander
Commander insignia
Commander
Captain insignia
Captain
unidentified Admiral insignia
Admiral

The 2260s and 2270s

By 2266, Starfleet had again changed its uniforms and, while still using the sleeve stripe system to denote rank, the rank stripes had been modified to show more detail for each particular rank. An exception was that enlisted personnel, chief petty officers included, now had no insignia whatsoever with most enlisted personnel also wearing Starfleet jumpsuits instead of the standard tunic uniforms worn by the officers.

Starfleet flag officers wore a thicker braid insignia than regular officers and the rank of cadet and midshipman were both apparently in use at Starfleet Academy.

The 2266 rank and insignia pattern was as follows:

No insignia
Enlisted
Ensign
Lieutenant junior grade insignia
Lieutenant junior grade
Lieutenant insignia
Lieutenant
Lieutenant commander insignia.
Lieutenant commander
Commander insignia
Commander
Captain insignia
Captain
Commodore insignia
Commodore
Vice admiral insignia
Vice admiral
The only admiral seen wearing insignia in the Original Series was Admiral Fitzpatrick who, although addressed as "Admiral", wore an insignia which has been equated in numerous technical manuals and fan publications as Vice Admiral. The rank of Fleet admiral was also mentioned to have existed in "Space Seed" but an actual Fleet admiral was not seen on camera until Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

In the mid 2270s, Starfleet changed its uniforms again, although mainly in appearance only. The rank insignia of officers remained relatively the same, with the exception that the rank of Lieutenant junior grade was apparently done away with. Enlisted personnel also adopted a style of their own rank insignia and both officers and admirals could now wear a short sleeve "Class B" uniform which displayed rank insignia on shoulder tabs.

The 2271 rank insignia pattern was as follows:

Petty officer epaulet
Petty officer
Chief petty officer epaulet
Chief petty officer
Ensign and lieutenant junior grade sleeve stripe
Ensign
Lieutenant sleeve stripe
Lieutenant
Lieutenant commander sleeve stripes
Lieutenant commander
Commander sleeve stripes
Commander
Captain sleeve stripes
Captain
Rear admiral sleeve stripes.
Rear admiral

Corresponding officer shoulder boards appeared as follows:

Late 23rd - Mid 24th century

By the year 2278, Starfleet had again changed its uniforms, abandoning the previous sleeve stripe system and adopting a totally new insignia design which incorporated a series of rank pins worn on a shoulder strap with the color of the strap determining the bearer's branch within Starfleet.

The shoulder strap system also matched with a cuff strap which could display various citation and years-of-service pins. Finally, in the case of admirals, another series of cuff straps denoted the particular rank of the Admiral.

Enlisted uniforms were also completely revamped from previous versions and now were worn as jumpsuits with rank pins worn on the lower right sleeve. Enlisted ranks themselves were expanded, encompassing several grades of Petty Officer and Chief Petty Officer.

With the exception of some minor cosmetic changes to officer uniforms, including the introduction of a standard communicator pin around 2344, the uniforms and insignia of the late 23rd century would remain unchanged until approximately the year 2355.

A Captain rank badge was among the items which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]

The insignia pattern was as follows:

Crewman insignia
Crewman
Petty officer second class insignia
Petty officer second class
Petty officer first class insignia
Petty officer first class
Chief petty officer insignia
Chief petty officer
Senior chief petty officer insignia
Senior chief petty officer
Master chief petty officer insignia
Master chief petty officer
Ensign insignia
Ensign
Lieutenant junior grade insignia
Lieutenant junior grade
Lieutenant insignia
Lieutenant
Lieutenant commander insignia
Lieutenant commander
Commander insignia
Commander
Captain insignia
Captain
Commodore insignia
Commodore sleeve stripe (past 2285)
Commodore
Rear admiral insignia
Rear admiral sleeve stripe (past 2285)
Rear admiral
Vice admiral insignia
Vice admiral sleeve stripe (past 2285)
Vice admiral
Admiral insignia
Admiral sleeve stripe (past 2285)
Admiral
Fleet admiral insignia
Fleet admiral sleeve stripe (past 2285)
Fleet admiral
 

The 24th century

Starfleet ranks, 2360s

Ranks in the 2360s

File:Picards rank pips.jpg

A captain's rank pips

By the year 2355, Starfleet had introduced a new uniform design with the manner of insignia returning to the pip system used by the United Earth Starfleet more than two hundred years earlier. Unlike the predecessor system, however, the 24th century pip system used the ranks lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant commander and also introduced a generic "hollow pip" insignia to denote Chief Petty Officers.

The pip system used introduced in the mid 24th century would remain relatively unchanged and by 2379 was still the standard insignia system used by Starfleet, although the uniforms themselves had undergone a change.

The original officer and enlisted pip system, introduced in the 2350s was as follows:

Chief petty officer pip
Enlisted grades
Ensign pip
Ensign
Lieutenant junior grade pips
Lieutenant junior grade
Lieutenant pips
Lieutenant
Lieutenant commander pips
Lieutenant commander
Commander pips
Commander
Captain pips
Captain
Close examination of the Next Generation Season 1 and 2 DVDs indicates that in some episodes officers wore silver pips instead of gold. Most reference manuals, however, state that the gold pips were used all along to denote rank on Starfleet uniforms of this era.
Nakamura, 2365

Admiral insignia worn in the vertical fashion

The insignia for flag officers had a slightly different history than those of the regular officer and enlisted corps. In the 2360s, Admirals wore a type of triangular insignia on a special flag officer uniform. By 2366, this insignia had been replaced by a "boxed pip" system worn vertically on the flag uniform collar. The very next year the Admiral insignia changed again, this time to worn flat against the collar in the same way as the insignia worn by other grades.

The original flag officer insignia pattern was as follows:

Rear admiral (lower half)
Rear admiral
(lower half)
Rear admiral upper half pips (to 2365)

Rear admiral
Vice admiral pips (to 2365)

Vice admiral

By 2367, the admiral insignia appeared as follows:

Rear admiral upper half pips
Rear admiral
Vice admiral pips
Vice admiral
Admiral pips
Admiral
File:Ds9 scpo.png

Senior Chief Petty Officer

By the mid 2370s, Starfleet had made a further change to its insignia, this change pertaining to enlisted personnel. Replacing the "hollow pip" generic insignia was a new chevron system, worn as pins on the collar of the enlisted personnel's uniform. The chevron system displayed rank for the petty officer and chief petty office grades.

Chief O'Brien's Senior Chief Petty Officer pin was the only badge ever seen on camera, although the Deep Space Nine costume designers had designed a system covering all ranks between Petty Officer 3rd class up to Master Chief Petty Officer.

Alternate universe

In an alternate universe, observed during a quantum fissure, Starfleet had adopted an additional form of insignia which was incorporated directly into the design of the Starfleet combadge. The insignia appeared as metal bars behind the Starfleet crest, designed to show the rank of the wearer and accompanied the prime universe's collar pips. This same insignia also appeared in the "prime" universe, when it was used by the alien Barash during a holographic simulation of the USS Enterprise-D designed to trick Commander William T. Riker into thinking he was in the future. Barash's simulation did not include the collar pips. (TNG: "Parallels", "Future Imperfect")

Crewmen
Crewmen
Ensign
Ensign
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Commander
Commander
Captain
Captain
Admiral
Admiral
A rank of Lieutenant junior grade would also logically seem to exist, but no one was seen wearing this rank on screen.

Comparative rank tables

Flag officers

Admirals in Starfleet were described as the "flag officers." These ranks constituted the highest authorities of Starfleet Command.

Starfleet flag ranks and insignia
22nd century 2260s 2270s 2280s-2350s 2350s-2360s 2360s-later
--- --- --- 2280s fleet admiral insignia
fleet admiral pin
2280s Starfleet fleet admiral sleeve stripe insignia
sleeve stripe
--- ---
--- --- --- 2280s admiral insignia
admiral pin
2280s Starfleet admiral sleeve stripe insignia
sleeve stripe
--- 2360s admiral insignia
admiral
22nd century vice admiral insignia
vice admiral pips
2260s vice admiral insignia
vice admiral
--- 2280s vice admiral insignia
vice admiral pin
2280s Starfleet vice admiral sleeve stripe insignia
sleeve stripe
2350s vice admiral insignia
vice admiral
2360s vice admiral insignia
vice admiral
22nd century rear admiral insignia
rear admiral pips
--- 2270s rear admiral epaulet insignia
rear admiral epaulet
2270s Starfleet rear admiral sleeve stripe insignia
sleeve stripe
2280s rear admiral insignia
rear admiral pin
2280s Starfleet rear admiral sleeve stripe insignia
sleeve stripe
2350s rear admiral insignia
rear admiral
2360s rear admiral insignia
rear admiral
22nd century commodore insignia
commodore pips
22nd century commodore sleeve stripe insignia
sleeve stripe
2260s commodore insignia
commodore
--- 2280s commodore insignia
commodore pin
2280s Starfleet commodore sleeve stripe insignia
sleeve stripe
2350s rear admiral lower half/commodore insignia
rear admiral (lower half)
---
Fleet admiral
The most senior flag rank in Starfleet. In 2293, the commander in chief of Starfleet held this rank. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
Admiral
The second most senior flag rank known to exist in Starfleet.
Vice admiral
Starfleet flag rank immediately inferior to full admiral, but superior to a rear admiral.
Rear admiral
The lowest grade of admiral in Starfleet. It is inferior to a vice admiral, and superior to a commodore or captain.
Commodore
Superior to Captain, inferior to Rear Admiral.

Line officer ranks

Starfleet officer ranks and insignia
2140s-2160s 2230s 2250s-2260s 2260s 2280s-2350s 2350s-later
22nd century captain pins
captain
2230s captain insignia
captain
2260s two-stripe captain insignia
captain (early 2260s)
2260s captain stripes
captain
2280s captain insignia
captain
2350s captain insignia
captain
22nd century commander insignia
commander
unknown 2250s officer stripe
All commissioned grades
2260s commander stripes
commander
2280s commander insignia
commander
File:Tng cmdr.png
commander
2230s LTCMDR insignia
lieutenant commander
2260s LTCMDR stripes
lieutenant commander
2280s LTCMDR insignia
lieutenant commander
2350s LTCMDR insignia
lieutenant commander
22nd century lieutenant insignia
lieutenant
2230s Lieutenant insignia
lieutenant
2260s lieutenant stripe
lieutenant
2280s lieutenant insignia
lieutenant
2350s lieutenant insignia
lieutenant
unknown 2260s LTJG stripe
lieutenant junior grade
2280s LTJG insignia
lieutenant junior grade
2350s LTJG insignia
lieutenant junior grade
22nd century ensign insignia
ensign
unknown (Ensign had
no sleeve insignia
in the 2260s
)
2280s ensign insignia
ensign
2350s ensign insignia
ensign
Captain
The most senior regular line rank in Starfleet. It was most often held by starship and starbase commanders, as well as adjutants and executives serving beneath admirals. This rank was usually considered a big transition, because it was often the first rank in which officers ran a base of operation (for example, a starship) more or less by themselves. The equivalent ground forces rank to Starfleet captain was colonel. It should also be noted that there are rare cases of officers holding the Captain's rank serving as other than the commanding officer of starship. Examples of this include Spock and Montgomery Scott, who both held the rank of Captain while serving under James T. Kirk, who also held the equal rank of Captain. Departments in rare cases could get a Captain as the superior head of that particular department such as Montgomery Scott being a "Captain of Engineering" during the film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Other examples of this also include William T. Riker and Worf, both of whom attained the rank of Captain (in Worf's case, through the Klingon Defense Force) while under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Another example of a Captain holding a position other than commanding a starship is that of Phillipa Louvois who held the rank while working as a prosecutor under the office of the Judge Advocate General.
In the modern US Navy, captain is a four-stripe officer rank. This insignia style was used in ENT all TNG era productions. During TOS and the movies, it had differing insignia. The TOS captains wore one full braid, a broken braid and another full braid. However, in the pilot "The Cage", Captain Pike wore only a single rank strip, so it was not clear how other officers were differentiated from captains. By "Where No Man Has Gone Before", Kirk was the only officer with two stripes, but that system didn't differentiate any other officer grades below captain except for no-stripe ensigns.
Commander
The Starfleet line rank immediately inferior to captain. Typical assignments at this rank included executive officer of larger vessels such as the Galaxy- and Template:ShipClass, space station commander (such as Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space 9 prior to his promotion to captain in 2371), and commanding officer of smaller vessels. The rank of commander was also available to chief medical officers and ship counselors who passed the Bridge Officer's Test. An officer who held the rank of commander was expected to be able to assume command of a starship should the situation call for it. Officers at this rank typically had 10-15 years of experience in Starfleet.
Lieutenant Commander
The Starfleet line rank immediately inferior to commander. Officers with this rank typically held positions as senior department heads on larger vessels such as the Galaxy- and Sovereign-class ships, or serve as the executive officer of smaller or older vessels. On most starships, the second officer held this rank (such as Data of the USS Enterprise or Tuvok of the USS Voyager). In some rare cases, a lieutenant commander could also serve as the commanding officer of a smaller vessel, such as Jadzia Dax of the USS Defiant for a brief period in 2374.
Lieutenant
The Starfleet line rank immediately inferior to lieutenant commander. Officers at this rank typically had some command experience, and were occasionally appointed department heads on starships. Typically they were shift commanders in a department under a lieutenant commander; for example, a lieutenant commander would be chief of engineering and commander of A shift, and there would be a B and a C shift, each under a lieutenant. Additionally, some advanced Starfleet training programs, such as Advanced Tactical Training, commissioned their graduates at this rank. (TNG: "Preemptive Strike")
The United States armed forces have various programs for service members to begin their careers as officers in higher pay grades than second lieutenant or ensign, with commissioning in the rank of Lieutenant common for such United States Navy occupations as Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG), Chaplains, Medical and Medical Service Corps, as well as the Navy Dental Corps. Whether Starfleet utilizes a similar policy for commissioning officers in the medical and science fields is unknown, although highly likely given Counselor Deanna Troi's rapid rise to lieutenant commander after her advanced studies on Betazed. This may also explain how Saavik of Vulcan was both a cadet and a lieutenant in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Lieutenant junior grade
The Starfleet line rank immediately inferior to lieutenant. Officers at this rank typically hold support positions on starships and starbases. At this rank, they had begun to prove their ability to perform acceptably in Starfleet, and typically began to take on more senior roles in command situations. Typical posts at this rank were conn officer, communications officer, or second officer of a shift (see lieutenant). It was also the rank bestowed on medical doctors and counselors (but not nurses) upon completion of their studies and training at Starfleet Medical Academy or elsewhere. This rank acknowledged the additional time required to become commissioned as reflected in Beverly Crusher's service record and Julian Bashir's age as a recent Academy graduate. (DS9: "Emissary") Assistant counselor Ezri Dax skipped her final months of training and was explicitly given "commission as a full counselor with the rank of lieutenant (junior grade)." (DS9: "Afterimage")
Ensign
The most junior Starfleet line rank. It was the rank bestowed on newly-commissioned officers when they graduated from Starfleet Academy. Ensigns typically began their careers as the most junior officers in the department of their chosen specialty. Ensigns who had distinguished themselves in their academy class or on duty could be given posts as main-shift bridge officers (for example Ensign Harry Kim). A typical officer spent approximately three years at the rank of ensign. (TNG: "Datalore")

Provisional officers

During some periods of its existence, Starfleet maintained a procedure of granting temporary rank to civilians when the civilian in question was required to have authority over Starfleet personnel.

In 2364, Starfleet propulsion expert Kosinski ran several upgrade experiments on the Enterprise-D. Kosinski wore a unique rank insignia denoting his special position. (TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before")

It is unknown what rank Kosinski held. It is possible that he was a provisional lieutenant junior grade. Other sources have stated he was a warrant officer.
In Star Trek Online, this insignia is used to denote specialists, additional black rectangles indicating higher ranks.
Kosinski's rank
Rank insignia worn by warp specialist Kosinski.

The crew of the USS Voyager, made up largely of Maquis members was forced to make use of provisional rank appointments as a matter of course since the ship was stranded in the Delta Quadrant and the Maquis members were essential to shipboard operations. The provisional insignia system as of 2372 was as follows:

Provisional LTCMDR insignia
provisional lieutenant commander
Provisional lieutenant insignia
provisional lieutenant
Provisional LTJG insignia
provisional lieutenant junior grade
Provisional ensign insignia
provisional ensign
Provisional enlisted insignia
Provisional enlisted
A rank of provisional commander also most probably existed, logically consisting of three solid gold lines within the lozenge, but was never seen on camera. In "Before and After", Chakotay is promoted to Captain and wears the standard Starfleet insignia of four pips. This seems to indicate that there is no provisional rank insignia for Captain. It should also be noted that Chakotay was a commissioned Starfleet Officer with a rank of Lt. Commander prior to his defecting to the Maquis, so gaining a Starfleet Captain's rank wouldn't be an issue.

Cadet ranks

Starfleet cadet ranks and insignia
4th class 3rd class 2nd class 1st class

Cadet ranks were held by those attending Starfleet Academy during their training to become commissioned officers.

Cadet 1st class
Cadets of this rank were fourth-year students at Starfleet Academy. After graduation, these cadets were granted the rank of ensign.
Cadet 2nd class
Cadets of this rank were third-year students at Starfleet Academy.
Cadet 3rd class
Cadets of this rank were second-year students at Starfleet Academy. Cadets at this rank took part in field training at a space station or outpost.
Cadet 4th class
Cadets of this rank were first-year students at Starfleet Academy.
The rank of midshipman has occasionally been interchanged with that of cadet, although this rank's exact status remains unclear.

Non-commissioned officers

The enlisted section of Starfleet had a hierarchy of "noncoms," short for non-commissioned officers. These ranks were achieved by members of Starfleet who had not attended Starfleet Academy.

Starfleet noncom ranks and insignia
2250s 2260s 2270s 2280s-2350s 2350s-2370s Provisional 2370s-later
2250s CPO stripe
chief petty officer
No known insignia
chief petty officer
2270s CPO insignia
chief petty officer
2280s MCPO insignia
master chief petty officer
2350s CPO insignia
chief
Provisional Noncom insignia
noncom
---
2280s SCPO insignia
senior chief petty officer
2370s SCPO insignia
senior chief petty officer
2280s CPO insignia
chief petty officer
---
No known insignia
petty officer
No known insignia
petty officer
2270s PO insignia
petty officer
2280s PO1 insignia
petty officer first class
No known insignia
petty officer
---
2280s PO2 insignia
petty officer second class
---
---
Master chief petty officer
Senior chief petty officer
Also known as "senior chief specialist".
Chief petty officer
Petty officer first class
Also known as "technician first class", etc.
Petty officer second class
Also known as "specialist second class", etc.
Petty officer third class
Also known as "yeoman third class", etc.

Crewmen

Starfleet enlsted ranks and insignia
22nd century (2150s) Early 23rd century 2270s-2350s Late 24th century Provisional
22nd century crewman first class insignia
crewman first class
No known insignia
crewman
2280s Starfleet crewman insignia
crewman
No known insignia
crewman
Provisional enlisted insignia
enlisted
22nd century crewman second class insignia
crewman second class
22nd century crewman third class insignia
(or no insignia)
crewman third class*
Crewman first class
Crewman second class
Crewman third class

The lowest possible rank of Recruit, rated below the Crewman grades, had no insignia.

Titles and Positions

Fleet captain

Fleet captain was a title bestowed on senior Starfleet captains. It was a rare distinction, held by particularly distinguished captains. The title of fleet captain was held by former Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike in the year 2266. It was also held in the 2260s, by Captain Garth, one of Starfleet's most decorated captains and hero of the Battle of Axanar.

Although this title was not used in canon at any point after TOS, fleet captain was assigned a rank pin in the Star Trek Encyclopedia, as part of a movie-era set of ranks established for Star Trek II through Star Trek VI. The pin was the same as the captain's rank pin, but with two additional "flags" attached to the long edges of the pin. In addition, FASA's Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual carried the idea of a fleet captain insignia into the TNG era, using five solid pips to designate the rank.

Deputy Director

File:Tng fcapt.png

Deputy Director insignia

Deputy Director was a positional title whose exact relationship to the regular Starfleet rank tier is somewhat unclear; although the position did warrant some command authority over a Captain. The insignia for Deputy Director was the four pips of a Captain centered above a gold bar.

In Deep Space Nine we see a "Deputy Director Sloan" wearing this insigna, and is introduced as Deputy Director of Starfleet Intelligence.

Colonel

West

Colonel West in 2293

In 2293, Starfleet Colonel West was involved in the Khitomer conspiracy. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Although it is likely that colonel is equivalent to a captain, Colonel West wore the uniform of a Starfleet vice admiral. His rank was in fact taken from the real-life Lt. Colonel Oliver North. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 22, no. 5) It was not revealed if there is a special branch of services in Starfleet that colonels would serve in.

Corporal

In 2154, Starfleet Corporal Askwith perished at the Earth embassy on Vulcan. (ENT: "The Forge")

It is likely that the costuming department was supposed to place the actor in a MACO uniform.

Miscellaneous

Starfleet uniform shoulder epaulet, 2254

The space officer's shoulder epaulets

In 2254, Captain Christopher Pike, while on Talos IV, imagined himself as an Orion trader. He imagined an officer in a dress uniform with him at the Orion colony wearing peculiar shoulder epaulets and of unknown rank. (TOS: "The Cage")

The Space officer wore one stripe, indicating he may have been a simple line officer between the ranks of lieutenant and captain. It is possible that the officer represented an admiral.

In 2376, The Doctor aboard Voyager briefly resigned his Starfleet commission. (VOY: "Virtuoso")

The Doctor wore no rank insignia, and this was the only indication that he was a commissioned Starfleet officer. It is likely that the Doctor's unique situation allowed him (and perhaps other Emergency Medical Holograms) to have a Starfleet commission without a rank.
This chart shows only general equivalencies based on the ranks used by many governments on Earth, as well as the rest of the galaxy.

Appendices

Development

Starfleet ranks were designed by William Ware Theiss with the first versions adopted mainly from the insignia of the United States Navy. According to Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, Gene Roddenberry had not wanted Starfleet to appear "too military" which is why the stripe system was "toned down" by making a Lieutenant begin with one stripe (in the real United States Navy this insignia would be worn by an Ensign) and having ensigns wear no insignia.

The later pip designs of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek Enterprise would mirror the insignia system of the U.S. navy almost exactly. However, in the March 2003 issue of Star Trek: The Magazine, it was stated that there are no lieutenant commander and lieutenant jg ranks in Earth's Starfleet. As these ranks never appeared on Star Trek: Enterprise, there is no definitive evidence regarding their existence during the 22nd century.

Among the items which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, was a rank pin of an "able seaman". [2][3]

Implied ranks

Several insignia patterns were designed and created by the producers of Star Trek films and television series, although the full spectrum of ranks did not appear on camera. The first such pattern was the full array of flag officer insignia designed by William Ware Theiss to appear in Star Trek: The Original Series Dialog from the first season episode "Space Seed" established that Starfleet had admiral ranks as high as Fleet Admiral, but the highest on screen admiral ever seen was simply stated to be an admiral (and the insignia, according to costume notes was that of Vice Admiral).

Including the official insignia designed by Theiss, the full range of Admiral insignia from the Original Series is as follows:

File:Tos cdore.png
Commodore
File:Tos radm.png
Rear Admiral
File:Tos vadm.png
Vice Admiral
File:Tos adm.png
Admiral
File:Tos fadm.png
Fleet Admiral

Script notes and costume design templates from Star Trek: The Motion Picture also provide insignia patterns for the first three Starfleet flag ranks. The senior ranks of Admiral and Fleet Admiral, although definite to exist, were not discussed in the film leaving the question open as to how the insignia for these two ranks may appear.

Thus, the flag officer insignia pattern for Star Trek: The Motion Picture is as follows:

File:Tmp cdore.png
Commodore
File:Tmp radm.png
Rear Admiral
File:Tmp vadm.png
Vice Admiral
???
Admiral
???<br?> Fleet Admiral

The first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation showed admiral ranks ranging to Vice Admiral; however Admiral and Fleet Admiral were never seen on camera. Surviving script and costume notes indicate the following pattern for the first season admirals of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

File:TngS1 radmlh.png
Rear Admiral
(lower half)
File:TngS1 radm.png
Rear Admiral
(upper half)
File:TngS1 vadm.png
Vice Admiral
 
File:TngS1 adm.png
Admiral
 
File:TngS1 fadm.png
Fleet Admiral
 

During the entire run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, two flag ranks which were never seen on camera were that of the one star admiral rank, using the "boxed pip" insignia, as well as a Starfleet Fleet Admiral. Costume notes, in particular those of Michael Okuda, provide the insignia for these two ranks. A similar matter also arose during Star Trek: Enterprise when the ranks of full admiral and fleet admiral were never seen (although they were discussed), leaving costume notes from the series as the only known source for how these insignia would appear.

In all, the following four insignia never appeared on camera and thus are not considered as canon material:

File:Ent adm.png
Admiral (Enterprise)
File:Ent fadm.png
Fleet Admiral (Enterprise)
File:Tng radmlh.png
One Star Admiral (TNG)
File:Tng fadm.png
Five Star Admiral (TNG)

A final array of insignia which the viewing audience never was able to see were the full spectrum of enlisted insignia patches designed for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In all, the costume designers for the show developed rank patches for every enlisted rank from Petty Officer 3rd Class to Master Chief Petty Officer. The budget of the show, however, prevented mass production of these insignia and, other than Miles O'Brien and Dorian Collins, no enlisted personnel appeared wearing the following collar patch enlisted ranks:

File:Tng po3.png
Petty officer 3rd class
File:Tng po2.png
Petty officer 2nd class
File:Tng po1.png
Petty officer 1st class
File:Tng cpo.png
Chief Petty Officer
File:Ds9 scpo.png
Senior Chief Petty Officer
File:Tng mcpo.png
Master Chief Petty Officer

Warrant Officers

According to Robert Fletcher, designer of the movie-era Starfleet ranks, Starfleet doesn't have warrant ranks in the 2280s. The non-canon reference manual Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual speaks briefly on the subject.

According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia, the insignia worn by CPO Miles O'Brien in DS9's first few years and enlisted Maquis on Star Trek: Voyager was supposed to represent a warrant officer, even though numerous dialog references and general naval parlance about the ranks of those referred to would seem to disprove this time and again.

See also: