Starfleet ranks

Starfleet ranks were identifying titles of rank for the officers and enlisted members of Starfleet denoting the chain of command under both United Earth and the United Federation of Planets. These titles were generally adapted from earlier Earth naval forces. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever", ENT: "Storm Front")

Early usage[]

By the development of the NX-Alpha in 2143, the Starfleet rank structure had at least three enlisted ranks, four officer ranks, and three ranks for use by flag officers. Silver rank pips were displayed on the right breast of the Starfleet uniforms, above a colored shoulder trim denoting what division the crew member was assigned to. Flag officers' pips were surrounded by a black rectangle with a silver border. (ENT: "First Flight", et al.) This system was still in place by 2161. (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...")

Enlisted officer ranks

Crewman third class	Crewman second class	Crewman first class

Junior officer ranks

Ensign	Lieutenant

Senior officer ranks

Commander	Captain

Flag officer ranks

Commodore	Rear admiral	Vice admiral

23rd century[]

Early 23rd century[]

By the 2230s, the Starfleet uniform used a sleeve stripe system instead of pips to denote rank. (Star Trek)

Enlisted officers	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant	Captain
No insignia

Early-mid 23rd century[]

By 2239, Starfleet had adopted a uniform where officer rank was denoted by the number of raised or indented pips on a Starfleet delta. (ST: "The Brightest Star") The admiralty wore a Starfleet insignia surrounded by a wreath made up of smaller golden or black Starfleet insignia on a dark disc; the more of them are gold, the higher the rank. (DIS: "The Vulcan Hello", "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry")

Division	Cadet	Ensign	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander	Commander	Captain
Command
Operations
Sciences
Medical variant

Flag officer ranks

Vice admiral	Admiral	Fleet admiral

A variation of this uniform introduced in the 2250s changed the rank system back to a sleeve stripe system. For the command and operations division officers, the stripes matched the division color: gold stripes for command, red stripes for operations. Sciences division officers wore silver stripes. (DIS: "Brother", "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2")

Division	Ensign	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander	Captain
Command	No insignia
Operations
Sciences

A new uniform was introduced around 2259, retaining the rank insignia system from the previous style with only slight modifications. Sciences officers wore blue stripes in the new system, while silver stripes were reserved for medical officers. Doctors wore a light-blue variant of the sciences uniform while nurses wore white. (SNW: "Strange New Worlds", et al.)

Division	Cadet	Ensign	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander	Captain
Command		No insignia
Operations
Sciences
Doctor variant
Nurse variant

Flag officer ranks

Type	Fleet captain	Commodore	Vice admiral	Fleet admiral
Delta insignia
Epaulet insignia	No epaulet

Another Starfleet uniform used around this time had a much simpler rank and insignia system, in which 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 be in use concurrently with other rank insignia systems for at least fifteen years, with only a slight modification by 2265, when those holding the rank of captain were authorized to wear two gold stripes whereas other officers wore one. (TOS: "The Cage", "Where No One Has Gone Before")

Enlisted officers	Chief petty officer	Commissioned officers	Captain
No insignia

Late-mid 23rd century[]

By 2266, Starfleet had phased out the simple rank system that gave all commissioned officers the same insignia. They also modified the other system that had been in use for the last decade or so. In this new system, all enlisted personnel, chief petty officers included, as well as ensigns, had no insignia whatsoever with most enlisted personnel also wearing Starfleet jumpsuits instead of the standard tunic uniforms worn by the officers. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver", et al)

Starfleet flag officers wore a thicker braid insignia than regular officers. (TOS: "Court Martial", "The Trouble with Tribbles")

The rank of cadet and midshipman were both in use at Starfleet Academy. (TOS: "Shore Leave", "Court Martial")

Enlisted	Ensign	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander	Commander	Captain	Commodore	Vice admiral
No insignia	No insignia

In the mid-2270s, Starfleet changed its uniforms yet again, although mainly in appearance only. The rank insignia of officers remained almost the same, though the lieutenant junior grade braid was now used to indicate ensign. Enlisted personnel 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. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

Enlisted / unknown ranks

Unknown	Chief petty officer	Unknown

Officer ranks

Type	Ensign	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander	Commander	Captain	Rear admiral
Sleeve insignia
Epaulet insignia

Late 23rd 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. At this point, the lieutenant junior grade rank had also been re-established.

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. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

With the exception of some minor cosmetic changes to officer uniforms, including the introduction of a standard communicator pin by 2344, the uniforms and insignia of the late 23rd century remained unchanged until the late 2340s. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise", "Family")

Enlisted officer ranks

Able seaman	Petty officer second class	Petty officer first class	Chief petty officer	Senior chief petty officer	Master chief petty officer

Junior officer ranks

Ensign	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant

Senior officer ranks

Lieutenant commander	Commander	Captain

Flag officer ranks

Type	Commodore	Rear admiral	Vice admiral	Admiral	Fleet admiral
Rank pin
Sleeve stripe

24th century[]

By the year 2355, Starfleet had introduced a new uniform design, with a pip system of golden pin insignia worn on the collar. (TNG: "The Battle")

The 24th century pip system included a black pip insignia to denote chief petty officers. (TNG: "Realm Of Fear")

The pip system used in the mid-to-late 24th century remained relatively unchanged through 2385, having been kept across several uniform design changes. (PIC: "Maps and Legends")

Chief petty officer	Ensign	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander	Commander	Captain

In the 2360s, admirals wore a triangular insignia on a special flag officer uniform. (TNG: "Too Short A Season", "Coming of Age", "Conspiracy")

Admirals Jameson and Quinn's insignia	Admiral Savar's insignia	Admiral Aaron's insignia

By 2365, this insignia had been replaced by a "boxed pip" system worn vertically on the flag uniform collar. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man") By 2366, the admiral insignia was commonly worn horizontally against the collar in the same way as the insignia worn by other grades. (TNG: "The Defector")

Rear admiral	Vice admiral	Admiral	Fleet admiral

By the mid-2370s, Starfleet had changed the chief petty officer rank insignia, replacing the black pip with chevrons and dots. (DS9: "Hippocratic Oath")

25th century[]

By the year 2399, Starfleet's familiar pip design had been relocated from the collar to the right breast of the uniform and the pips had become silver. (PIC: "Remembrance") By the early 2400s, the silver rank pips were back on the collar of the uniform. (PIC: "The Star Gazer")

Junior officer ranks

Ensign	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant

Senior officer ranks

Lieutenant commander	Commander	Captain

The pips of flag officers were placed on a dark gray isosceles trapezoid with a silver border. (PIC: "Maps and Legends")

Flag officer ranks

Commodore	Admiral	Fleet admiral

29th century[]

The uniforms worn by the Starfleet crew of the USS Relativity during the 29th century displayed a new design for rank insignia, with horizontal bronze chevrons on the right collar instead of pips. (VOY: "Future's End", "Relativity")

Ensign	Lieutenant	Captain

32nd century[]

By the 32nd century, Starfleet had passed through a number of rank insignia systems. (DIS: "Forget Me Not", "Su'Kal")

By 3189, rank was indicated on an officer's tricom badge. The ranks of captains and admirals were also shown on the collar and shoulders. The shoulder and collar had a similar design; captains had a vertical shoulder rank band at the edge of the shoulder, while admirals had a horizontal band along the top of the shoulder. (DIS: "Die Trying") Other officers had a plain collar badge.

Crewman	Ensign	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander	Commander	Captain	Commodore	Fleet admiral

Alternate timelines[]

Mirror universe[]

• See: Starfleet ranks (mirror)

Alternate reality[]

By 2258 in the alternate reality, Starfleet had adopted uniforms and an insignia pattern reminiscent of the mid 2250s in the prime reality. These new insignia consisted of silver bands worn on the lower sleeves of the uniform. Ensigns and certain skirt uniforms displayed no rank insignia. (Star Trek)

Ensign	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander	Commander	Captain	Admiral
No insignia

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 black, gold, and silver bars behind the Starfleet delta, designed to show the rank of the wearer and along with collar pips. (TNG: "Parallels")

The same insignia was also 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: "Future Imperfect")

Crewman	Ensign	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander	Commander	Captain	Admiral

Comparative rank tables[]

Flag officers[]

Admirals in Starfleet were described as the flag officers, a term held over from naval tradition. These ranks constituted the highest authorities of Starfleet Command. (TOS: "The Deadly Years")

Fleet admiral

In 2293, 2399, and 3189, the commanders in chief of Starfleet held this rank. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, PIC: "Maps and Legends", DIS: "Die Trying")

Admiral

Next below fleet admiral, above vice admiral. (DS9: "Rapture")

Vice admiral

Next below admiral, above rear admiral. (ENT: "Broken Bow")

Rear admiral

Next below vice admiral, above commodore. (ENT: "Broken Bow")

Commodore

Superior to captain, inferior to rear admiral. (TOS: "The Deadly Years")

Flag officer rank insignia

Rank	2140s–early 2160s	Late 2230s–2250s	Late 2250s	Mid 2260s–early 2270s	Mid 2270s	Late 2270s–2350s	2350s–2380s	2390s–2400s	3180s
Commodore
Rear admiral
Vice admiral
Admiral
Fleet admiral

Officer ranks[]

Captain

The most senior regular officer rank below flag officer, it was most often held by starship and starbase commanders. (TOS: "The Cage", et al) Captains could also serve as administrative adjutants beneath admirals. (DS9: "Behind the Lines") In rare circumstances, officers with the rank of captain held other positions aboard a starship, such as "Captain of Engineering" Montgomery Scott aboard the USS Excelsior, and later Scott and Spock aboard the USS Enterprise-A. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) Phillipa Louvois held the rank of captain while working as a prosecutor under the office of the Judge Advocate General at Starbase 173. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man")

Commander

The officer rank immediately above lieutenant commander, and below captain. Typical assignments at this rank included executive officer of larger vessels, space station commander (such as Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space 9). (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint"; DS9: "Emissary") The rank of commander was also available to chief medical officers and ship counselors who passed the Bridge Officer's Test. (TNG: "Thine Own Self")

Lieutenant Commander

The officer rank immediately above lieutenant, and below commander. Officers with this rank could serve as the executive officer of smaller vessels. (TNG: "Redemption II", VOY: "Caretaker", Star Trek) In some cases, a lieutenant commander could also serve as the commanding officer of a smaller vessel, such as Worf or Jadzia Dax of the USS Defiant. (Star Trek: First Contact, DS9: "Behind the Lines")

Lieutenant

The officer rank immediately above lieutenant junior grade, and below lieutenant commander. Some advanced Starfleet training programs, such as Advanced Tactical Training, commissioned their graduates at this rank. (TNG: "Preemptive Strike")

Lieutenant junior grade

The officer rank immediately above ensign, and below 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. ^{(citation needed • edit)} 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 officer rank. It was the rank bestowed on newly-commissioned officers when they graduated from Starfleet Academy. (TNG: "Tapestry") Ensigns who had distinguished themselves in their academy class or on duty could be posted as a senior bridge officer, such as Harry Kim. (VOY: "Caretaker") A typical officer spent approximately three years at the rank of ensign. (TNG: "Datalore")

Officer rank insignia

Rank	Division	2140s–early 2160s	Early 2230s	Late 2230s–2250s	2250s		Early 2250s–mid 2260s		Mid 2260s–early 2270s	Mid 2270s	Late 2270s–2350s	2350s–2380s	2390s–2400s	3180s
Ensign	Command				No insignia				No insignia
	Operations
	Sciences
	Doctor variant
	Nurse variant
Lieutenant junior grade	Command
	Operations
	Sciences
	Doctor variant
	Nurse variant
Lieutenant	Command
	Operations
	Sciences
	Doctor variant
	Nurse variant
Lieutenant commander	Command
	Operations
	Sciences
	Doctor variant
	Nurse variant
Commander	Command
	Operations
	Sciences
	Doctor variant
	Nurse variant
Captain	Command
	Operations
	Sciences
	Doctor variant
	Nurse variant

Provisional officers[]

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")

The crew of the USS Voyager, which included non-Starfleet 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. (VOY: "Caretaker", et al.)

In 2381, Vulcan Officer T'Lyn was given a provisional rank appointment as an ensign when she transferred from the VCF Sh'vhal to the USS Cerritos. (LD: "wej Duj")

Provisional rank insignia

Crewman	Ensign	Lieutenant junior grade	Lieutenant	Commander

Cadet ranks[]

Cadet ranks were held by those attending Starfleet Academy during their training to become commissioned officers. (TNG: "The First Duty")

Cadet 1st class

Cadets of this rank were fourth-year students at Starfleet Academy. After graduation, these cadets were granted the rank of ensign. (TNG: "Tapestry"; VOY: "Caretaker")

Cadet 2nd class

Cadets of this rank were third-year students at Starfleet Academy. (TNG: "The First Duty")

Cadet 3rd class

Cadets of this rank were second-year students at Starfleet Academy. (TNG: "The First Duty")

Cadet 4th class

Cadets of this rank were first-year students at Starfleet Academy. (TNG: "The First Duty")

Cadet rank insignia

Rank	Late 2250s		2360s
4th class
3rd class
2nd class
1st class

Enlisted ranks[]

Enlisted ranks were achieved by members of Starfleet who had not attended Starfleet Academy. (DS9: "Starship Down")

Non-commissioned officers[]

Master chief petty officer

(Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Senior chief petty officer

Also known as "senior chief specialist". (DS9: "Shadowplay")

Chief petty officer

(TNG: "Family", DS9: "Hippocratic Oath", "Valiant")

Petty officer

• Petty officer, first class; also known as "technician first class", etc. (TOS: "Space Seed")
• Petty officer, second class; also known as "specialist second class", etc. ^{(citation needed • edit)}
• Petty officer, third class; also known as "yeoman third class", etc. (TOS: "Charlie X")

Non-commissioned rank insignia

Rank	2230s	2250s	2260s–early 2270s	Mid 2270s	Late 2270s–2350s	2350s–2370s	2370s
Petty officer second class	No insignia		No insignia
Petty officer first class
Chief petty officer
Senior chief petty officer
Master chief petty officer

Crewmen[]

Crewman

• Crewman first class (TNG: "The Drumhead")
• Crewman second class (ENT: "Shuttlepod One")
• Crewman third class (ENT: "Cold Front")

The lowest possible rank of recruit, ranked below the crewman grades. (ENT: "Rogue Planet", "Cogenitor")

Enlisted rank insignia

Rank	2140s–early 2160s	2230s–early 2270s	2270s–2350s	2350s–2380s	3180s
Crewman third class		No insignia		No insignia
Crewman second class
Crewman first class

Titles and positions[]

Fleet captain[]

Fleet captain was a title bestowed upon Starfleet captains when in command of more than one facility. It was a rare distinction, held by particularly respected captains. (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I", "Whom Gods Destroy") The 2259 fleet captain rank insignia used the flag-officer-disk-version of the Starfleet insignia, with only the two small delta leaves below the main delta colored gold; the cuff stripes and other elements of the uniform were those of a captain. (SNW: "Lost in Translation")

In 2259, Captain Christopher Pike, commanding officer of the USS Enterprise, was temporarily promoted to fleet captain, bringing the USS Farragut and Bavali Station under his command. (SNW: "Lost in Translation") Pike was permanently promoted to this title by 2266. (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I") In the 2260s, it was also held by Captain Garth, one of Starfleet's most decorated captains and hero of the Battle of Axanar. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy")

Deputy director[]

While posing as a deputy director with Internal Affairs, Luther Sloan wore captain's pips with a gold bar connecting them beneath. (DS9: "Inquisition")

Colonel[]

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

Corporal[]

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

Miscellaneous[]

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")

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

Starfleet uniform styles
By era:	2140s-Early 2160s • Mid 2160s • 2230s • Late 2230s-2250s • 2250s-Early 2270s • Mid 2270s • Late 2270s-2350s • 2350s-2370s • Late 2360s-Early 2370s • 2370s-Early 2380s • Early 2380s • Mid 2380s • Late 2390s • Early 2400s • 29th century • 32nd century • 33rd century
By type:	Casual duty attire • Alternate & parallel uniforms • Alternate reality uniforms • Fictional uniforms • Terran Empire uniforms
Related topics:	Assignment patch • MACO uniform and equipment • Starfleet decorations • Starfleet insignia • Starfleet ranks • Terran Empire ranks • Uniform

Appendices[]

See also[]

• Starfleet admirals
• Starfleet captains
• Starfleet commanders
• Starfleet lieutenant commanders
• Starfleet lieutenants
• Starfleet lieutenants junior grade
• Starfleet ensigns
• Starfleet cadets
• Starfleet enlisted personnel
• Starfleet crewmen

Background information[]

The rank system used during Star Trek: The Original Series was originally designed by William Ware Theiss, with the first versions inspired principally by the insignia of the United States Navy. According to Inside Star Trek: The Real Story ^{[page number? • edit]}, since Gene Roddenberry didn't want an overtly military Starfleet, Theiss toned down his stripe system by giving ensigns no stripe and lieutenants one full stripe, which is what an actual USN ensign wears.

For Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Jon Povill sent Fletcher a production memo, dated 3 August 1978, explaining the rank insignia to be used in the film, with no reference to lieutenant junior grade or other flag officers. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 126) Robert Fletcher, who designed the Starfleet uniform used in the film, developed a rank system which displayed on straps over both shoulders. These insignia included a circle for "mid shipman", a triangle for "lieut comm jr. grade", a chevron for "lieutenant comm", a single stripe for "commander", two stripes for "captain", two stripes a circle with spines for "admiral" and two spiney circles for "adm of the fleet". (Star Trek: Costumes, p. 45) An unidentified triangular insignia is worn on the epaulets of several crewmembers, but is not identified in any production or background sources. It's A Wrap! sale and auction listed it as representing the rank of petty officer. [6]^(X) While an additional epaulet insignia featuring a single thin strip was also used but not identified to a rank. [7]

During the production of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Director Nicholas Meyer wanted the uniforms to feel as real as possible, and asked for new rank insignia. Fletcher explained: "There was kind of a complicated arrangement of divisions and ranks expressed by the braid on the sleeves. I made that up. I organized it and produced a little instruction booklet about it for the wardrobe department […]." ^{(citation needed • edit)} On the early version of the uniforms, the insignia was on a band around the upper arm, which was later moved to the cuff. ^{(citation needed • edit)}

The Star Trek Encyclopedia, 3rd ed., p. 201, depicted an overview of the rank system used in the Star Trek films, though it omitted the petty officer second class, created the master chief petty officer second class and fleet captain (which had not been used in the films,) and depicted erroneous insignia for lieutenant commander and admiral. The Star Trek Fact Files Part 70 and the Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 10, p. 99, would also include the apocryphal fleet captain and master chief petty officer second class insignia, the erroneous lieutenant commander insignia (with a broken vertical gold stripe, instead of a solid horizontal gold stripe,) and an almost entirely different depiction of flag officer insignia. This system created an insignia with one gold dart to represent commodore, used the commodore insignia for rear admiral, created a three gold dart insignia for vice admiral, and used the rear admiral insignia for admiral. A three gold dart insignia was included in some It's A Wrap! sale and auction flag officer sets, but never seen on screen. [8]^(X)

The later pip designs of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Enterprise emulated US Navy insignias almost exactly, although an article on the 2151 uniforms and rank did not mention lieutenant junior grade or lieutenant commander. (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 3, Issue 11, p. 42) Neither rank is used during Star Trek: Enterprise.

Apocrypha[]

The role-playing game supplement Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual discusses ranks.

Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness, Issue 2 depicts that a style of uniform was in use by 2239. This would make it seem that a few versions of the prime reality uniform were never adopted in the alternate reality, unless they was used very briefly after 2233.

A rank senior to fleet admiral was first referenced in "The Wormhole Connection". The rank of grand admiral is said to have existed in 2285 and has a special uniform with shoulder boards worn on the red maroon jacket uniform. The rank also appeared in the novel The Sorrows of Empire, held first by the counterpart Garth, then by the counterpart Matt Decker and then by Spock, before he becomes Emperor of the Terran Empire.

A "flag admiral" insignia design (a six pointed starburst) from the fan-published Klingon Covert Operations Manual was used as one of Data's medals in "The Most Toys".

External links[]

• Earth Starfleet ranks at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Federation Starfleet ranks at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works