star trek rank pins

Starfleet ranks

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

Cristóbal Rios' rank pip collection from his Starfleet career

Tom Paris is demoted to ensign for disobeying orders

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 ")

• 1 Early usage
• 2.1 Early 23rd century
• 2.2 Early-mid 23rd century
• 2.3 Late-mid 23rd century
• 2.4 Late 23rd century
• 3 24th century
• 4 25th century
• 5 29th century
• 6 32nd century
• 7.1 Mirror universe
• 7.2 Alternate reality
• 7.3 Alternate universe
• 8.1 Flag officers
• 8.2 Officer ranks
• 8.3 Provisional officers
• 8.4 Cadet ranks
• 8.5.1 Non-commissioned officers
• 8.5.2 Crewmen
• 9.1 Fleet captain
• 9.2 Deputy director
• 9.3 Colonel
• 9.4 Corporal
• 9.5 Miscellaneous
• 10.1 See also
• 10.2 Background information
• 10.3 Apocrypha
• 10.4 External links

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... ")

23rd century [ ]

Early 23rd century [ ].

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

Early-mid 23rd century [ ]

Gold shoulder trim of a flag admiral, captain, and officer (left to right)

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 ")

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 ")

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.)

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 ")

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 ")

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 )

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 ")

Concept art by Robert Fletcher

24th century [ ]

Ranks in the 2360s

A captain's rank pips

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 ")

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

Admiral insignia worn in the vertical fashion

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 ")

Chief petty officer

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 ")

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

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 ")

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.

Tricom badge concept art

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 )

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 ")

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 ")

Officer ranks [ ]

Provisional officers [ ].

Insignia worn by warp specialist Kosinski

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 ")

Emblems designed by Madgaleno

Cadet ranks [ ]

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

Enlisted ranks [ ]

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

Non-commissioned officers [ ]

• 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 ")

Crewmen [ ]

• 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 ")

Titles and positions [ ]

Fleet captain [ ].

Fleet captain insignia, 2259

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 [ ]

Sloan's insignia

Sloan posing as a deputy director with Internal Affairs

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 [ ]

Colonel West in 2293

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 [ ]

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 ")

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

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] While an additional epaulet insignia featuring a single thin strip was also used but not identified to a rank. [7]

One version of the flag officer rank insignia sold as part of It's A Wrap! sale and auction

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 omitted and created insignia, introducing some confusion

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]

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.

Starfleet officers in the late 2230s

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" pin used as one of Data's medals

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

Star Trek Ranks, Explained

Though primarily peaceful, Starfleet follows a quasi-military protocol, which means a chain of command that ensures all runs smoothly.

Starting with the original series, Star Trek has adopted a quasi-military series of ranks and protocols for its characters. Starfleet is ostensibly a peaceful organization dedicated to exploration and diplomacy, but things can get dangerous on the final frontier. A functioning chain of command is necessary in the event of trouble to ensure that everyone operates at peak efficiency.

It's a bit of a paradox, since Starfleet officers also tend to be rugged individualists, but it makes a good deal of sense and over time has become an indispensable part of the franchise. A given character's rank speaks volumes about their comparative age, their position onboard, and their relationship with the other members of the crew. As with most things Star Trek, rank insignia has evolved over time. Here's a breakdown of Starfleet's ranking system in descending order from the lowliest cadets to the most powerful admirals.

Updated January 18, 2024 by Robert Vaux: Star Trek's ranking system is very stable at this point, and very little tends to change. The article has been updated to include a brief list of prominent members of each rank, along with the series and seasons they held it. It has also been updated to conform to current CBR guidelines.

9 Cadets Are Officers in Training at Starfleet Academy

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Cadets are typically students at Starfleet Academy , spending time onboard a starship as part of their training. They hold no rank and must obey the orders of any crewmen. They're often issued temporary badges or communicators and usually have a supervisory officer to watch over them. Cadets in the 23rd century wear badges with a distinctive black backing. Cadets in the 24th century wear distinctive uniforms denoting their status.

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the Enterprise is used as a training vessel, with the crew consisting almost entirely of cadets. Wesley Crusher formally joins Starfleet Academy starting in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 9, "Final Mission," and spends most of his subsequent appearances at that rank. Similarly, Nyota Uhura joins the Enterprise as a cadet in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, as does Sylvia Tilly in Star Trek: Discovery.

8 Enlisted Personnel/NCO Are Starfleet's Worker Bees

While officers attend Starfleet Academy, the rank-and-file personnel attend the 24th-century equivalent of boot camp. They become the anonymous crew working in the background, performing the countless tiny tasks required to keep a starship running. Their ranks include both enlisted crewmen and petty officers (the equivalent of sergeants) who often play supervisory roles. They typically lack any insignia on their uniforms, though chief petty officers in the Next Generation era sometimes have a black pip or similar marking.

Enlisted personnel often serve as The Original Series ' infamous red shirts : doomed to die in the name of plot exposition. The Next Generation introduces perhaps Starfleet's best-known enlisted man. Miles O'Brien runs the transporters on the Enterprise-D, and later becomes Chief of Operations on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

7 Ensigns Hold The Lowest Rank

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Ensigns are the lowest-ranking officers on Starfleet vessels. Cadets typically receive the rank of ensign immediately upon graduation from Starfleet Academy. While they technically have command authority, they're usually assigned menial tasks beneath the attention of the senior officers. Like NCOs, they lack insignia on their uniforms in The Original Series era. With The Next Generation and later series, ensigns receive a single gold pip on their collar. They're often lumped into the red shirt category.

Harry Kim is probably the franchise's most famous (or infamous) ensign, failing to receive a single promotion through Star Trek: Voyager's seven seasons , despite serving with distinction on the bridge. The Original Series' Pavel Chekov also begins his Starfleet career as an ensign, though he advances at a faster rate. Of course, the four main characters in Star Trek: Lower Decks are ensigns, though they all receive a promotion to lieutenant, junior grade at the beginning of Season 4.

6 Lieutenant, Junior Grade Have More Responsibility Than Ensigns

The next step up the ladder is lieutenant, junior grade. These are officers with more authority and responsibility than ensigns, but who still require seasoning before taking higher command positions. Medical personnel typically receive the lieutenant, junior grade rank after graduating, which reflects their extended training time. The Original Series uses a single dashed bar on the uniform sleeves to denote them, though Strange New Worlds has retconned that with a connected colored bar. T he Next Generation and later series note the rank with a second black pip in addition to the ensign's colored pip.

Both Julian Bashir and Ezri Dax hold the rank of lieutenant, junior grade when they begin their duties on Deep Space 9, though Ezri receives hers as a field promotion in Season 7, Episode 3, "Afterimage." Geordi La Forge starts as a lieutenant, junior grade too, as does Mr. Worf. B'Elanna Torres receives the rank on a provisional basis when she joins the crew of the Voyager, and the Lower Decks crew are all promoted to lieutenant, junior grade in Season 4, Episode 1, "Twovix."

5 Lieutenants Lead the Away Teams and More

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Lieutenants have advanced to the point where they can take on considerable responsibilities. They may lead away teams or control key systems, and they often appear among the bridge crew or even as department heads. The Original Series notes them with a single bar on the uniform sleeve, while Strange New Worlds adds a second thinner bar above the lieutenant, junior grade's insignia. The Next Generation uses two colored pips on the collar — a method emulated by subsequent series.

Worf spends most of The Next Generation's later seasons as a lieutenant (he's promoted to lieutenant commander during the events of Star Trek Generations ) while Ro Laren is promoted to lieutenant shortly before her defection to the Maquis in The Next Generation Season 7, Episode 24, "Preemptive Strike." Lieutenants often occupy the helm position, including Hikaru Sulu in The Original Series, Keyla Detmer in Star Trek: Discovery , and Erica Ortegas in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

4 Lieutenant Commanders Head up Departments

Lieutenant commanders hold positions of senior responsibility onboard a starship, even serving as executive officers or de facto captains on small ships. One larger ships, they often serve as the head of specific departments such as science and engineering. In The Original Series , the rank is designated with two stripes on the sleeve — one thick, one dashed — which Strange New Worlds adjusts to two thick colored bands. The Next Generation and subsequent shows note lieutenant commanders with two colored pips and one black one.

Montgomery Scott holds the rank of lieutenant commander in The Original Series , acting as Chief Engineer and even commanding the Enterprise when Kirk and Spock are away on missions. Similarly, Geordi La Forge rises to the rank of lieutenant commander in The Next Generation , joining Data and Deanna Troi at the position, though the latter eventually advances to commander. Worf and Jadzia Dax are both lieutenant commanders when they begin their romance on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Lastly, the original Number One — Una Chin-Riley on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — is a lieutenant commander.

3 Commanders Aid and Can Take Over the Captain's Dutires

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Commanders are usually the ship's executive officers, "Number Ones," who assist the captain in their duties and step up in the event the captain is incapacitated. Commanders are often viewed as captains in training, and ultimately destined for a ship of their own in the future. In some cases, commanders are the head authority on smaller ships or space stations. Chief medical officers often hold this position as well. They're delineated by two thick bands on their sleeves in The Original Series era and three colored pips on the collar in The Next Generation and later.

Mr. Spock holds the rank of commander during the events of The Original Series , serving double duty as chief science officer as well. He's been followed by the likes of William Riker on The Next Generation and Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Picard . In addition, Beverly Crusher and Leonard McCoy both hold the rank of commander, while Deanna Tori is promoted to commander in Season 7, Episode 16, "Thine Own Self." Ben Sisko also begins his tenure on Deep Space 9 as a commander before being promoted to full captain at the end of Season 3.

2 Captains Command Starfleet's Various Starships

The captain serves as the commander of a starship, with the entire crew ranked beneath them. This affords them a great deal of autonomy, but also equal amounts of responsibility. Starships must often face dangers alone in the far depths of space. It falls to the captain to make the final call when lives are at stake. Occasionally, captains can be found in other duties, such as commanding a star base or holds an administrative position on Earth. Captains are delineated by three stripes on their sleeves in the Original Series era — two thick, one dashed — which Strange New Worlds slightly alters to a single thin band sandwiched between two thicker ones. The Next Generation era uses four full pips on the collar.

Most Star Trek series use a captain as the main character, starting with James T. Kirk in The Original Series . Their ranks include Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, Christopher Pike, and Carol Freeman. In addition, many lower-ranking characters eventually attain the captain's chair, such as Will Riker, Tuvok, and Mr. Spock. Both Ben Sisko and Michael Burnham become captain after several seasons of climbing the ranks, a change from most Star Trek series which tend to begin with their captains in place.

1 Admirals Possess The Greatest Rank and Come to Represent Starfleet Itself

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Admirals are Starfleet's major movers and shakers, placed in charge of entire fleets or overseeing vital operations. As flag officers, they no longer serve onboard starships, though they can claim command of one if circumstances dictate. James T. Kirk takes control of the Enterprise as an Admiral in both Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , while both Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Prodigy and Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard are the authority on their respective vessels.

In addition to giving successful captains a cushy desk job, Star Trek often uses admirals as stand-ins for Starfleet itself: either aiding the crew in their endeavors or standing in their way when they go against protocol. They're delineated by a wide variety of methods, and hold varying ranks within the admiralty, such as Vice Admiral and Commodore, that shift from project to project.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

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Star Trek Badges and Communicator Pins

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How To Tell A Star Trek Character's Rank At A Glance: Rank Pips Explained

This post contains  spoilers for the premiere of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 4.

At the beginning of the fourth season of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," the four main characters Boimler (Jack Quaid), Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Tendi (Noël Wells), and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) are each promoted from the lowly rank of ensign to the only slightly-less-lowly rank of lieutenant junior grade. They still don't have much clout on the U.S.S. Cerritos, but at least now they no longer have to sleep in a hallway. One can see their promotions right away as, on their collars, they wear one solid pip and one empty pip. That, any Trekkie will instantly tell you, is the configuration for a lieutenant junior grade.

It should be noted that "Star Trek" has, since its inception, used extant naval ranks to designate Starfleet officers. Just like in the real United States Navy, officers start at the rank of ensign, then work their way up through lieutenant junior grade, then lieutenant, then lieutenant commander, then commander, then captain, before moving into the various ranks of admiral. "Star Trek" often makes reference to admirals and sometimes vice-admirals. There is also an occasional fleet admiral, the highest rank in both the Navy and in Starfleet. "Star Trek," to my recollection, has never referred to a real admiral, either lower half or upper half. Perhaps by the 22nd century, those ranks will be abandoned. 

To command a starship, one typically has to bear the rank of captain, as we know from Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Freeman, Pike, etc. Although it is not a requirement, a starship's first officer traditionally holds the rank of commander (Riker, Chakotay, Ransom, etc.). 

We're going to do a deep dive into Starfleet ranking, so strap in for some extremely nerdy deep cuts. 

The pips ranking system on "Star Trek" wasn't adopted until the days of "Next Generation," but they are the clearest, so it's a good place to start when educating one's self on Starfleet's chain of command. 

Petty officers wear one empty pip on a starship. These are the enlisted members who didn't attend Starfleet Academy. Engineers, security personnel, yeomen, and the like are petty officers and take orders from the lowest-ranking Academy graduate officers on the ship. If one looks into expanded universe lore, one can find a hierarchy of Starfleet petty officers. There are master petty officers at the top, chief petty officers directly underneath, and several ranks below them. Those ranks, however, are rarely discussed on "Star Trek."

As mentioned above, ensigns wear one full pip, as seen on Wesley Crusher's collar above. Lieutenants junior grade wear one full pip and one empty pip. Lieutenants wear two full pips, and lieutenant commanders wear two full pips and one empty pip. 

Commanders wear three pips, because it is a difficult rank to achieve. 

Captains wear four pips, and are typically given the promotion when they are put in command of a starship. It's understood that only one captain lives on a starship at any given time. 

Admirals have their own ranking system, with solid pips surrounded by boxes.

Commodores (an honorary title) have one boxed pip, rear admirals have two, vice admirals have three, regular admirals have four, and fleet admirals have five. "Star Trek" only deals with admirals from time to time, however, and characters who achieve that rank are often presented as villainous or unduly ambitious; Trekkies have been trained to be suspicious of admirals . 

Other rank insignias

The premise of "Star Trek: Voyager" took a single Federation starship and slung it clear across the galaxy with a group of rebel Maquis members on board. Rather than keep the Maquis in the brig for the 70 years it would take the U.S.S. Voyager to return to Earth, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) assigned them ranks and made them part of the crew. Because these characters had not been to Starfleet Academy, however, they were given only provisional field ranks, a status reflected in their rank pips. 

One can see the rank of Chakotay (Robert Beltran) in the photo above. He wears an elongated, rounded-edged bar with diagonal stripes. The coloration on the stripes corresponds to the open and closed pips of more traditional ranks. One can be a provisional ensign all the way up to a provisional captain. It's understood that these ranks are temporary. On the latest season of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," the character of T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) bears a provisional rank as she is an exchange officer from a Vulcan ship. 

In some alternate future timelines (and this is "Star Trek," so there are plenty of those), the franchise's costume designers moved the rank pips from uniform collars to the communicator badges on their chests. Rather than little circular pips, their badges bore one to four elongated stripes behind the familiar Starfleet delta symbol. 

Trekkies caught onto the pip ranking system pretty quickly, and many of us learned all about naval ranks through "Star Trek." The original series, however, was a little more oblique about visual ranking systems. It used to be a code stitched onto officer's sleeves. 

The history of rank insignias

In the picture above, one can see the way ranks used to work on the original "Star Trek." Captain Kirk (William Shatner) had no rank on his collar, but wavy golden stripes around his wrist. Looking around at the crew, one found the following system: ensigns had no stripes on their wrists, while lieutenants junior grade had single "dashed" stripes. Lieutenants had a single solid stripe, and lieutenant commanders had a solid stripe and a dashed stripe (as seen on Scotty above). 

Commanders (see Spock) had two solid stripes and captains (see Kirk) had two solid stripes with a dashed stripe in between them. The stripes were gold, giving the uniforms a pleasingly garish touch. 

The "Star Trek" movies made the ranking code even more oblique. Rather than deal with a series of easily readable pips or stripes, the uniforms seen in "Star Trek II" through " Star Trek VI " bore a formal over-the-shoulder strap that rested on the wearer's right shoulder. Whatever pin you saw affixed to that strap corresponded to the officer's rank. Sadly, there was no intuitive way to discern what that rank might be. Ensigns, for instance, wore a small v-shaped pin. Lieutenants junior grade wore two funnel-shaped pins. Lieutenants wore an hourglass-shaped pin, and lieutenant commanders wore an elongated pennant-like shape with a single stripe through it. Commanders wore the same shape but with two stripes. The captain got to be fancy and wore a pin with three stripes, but also a pair of pointy arrowhead-like symbols affixed to it. 

Only deep-cut Trekkies can suss out the differences. 

That ranking system is an aberration, though. In the early days of "Star Trek: Enterprise" and the latter days of "Star Trek: Picard," the pip system is solidly in place. 

Uniforms & Costumes : Officer Rank Insignia

Starfleet officers in STAR TREK: The Original Series typically wear rank insignia in the form of braid attached to their uniform sleeves.

Braid is gold in overall colour and worn on Service Uniforms and Service Dress Uniforms, but not on Full Dress Uniforms or Working Uniforms. (More detail on uniform variants is given below.)

Stripes of braid appear in three varieties:

• Solid stripes are continuous and adorned with helices.
• Broken stripes consist of a series of evenly-spaced parallelogram "dashes".
• Wide stripes are thick bands of gold with ornate trim on their edges.

Junior and Senior Officer rank insignia utilise solid stripes and broken stripes, while Flag Officer rank insignia utilise wide stripes and solid stripes.

N.B.- Broken stripes are also sometimes referred to as "half-stripes". For example, a Lieutenant Commander might be described as wearing "one and a half stripes".

Rank Insignia Chart

Flag officers.

Junior & Senior Officers

N.B.- Officer Division colours are for illustrative purposes only.

Sleeve Insignia & Braid Specifications

As a standard, rank braid is sewn onto both sleeves starting 2" from the bottom of the cuff.

There does not appear to be a precise measurement for the distance between stripes. It is approximately the width of one solid stripe — seeming sometimes slightly less or slightly more. Of greatest importance to aesthetics is that all stripes are equidistant.

Solid stripes are sewn into the inner sleeve seam . (The common knowledge that "insignia were removed daily for cleaning" is only necessarily in relation to the breast insignia , on which the gold foil could easily become damaged. The amount of effort required to do the same with rank insignia would be heroic.)

TOS Season 1 Braid Considerations

The earliest Season 1 uniforms utilised "reverse braid" (as it is now called), in which the helices and individual dashes both leaned to the viewer's right .

Broken stripes were initially in a dense configuration, with 7 dashes per stripe on average.

During the season, reverse braid was phased out in favour of what we now consider standard braid – with left -leaning helices and dashes – that remained in use until the end of the series.

Broken stripes were made more moderate, with 6 dashes becoming the average number.

Uniforms with the reverse braid and dense broken stripes were replaced naturally over time. A screencap from “ Operation -- Annihilate! ” [1x29] shows both configurations still in use at the end of Season 1:

TOS Season 3 Braid Considerations

As of “ Spectre of the Gun ” [3x01] , the velour uniforms were abandoned for a complete wardrobe department change-over to nylon double-knit. ( This is when the command uniform colour became the infamous shade of avocado that photographed yellow, rather than actual gold!)

Along with the new stretch fabric, men's shirt hemlines were lengthened: the body now went to the hips rather than the waist, and the sleeves went to the top of the hand instead of stopping above the wrist bone.

By Season 3, broken stripes were in a sparse configuration as the norm, with an average of 5 dashes per stripe:

Uniform Variants

Service Uniforms and Service Dress Uniforms are the two variants upon which rank braid is worn.

Service Uniforms

Service Uniforms would be the accurate U.S. Navy term for the so-called "standard duty uniforms" that we're all familiar with. (The latter was never spoken in TOS; it may have entered the common vernacular through the non-canon " STAR FLEET TECHNICAL MANUAL " (1975) by Franz Joseph.)

Captain Kirk's alternative wraparound uniforms also fall into this category — with the Season 1 version uniquely featuring rank braid on its shoulders rather than the sleeves!

Dress Uniforms

Dress Uniforms have several on-screen mentions, with the first being in “ Journey to Babel ” [2x15] :

MCCOY: Dress uniforms, spit and polish. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to stand this.

However, many viewers are not aware that two distinct varieties of dress uniform appeared: a less formal Service Dress Uniform and a more formal Full Dress Uniform .

Both utilise the same basic garments, but differ in that:

• Full Dress Uniforms display medals & awards on the left breast, but do not display breast insignia or rank braid. Grade is indicated solely through the presence, degree, and type of trim and piping.
• Service Dress Uniforms display the familiar breast insignia and rank braid as worn on Service Uniforms, but do not display medals or awards.

Full Dress Uniforms are worn almost exclusively throughout the series, and are specifically named as a variant twice in “ The Savage Curtain ” [3x22] :

KIRK: It's obvious he believes it. Doctor McCoy, Mister Spock, full dress uniforms. ... SCOTT: Full dress? Presidential honours? What is this nonsense, Mister Dickerson?

However, “ Court Martial ” [1x14] stands apart: while the officers of the board wear Full Dress Uniforms, we observe the prosecution (Lieutenant Areel Shaw) and the clerk (un-named Ensign) wearing Service Dress Uniforms in numerous scenes:

N.B.- Dress Uniforms are also referred to by fans as formal tunics or formal uniforms . While the description isn't inaccurate, there is no instance in TOS where they are named as such. The closest related statement is Dr McCoy describing the delegate gathering at which they are worn in “ Journey to Babel ” [2x15] as a formal reception .

Enlisted Ranks and Working Uniforms

There are no enlisted rank insignia that we're aware of — namely because there are no enlisted men "per se" serving onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise or other Starships like her during the 2260s.

The crewmen that are regularly seen working in coveralls are of at least Ensign rank, and do not represent enlisted members (as they are sometimes assumed to).

Extensive explanation is given in the article on Ratings and Enlisted Men .

Suffice it to say here:

• That Starship officers , crew , and personnel are all interchangeable terms; and
• that analogous to the U.S. Navy, Starfleet issues its officers with Working Uniforms for more labour-intensive duties; and
• that no rank insignia is worn upon Working Uniforms.

Additional Notes by Rank

Admiral ranks up to and including the Navy-equivalent "5-star" Fleet Admiral are recognised in Starfleet, as discovered through Dr McCoy's quip in “ Space Seed ” [1x24] :

MCCOY: Very impressive. Are we expecting a fleet admiral for dinner?

No admiral's rank insignia was ever seen in TOS, despite several appearing as talking heads on viewscreens. Thankfully, the wardrobe department (perhaps not aware of how tight the camera angle would be) still attached commensurate braid onto Admiral Fitzpatrick's uniform for “ The Trouble with Tribbles ” [2x13] .

• Analogous to the U.S. Navy's flag officer insignia, the "one star" wide stripe for Commodore remains present, with one solid stripe added for each additional level of rank (making Fizpatrick a Vice Admiral specifically).
• In contrast to naval tradition, Starfleet places the wide stripe in the middle of any additional stripes.

One question remaining from the Fitzpatrick insignia was whether an odd number of solid stripes would favour placement above or below the wide stripe. Going outside the realm of TOS by necessity, the "best answer" was provided by Rear Admiral Kirk's rank insignia in STAR TREK: The Motion Picture , which consisted of one solid stripe placed above one wide stripe.

Historically, Commodore may or may not be classified as a flag rank in any given force, but two lines of dialogue in “ The Deadly Years ” [2x11] establish that it is in Starfleet:

STOCKER: As a Starfleet flag officer, I must follow regulations. ... STOCKER: Since the senior officers are incapable and I am of flag rank, I am forced by regulations to assume command.

All Commodores wore the same rank insignia: a single wide stripe. However, two styles of stripe appeared, with differing edge trims.

• Stone in “ Court Martial ” [1x14]
• J.I. Mendez in “ The Menagerie, Part I ” [1x15]
• Matt Decker in “ The Doomsday Machine ” [2x06]

• Stocker in “ The Deadly Years ” [2x11]
• Bob Wesley in “ The Ultimate Computer ” [2x24]

While the reason for the change isn't known, it can be said from the progression of episodes that Starfleet altered the style of its Flag Officer braid during TOS Season 2.

N.B.- The original "wavy" trim remains superior in keeping the wide stripe visually distinct from additional solid stripes. Any Commodore is difficult to mistake, but utilising standard braid as trim can easily give the illusion of two stripes too many on an Admiral's insignia.

Fleet Captain

Two officers of current or former Fleet Captain rank appear in TOS:

• Christopher Pike in “ The Menagerie, Part I ” [1x15] & “ The Menagerie, Part II ” [1x16]
• Garth of Izar in “ Whom Gods Destroy ” [3x16]

Unfortunately, neither was seen in uniform as such: with the former being severely disabled and the latter in an insane asylum.

It seems that this rank is bestowed sparingly upon captains of great renown, and venerated. We don't know if it is in any way analogous to the U.S. Navy's Fleet captain title of the 19th century — nor do we know if its rarity is entirely due to special protocol surrounding the rank itself, or bolstered by a minimal number of situations in which a promoted Captain wouldn't be made a Commodore.

The rank of Fleet Captain will undoubtedly continue to be a hot topic for discussion and speculation, but it is not advisable to utilise it without excellent cause and back-story.

Commander / Lieutenant Commander

Although the rank insignia of Commander and Lieutenant Commander are not in dispute, they were interestingly plagued with several recurring errors during TOS Season 1:

• In “ Court Martial ” [1x14] , Commander Spock is incorrectly referred to as a Lieutenant Commander by the computer reading his file. Conversely, Lieutenant Commander Ben Finney wears the rank insignia of a full Commander.
• The next episode filmed – “ The Menagerie, Part I ” [1x15] – sees Commander Spock again being referred to as a Lieutenant Commander , this time in Kirk's log.
• In a repeat of the Ben Finney error, Lieutenant Commander Giotto's rank insignia in “ The Devil in the Dark ” [1x26] is also that of a full Commander. (He is addressed several times simply as Commander Giotto , but the dialogue twice specifies that his rank is Lieutenant Commander.)

Lieutenant Junior Grade

It has been theorised in various fan forums that a junior lieutenant rank was not meant to exist, and that Mr Tormolen was conceived of as a full Lieutenant. Given the other Season 1 hiccups with Commander versus Lieutenant Commander rank insignia, this doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. His You don't rank me line to Lieutenant Sulu and the subsequent absence of this rank in STAR TREK: The Motion Picture can be cited as supporting evidence.

The real reason for the rank's scarcity might be simple production practicality: if a wardrobe department is tasked with constructing numerous Ensign and Lieutenant stock uniforms for guest and background performers, sewing many individual dashes is significantly more time consuming than sewing solid stripes.

Whether intentional or not, this rank insignia exists, yet remains something of an anomaly in TOS.

Cadet / Midshipman

The distinction between cadet and midshipman was never clarified in dialogue; both terms are certainly in use:

• Captain Kirk recalls his Academy days as a midshipman once in “ Court Martial ” [1x14] , but as a cadet three times in “ Whom Gods Destroy ” [3x16] .
• Commodore Mendez states in “ The Menagerie, Part I ” [1x15] that Christopher Pike's accident occurred on an inspection tour of a cadet vessel .
• Spock explaining dunsel (a slang term) in “ The Ultimate Computer ” [2x24] states that it is used by midshipmen at Starfleet Academy .

Going back to basics, Wikipedia defines Midshipman as an officer cadet or a commissioned officer candidate of the junior-most rank .

The simplest solution is therefore that "cadets" is a generic term for students enrolled at Starfleet Academy (in the same way that "officers" describes those that have graduated and received commissions), while Midshipman is the actual rank that a cadet holds in this era.

Further Reading

The article on Pilot Uniforms - Insignia examines rank braid as it first appeared in the TOS pilot episodes ( “ The Cage ” [0x01] & “ Where No Man Has Gone Before ” [1x01] ).

Acknowledgements

• Rank Insignia Chart images created by Kuro-chan of Kuro-RPG .
• Dialogue quotations from Chrissie's Transcripts Site .
• Star Trek: TOS screencaps from TrekCore .

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Published Aug 23, 2023

The Starfleet Insignia Explained

No Star Trek symbol captures the eye or imagination quite like the delta.

StarTrek.com

"The Starfleet Symbol." "The Arrowhead." "The Delta."

Star Trek uses symbols to convey a lot of things, but none captures the eye or imagination quite like the delta. In the years since The Original Series first aired, fans have tried to determine the meaning behind the various insignia shapes we see in the show. To most, it seems that the iconic delta shape is some sort of ship assignment patch meant to represent the U.S.S. Enterprise .

Some arrive at this conclusion because they see various Starfleet personnel wearing a number of different insignia. However, like any puzzle without a key, it’s impossible to precisely interpret the meaning of these other insignia.

The hidden key to the puzzle was finally uncovered a few years ago. The discovery was a memorandum written by producer Robert H. (Bob) Justman to  costume designer William Ware (Bill) Theiss . The subject? STARSHIP EMBLEMS.

A copy of that memorandum has been digitized from the Gene Roddenberry  Star Trek  Television Series Collection (held in the Library Special Collections division of the Young Research Library at UCLA in Irvine, California) and is shown below:

This memo, written during the production of the episode "The Omega Glory," and referencing Captain Ron Tracey, nullifies the long-held assumption that Starfleet assigned different insignia shapes to starships during TOS. Theiss’ inclusion of an alternate insignia for the  Exeter 's captain and chief medical officer, unfortunately, downplays how genuinely ubiquitous the delta insignia is within the  Star Trek  universe. As a result, fans of the series are left with conflicting visual information regarding the meaning of the insignia worn throughout the original series.

Nearly 50 years after Bob Justman wrote his memo, we now have the opportunity to clarify the use of each and every Starfleet uniform insignia used in   TOS. With a wee bit of Scotty's ingenuity, and a pinch of Vulcan logic, the complete picture of what Gene Roddenberry envisioned for the delta insignia should snap into focus.

There are six Starfleet duty insignia used in The Original Series:

• Starship Duty Insignia (Fleet personnel emblem)
• Spacecraft Duty Insignia (Auxiliary Fleet/ Merchant Marine personnel emblem)
• Outpost Duty Insignia (Outpost and Colony personnel emblem)
• Cadet Duty Insignia (Starfleet Academy student emblem)
• Starbase Duty Insignia (Headquarters,  Space stations, Drydocks, and Ground installation personnel emblem)
• Fleet Command Insignia (Senior field commander personnel emblem)

In the  Star Trek  universe, the delta emblem is a direct descendant of the vector component of the old NASA (and later UESPA) logos in use during Earth’s space programs of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Those symbols were worn by some of the first space explorers and adorned uniforms and ships during humanity’s first steps into the final frontier.

United Earth Space Probe Agency integrated with Starfleet as the leading United Earth space exploration service.

The delta insignia was first drawn in 1964 by costume designer William Ware Theiss with input from series creator Gene Roddenberry. The delta — or “Arrowhead” as Bill Theiss called it — has evolved into a revered symbol and one that's synonymous with  Star Trek  today.

The delta also conveys information about the wearer’s duties aboard ship using a series of division symbols. When paired with a distinctive, elongated “star,” the insignia represents someone assigned to the Command division aboard ship. When it displays the “planet” symbol, it represents the Sciences division, a stylized “e” stands for Engineering (later Operations), and a red “Swiss Cross” is worn by starship personnel assigned to the Nursing Corps.

Captain James T. Kirk wearing the Starship Duty Insignia, Command Division.

Let’s continue our study of  Star Trek ’s insignia with personnel assigned to other starships that are wearing the delta insignia.

Before we knew about this memo, we assumed that each ship had its own unique insignia, but there are problems that theory doesn't account for. For instance, does it bother you, or at least seem odd to see the surly guys in Starbase 11’s Officer's Club (in the episode "Court Martial") giving “their captain” a hard time over the presumed death of their mutual friend Ben Finney? Or, to see deceased crew members aboard the  U.S.S. Defiant  (in the episode "The Tholian Web") wearing the delta insignia?

If different starships had different symbols, why weren't they wearing them? Simple. The memo makes it clear that those Starfleet officers are not assigned to the  Enterprise ; they are simply wearing Starfleet’s standard-issue Starship Duty Insignia.

Non-Enterprise Starfleet personnel in Starbase 11’s Officer’s Club in Court Martial, and Below: Deceased U.S.S. Defiant crew member wearing the Starship Duty Insignia in "The Tholian Web."

By now, you might be saying, “What about U.S.S. Exeter ’s Captain Ron Tracey and his chief surgeon, Dr. Carter?” As these two insignia patches are the error being addressed in the memo, they need no further explanation. They alone are the anomaly (an anomaly Theiss never repeated), which led to the misconception that every ship has its own assignment insignia.

Above: Captain Ron Tracey of the U.S.S. Exeter, and Below: his CMO, Dr. Carter.

As you can see here, Theiss thoughtfully, if erroneously, provided both officers with unique assignment insignia patches, and in keeping with his fastidious reputation, insured both patches included their appropriate division symbols.

Early in TOS, we get our first look at non-delta insignia. In the episode "Charlie X,"  Antares ’ Captain Rampart and his first officer are wearing the Spacecraft Duty Insignia, which indicates that they are assigned to an auxiliary spacecraft serving in Starfleet's Merchant Marine Corps — just as Justman points out in his memo. 

Antares' Captain Rampart, and his XO wearing the Merchant Marine Spacecraft Duty Insignia.

Not long after that, we get a look at another new insignia. The Outpost Duty Insignia is worn by Starfleet personnel assigned to outposts on the very edge of Federation space, the frontier. This emblem is characterized by a gold spikelet against a black background. Warning: Do not put yourself in a situation where this insignia goes on your uniform. Personnel wearing this badge never seem to live happily ever after.

Outpost Crew from "Balance of Terror" & "Arena" pictured wearing the Outpost Duty Insignia.

A few episodes later, the Enterprise takes shore leave and Kirk reminisces about his days at the Academy. Worn by students attending Starfleet Academy, the Cadet Duty Insignia is characterized by a pewter colored, smaller version of the Starbase Duty Insignia.

Second Class Midshipman Finnegan wearing the Cadet Duty Insignia.

First seen in "The Menagerie," the Starbase Duty Insignia is worn by personnel assigned to Federation Starbases, which include Starfleet Headquarters, space stations, drydocks, and other ground installations. The emblem, which is devoid of any departmental symbol, is a stylized representation of an “Evening Starflower” (a flowering plant native to the western hemisphere of Earth).

Above: Admiral James Komack of Starfleet Command - Sector 9, and Below: Admiral Fitzpatrick.

Miss Piper, assistant to Commodore Mendez, and Lt. Areel Shaw Starbase 11 JAG Officer wearing the Starbase Duty Insignia.

So how does Commodore Wesley in "The Ultimate Computer," or Commodore Decker in "The Doomsday Machine," fit into the spectrum of Starfleet insignia?

Well, let’s talk about commodores for a moment. A commodore is a flag officer rank, one position above captain. A starship captain usually commands a single vessel, but a commodore ordinarily commands more than one ship. Usually, commodores command a group of ships (either close to their flagship or distant), or in the case of TOS, they normally command a starbase.

In charge of evaluating the operational performance of the M5 computer while it's in total control of a starship, Commodore Wesley sits in temporary command of the  U.S.S. Lexington  to lead a battle fleet in war games against the  Enterprise . Throughout the episode, Commodore Wesley continues to wear his Starbase Duty Insignia, while the  Lexington  crew would have been wearing the delta.

Commodore Bob Wesley in the transporter room briefing Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock about the M5 computer.

Finally, we come to one of my favorite characters ever — Commodore Matt Decker in "The Doomsday Machine." We saved him for last because we could only properly discuss his insignia and what it means after we talked about Starfleet’s other symbols first.

William Windom as Commodore Matt Decker

Unlike Commodore Bob Wesley, who was only in temporary command of the  Lexington , Matt Decker is a Flag Officer with permanent field command of a starship. In fact, he's the only Flag Officer we see in  Star Trek  with a field command. As a consequence of Commodore Decker's rank and status as Commander of the  U.S.S. Constellation  (his flagship), he wears the Fleet Command Insignia denoting his status as a Flag Officer in the field. If we had seen Commodore Decker's crew (may they rest in peace), we would have seen the delta shape insignia in use on their uniforms. Commodore Decker's own first officer would have held the rank of Captain and worn the Starship Duty Insignia.

It should be noted that "The Doomsday Machine," which was filmed early in Season 2, is not referenced in Bob Justman’s memo. Some speculate that Decker’s absence from the memo is further indication of the inconsistent use of emblems in  Star Trek , but that presupposes that the production staff missed that detail. However, the very existence of the Justman memo, and a whole forest of others just like it, demonstrates that the opposite is true.

The production team of  Star Trek  worked diligently to ensure that every aspect of the future they were busy creating held up under scrutiny. Gene Roddenberry was notoriously rewriting scripts himself to ensure no less than exactly what he wanted ended up on-screen, and that fastidious nature permeated the entire production staff. That Decker’s unique emblem is not mentioned in the production memo indicates that his particular insignia isn't an error at all; but represents something else.

Check out Commodore Decker's insignia. Remember that when Theiss created the insignia for Captain Ron Tracey, he went out of his way to ensure it was emblazoned with a Command Star department symbol. Commodore Decker has no such departmental symbol in his insignia patch, which places it in the same design lineage as the Starbase Duty Insignia, which is also devoid of any departmental symbol.

At this point in  Star Trek , we’ve seen a number of flag officers; but they have all worn the Starflower shape, which indicates assignment to a starbase, while Matt Decker alone in TOS series serves as a flag officer in permanent command of a starship. He is wearing an insignia that conveys his unique status, the Fleet Command Insignia, and if you look closely, you'll see that Matt Decker’s emblem is visually related to the Starbase Duty Insignia. Decker’s insignia is a stylized representation of an individual petal from the same “Evening Starflower” emblem that comprises the starbase symbol. This insignia isn't mentioned in the production memo because it's not an error at all.

Hopefully, by now, you can see how consistent the  Star Trek  costume department really was in their use of insignia, and that Bill Thiess never repeated the error he made during "The Omega Glory" after it was pointed out by the memo.

Returning to the delta, Roddenberry and Justman intended it to be a very special symbol that communicates something important. The insignia worn on Starfleet uniforms is the equivalent of the badges worn by U.S. Service members — to show how they serve, not where they serve. Both men served with distinction in World War II. Roddenberry was an Army Air Corps pilot and Justman was a radio operator in the Navy. In the air and at sea, they understood the value of visual communication. In uniform, they themselves carried those values on their chests, on their collars, and on their sleeves. Twenty years after they wore their own various insignia, they helped to create something new — a symbol to inspire others. In the 1960s, the Starfleet delta had far more in common with the golden pin awarded to a NASA astronaut than a simple mission patch, and it was intended to equal that proud emblem in both use and sentiment.

The NASA Astronaut Pin. There are two versions of this pin, a silver pin awarded to those who complete their training, and a gold pin awarded only to astronauts who have flown in space.

The delta proclaims that the person wearing it has achieved the goal of every cadet entering the Academy, and the dream of many a devoted fan — to serve aboard a starship and set sail in an endless sea of stars.

Starfleet Insignia Badge, Command Division from Star Trek Discovery

They used to say if man could fly, he'd have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to.

Captain James T. Kirk

I am grateful to have an experienced and learned group of expert Star Trek fans who helped with the research on this article — Steve Fronczek, Creative Services Manager, ANOVOS; Lieutenant Commander Michael J. Quigley, United States Navy; and Dayton Ward, Star Trek author.

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This article was originally published on October 7, 2018

John Cooley is a lifelong Star Trek fan.

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Starfleet ranks (officers)

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The Starfleet rank system has a long history dating back to early space explorers of the Earth Starfleet and its predecessor naval and military forces.

• 1 Flag officers
• 2.1 Senior officers
• 2.2 Junior officers
• 2.3 Provisional officers
• 4 References
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Flag officers [ ]

Officers [ ], senior officers [ ], junior officers [ ], provisional officers [ ], see also [ ], references [ ].

• ↑ 1.0 1.1 Also seen in parallel 2370s and alternate 2390s . Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "2336 Admirals" defined multiple times with different content
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 Also seen in 2383 .
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 Also seen in mirror 2380s .
• ↑ The rank of commodore was mostly phased out in the 2350s in favor of the rank of rear admiral lower half.
• ↑ 5.0 5.1 In the early 2250s , all officers , regardless of rank , wore one stripe. However, the rank scheme was later changed in the late 2250s and Captains wore two stripes, while all other officers still wore one.
• ↑ All ranks except for FCAPT also seen in parallel 2370s .
• ↑ Also seen in parallel 2370s .

External links [ ]

• Starfleet ranks (officers) article at Memory Alpha , the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Federation Starfleet ranks article at Memory Beta , the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
• Starfleet ranks and insignia article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
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• Comes in an attractive case.

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Jewelry information.

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 3 x 1 x 2 inches; 1.6 ounces
• Department ‏ : ‎ mens
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ May 6, 2016
• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Anovos Productions LLC
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01F8MGYWC
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ China
• #4,716 in Men's Novelty Buttons & Pins

Product Description

This Star Trek replica pin is styled Spock's Captain Rank, as seen in the movies! Comes in an attractive case. A Nerd Block Exclusive!

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Screen Rant

Star trek’s ranks in order: how starfleet officers get promoted.

From Cadet to Admiral, the career path of a Starfleet officer has become an integral part of the stories of many of Star Trek's best-loved characters.

• Starfleet officers begin their career at Starfleet Academy as cadets, studying various subjects and participating in extracurricular activities.
• After graduating from the Academy, officers start at the rank of Ensign and often have to perform less glamorous tasks on their assigned starship.
• Officers can work their way up the ranks, from Lieutenant Junior Grade to Commander, with each promotion bringing additional responsibilities and opportunities for command.

While many Starfleet hopefuls dream of one day having a command of their own, they must work their way diligently through Star Trek 's rank structure first. While it prides itself on exploration and diplomacy, Starfleet is a military organization at heart, and the command structure is reflective of this fact. The basic structure of Starfleet is very similar to that of the US and Royal Navy, with the high seas being swapped for the stars of deep space.

A promotion in Star Trek is usually a reward for exceptional performance , with many Starfleet officers being promoted in response to the valor and bravery demonstrated in the line of duty. Sometimes, a field promotion can also be handed to Starfleet officers in exceptional circumstances, such as with the Maquis officers in Star Trek: Voyager or Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in Star Trek: Picard season 2. However, everyone's Starfleet story must begin somewhere and that first rung on the ladder usually comes in the form of an application and admittance to Starfleet Academy. Here are the various ranks in Starfleet, from the lowly Ensign to Admiral.

Star Trek: Every Captain of the Enterprise

Starfleet academy hopefuls.

Every Starfleet officer's career starts at Starfleet Academy, where prospective recruits enroll as cadets . Starfleet Cadets spend four to eight years at the Academy, depending on their program, where they study a variety of subjects. Courses on offer at Starfleet Academy include Warp Theory, Robotics, Quantum Chemistry, and the legendary Kobayashi Maru simulation . There's also a variety of extracurricular activities on offer at the Academy that also provide formative experiences. Previous Cadets like Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) have helped Starfleet Academy groundskeeper Boothby (Ray Walston) tend to the roses, while the Rigel Cup was won by the Nova Squadron shortly before the tragic accident that left a lasting impression on Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton).

Starfleet Academy played a big role in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009), and the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series is the first time a Star Trek show will be set at the school.

Lowest of the Lower Deckers

After graduating from Starfleet Academy, a Cadet is given their first assignment to a starship as an Ensign. This is the lowest position aboard, which usually means that they have to do the less glamorous jobs aboard their assigned starship. Star Trek: Lower Decks has depicted jobs as menial as holodeck filter duty, and the cataloging of various weird and wonderful alien artifacts. Not every Ensign is a lower-decker, however. Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) is key to keeping the USS Enterprise connected in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) was integral in working on various solutions to returning the USS Voyager home to the Alpha Quadrant.

8 Lieutenant Junior Grade

Congrats, it's your first command rank.

Lieutenant junior grade is the next step-up for an Ensign , denoted by the additional black and gold pip on the collar. Also known as a Lieutenant JG, this rank allows for limited command responsibilities. Notable junior grade lieutenants include Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz), a fiercely intelligent but painfully shy engineer. Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) was also a JG, and his early arrogance suggested he was ostentatiously choosing to slum it as a lieutenant junior grade due to his desire to study frontier medicine. When the Lower Deckers of the USS Cerritos were promoted in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 , they became the most notable Lieutenant Junior Grades in modern Star Trek .

7 Lieutenant

Welcome to starfleet middle management.

After earning a promotion to Lieutenant, the black and gold pip of the JG becomes fully gold, denoting their additional responsibilities. Many Star Trek lieutenants are responsible for various departments aboard their assigned starship. For example, Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) and Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) were in charge of security on the USS Enterprise and Enterprise-D, respectively, while starship helmsmen like Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) and Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) are ranked Lieutenants.

In both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the Lieutenant was the lowest rank in the senior staff, but still allowed them to provide valuable insight and input into any issues facing the crew. Star Trek: Voyager 's Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) bucked this trend by being privy to various command meetings.

Star Trek: Every Version Of The Starship Enterprise

6 lieutenant commander, now you're running your own starfleet department..

Lieutenant Commanders were Heads of Departments or Executive Officers aboard their assigned starships, referred to as " Commander " by those serving under them or their senior officers. Lieutenant Commanders had an additional black pip added to their collar which would become gold on their next promotion. In Star Trek 's 23rd century, the second-in-command on the USS Enterprise was Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), who was later succeeded by Lt. Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy). However, this had changed by the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation , with Starfleet Lieutenant Commanders instead serving as Number One on smaller ships, as Lt. Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) did on the USS Saratoga.

5 Commander

Welcome aboard, number one.

Commander is the last step on the Starfleet career ladder to the captain's chair and one of the most senior ranks on any starship as they deputized for the ship's Captain. Commanders who are starship First Officers often receive the nickname "Number One." In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Commander was the most senior rank until season 3, when Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) finally received his promotion to Captain.

Despite Star Trek 's fascination with its Captain characters, Commander was never a barrier to leading a show, as proved by both Sisko and Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) in Star Trek: Discovery . The most notable Commander was William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who felt like second-in-command of the Federation flagship was more fulfilling than being Captain of a less-celebrated starship.

The rank most Starfleet Officers dream of

Captain of a starship is what many Starfleet officers dream of , and is given to those in command of their own starships. They had enormous responsibilities for the safety of their crew and to Starfleet's Prime Directive. The Captain's rank was also applied to various other positions, such as Captain of Engineering, the position held by Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .

Generally, the position of Captain was the most senior role that still had the relative freedom of deep space exploration and adventure. So much so that Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) warned Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) against accepting a promotion to Admiral in Star Trek Generations . It was a warning that Picard would later ignore, much to his regret.

3 Vice Admiral

You've achieved flag officer status.

Vice Admiral is the rank between Captain and Starfleet Admiral, denoted by three pips on a black and gold bar badge on the collar. The most notable holder of this position is Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) who received her promotion after commanding the USS Voyager through the Delta Quadrant. However, Janeway still had to answer to someone, as seen in her conflict with Admiral Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1. The earliest notable Vice Admiral was the 22nd Century's Maxwell Forrest (Vaughn Armstrong) who was in constant contact with Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) in Star Trek: Enterprise , often being the mediator between Starfleet and the Vulcans in the early days of deep space exploration.

In Star Trek: The Motion Picture , James T. Kirk held the rank of Rear Admiral and was Chief of Starfleet Operations.

Try not to become a Badmiral

Admiral is the highest position in the Royal Navy, however, Starfleet does have a higher position of Fleet Admiral, held by the doomed Elizabeth Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy) in Star Trek: Picard season 3. A Starfleet Admiral is responsible for entire divisions of Starfleet. Notable Starfleet Admirals include Robert April (Adrian Holmes) who oversees his former command, the USS Enterprise, and Owen Paris (Richard Herd) who oversaw the Pathfinder Project that established long-range communications with the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant. Jean-Luc Picard later became Admiral of the Romulan rescue armada in response to the impending supernova but resigned his commission in protest at the Federation abandoning the evacuation, and their ideals.

Many Starfleet Admirals go insane or become villains for some reason.

1 Other Notable Starfleet Ranks

From specialist to warrant officer to commodore.

There are also sideways promotions available to Starfleet officers , such as Fleet Captain and Commodore. Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) got his Fleet Captain promotion in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 while overseeing work on the Deuterium refinery. It was a temporary promotion that allowed Pike to be in overall charge of both the USS Enterprise and USS Farragut for the duration of the refinery project. Similarly, Starfleet Commodores also have overall responsibility for multiple starships, with Geordi La Forge reaching this position with his promotion to curator of the Athan Prime Fleet Museum in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

In Star Trek: Picard season 1, Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita) was Chief of Starfleet Security before she exposed herself as a deep cover Romulan agent named General Nedar.

There are also the lower-ranked non-commissioned officer roles or NCOs. Traditionally, NCOs wouldn't enter a military organization via conventional means like training academies and instead worked their way up through the ranks. The most notable Star Trek NCO is Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) who was put in charge of engineering on Deep Space Nine and was reportedly the most important man in Starfleet history. Another notable NCO position is the Warrant Officer, a role granted to Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and the former crew of the USS Protostar by Vice Admiral Janeway in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1's finale . Michael Burnham also held the unranked position of Specialist when she joined the USS Discovery after she was released from a Federation penal colony in Star Trek: Discovery season 1.

Every Star Trek series except Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Prodigy i s available to stream on Netflix.

Navigation menu

• Mission Logs
• Chronologies
• Library Computer
• Starfleet Ranks

A rank was a position or grade in an organization of people. [1] Someone of equal rank was typically unable to give orders to another, unless their duties placed them in a position of greater authority. [2]

• 1.1.1 Notable Chief Petty Officers
• 2.1.1 Notable Cadets
• 2.2.1 Notable Ensigns
• 2.3.1 Notable Lieutenants, j.g.
• 2.4.1 Notable Lieutenants
• 2.5.1 Notable Lieutenant Commanders
• 2.6.1 Notable Commanders
• 2.7.1 Notable Captains
• 2.8.1 Notable Fleet Captains
• 2.9.1 Notable Commodores
• 2.10.1 Notable Admirals
• 3 Notes and References

Chief Petty Officer

Chief Petty Officer was a senior enlisted rank in Starfleet . [3] [4]

Notable Chief Petty Officers

Cadets were Starfleet officers-in-training at Starfleet Academy . [5] They were sometimes referred to as midshipmen. [6]

Notable Cadets

Ensigns served as junior officers in a variety of duty stations. [3]

Notable Ensigns

Lieutenant, junior grade

Notable Lieutenants, j.g.

Lieutenants served on bridge command crews and as specialists aboard ships. Lieutenants also served as department heads. [3] [7]

Notable Lieutenants

Lieutenant Commander

Officers of Lieutenant Commander rank functioned as department heads or specialists. [3]

Notable Lieutenant Commanders

Commanders served as department heads, and could have a specialized position, such as first officer . [5]

Notable Commanders

Captains commanded Starfleet vessels. [3]

Notable Captains

Fleet Captain

The position of Fleet Captain was that of a senior officer who had demonstrated exceptional competence and expertise in active service. [4]

Notable Fleet Captains

Flag officers had generally served in a variety of vital areas. A flag officer of Commodore rank could serve as a starbase commander. [6]

Notable Commodores

The rank of Admiral was the highest in Starfleet . Admirals were responsible for the deployment of Starfleet vessels in active operations, particularly fleet operations along the border zones between the Federation and foreign governments. [4]

Notable Admirals

Notes and References

• ↑ Trimble, Bjo (Author). Star Trek Concordance . Star Trek . Book , revised and updated edition. Citadel Press . 1995 .
• ↑ Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Naked Time" . Star Trek , season 1, episode 4 (Production number 07). Directed by Marc Daniels . Written by John D.F. Black . Desilu Productions . 29 September 1966 .
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Cage" . Star Trek , season 0, episode 0 (Production number 01). Directed by Robert Butler . Written by Gene Roddenberry . Released 1986 . Desilu Productions . 1965 .
• ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Roddenberry, Gene ( Executive Producer ). "The Menagerie, Part I." Star Trek , Season 1, Episode 11 (Production 16). Directed by Marc Daniels and Robert Butler . Written by Gene Roddenberry . Desilu Productions , 17 November 1966 .
• ↑ 5.0 5.1 Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "Where No Man Has Gone Before" . Star Trek , season 1, episode 3 (Production number 02). Directed by James Goldstone . Written by Samuel A. Peeples . Desilu Productions . 22 September 1966 .
• ↑ 6.0 6.1 Roddenberry, Gene ( Executive Producer ). "Court Martial." Star Trek , Season 1, Episode 20 (Production 15). Directed by Marc Daniels . Story by Don M. Mankiewicz . Teleplay by Don M. Mankiewicz and Steven W. Carabatsos (Teleplay). Desilu Productions , 2 February 1967 .
• ↑ Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Corbomite Maneuver" . Star Trek , season 1, episode 10 (Production number 03). Directed by Joseph Sargent . Written by Jerry Sohl . Desilu Productions . 10 November 1966 .
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