StarFleet Rank Structure

Overview

In Starfleet there are three career paths to choose from. The first is the enlisted career path for those who cannot or chose not to go to Starfleet Academy. An enlisted crewman attends a 12-week basic training course and then either attends a specialty training course which can last between 6 weeks and a year or receives training for their duties ‘on the job.’ The second career path is the officer route, which is more familiar to most Star Trek fans due the overwhelming majority of primary characters throughout the various series having been officers. The majority of officers attend Starfleet Academy for 4 years prior to receiving their commission. The most common alternate route to being an officer is through the warrant officer grades.

When an enlisted member of Starfleet wishes to become an officer they either have to go to the Academy or take an Officer Training Course while remaining on active duty. If they choose the Academy they become a cadet. If they choose officer training they become a warrant officer until they have successfully completed all requirements.

Warrant officer is the third possible career path, though most warrant officers start as enlisted personnel and move on to become officers, some warrant officers are directly appointed upon completing basic training and remain in the warrant officer grades for the majority of their career. Others move from enlisted grades to warrant grades and remain there. These two groups of warrant officers tend to be highly-skilled in their fields, more so than any officer or enlisted crewman is likely to be.

Enlisted

In Starfleet, an enlisted crewperson is one who has not completed the four-year Starfleet Academy course. In many cases enlisted crewmen sign up directly to a ship or posting and receive basic training, as well as any specific courses required for their position. In these cases the crewman will eventually have to attend a Basic Training course to receive Starfleet mandated training. As a general rule, a crewman cannot achieve the grade of Petty Officer 3rd class until they have completed the full 12-week Starfleet Basic Training Course.

As with commissioned officers, there is a rank structure amongst enlisted crew, referred to as "grades". The term "non-commissioned officer" refers specifically to enlisted personnel holding a grade of Petty Officer 3rd class or above, due to their authority over other enlisted personnel. All commissioned officer ranks, from ensign upward, outrank all enlisted in the chain of command. However, in certain cases, non-commissioned officers can exercise authority over commissioned officers. The most common occurrence of this is the Chief of the Boat or Quartermaster of a ship or the Command Chief or Quartermaster of a Starbase, who are authorized to act as Commanding Officer or Executive Officer if the situation requires it and are considered on an equal authority level with a Department Head. Additionally, Chief Petty Officers, such as Miles O'Brien, wield influence far beyond their place in the rank structure due to their extensive experience and skill, and are expected to mentor junior officers as well as other non-commissioned officers.

Enlisted personnel may be promoted to receive a commission, but must pass necessary examinations and/or attend the Academy. If the Enlisted crewman in question chooses to complete this training while remaining on duty they will be promoted to a warrant officer grade until they have completed all requirements to be commissioned as an officer.

Warrant Officer

The warrant officer grades serve two distinct, but equally important purposes. The first and primary purpose is to provide highly skilled leaders in technical positions and divisions. These warrant officers have often served for many years as enlisted personnel and know their departments inside and out. They may also be technical specialists who have joined Starfleet and been placed directly into a warrant officer grade due to their knowledge and experience. They are expected to help train junior officers and enlisted personnel in the particulars of the department they serve in. In many cases these personnel will remain in the warrant officer grades for a significant portion of their career, if not their entire career.

The second purpose is to prepare officer candidates for the duties and responsibilities of their future positions. There are four warrant officer grades with the highest, Chief Warrant Officer, being considered a commissioned officer in its own right. Warrant officer grades are above all cadet and enlisted grades and below all officer grades. In terms of authority and knowledge, warrant officers are equal to or even exceed officers of an equivalent grade (see Rank Experience Chart). Warrant officers can in many cases hold a post that would usually be held by an officer, including department head positions on starships and starbases. Upon completing all the requirements to be commissioned as an officer a warrant officer can be promoted to an officer grade equivalent to or higher than their warrant grade.

Officer

In Starfleet a commissioned officer is an individual who has graduated from the four-year cadet program of Starfleet Academy. Upon graduation from the Academy, the cadet is granted a commission appointing him or her to Starfleet's most junior officer's rank: that of Ensign. With the commission comes a degree in his or her major field of academic study, be it Sciences, Medicine, Military History, Engineering, etc.

On some occasions where a cadet has shown exceptional ability or leadership they may be commissioned at a higher grade than ensign, or may receive their commission before graduating from Starfleet Academy. Officer grades range from Ensign up to Fleet Admiral and are sometimes subdivided into Line officers, Ensign through Captain, and Flag Officers, Commodore to Fleet Admiral. In addition, in some circumstances where an officer holds a position higher than normal for their grade the officer may be given a brevet commission, which gives the officer the authority, rights, and duties of the higher grade while they officially remain at their existing grade. In these cases the officer will wear the rank of their brevet grade. In most cases this is used when an officer is temporarily filling a post or while the officer is in an evaluation period prior to receiving the post, and the associated promotion, permanently.

Officers are the only members of Starfleet allowed to enter into any treaty or contract with another race, and even that ability is limited to officers ranked Captain and above or officers holding the position of Commanding Officer of a starship or starbase.

Definition and Types of Commission

In a military or similarly structured service, a commission is an order from the service's supreme authority, such as its commander-in-chief, authorizing an individual to legally hold a rank, with all the privileges and responsibilities of said rank. A commission usually appoints an individual to hold an officer's rank. When an officer is promoted the commission for his or her current rank is revoked and replaced with a commission authorizing his/her new, higher rank. The same principle applies in a demotion, except that the new commission authorizes the officer for the lower rank he/she is being reduced to. In situations where contact with Starfleet is not possible for extended periods, a commanding officer has the authority to grant commissions to officers under his or her command, or revoke their existing commissions, i.e. he/she has the authority promote, demote, or field commission officers.

A field commission is usually given to someone who has not completed Starfleet Academy, and may not have even been through Basic Training, but who has demonstrated themselves capable of holding an officer’s post under adverse conditions. In some circumstances this is a full commission and the officer wears the same insignia as any other Starfleet officer. In other circumstances the commission may be issued on a provisional basis, in which case it has a specified term of validity or may be rendered void by a certain set of circumstances. Provisional officers wear a slightly different insignia from regularly commissioned officers. Any field commissions issued by a commanding officer, regular or provisional, must be confirmed by the Starfleet Commander-in-Chief when contact with Starfleet Command is re-established.

There have also been cases of officers being given a provisional commission after a court martial, with the commission rendered void if the officer commits any further offense that would normally be grounds for court-martial. This is rare and is usually reserved for cases where the initial offense occurred under extenuating circumstances, such as wartime.