Lieutenant commander (Star Trek)

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Starfleet ranks and insignia Lieutenant Commander
Enterprise:	N/A
Enterprise (mirror):
Star Trek pilots:
TOS:	[1]
TMP:
TOS films:
TNG 1st season:
TNG, DS9, VOY:
TNG (alternate universe):
VOY (provisional):
29th century:

Lieutenant commander is a commissioned Starfleet officer rank in the fictional Star Trek universe.

Lieutenant commander is one of the oldest ranks in Star Trek, tracing its origins to the character of Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell in the Star Trek pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before".

It is unclear when the rank comes to exist in the 22nd century. Although not seen or mentioned within the normal time from of Star Trek: Enterprise, information from the temporally displaced USS Defiant mentions that Hoshi Sato retired from Starfleet with the rank of lieutenant commander ("In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II").

Montgomery Scott, Leonard McCoy, and Spock are lieutenant commanders in The Original Series. Guest role lieutenant commanders appear in "The Alternative Factor" (an unnamed navigator), "Return to Tomorrow" (Doctor Ann Mulhull), and "The Tholian Web" (several unnamed lieutenant commanders who appear for Kirk's eulogy).

In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, although not referred to in dialogue, Uhura and Hikaru Sulu are lieutenant commanders. Another lieutenant commander does not appear until Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, with the appearance of Valeris. Valeris' rank insignia is the only film era instance in which the lieutenant commander rank pin is visible on camera.

Data is a lieutenant commander throughout all of Star Trek: The Next Generation (save for "past" scenes in the series finale). Deanna Troi and Geordi La Forge also hold the rank at various points in the series (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "The Ensigns of Command"). Worf is promoted to lieutenant commander in Star Trek: Generations. Jadzia Dax is promoted to lieutenant commander between Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's third season finale and fourth season premiere and Tuvok is promoted to lieutenant commander in Star Trek: Voyager's "Revulsion".

[edit] Inconsistencies

Lieutenant Commander Valeris throughout Star Trek VI is referred to as "Lieutenant Valeris", but post-production references indicate that Valeris is a lieutenant commander, and she wears the appropriate rank pin^[2]. Similarly, in the Next Generation episode "The Best of Both Worlds", Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Shelby is referred to in several instances as "Lieutenant Shelby". However, the common practice in the real world United States Navy, on whose rank structure Starfleet ranks are based, is to shorten "lieutenant commander" to "commander"[1][2]. This was stated to have stemmed from reading sessions where is was incorrectly shortened.^{[citation needed]}

In Voyager, Tuvok wears lieutenant commander insignia in the first episodes yet is also referred to as a lieutenant. Tuvok later begins wearing lieutenant insignia, without explanation, and is subsequently promoted "back" to lieutenant commander later in the series. The show's producers later said that Tuvok's rank insignia in the early episodes was a costume error^{[citation needed]}.

In The Next Generation's "Man of the People", La Forge wears an insignia consisting of one solid pip and two hollow pips – essentially "backwards" from the established lieutenant commander insignia. Some fan literature has attempted to explain this with the existence of a conjectural rank known as "second lieutenant commander"; however, there is nothing in the established Star Trek canon to support this and was stated by cast and crew to be costume error.^{[citation needed]}

Starfleet ranks and insignia
Flag Officers:	Fleet admiral	Admiral	Vice admiral	Rear admiral	Commodore
Officers:	Fleet captain	Captain	Commander	Lieutenant commander	Lieutenant	Lieutenant junior grade	Ensign
Other:	Enlisted	Officer cadets
Alternate and non-canon rank insignia

[edit] References

1. ^ Joseph, Franz (1975). Star Trek Starfleet Technical Manual. New York: Ballantine Books, T0:01:03:00. ISBN 0-345-34074-4.
2. ^ Okuda, Michael & Denise (1994,1997,1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-03475-8.