Starfleet alternate ranks and insignia

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Alternate ranks of Star Trek are Starfleet ranks and insignia that have never appeared in canon Star Trek productions or materials, but have been described in non-canonical literature. The main sources of such Star Trek rank insignia are Star Trek novels, The Star Trek Encyclopedia, technical manuals, and notable science-fiction publications like Starlog.

In some cases, conjectural ranks will gain such a standing that they may be mentioned in a live action production or be endorsed by a person, company, or agency connected with Star Trek. Such was the case with the rank of Branch Admiral - the name and insignia were mentioned in a Star Trek role-playing sourcebook, and the insignia later appeared in the Next Generation pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint". However, this insignia was never named on screen, so the suggested name of "Branch Admiral" cannot be considered canon.

Two of the most significant contributors to conjectural and alternate Star Trek ranks are Pocket Books (which has mentioned several additional Star Trek ranks within its Star Trek novel series), and the now defunct company Hollywood Pins (which was one of the costume providers for the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country).

Alternate ranks fall into three categories: ranks from non-canon literature, alternate insignia (existing ranks from live action productions but with different insignia displayed), and non-canonical interpretations of on-screen insignia. Some examples of these ranks are as follows:

Contents 1 Non-canon ranks and insignia 1.1 Non-canon ranks 1.2 Non-canon insignia for established ranks 2 Non-canonical interpretations 2.1 Warrant Officer 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Non-canon ranks and insignia

[edit] Non-canon ranks These are ranks mentioned in non-canon literature whose existence (in the relevant period) has never been confirmed on-screen. An insignia was established for them either in the publication itself or in one of the various tech manuals written by the creative staff of the canon show. Era Rank Insignia Enterprise Lieutenant Commander [1] Lieutenant Junior Grade [2] TOS-era Films Flag Admiral[3] [3] Senior Lieutenant Commander[4] [4] Ensign First Class[5] Unknown TNG 1st season Commodorel[6] [6] Ensign Junior Grade[6] [6] TNG Commodore [7] Officer Candidate/ Midshipman[8] [8] DS9 Master Chief Petty Officer of the Starfleet[9] Command Master Chief Petty Officer[9]

[edit] Non-canon insignia for established ranks The existence of these ranks, during the relevant time period, has been established in a canon source. However, some publications have used different insignia to represent these ranks. Some of these alternative insignia are listed below. Era Rank Canon insignia Non-canon insignia TOS-era Films Fleet Admiral [10] [11] Vice Admiral [11] [4] Fleet Captain [12] [4] Lieutenant Commander [13] [4] TNG Fleet Captain [14] [6]

[edit] Non-canonical interpretations

Era	Rank	Insignia
TNG 1st season	Branch Admiral[6]	[15]
TNG 6th season	Second Lieutenant Commander	[16]

In Encounter at Farpoint, Admiral Leonard McCoy is shown wearing clothing marked with a triangular insignia (pictured below). A FASA role-playing book, Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual, described this insignia as belonging to the rank of "Branch Admiral", indicating McCoy's assumed status as the head of the Medical branch of Starfleet. Neither this rank nor its associated insignia have ever appeared in any other episode or movie.

The "Second Lieutenant Commander" insignia appeared on the canon show itself (it was worn by Geordi LaForge in Man of the People), but was later established as being a costume error. Prior to this, this supposed rank was mentioned in Starlog and other fan-related sources.

[edit] Warrant Officer

The question as to whether or not Starfleet uses the rank of Warrant Officer has remained unanswered in live action production with the only references to this rank existing in Star Trek literature and non-canon publications.

During the making of Star Trek: The Original Series, the rank of Warrant Officer was never seen or made mention of, seemingly to imply that it did not exist in Star Trek. The pre-production release of "The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture" clearly stated there was no Warrant Officer rank during the time frame of the film (circa 2273) with the additional deletion of the much better established rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade.

During the costume preparations for Star Trek II, the rank of Warrant Officer was specifically brought up and the costume designers for the movie stated there was no rank in Starfleet and also there was no “red jacket rank pin” established for this position.

In 1987, the non-canon technical manual "The Klingon Covert Operations Manual" introduced a sleeve stripe for Warrant Officer projected to have been used during the time frame of the original series; the sleeve stripe was a thin "all around" stripe worn on the lower sleeve, similar to a Lieutenant braid. That same year, the character of Kosinski was seen appearing in the Next Generation episode "Where No One Has Gone Before". In the episode, Mr. Kosinski wears an unusual rectangular collar insignian with this being the only instance of the insignia.

The Star Trek literature franchise of Pocket Books then picked up on the idea of a Warrant Officer rank and such characters began appearing in Star Trek novels. When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was aired, the first two seasons implied that Miles O'Brien was a Chief Warrant Officer. This was since O'Brien was shown wearing a single hollow pip insignia, suggesting a quasi-officer grade below Ensign, which was different from the pip design worn by the character in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The novelization of the pilot episode "Emissary" also referred to O'Brien has having been promoted and "issued a warrant" as an "Ensign Junior Grade".

The writers would later explain that part of O'Brien's rank confusion was due to a dislike for the term "Petty Officer". In the episode "Shadowplay" O'Brien identifies himself as a "Senior Chief Specialist", which the writers intended to establish him as the second-highest non-commissioned officer rank.^[18] Later seasons made it clear that O'Brien is a Senior Chief Petty Officer.

The prequel series Enterprise gives no reference to a Warrant Officer rank and, due to simplified officer rank structure in the series, the rank can be said to not exist during the time frame of the series.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Rank Comparison Chart - more examples of non-canon rank insignia, based on canon ranks