List of fictional military ranks

This is a list of fictional military ranks. They appear in various media, particularly books, films, and television. As a rule, they are more common in science fiction than in other genres.

The ranks are arranged according to the fictional universe that they belong to and, where available, a current military equivalent.

This list is incomplete.

Battlestar Galactica

1978 series

Officer Grade

• Commander - Equivalent to various flag officer ranks
• Colonel
• Major
• Captain
• Lieutenant Senior Grade
• Lieutenant Junior Grade
• Ensign

Enlisted Grade

• Senior Flight Sergeant
• Flight Sergeant
• Flight Corporal
• Petty Officer

2004 series

Officer Grade

• Admiral - (Theoretical - non-canon.)
• Vice Admiral - (Theoretical - non-canon.)
• Rear Admiral - (Only Flag Rank that appears in series canon.)
• Commander - Equivalent to a Commodore, Commanding Officer of a Battlestar Group.
• Colonel
• Lieutenant Colonel (Jack Fisk "Razor")
• Major
• Captain
• Lieutenant
• Lieutenant Junior Grade
• Ensign

Enlisted Grade

• Master Chief Petty Officer - (Theoretical - non-canon.)
• Chief Petty Officer
• Petty Officer 1st Class
• Petty Officer 2nd Class / Sergeant (Marines)
• Specialist / Corporal (Marines)
• Private

Dune

• Supreme Bashar - Field Marshal
• Caid - Military ruler in charge of a planet
• Burseg - General
• Bashar - between Colonel and Brigadier General
• Levenbrech - Between sergeant and lieutenant

Malazan Book of the Fallen

Malazan Military

Lower ranks use normal terms (private, sergeant, corporal, captain) in the Malazan military

• Fist - commander of an army or portion of an army.
• High Fist - Highest-ranking officer in a military theater
• Imperial Adjunct - an officer selected to be, in effect, a direct extension of the emperor's will.
• Squad Mage - mage assigned to assist a particular squad. Mainly used in the Malazan marines.
• High Mage - Highest ranking mage in an army's mage cadre
• Adjutant - an officer who assisted a more senior officer

Others

• Preda - Commander of an army in Lether and Bolkando
• Atri-Preda - High commander of an army in Lether and Bolkando
• Ceda - A mage in Lether, typically one that uses the more primitive holds, as opposed to warrens.
• Atri-Ceda - A 'High Mage' equivalent in Lether, only used after Brys Beddict reforms the Letherii military using the Malazan model. Generally uses holds.
• Septarch - Leader/Commander of one of the 7 districts of the Pannion Domin
• Urdo - Leader of a company of Urdomen, elite heavy infantry of the Pannion Domin
• Seerdomin - Fanatical bodyguards and assassins of the Pannion Domin

Stargate

Goa'uld

• First Prime - Field Marshal

Star Trek

Starfleet

Starfleet's ranks are mostly the same as those of the modern United States Navy, with some exceptions.

• Commodore - equivalent to the modern Rear Admiral Lower Half
• Fleet Captain - between Captain and Commodore

Bajoran

Bajoran Militia ranks are mostly the same as modern Army ranks, with some exceptions.

• Commander General - Fleet Admiral or Field Marshal

Cardassian Union

• Legate - All ranks above Commodore/Rear Admiral lower half/Brigadier General
• Gul - Captain/Commodore
• Glinn - Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander

Klingon Empire

• la'quv - Fleet Admiral or Field Marshal
• 'aj - Admiral or General
• Sa' - Vice Admiral or Lieutenant General
• totlh - Rear Admiral (upper half) or Major General
• 'ech - Commodore/Rear Admiral lower half or Brigadier General

Romulan Empire

Galae (Navy) Officers

• Riov(Commander) - Captain
• erei'Riov (SubCommander) - Commander
• khre'Arrain (Centurion-General) - Lieutenant Commander
• Arrain (Centurion) - Lieutenant
• erei'Arrain (Subcenturion)- Lieutenant, Junior Grade
• Erein (Antecenturion) - Ensign
• erei'Erein (Officer Cadet) - 4th Year Cadet
• khre'Eredh (Cadet-General) - 3rd Year Cadet
• Eredh (Cadet) - 2nd Year Cadet
• erei'Eredh (Subcadet) - 1st Year Cadet

Non-Commissioned Officers

• Decurion - Sergeant Master
• Uhlan - Sergeant
• Eredh - Corporal
• Farein - Private

Ferengi Alliance

• DaiMon - Captain

Star Wars

Galactic Empire

• Executor - Commander in Chief of the Imperial Fleet, appointed by the emperor
• Grand Admiral - was one of the highest in the Galactic Empire (besides the Galactic Emperor, Executor, and Grand Vizier, outranking all other political and Imperial Military personnel, including Moffs).
• Grand General-presumably equivalent to the Grand Admiral rank in the Army.
• Moff - several degrees, all flag officer ranks
• Fleet Admiral-rank of varying responsibility and uncertain placement in the rank structure.
• Captain of the Line - between Captain and Commodore
• High Colonel - between Colonel and Brigadier General

Galactic Republic

• High Jedi General-the highest flag officer rank in the GAR. Only assigned to members of the Jedi High Council. Each one commanded a Systems Army.
• Senior Jedi General-Jedi Masters not a member of the Council typically received this rank, placing them in charge of one of the GAR's 20 Sector Armies.
• Jedi General-flag officer rank assigned to members of the Jedi Order with the rank of Knight or non-Council Master. They command legions and corps, depending on the Jedi rank.
• Marshal Commander-rank equivalent to major general or lieutenant general in the Grand Army of the Republic. Commands corps-sized units and was the highest possible rank for clone troopers to achieve.
• Senior Commander-flag officer rank subordinate to marshal commanders who commanded clone legions in the battlefield. The entire GAR only had a total of 320 senior commanders.
• Jedi Commander-high officer rank assigned to Jedi Padawans in the Clone Wars. Jedi Commanders reigned over regiment-sized units.
• Regimental Commander-field officer rank assigned to clone troopers that worked alongside the Jedi Commanders in regiments.

Warhammer 40,000

Imperial Guard

• Lord Commander Militant - Supreme Commander in Chief of the Imperial Guard.
• Lord General Militant
• Colonel-Commissar - Although Imperial Commissars can technically take command of any Imperial Guard unit, this rank is only given to those who have proven themselves through extraordinary acts of valor and courage. Ibram Gaunt is the only Commissar to currently hold this title.
• Bone'ead - Ogryns who underwent brain surgery to enhance their intelligence to near-human level. They are assigned to command squads of their less intelligent counterparts.

Space Marines

• Neophyte - new recruits into the chapter
• Battle-Brother - the second lowest Space Marine rank
• Justicar - Commands a squad of Grey Knights. Equivalent to Sergeant in other Space Marine organisations.
• Brother-Sergeant
• Brother-Captain - A Space Marine Captain may be addressed thus by his Brothers. Only an official rank title in the Grey Knights.
• Chapter Master - Responsible for an entire Chapter of Space Marines.

Systems Alliance (Mass Effect)

Note: System Alliance Marines are deeply integrated with the Systems Alliance Navy, stationed in small units onboard individual ships, often frigate-class, and thus share most of the naval command structure and officer ranks.

Rank hierarchy (Navy/Marine Corps)

• Enlisted
  • Private
  • Private 1st Class/Lance Corporal
  • Corporal
• NCOs
  • Sergeant/Specialist
  • Staff Sergeant/Gunnery Sergeant
  • Sergeant 1st Class/Chief Gunnery Sergeant (Gunnery Chief)
  • Sergeant Major/Master Chief Gunnery Sergeant (Master Chief)
  • Sergeant Major of the Alliance/Command Master Chief Gunnery Sergeant (Command Master Chief)
• Field Officers
  • Ensign (Yeoman)/2nd Lieutenant
  • Lieutenant/Captain
  • Lt. Commander/Major
  • Commander/Lt. Colonel
  • Captain/Colonel
• Flag Officers
  • Rear Admiral
  • Admiral/General
  • Fleet Admiral