Starfleet ranks

Flag Officers:

Flag Officers make up the senior staff of Earth Starfleet. They make all of the key decisions that affect how Starfleet operates both on a day-to-day basis or on a specific mission. They wear the uniform of the Admiralty, which is similar to the blue officer overalls but with a more casual collar and a dress tie. The department stripes on their shoulder are also lined with a silver-white edge. They are also the only group of officers that wear sleeve rank stripes on their duty uniforms.

Fleet Admiral - The top brass of Starfleet. The Commander-in-Chief, Chief of Staff and Chief of Starfleet Operations are be of this rank. There are only 3 people in Earth Starfleet with this grade at any one time. They wear 5 boxed silver pins on their shoulders, and sport a thick braided white stripe with 4 thinner ones flanking on each sleeve.
Admiral - Command important sections of Starfleet (Medical, Corps of Engineers, Science, Justice etc.). They also serve as deputies to Fleet Admirals. They wear 4 boxed silver pins on their shoulders, and sport a thick braided white stripe with 3 thinner ones flanking on each sleeve.
Vice Admiral - Deputies to the department heads with Admiral ranks, they're also often in charge of smaller sub-divisions within Starfleet or head up specific programs, like the NX-Project. A Vice Admiral is also in charge of the Home Fleet, as part of the multiple-organization Sol Defense Force. They wear 3 boxed silver pins on their shoulders, and sport a thick braided white stripe with 2 thinner ones flanking on each sleeve.
Rear Admiral - Deputies to sub-division heads with Vice Admiral grades and other key areas of Starfleet Command. Often heads of specific projects or maybe even a facility or two. Some Rear Admirals are in charge of sectors of space claimed by Earth around the Sol System (including some colonies). They wear 2 boxed silver pins on their shoulders, and sport a thick braided white stripe with 1 thinner one flanking on each sleeve.
Commodore - Highest rank eligible to command a starship in peacetime. Often in charge of facilities or specific projects. A few are in charge of Starfleet assets at smaller or more distant colonies. They wear 1 boxed silver pin on their shoulders, and sport a thick braided white stripe on each sleeve.

Officers:

Officers are the leaders on a ship or facility and make up around 15-20% of the crew. They will have attended the Starfleet Officer Training Academy for a duration of 4 years. Their duty uniform is a blue overall with colored lines around the shoulder areas, denoting departments. Gold is for Command (ship operations, helm and navigation), red is for Operations (engineering and security), and blue is for the Sciences (science and medical).

Fleet Captain - A rank bestowed to Captains who need to command more than one vessel for a substantial period of time but not long enough to warrant a promotion to flag rank. A few Fleet Captains are also in charge of certain special projects within Starfleet. On occasion, a honored Captain who is retiring is given this grade. Though they do hold rank over Captains, they do not have any greater privileges. They wear 5 silver pins on their right shoulder.
Captain - Commands types of larger ship (such as the NX-class and Neptune-class). Can sometimes be found in charge of a facility or as a head of department at one. They wear 4 silver pins on their right shoulder.
Commander - May command medium size vessels (such as the Bison-class or Iceland-class). Can sometimes be found in charge of small facilities. They wear 3 silver pins on their right shoulder.
Lieutenant Commander - A new rank recently introduced into Starfleet. Can command very small vessels only (such as the Iceland-class). Often department heads on ships and facilities. They wear 2 silver pins and 1 'empty' black pin on their right shoulder.
Lieutenant - Highest junior officer rank. They wear 2 silver pins on their right shoulder.
Lieutenant Junior Grade (can be addressed as Junior Lieutenant) - Essentially, a senior Ensign. They wear 1 silver pin and 1 'empty' black pin on their right shoulder.
Ensign - Lowest officer rank. They wear 1 silver pin on their right shoulder.

Warrant:

Warrants are enlisted officers who are considered experts in their field. They are so good at what they do that they have been given a warrant, which affords them some privileges of officer status. They have not gone to the Starfleet Officer Training Academy. They are also the lowest rank that can serve on the bridge of a starship or the operations deck of a station. The uniform is identical to that of an officer.

Master Warrant Officer - They wear 4 'empty' black pins on their right shoulder.
Senior Warrant Officer - They wear 3 'empty' black pins on their right shoulder.
Chief Warrant Officer - They wear 2 'empty' black pins on their right shoulder.
Warrant Officer - They wear 1 'empty' black pin on their right shoulder.

Enlisted:

Enlisted rates make up the bulk of a ship's compliment (around 80-85%). They will have gone to one of the Starfleet Enlisted Training Camps around Earth and the colonies for at least 18 months (possibly longer depending on field and the use of extension courses). Their uniform is identical to the one worn by officers, though they have their own unique rank insignia.

Master Chief Petty Officer (can be addressed as 'Master Chief') - They wear 3 white chevrons, a white arrowhead and 3 vertical lines on their right shoulder.
Senior Chief Petty Officer (can be addresses as 'Senior Chief') - They wear 3 white chevrons, a white arrowhead and 2 vertical lines on their right shoulder.
Chief Petty Officer (can be addressed as 'Chief') - They wear 3 white chevrons, a white arrowhead and 1 vertical line on their right shoulder.
Petty Officer First Class - They wear 3 white chevrons and a white arrowhead on their right shoulder.
Petty Officer Second Class - They wear 2 white chevrons and a white arrowhead on their right shoulder.
Petty Officer Third Class - They wear 1 white chevron and a white arrowhead on their right shoulder.
Crewman First Class (can be addressed as 'Able Crewman') - They wear 3 white diagonal lines and a white arrowhead on their right shoulder.
Crewman Second Class (can be addressed as 'Crewman Apprentice') - They wear 2 white diagonal lines and a white arrowhead on their right shoulder.
Crewman Third Class (can be addressed as 'Crewman Recruit') - This rank is usually only held for a year or so. They wear 1 white diagonal line and a white arrowhead on their right shoulder.

Others:

Midshipman - A Midshipman is a cadet from the Academy serving on active duty. They hold rank over all enlisted personnel, except for Warrant Officers. They wear usual officer uniforms with either 2, 3 or 4 silver circle pins on their right shoulder, depending on if they are in the second, third or forth Officer Academy year (first years are not sent on active duty).
Cadet - Not really a rank, but a Cadet is someone in training at either the Officer Academy or the Enlisted Training facilities. They wear special grey-white overalls, with either 1, 2, 3 or 4 silver circle pins on their right shoulder, depending on if they are in the first, second, third or forth year (same rank insignia as a Midshipman, only the uniform is different).

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