Enlisted

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In Starfleet, an enlisted crewperson is one who has not completed the four-year Starfleet Academy course. Enlisted crewmen receive basic training, along with any specific courses required for their position at the Starfleet Technical Services Academy on Mars, before being posted. (TNG: "The Drumhead", "Eye of the Beholder"; DS9: "Shadowplay", "Starship Down")

Other force structures, such as the Klingon Defense Force and the Bajoran Militia, have enlisted men in their ranks, ^{(citation needed • edit)} but it is unclear as to how they differ from their standard officer ranks.

As with commissioned officers, there is a rank structure amongst enlisted crew. ^{(citation needed • edit)} The term "non-commissioned officer" refers specifically to any enlisted personnel given authority over other personnel. ^{(citation needed • edit)} In Starfleet, this refers to any petty officer up to master chief. ^{(citation needed • edit)}

All commissioned officer ranks, from ensign upward, outrank all enlisted officers in the chain of command. ^{(citation needed • edit)} However, in certain cases, non-commissioned officers can exercise authority over commissioned officers. ^{(citation needed • edit)} 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 act as mentors to junior enlisted and commissioned officers. ^{(citation needed • edit)}

Enlisted personnel may be promoted to receive a commission, but must pass necessary examinations and/or attend the Academy. ^{(citation needed • edit)}

The Star Trek Encyclopedia had the TNG-era enlisted insignia labeled as "warrant officers", which contradicts several canon mentions.

Rank structure

Officer

• Master chief petty officer
• Senior chief petty officer
• Chief petty officer
• Petty officer
  • first class
  • second class
  • third class
• Crewman
  • first class
  • second class
  • third class

The Star Trek Encyclopedia refers to these ranks with the non-canonical designation "ables'man". Some modern systems refer to crewman 2nd and 3rd class as "apprentice" and "recruit", respectively.

Military

• Master sergeant
• First sergeant
• Staff sergeant
• Sergeant
• Corporal
• Private

Gene Roddenberry initially envisioned a Starfleet entirely composed of officers during the creation of TNG. As a result, there were negligible numbers of enlisted personnel seen in TNG. During DS9, the writers made a conscious decision to increase the number of enlisted personnel in Starfleet, to a level either equal to or exceeding that of the officers.

This chart shows only general equivalencies based on the ranks used by many governments on Earth, as well as the rest of the galaxy.

See also

• List of Starfleet enlisted personnel