Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

Military Ranks (RDM)

2007-08-22T15:36:32Z

Hbpense: The current comparrison is not correct, updating to what is more accurate ... their is NO such thing as a Qualified or Non-qualified Ensign in todays military.

This rank structure for the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] is derived from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] [[Military Ranks (TOS)|ranks]] as mentioned in [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s blog.

== Rank equivalences ==

These ranks have been speculatively expanded in order to provide a ''rough'' rank equivalence with the United States Navy. Many aspects of the following table are speculative.

The following table exists mainly to improve understanding of Colonial ranks for those familiar with the US military and similarly structured organizations. However, while the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] has many parallels with modern armed forces, it also diverges from them in certain places, for example in the duties of commanders and admirals, or the place of the [[CAG]] within the ship's hierarchy. Therefor, the emphasis is on placing the ranks in their most appropriate place within the ''Battlestar Galactica'' universe, which is why they don't necessarily match perfectly with modern ranks.

The officer ranks of the [[Colonial Marine Corps]] have yet to be established on screen or by official sources and thus are not listed here (''see Notes''). The Marine Corps's enlisted ranks currently seen so far mirror real world ranks.

{| class="messagebox" style="width:100%" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" align="center"
|- class="infoboxheader"
! style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''COLONIAL FLEET RANK'''
! style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''COLONIAL MARINE RANK'''
| style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''APPROXIMATE US NAVAL RANK'''
! style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''EXAMPLE'''
|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''FLAG OFFICER'''
|-
| Admiral
|
| Admiral
| [[Nagala]], [[Corman]] <ref name="adm">'''Admiral''': Corman wears the same admiral insignia as Adama and Cain, but has thick gold piping on his uniform.</ref>
|-
| Vice Admiral
|
| Vice Admiral
|
|-
| Rear Admiral
|
| Rear Admiral (upper half)
| [[Helena Cain]], [[William Adama]] (Season 2.5+) <ref name="ra">'''Rear Admiral''':
*In the [[Pegasus (Extended Version)|Extended Version]] of the episode "Pegasus", Adama states "Fleet promoted her to rear admiral over half of the commanders on the list." This could also indicate that commander is not a flag rank in the BSG universe.
*A [[:Image:GalPegDradis.JPG|screen capture]] of ''Galactica'''s Dradis shows two stars next to ''Pegasus''. It is speculated that this denotes [[Helena Cain|Cain]] as a two-star admiral.
*When Adama is promoted to admiral in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" his new rank insignia are identical to Cain's. They also have two gold bars on the sides, which could be similar to today's two stars of a rear admiral, upper half.
*Cain seems to command both her battlestar and its [[Battlestar Group]]. In modern practice, a captain commands only the ship, while a rear admiral is in charge of the Carrier Strike Group.
</ref>

|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''COMMISSIONED OFFICER'''
|-
| Commander
|
| Rear Admiral (lower half)
| [[William Adama]] (Miniseries-Season 2.5) <ref name="commander">'''Commander:'''
*The rank of commander is somewhat unclear and also encompasses duties of both modern admirals and captains. While there are some arguments to be made to equate it with rear admiral, lower half, ''Battlestar Wiki'' chooses to equate it with captain, because this comes closest to describing the command structure on ''Galactica'' with Adama as CO and Tigh as XO.
*In "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]", Roslin states "that someone who commands more than one ship is called an admiral". While she is simplifying matters, this also points to where the Colonials draw the distinction between a commander and an admiral.
</ref>
|-
| Colonel
|
| Captain
| [[Saul Tigh]], [[Jack Fisk]]
|-
| Major
|
| Commander
| [[Jackson Spencer]], [[Cottle|Doctor Cottle]], [[Lee Adama]] (Season 3+)
|-
| Captain
|
| Lieutenant Commander
| [[Lee Adama]] (Miniseries-Season 2.5), [[Kara Thrace]] (Season 2.5+), [[Aaron Kelly]], [[Karl Agathon]] (Season 3+)
|-
| Lieutenant
|
| Lieutenant
| [[Kara Thrace]] (Miniseries-Season 2.5), [[Karl Agathon]] (Season 1-2) <ref name="helo"> Helo states his rank as "lieutenant, junior grade" in "[[33]]", but he consistently wears the rank insignia of a lieutenant.</ref>
|-
| Lieutenant Junior Grade
|
| Lieutenant Junior Grade
| [[Sharon Valerii]], [[Felix Gaeta]], [[Louanne Katraine]] (Season 1-2)
|-
| Ensign
|
| Ensign
| [[Davis]], [[Diana Seelix]] (Season 3+)
|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''SENIOR ENLISTED (NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER)'''
|-
| Master Chief Petty Officer || Sergeant Major
| Master Chief Petty Officer
|
|-
| Senior Chief Petty Officer<ref name="SCPO and PO3">The ranks of senior chief petty officer and petty officer 3rd class do not exist in the Colonial military, according to Ron Moore, but are included here due to matters of equivalence.</ref> || Master Sergeant
| Senior Chief Petty Officer
|
|-
| Chief Petty Officer || Gunnery Sergeant
| Chief Petty Officer
| [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Erin Mathias]] ([[Marines|CMC]])
|-
| Petty Officer 1st Class || Staff Sergeant
| Petty Officer 1st Class
| [[Hadrian|Hadrian]] ([[Marines|CMC]]) <ref name="hadrian"> In "[[Litmus]]" Sergeant [[Hadrian]] wears insignia listed here as 'petty officer, 1st class'. While she is a [[Marines|Marine]], it is possible that some rank insignia are used in both services. <br/>Her rank is assumed to be 'staff sergeant' which equates to 'petty officer, 1st class'. Placing her one rank lower or higher would create a conflict with the established insignia of 'petty officer, 2nd class' and 'chief petty officer' respectively.</ref>
|-
| Petty Officer 2nd Class || Sergeant
| Petty Officer 2nd Class
| [[Anastasia Dualla]] (Miniseries-Season 2), [[Cally Henderson]] (Season 3+)
|-
| Petty Officer 3rd Class<ref name="SCPO and PO3">The ranks of senior chief petty officer and petty officer, 3rd class do not exist in the Colonial military, according to Ron Moore, but are included here due to matters of equivalence. This might also be an oversight by Ron Moore.</ref> || Corporal
| Petty Officer 3rd Class
| [[Venner]] ([[Marines|CMC]])
|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''JUNIOR ENLISTED'''
|-
| Crewman Specialist || Lance Corporal
| Seaman
| [[Cally Henderson]] (Miniseries-Season 3), [[Socinus]], [[Prosna]]
|-
| Deckhand || Private First Class
| Seaman Apprentice
| [[Scott Kelso]] ([[Marines|CMC]])
|-
| Recruit || Private
| Seaman Recruit
| [[Sykes]], [[Stewart Jaffee]] (both [[Marines|CMC]])
|-
|}

==Insignia==

{| class="messagebox" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Senior Officers'''
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-AdmiralPin1.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-AdmiralPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-CommanderPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-ColonelPin.jpg]]
|
|-
| '''Admiral''' <ref name="adm"/>
| '''Rear Admiral''' <ref name="ra"/>
| '''Commander'''
| '''Colonel'''
|
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Junior Officers'''
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-MajorPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-CaptainPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-LTsgPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-LTjgPin.jpg|-]]
|
|-
| '''Major'''
| '''Captain'''
| '''Lieutenant'''
| '''Lieutenant, j.g./Ensign'''<ref>The use of the lieutenant.j.g insignia for the rank of ensign in episodes like "[[Scar]]" and "[[Dirty Hands]]" is likely just a costuming necessity. While the costuming department doesn't appear to have produced ensign insignia yet, the Colonial Military would probably use different ones to distinguish the ranks.</ref>
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Non-Commissioned Officers'''
|-
|-
||Colonial Fleet ||
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-CPOPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-PO1Pin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-PO2Pin.jpg]]
|
|-
| '''Chief Petty Officer'''
| '''Petty Officer, 1st Class''' <ref name="hadrian"/>
| '''Petty Officer, 2nd Class'''
|
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Enlisted Personnel'''
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-SpecialistPin.jpg]]
|
|
|
|-
| '''Crewman Specialist'''
|
|
|
|}

These pictures were created by Jim Stevenson a.k.a. "137th Gebirg".
Insignia for the other ranks have yet to be shown on screen and thus aren't listed here.

Senior Officers' ranks can also be identified by the color of the piping on their [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniforms]].

==Additional Images==

<gallery>
Image:CommanderInsigniaPhoto.jpg|Commander rank pin in detail
Image:CPOInsigniaPhoto.jpg|Chief Petty Officer pin in detail
</gallery>

==Notes==
*In a [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/02/index.html#a000020 blog entry] on February 19, 2005 Ronald Moore gave a little insight into the rank structure of Battlestar Galactica:
<blockquote>"What is the rank structure? It doesn't seem consistant with the Navy."<br>
'''
The rank structure is derived from the original series. I didn't want to change Commander Adama to Captain Adama or Colonel Tigh to Commander Tigh, so I elected to simply embrace the co-mingled nature of the original rank structure. For our internal purposes, we've decided that the ranks are indeed a mixture of naval and army nomenclature and are basically as follows:
'''
Officers:
*Admiral
*Commander
*Colonel
*Major
*Captain
*Lieutenant
*Lieutenant (junior grade)
*Ensign
'''
Enlisted:
*Master Chief Petty Officer
*Chief Petty Officer
*Petty Officer (1st, 2nd Class)
*Specialist
*Deck Hand
*Recruit
'''
Just to complicate matters further, there are also Marines aboard ''Galactica'' which conform more closely to the traditional enlisted Marine ranks, with Sergeants, Sergeant-Majors (sic), etc. Unresolved is the question of whether the Marine officers would also adhere to the mixed rank structure (which sounds odd) or if they are strictly army equivalents (which makes no sense given that the "Navy" ranks seem oblivious to there being any such distinction). Aren't you glad you asked?</blockquote>

==See Also==
* [[Uniforms (RDM)]] - Uniforms of the [[Re-imagined Series]].
* [[Insignia (RDM)]] - Additional insignia and patches for uniforms in the Re-Imagined Series.
* [[Military Ranks (TOS)]] - Ranks of the [[Original Series]].

==External Links==

[http://www.galactica.tv/battlestar-galactica-2003---news/rank-insignia-and-symbolism-analysis-for-battlestar-galactica-2003-update.html A detailed analysis] of ''Battlestar Galactica'''s uniform devices by Jim Stevenson. Also the source for this article's images.

==References==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial Military]]
[[Category:Colonial Military (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Military Ranks (RDM)

2007-08-22T04:42:11Z

Hbpense:

This rank structure for the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] is derived from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] [[Military Ranks (TOS)|ranks]] as mentioned in [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s blog.

== Rank equivalences ==

These ranks have been speculatively expanded in order to provide a rough rank equivalence with the United States Navy. Many aspects of the following table are speculative.

Rank equivalences in real life are usually established only when two organizations with differing rank structures have to work together and establish who outranks whom. As this obviously isn't happening between [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] and the United States military, the following table exists mainly to improve understanding of Colonial ranks for those familiar with the US military and similarly structured organizations. However, the emphasis is on placing the ranks in their proper place within the BSG universe, which is why they don't necessarily match perfectly with modern ranks.

The officer ranks of the [[Colonial Marine Corps]] have yet to be established on screen or by official sources and thus are not listed here (''see Notes''). The Marine Corps's enlisted ranks currently seen so far mirror real world ranks.

{| class="messagebox" style="width:100%" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" align="center"
|- class="infoboxheader"
! style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''COLONIAL FLEET RANK'''
! style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''COLONIAL MARINE RANK'''
| style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''APPROXIMATE US NAVAL RANK'''
! style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''EXAMPLE'''
|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''FLAG OFFICER'''
|-
| Admiral
|
| Admiral
| [[Nagala]], [[Corman]] <ref name="adm">'''Admiral''': Corman wears the same admiral insignia as Adama and Cain, but has thick gold piping on his uniform.</ref>
|-
| Vice Admiral
|
| Vice Admiral
|
|-
| Rear Admiral
|
| Rear Admiral (upper half)
| [[Helena Cain]], [[William Adama]] (Season 2.5+) <ref name="ra">'''Rear Admiral''':
*In the [[Pegasus (Extended Version)|Extended Version]] of the episode "Pegasus", Adama states "Fleet promoted her to rear admiral over half of the commanders on the list." This could also indicate that commander is not a flag rank in the BSG universe.
*A [[:Image:GalPegDradis.JPG|screen capture]] of ''Galactica'''s Dradis shows two stars next to ''Pegasus''. It is speculated that this denotes [[Helena Cain|Cain]] as a two-star admiral.
*When Adama is promoted to admiral in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" his new rank insignia are identical to Cain's. They also have two gold bars on the sides, which could be equivalent to today's two stars of a rear admiral, upper half.</ref>

|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''COMMISSIONED OFFICER'''
|-
| Commander
|
| Rear Admiral (lower half)
| [[William Adama]] (Miniseries-Season 2.5) <ref name="commander">'''Commander:''' The rank of commander is somewhat unclear and encompasses duties of both modern admirals and captains. It may be analogous to the rank of "[[w:Commodore (USN)|commodore]]", which is no longer used in the US Navy. The term "commodore" was used historically to designate the captain of a ship of the line who also had command of at least one other ship of the line, although it was also (at times) a position in the US Navy equivalent to a modern rear admiral, lower half. In general, the position of "commodore" was a tactical designation indicating command of multiple ships and not a rank above captain. The term is still used in the US Navy today in two situations. First, senior captains in command of certain multi-ship (or airwing) squadrons may be addressed as "commodore". Secondly, a captain visiting another ship may be addressed as "commodore" to prevent any confusion as to the actual "captain" of the ship.</ref>
|-
| Colonel
|
| Captain
| [[Saul Tigh]], [[Jack Fisk]]
|-
| Major
|
| Commander
| [[Jackson Spencer]], [[Cottle|Doctor Cottle]], [[Lee Adama]] (Season 3+)
|-
| Captain
|
| Lieutenant Commander
| [[Lee Adama]] (Miniseries-Season 2.5), [[Kara Thrace]] (Season 2.5+), [[Aaron Kelly]], [[Karl Agathon]] (Season 3+)
|-
| Lieutenant
|
| Lieutenant
| [[Kara Thrace]] (Miniseries-Season 2.5), [[Karl Agathon]] (Season 1-2) <ref name="helo"> Helo states his rank as "lieutenant, junior grade" in "[[33]]", but he consistently wears the rank insignia of a Lieutenant, Senior Grade.</ref>
|-
| Lieutenant Junior Grade
|
| Lieutenant Junior Grade
| [[Sharon Valerii]], [[Felix Gaeta]], [[Louanne Katraine]] (Season 1-2)
|-
| Ensign
|
| Ensign
| [[Davis]], [[Diana Seelix]] (Season 3+)
|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''SENIOR ENLISTED (NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER)'''
|-
| Master Chief Petty Officer || Sergeant Major
| Master Chief Petty Officer
|
|-
| Senior Chief Petty Officer<ref name="SCPO and PO3">The ranks of senior chief petty officer and petty officer 3rd class do not exist in the Colonial military, according to Ron Moore, but are included here due to matters of equivalence.</ref> || Master Sergeant
| Senior Chief Petty Officer
|
|-
| Chief Petty Officer || Gunnery Sergeant
| Chief Petty Officer
| [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Erin Mathias]] ([[Marines|CMC]])
|-
| Petty Officer 1st Class || Staff Sergeant
| Petty Officer 1st Class
| [[Hadrian|Hadrian]] ([[Marines|CMC]]) <ref name="hadrian"> In "[[Litmus]]" Sergeant [[Hadrian]] wears insignia listed here as 'petty officer, 1st class'. While she is a [[Marines|Marine]], it is possible that some rank insignia are used in both services. <br/>Her rank is assumed to be 'staff sergeant' which equates to 'petty officer, 1st class'. Placing her one rank lower or higher would create a conflict with the established insignia of 'petty officer, 2nd class' and 'chief petty officer' respectively.</ref>
|-
| Petty Officer 2nd Class || Sergeant
| Petty Officer 2nd Class
| [[Anastasia Dualla]] (Miniseries-Season 2), [[Cally Henderson]] (Season 3+)
|-
| Petty Officer 3rd Class<ref name="SCPO and PO3">The ranks of senior chief petty officer and petty officer, 3rd class do not exist in the Colonial military, according to Ron Moore, but are included here due to matters of equivalence. This might also be an oversight by Ron Moore.</ref> || Corporal
| Petty Officer 3rd Class
| [[Venner]] ([[Marines|CMC]])
|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''JUNIOR ENLISTED'''
|-
| Crewman Specialist || Lance Corporal
| Seaman
| [[Cally Henderson]] (Miniseries-Season 3), [[Socinus]], [[Prosna]]
|-
| Deckhand || Private First Class
| Seaman Apprentice
| [[Scott Kelso]] ([[Marines|CMC]])
|-
| Recruit || Private
| Seaman Recruit
| [[Sykes]], [[Stewart Jaffee]] (both [[Marines|CMC]])
|-
|}

==Insignia==

{| class="messagebox" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Senior Officers'''
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-AdmiralPin1.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-AdmiralPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-CommanderPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-ColonelPin.jpg]]
|
|-
| '''Admiral''' <ref name="adm"/>
| '''Rear Admiral''' <ref name="ra"/>
| '''Commander'''
| '''Colonel'''
|
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Junior Officers'''
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-MajorPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-CaptainPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-LTsgPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-LTjgPin.jpg|-]]
|
|-
| '''Major'''
| '''Captain'''
| '''Lieutenant'''
| '''Lieutenant, j.g./Ensign'''<ref>The use of the lieutenant.j.g insignia for the rank of ensign in episodes like "[[Scar]]" and "[[Dirty Hands]]" is likely just a costuming necessity. While the costuming department doesn't appear to have produced ensign insignia yet, the Colonial Military would probably use different ones to distinguish the ranks.</ref>
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Non-Commissioned Officers'''
|-
|-
||Colonial Fleet ||
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-CPOPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-PO1Pin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-PO2Pin.jpg]]
|
|-
| '''Chief Petty Officer'''
| '''Petty Officer, 1st Class''' <ref name="hadrian"/>
| '''Petty Officer, 2nd Class'''
|
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Enlisted Personnel'''
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-SpecialistPin.jpg]]
|
|
|
|-
| '''Crewman Specialist'''
|
|
|
|}

These pictures were created by Jim Stevenson a.k.a. "137th Gebirg".
Insignia for the other ranks have yet to be shown on screen and thus aren't listed here.

Senior Officers' ranks can also be identified by the color of the piping on their [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniforms]].

==Additional Images==

<gallery>
Image:CommanderInsigniaPhoto.jpg|Commander rank pin in detail
Image:CPOInsigniaPhoto.jpg|Chief Petty Officer pin in detail
</gallery>

==Notes==
*In a [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/02/index.html#a000020 blog entry] on February 19, 2005 Ronald Moore gave a little insight into the rank structure of Battlestar Galactica:
<blockquote>"What is the rank structure? It doesn't seem consistant with the Navy."<br>
'''
The rank structure is derived from the original series. I didn't want to change Commander Adama to Captain Adama or Colonel Tigh to Commander Tigh, so I elected to simply embrace the co-mingled nature of the original rank structure. For our internal purposes, we've decided that the ranks are indeed a mixture of naval and army nomenclature and are basically as follows:
'''
Officers:
*Admiral
*Commander
*Colonel
*Major
*Captain
*Lieutenant
*Lieutenant (junior grade)
*Ensign
'''
Enlisted:
*Master Chief Petty Officer
*Chief Petty Officer
*Petty Officer (1st, 2nd Class)
*Specialist
*Deck Hand
*Recruit
'''
Just to complicate matters further, there are also Marines aboard ''Galactica'' which conform more closely to the traditional enlisted Marine ranks, with Sergeants, Sergeant-Majors (sic), etc. Unresolved is the question of whether the Marine officers would also adhere to the mixed rank structure (which sounds odd) or if they are strictly army equivalents (which makes no sense given that the "Navy" ranks seem oblivious to there being any such distinction). Aren't you glad you asked?</blockquote>

==See Also==
* [[Uniforms (RDM)]] - Uniforms of the [[Re-imagined Series]].
* [[Insignia (RDM)]] - Additional insignia and patches for uniforms in the Re-Imagined Series.
* [[Military Ranks (TOS)]] - Ranks of the [[Original Series]].

==External Links==

[http://www.galactica.tv/battlestar-galactica-2003---news/rank-insignia-and-symbolism-analysis-for-battlestar-galactica-2003-update.html A detailed analysis] of ''Battlestar Galactica'''s uniform devices by Jim Stevenson. Also the source for this article's images.

==References==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial Military]]
[[Category:Colonial Military (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Military Ranks (RDM)

2007-08-22T04:34:47Z

Hbpense:

This rank structure for the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] is derived from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] [[Military Ranks (TOS)|ranks]] as mentioned in [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s blog.

== Rank equivalences ==

These ranks have been speculatively expanded in order to provide a rough rank equivalence with the United States Navy. Many aspects of the following table are speculative.

Rank equivalences in real life are usually established only when two organizations with differing rank structures have to work together and establish who outranks whom. As this obviously isn't happening between [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] and the United States military, the following table exists mainly to improve understanding of Colonial ranks for those familiar with the US military and similarly structured organizations. However, the emphasis is on placing the ranks in their proper place within the BSG universe, which is why they don't necessarily match perfectly with modern ranks.

The officer ranks of the [[Colonial Marine Corps]] have yet to be established on screen or by official sources and thus are not listed here (''see Notes''). The Marine Corps's enlisted ranks currently seen so far mirror real world ranks.

{| class="messagebox" style="width:100%" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" align="center"
|- class="infoboxheader"
! style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''COLONIAL FLEET RANK'''
! style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''COLONIAL MARINE RANK'''
| style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''APPROXIMATE US NAVAL RANK'''
! style="font-size:100%;" align="left" valign="middle" | '''EXAMPLE'''
|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''FLAG OFFICER'''
|-
| Admiral
|
| Admiral
| [[Nagala]], [[Corman]] <ref name="adm">'''Admiral''': Corman wears the same admiral insignia as Adama and Cain, but has thick gold piping on his uniform.</ref>
|-
| Vice Admiral
|
| Vice Admiral
|
|-
| Rear Admiral
|
| Rear Admiral (upper half)
| [[Helena Cain]], [[William Adama]] (Season 2.5+) <ref name="ra">'''Rear Admiral''':
*In the [[Pegasus (Extended Version)|Extended Version]] of the episode "Pegasus", Adama states "Fleet promoted her to rear admiral over half of the commanders on the list." This could also indicate that commander is not a flag rank in the BSG universe.
*A [[:Image:GalPegDradis.JPG|screen capture]] of ''Galactica'''s Dradis shows two stars next to ''Pegasus''. It is speculated that this denotes [[Helena Cain|Cain]] as a two-star admiral.
*When Adama is promoted to admiral in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" his new rank insignia are identical to Cain's. They also have two gold bars on the sides, which could be equivalent to today's two stars of a rear admiral, upper half.</ref>

|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''COMMISSIONED OFFICER'''
|-
| Commander
|
| Captain
| [[William Adama]] (Miniseries-Season 2.5) <ref name="commander">'''Commander:''' The rank of commander is somewhat unclear and encompasses duties of both modern admirals and captains. It may be analogous to the rank of "[[w:Commodore (USN)|commodore]]", which is no longer used in the US Navy. The term "commodore" was used historically to designate the captain of a ship of the line who also had command of at least one other ship of the line, although it was also (at times) a position in the US Navy equivalent to a modern rear admiral, lower half. In general, the position of "commodore" was a tactical designation indicating command of multiple ships and not a rank above captain. The term is still used in the US Navy today in two situations. First, senior captains in command of certain multi-ship (or airwing) squadrons may be addressed as "commodore". Secondly, a captain visiting another ship may be addressed as "commodore" to prevent any confusion as to the actual "captain" of the ship.</ref>
|-
| Colonel
|
| Commander
| [[Saul Tigh]], [[Jack Fisk]]
|-
| Major
|
| Lieutenant Commander
| [[Jackson Spencer]], [[Cottle|Doctor Cottle]], [[Lee Adama]] (Season 3+)
|-
| Captain
|
| Lieutenant
| [[Lee Adama]] (Miniseries-Season 2.5), [[Kara Thrace]] (Season 2.5+), [[Aaron Kelly]], [[Karl Agathon]] (Season 3+)
|-
| Lieutenant
|
| Lieutenant Junior Grade
| [[Kara Thrace]] (Miniseries-Season 2.5), [[Karl Agathon]] (Season 1-2) <ref name="helo"> Helo states his rank as "lieutenant, junior grade" in "[[33]]", but he consistently wears the rank insignia of a Lieutenant, Senior Grade.</ref>
|-
| Lieutenant Junior Grade
|
| Qualified Ensign
| [[Sharon Valerii]], [[Felix Gaeta]], [[Louanne Katraine]] (Season 1-2)
|-
| Ensign
|
| Non-qualified Ensign
| [[Davis]], [[Diana Seelix]] (Season 3+)
|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''SENIOR ENLISTED (NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER)'''
|-
| Master Chief Petty Officer || Sergeant Major
| Master Chief Petty Officer
|
|-
| Senior Chief Petty Officer<ref name="SCPO and PO3">The ranks of senior chief petty officer and petty officer 3rd class do not exist in the Colonial military, according to Ron Moore, but are included here due to matters of equivalence.</ref> || Master Sergeant
| Senior Chief Petty Officer
|
|-
| Chief Petty Officer || Gunnery Sergeant
| Chief Petty Officer
| [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Erin Mathias]] ([[Marines|CMC]])
|-
| Petty Officer 1st Class || Staff Sergeant
| Petty Officer 1st Class
| [[Hadrian|Hadrian]] ([[Marines|CMC]]) <ref name="hadrian"> In "[[Litmus]]" Sergeant [[Hadrian]] wears insignia listed here as 'petty officer, 1st class'. While she is a [[Marines|Marine]], it is possible that some rank insignia are used in both services. <br/>Her rank is assumed to be 'staff sergeant' which equates to 'petty officer, 1st class'. Placing her one rank lower or higher would create a conflict with the established insignia of 'petty officer, 2nd class' and 'chief petty officer' respectively.</ref>
|-
| Petty Officer 2nd Class || Sergeant
| Petty Officer 2nd Class
| [[Anastasia Dualla]] (Miniseries-Season 2), [[Cally Henderson]] (Season 3+)
|-
| Petty Officer 3rd Class<ref name="SCPO and PO3">The ranks of senior chief petty officer and petty officer, 3rd class do not exist in the Colonial military, according to Ron Moore, but are included here due to matters of equivalence. This might also be an oversight by Ron Moore.</ref> || Corporal
| Petty Officer 3rd Class
| [[Venner]] ([[Marines|CMC]])
|-
| class="infoboxheader" colspan="3" align=center style="font-size:95%;" | '''JUNIOR ENLISTED'''
|-
| Crewman Specialist || Lance Corporal
| Seaman
| [[Cally Henderson]] (Miniseries-Season 3), [[Socinus]], [[Prosna]]
|-
| Deckhand || Private First Class
| Seaman Apprentice
| [[Scott Kelso]] ([[Marines|CMC]])
|-
| Recruit || Private
| Seaman Recruit
| [[Sykes]], [[Stewart Jaffee]] (both [[Marines|CMC]])
|-
|}

==Insignia==

{| class="messagebox" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Senior Officers'''
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-AdmiralPin1.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-AdmiralPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-CommanderPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-ColonelPin.jpg]]
|
|-
| '''Admiral''' <ref name="adm"/>
| '''Rear Admiral''' <ref name="ra"/>
| '''Commander'''
| '''Colonel'''
|
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Junior Officers'''
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-MajorPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-CaptainPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-LTsgPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-LTjgPin.jpg|-]]
|
|-
| '''Major'''
| '''Captain'''
| '''Lieutenant'''
| '''Lieutenant, j.g./Ensign'''<ref>The use of the lieutenant.j.g insignia for the rank of ensign in episodes like "[[Scar]]" and "[[Dirty Hands]]" is likely just a costuming necessity. While the costuming department doesn't appear to have produced ensign insignia yet, the Colonial Military would probably use different ones to distinguish the ranks.</ref>
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Non-Commissioned Officers'''
|-
|-
||Colonial Fleet ||
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-CPOPin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-PO1Pin.jpg]]
| [[Image:NBSG-PO2Pin.jpg]]
|
|-
| '''Chief Petty Officer'''
| '''Petty Officer, 1st Class''' <ref name="hadrian"/>
| '''Petty Officer, 2nd Class'''
|
|-
| colspan="4" class="infoboxheader" | '''Enlisted Personnel'''
|-
| [[Image:NBSG-SpecialistPin.jpg]]
|
|
|
|-
| '''Crewman Specialist'''
|
|
|
|}

These pictures were created by Jim Stevenson a.k.a. "137th Gebirg".
Insignia for the other ranks have yet to be shown on screen and thus aren't listed here.

Senior Officers' ranks can also be identified by the color of the piping on their [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniforms]].

==Additional Images==

<gallery>
Image:CommanderInsigniaPhoto.jpg|Commander rank pin in detail
Image:CPOInsigniaPhoto.jpg|Chief Petty Officer pin in detail
</gallery>

==Notes==
*In a [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/02/index.html#a000020 blog entry] on February 19, 2005 Ronald Moore gave a little insight into the rank structure of Battlestar Galactica:
<blockquote>"What is the rank structure? It doesn't seem consistant with the Navy."<br>
'''
The rank structure is derived from the original series. I didn't want to change Commander Adama to Captain Adama or Colonel Tigh to Commander Tigh, so I elected to simply embrace the co-mingled nature of the original rank structure. For our internal purposes, we've decided that the ranks are indeed a mixture of naval and army nomenclature and are basically as follows:
'''
Officers:
*Admiral
*Commander
*Colonel
*Major
*Captain
*Lieutenant
*Lieutenant (junior grade)
*Ensign
'''
Enlisted:
*Master Chief Petty Officer
*Chief Petty Officer
*Petty Officer (1st, 2nd Class)
*Specialist
*Deck Hand
*Recruit
'''
Just to complicate matters further, there are also Marines aboard ''Galactica'' which conform more closely to the traditional enlisted Marine ranks, with Sergeants, Sergeant-Majors (sic), etc. Unresolved is the question of whether the Marine officers would also adhere to the mixed rank structure (which sounds odd) or if they are strictly army equivalents (which makes no sense given that the "Navy" ranks seem oblivious to there being any such distinction). Aren't you glad you asked?</blockquote>

==See Also==
* [[Uniforms (RDM)]] - Uniforms of the [[Re-imagined Series]].
* [[Insignia (RDM)]] - Additional insignia and patches for uniforms in the Re-Imagined Series.
* [[Military Ranks (TOS)]] - Ranks of the [[Original Series]].

==External Links==

[http://www.galactica.tv/battlestar-galactica-2003---news/rank-insignia-and-symbolism-analysis-for-battlestar-galactica-2003-update.html A detailed analysis] of ''Battlestar Galactica'''s uniform devices by Jim Stevenson. Also the source for this article's images.

==References==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial Military]]
[[Category:Colonial Military (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]