Military Ranks (RDM)
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| Rank Pay Grade | BSG Military Rankings | U.S. Navy Equivalent | U.S. Army / Air Force Equivalent | BSG Examples |
| FLAG OFFICERS | ||||
| [O-11] | Fleet Admiral | Fleet Admiral | General of the Army/Air Force (5 Star) | Nagala (see Note #2) |
| [O-10] | Admiral | Admiral | General (4 Star) | Nagala (see Note #2), Nelena Cain |
| [O-9] | Vice Admiral | Vice Admiral | Lieutenant General (3 Star) | |
| [O-8] | Rear Admiral | Rear Admiral(Upper Half) | Major General (2 Star) | |
| [O-7] | Commander | Rear Admiral(Lower Half) (formerly Commodore) | Brigadier General (1 Star) | William Adama (see Note #3) |
| COMMISSIONED OFFICERS | ||||
| [O-6] | Colonel | Captain | Colonel | (Saul Tigh) (see Note #4) |
| [O-5] | Major | Commander | Lieutenant Colonel | Dr. Cottle (see Note #5) |
| [O-4] | Captain | Lieutenant Commander | Major | Lee Adama, Kelly (see Note #5) |
| [O-3] | Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Captain | Gaeta, Kara Thrace |
| [O-2] | Junior Lieutenant/Lieutenant Junior Grade | Lieutenant Junior Grade | First Lieutenant | Karl C. Agathon, Sharon Valerii |
| [O-1] | Ensign | Ensign | Second Lieutenant | Davis |
| NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS | ||||
| [E-9] | Master Chief Petty Officer (Fleet); Sergeant Major (Marines) | Master Chief Petty Officer | Sergeant Major / Chief Master Sergeant | |
| [E-8] | Senior Chief Petty Officer (Fleet); Senior Master Sergeant (Marines) | Senior Chief Petty Officer | Master Sergeant / Senior Master Sergeant | |
| [E-7] | Chief Petty Officer (Fleet); Master Sergeant (Marines) | Chief Petty Officer | Sergeant (1st Class) / Master Sergeant | Galen Tyrol, Sergeant Hadrian (See Note #6) |
| [E-6] | Petty Officer 1st Class (Fleet); Staff Sergeant (Marines) | Petty Officer 1st Class | Staff Sergeant / Technical Sergeant | |
| [E-5] | Petty Officer 2nd Class (Fleet); Sergeant (Marines) | Petty Officer 2nd Class | Sergeant / Staff Sergeant | Dualla |
| [E-4] | Petty Officer 3rd Class (Fleet); Corporal (Marines) | Petty Officer 3rd Class | Corporal / Senior Airman | Venner, Cally (assumed) |
| ENLISTED PERSONAL | ||||
| [E-3] | Crewman (Fleet); Private 1st Class (Marines) | Seaman | Private 1st Class / Airman 1st Class | Socinus (assumed) |
| [E-2] | Crewman Apprentice (Fleet); Private 2nd Class (Marines) | Seaman Apprentice | Private E2 / Airman | Prosna (assumed) |
| [E-1] | Crewman Recruit (Fleet); Private Recruit (Marines) | Seaman Recruit | Private / Airman Basic | |
Notes
- This listing has been compiled using current FAS rank comparison charts for US military ranks, and contrasting these ranks with the specific roles performed by individuals within the new series.
- Admiral: It is assumed that Nagala's given rank of Admiral (Mini-Series) equates to that of Admiral in the US Navy. However, when he took personal command of the Colonial Fleet following the Cylon Attack (Mini-Series), it is assumed he adopted the (war time) role of Fleet Admiral.
- Commander: The rank of Commander is somwhat unclear, and may in fact cover several rank positions within the Colonial Fleet.
- Given William Adama's apparent seniority (his ability to assume full command of the fleet on hearing of the death of Nagala) it could be argued has been equated to that of Vice-Admiral - thus making him senior enough to take over the role of Fleet Admiral without objection from other Battlestar commanders.
- However, given he is the commanding officer of a vessel, it could also be argued that Adama's rank equates to that of a U.S. Navy Captain.
- Equally, Adama's rank could easily equate to that of Commodore on the grounds that he was potentially the commander of the 75th Battlestar Group (assuming the Galactica was the flag ship for BSG 75). For the purposes of this rank table, therefore, it is assumed that "Commander" encompasses both the flag and commanding officer roles, giving Adama an equivalent rank of Rear Admiral (lower).
- Colonel: The rank of Colonel is highly speculative. Colonel Tigh is referred to as Galactica's Executive Officer - which would nominally place him on a par with the US Navy rank of Commander. However, if Commander is equal to the USN rank of Rear Admiral (lower) then Colonel would equate with a USN Captain or a US Army Colonel.
- Major: The rank of Major, such as (and in particular) the rank of Galactica's CMO Cottle, was given in "Bastille Day". There have been no indications as to whether or not Cottle outranks Lee Adama, or vice versa. However Cottle is a medical officer and not a line officer.
- Non-Commissioned Ranks: The non-commissioned ranks have been assigned on the basis of individual roles performed. For excample: Chief Tyrol's role equates to that of a Senior CPO (and borders that of a Master CPO in some respects); while the role of the Master-at-Arms is generally awarded to a Chief Petty Officer (or possibly a Senior Chief Petty Officer), hence aligning Sergeant Hadrian with the rank of CPO.
- It could be argued that there are different military structures operating within a Battlestar. We see Flag Officers with ranks that parallel the US Navy (i.e. Admiral), Commissioned Officer ranks that parallel the US Army and US Air Force (i.e. Colonel, Major), and also two structures of enlisted crewmen with parallels to both the navy (Cheif Petty Officer) and the army/airforce (Sergeant). Perhaps Galactica operates in a cooperative setting much like the US Navy and US Marines do, thus explaining some of the odd rank structures.