| BSG Military Rankings | U.S. Armed Services | BSG Examples |
| Commander | Admiral (Fleet) [G-5/ G-4] | Commander Adama |
| Commander | Vice Admiral [G-3] | Commander Cain@-1 |
| Commander | Commander [G-4] | Commander Kronus |
| Commander | Rear Adm.(Up) [G-2] | N/A |
| Commander (Lt.) | Rear Adm.(Low) [G-1] (Brigadier General) | N/A |
| COMMISSIONED OFFICERS | ||
| Colonel | Colonel (Exec.Officer) [O-7] | Colonel Tigh |
| Colonel (Jr. or Lt.Col.) | [O-6] | Colonel (Jr.) Tolen |
| Major [used in the novelizations] | Major [O-5] | N/A |
| Captain (Full Flight Wing Commander) | US Air Force Captain [O-4] | Captain Apollo |
| Lieutenant (1st/ Sr. grade) [Flight Leader] | [O-3] | 1st Lts. Boomer, Sheba, Bojay |
| Lieutenant (2nd/Jr. grade; J.G.) | [O-2] | 2nd Lts. Brie, Deitra, Starbuck, and Zac |
| Ensign (lowest ranking officer) | [O-1] | Ensign Greenbean |
| ENLISTED NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS | ||
| Senior Flight Sergeant | [E-5] | Flight Sergeant (Sr.) Jolly |
| Flight Sergeant | [E-4] | Flight Sergeant Ortega |
| Flight Corporal | [E-3] | Flight Corporal Rigel |
| Petty Officer/Yeoman/Private (1st Class) | [E-2] | N/A |
| Cadets (The Academy; Saga of a Star World) | N/A | N/A |
| Recruits (The Man with Nine Lives) | N/A | Borellian Nomen "Recruits" |
Reasoning on Ranks[edit]
- Under marshal law Adama is the Supreme Commander of the remaining rag-tag Colonial Fleet [G-4 Sr.+ or G-5]. ("Baltar's Escape")
- Commander Kronus was fleet commander of 600 ships including the Battlestar Rycon (Fourth Fleet) He was retired; re-activated by Commander Adama, a former aide of Kronus; , [G-4 or G-4 Jr.], "Take the Celestra".
- Cain's XO, Colonel Tolen refers to Colonel Tigh as "sir" in "The Living Legend, Part II". Full Colonels do not address one another as "sir". However all Colonels (even Lt. Colonels) are addressed as "Colonel" or "sir" by lower ranking staff.
- Apollo and Starbuck call Commander Cain "sir". Apollo even calls Colonel Tigh "sir".
- Zac was probably an Ensign, just listed incorrectly on the credits of "Saga of a Star World".
- Reasoning: Zac had never been on a patrol; Lieutenants typically have flight experience and accured flight time.
- In "The Living Legend" Commander Cain is believed lost with the Fifth Fleet. They never say that Cain is 5th Fleet Commander. Cain is an independent operator; this would slow your promotions. Cain and Adama are from the same class; Cain finishes ahead of Adama. Tigh (likely a sophomore when Cain and Adama graduated) was at the Academy doing the same timeframe, but is younger than Cain and Adama.
- Omega is an officer; he has rights to Officer's Club, we do not know what kind because the series ended after one network season. Omega could have been a warrant officer or a Lieutenant.
Legend[edit]
- G: Generals
- O: Commissioned Officers
- E: Enlisted (Non-Commissioned)
Credit[edit]
This information is derived from the defunct Battlestar Galactica InfoSphere; credit for corrections of this rank breakdown go to the fan referred to as "Fur".