2350's-2404 Rank and Insignia :: STARFLEET UNIFORMS

this page covers part of the [Voyager] era

2350's-2404 Rank and Insignia : Page 1

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YELLOW ALERT cancel Yellow Alert
Although the look of the uniforms changes during the period of 2366-2404, and the Starfleet emblem changes too, the essential system of rank pips does not e.g. four solid gold pips indicates a captain and that continues throughout the period, although the pips are worn on the front right of the collar from 2364 until the uniforms system change in 2395 after which they are worn on the upper right breast. As far as seeing the rank insignia on tv is concerned, we actually see it in use from 2364 starting with the [TNG] opener [TNG: Encounter At Farpoint], and see it last in use (as at the time of writing) in [#171 and #172 Endgame].
Personally I like to distinguish between what I call 'the current timeline' and 'eventually unrealised future(s)'. As regards the current timeline, the system of rank pips and admiral rank pins endures to at least [ST X: Nemesis] which is set in 2378. However, the system is also strongly implied by Star Trek to last to 2404 at least, because a particular uniforms system appears in three stories, although they are ones that show the uniforms in eventually unrealised futures. The implication is, which seems supported by TOSTFF and visually by Star Trek, that the uniforms change does occur, regardless of certain events happening to individuals or not. The stories are [TNG: All Good Things...], [DS9: Season 4: The Visitor], and [#171 and #172 Endgame]. The date that seems universally accepted for the introduction of the new uniforms system is during 2395. More discussion at Why 2394 is the last service date for the uniforms introduced in 2373.
The Maquis system illustrated below endures only as long as the Maquis does, however, and the tv viewer sees that those of the Voyager crew who were/are Maquis continue to wear their Maquis rank pins until ship and crew return to the Alpha Quadrant at the end of 2377, even though they receive news that the Maquis has been effectively destroyed by 2375. Torres' reaction to that news is depicted in [#97 Extreme Risk].

PAGE CONTENTS Starfleet emblem/combadge, rank and insignia

STARFLEET EMBLEM/COMBADGE

All uniforms from this period are worn with the delta symbol badge of Starfleet on the left breast. The delta symbol is a simplified silver version of the arrowhead which formed the Starfleet emblem from 2270, but its origin, that of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701's own starship or mission symbol, is intended still to be seen clearly. (Between the films era and this one, source descriptions changed from referring to "arrowhead" to "delta" for the Starfleet symbol, presumably to distinguish between the [TOS] design and this design and later ones.) The insignia is the same for all crew members regardless of rank or department and, in a very significant change from previous uniform systems, is used as a communicator as well as a Starfleet emblem. This makes communication between personnel quick and convenient, and is in keeping with the inevitable development of communications systems over the past century.

RANK AND INSIGNIA

A different system of rank insignia is also introduced along with the change in uniform. A series of small circular pips, each just one centimetre in diameter, combine to indicate all ranks from warrant officer to fleet admiral. Pips, all worn on the right-hand side of the uniform collar, are either a solid gold colour, or black and ringed by a metallic circumference. The number and arrangement of these pips provide an immediate visual reference to the rank of the wearer - an important indicator when the uniform of an enlisted crewman and a captain could otherwise be identical. Rank pips are not worn on the dress uniform variants.

The rank of Commodore, in use in the 2200's and thus Commodores are seen in [TOS], has become defunct by the 24th century.

Red alert: The picture below is 141Kb.
source: Encyclopaedia

ADMIRAL system of rank pins shown above; one worn each side of the collar

CAPTAIN

COMMANDER
There is no rank which wears 3 solid gold pips and 1 black one, so the next rank down (commander) wears three solid gold pips.

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER

LIEUTENANT

LIEUTENANT J.G. (Junior Grade)
When an ensign is promoted to lieutenant junior grade, a single blak pip is added to the gold one. This rank of officer is new to Starfleet, and was not in existence during the 2260's (Captain Kirk's era - the [TOS] era).

ENSIGN
An ensign is the lowest ranked officer (over a century later, Ensign Harry Kim explains this to Terek, a Kraylor starship crewmember, in [#154 Nightingale]) and indicates someone who has begun their climb up the promotion ladder.

CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER
This is the lowest rank in this system. For the first decade after the rank pips are introduced, high-ranking NCOs wear this badge.

CHIEF PETTY OFFICER
The symbol for a chief petty officer is of a different style to the rest of the insignia. It is denoted by three purple stripes and two spots on a grey background. It is also worn on the 'collar'. (However, I have not noticed a chief petty officer since [TNG].)

Rank pips are not worn on the dress uniform variants during the 2350's-2365 era.

When Starfleet changes its uniforms to predominantly black jumpsuits in 2369 (e.g. seen in Season 1 and 2 of [DS9] and all Seasons of [Voyager]), and to the black and grey suits in 2373 (e.g. worn by Starfleet personnel in [Voyager] who are not USS Voyager crew), the rank pip system remains the same. It is, however, noticeable that in many [Voyager] scenes the pips look more silver or metallic grey in colour rather than gold, and the border encircling the black pips also seems a more silver colour or metallic grey. It is probably the lighting as no source mentions a change to the rank pips. The combined Starfleet emblem and communicator pin, however, is re-styled in 2371, to that seen throughout [Voyager], [DS9] Seasons 3-7 and in [ST IX: Insurrection] and [ST X: Nemesis] - the delta symbol becomes silver with a gold edge and the oval background changes to a squarer shape.

In the period 2395-2404, which at the time of writing is only ever seen on tv in the form of events that are eventually unrealised (see Yellow Alert above), the rank pips move from being worn on the collar to being worn on upper right-hand side of the chest. In addition, by 2395 the Starfleet emblem gets re-designed. It is seen in [TNG: All Good Things...], [DS9: Season 4: The Visitor] and [#171 and #172 Endgame].

2350's-2371
2371-2394
2395 to 2404

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ADMIRAL		system of rank pins shown above; one worn each side of the collar
CAPTAIN
COMMANDER There is no rank which wears 3 solid gold pips and 1 black one, so the next rank down (commander) wears three solid gold pips.
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER
LIEUTENANT
LIEUTENANT J.G. (Junior Grade) When an ensign is promoted to lieutenant junior grade, a single blak pip is added to the gold one. This rank of officer is new to Starfleet, and was not in existence during the 2260's (Captain Kirk's era - the [TOS] era).
ENSIGN An ensign is the lowest ranked officer (over a century later, Ensign Harry Kim explains this to Terek, a Kraylor starship crewmember, in [#154 Nightingale]) and indicates someone who has begun their climb up the promotion ladder.
CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER This is the lowest rank in this system. For the first decade after the rank pips are introduced, high-ranking NCOs wear this badge.
CHIEF PETTY OFFICER The symbol for a chief petty officer is of a different style to the rest of the insignia. It is denoted by three purple stripes and two spots on a grey background. It is also worn on the 'collar'. (However, I have not noticed a chief petty officer since [TNG].)