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I don't mean due to inconsistency and prop goofs (like O'Brien's notoriously inconsistent depiction).

But field commissions, flashbacks, alternate timelines, Q-manipulations, etc would be in-bounds. It's about how they were intended to appear on screen.

Rank means Starfleet rank, or possibly rank in another contemporary alien quasi-military force.

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    I suspect the answer is Worf, who I think has appeared as Lieutenant JG, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, and Commander. But I'm not confident enough to post an answer. Another candidate might be Chekov? – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 15:32
  • Other ideas:
    Picard: cadet, ensign(?), lieutenant jg ("Tapestry"), Captain, and Admiral     – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 16:07
  • Wonderboy Crusher: acting ensign, ensign, cadet and ??? – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 16:07
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    Also on Worf, is ambassador a rank? – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 16:13
  • Also: Kirk? (including [tag:star-trek-reboot]-- cadet, ensign, captain and admiral ? – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 16:24
  • It's interesting that there are very few (none?) signficant characters who weren't commissioned officers. – GreenMatt Aug 17 '15 at 18:01
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    @ThePopMachine: No, Ambassador is a position. A rank is a link in the military chain of command. – Mason Wheeler Aug 17 '15 at 18:06
  • @ThePopMachine Do the ranks have to be unique? If not, then for kirk wouldn't it go cadet, ensign, captain, (commander in into darkness?), admiral, captain (post earth saving demotion in IV) – CBredlow Aug 17 '15 at 18:13
  • how many star fleet ranks are there total? – antony.trupe Aug 17 '15 at 18:16
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    @CBredlow: The question is about ranks held, not changes. Otherwise every time anyone has a flashback or a temporary field commission or Q messes with them, they rack up the ranks. – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 18:22
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    @antony.trupe: Well, I suppose: cadet, ensign, lt jg, lt, lt cmdr, cmdr, commodore (!), captain, and presumably several ranks of admiral. And this is not counting non-commissioned ranks, provisionals, and field commissions. – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 18:23
  • Boy, I think I may really have messed this up be mentioning non-Starfleet ranks. If there is support, I will split this into two questions and people can paste their responses into the appropriate one. – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 18:37
  • Also, let's not forget that in "Starship Mine", Picard held the rank of Barber. – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 20:00
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    I'm coming in late to this, but I'm certain that Geordi LaForge is the answer, and so +1 to @JohnP (and +1 to you for an awesome question). – Praxis Aug 17 '15 at 22:46
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    @ThePopMachine : "...Picard held the rank of barber." It was a temporary field commission. ;-) Whenever I watch that episode, I ask myself: how much would he really know about hair? – Praxis Aug 17 '15 at 23:04
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    @Praxis: Well, the fact a barber chooses to shave his head could be due to the barber paradox -- no one else is any good, so easier to use phaser hair removal. – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 23:21
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    ... but this is a good point. You'd think the bad guys could have just made him give a haircut to prove he's not who he claimed. This one needs one. – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 23:24
  • Answers should distinguish between the rank and position of captain. JFK was a lieutenant (JG) when he was captain of the PT-109 – DJohnM Aug 18 '15 at 01:39
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    Are these ranks as recorded officially by Starfleet, or just someone claiming/being told they're a particular rank? – PointlessSpike Aug 18 '15 at 07:35
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    JFK was in Star Trek?!? – Omegacron Aug 18 '15 at 13:46
  • Looking at the answers, especially the Q one, I think this question also needs some clarification whether simply donning the appropriate costume qualifies for "having a rank". – O. R. Mapper Aug 19 '15 at 08:53
  • @O.R.Mapper: Yes, there is a subtlety here. Well, I did mention Q-manipulations were in bounds. I don't think it matters from a practical point of view, except for Q, but I would accept any depiction of the character at a particular rank, presumably in uniform, assuming it was the intent of writers, not a costume goof up. – ThePopMachine Aug 19 '15 at 14:18
  • @ThePopMachine: Ah, I had interpreted "Q-manipulations" as Q-caused changes to the timeline that would have characters end up (in that timeline, the regular way) in the respective ranks, rather than Q just switching someone's clothes, but all right. – O. R. Mapper Aug 19 '15 at 14:22
  • @O.R.Mapper: I don't believe he ever switched anyone's clothes but his own. Right? – ThePopMachine Aug 19 '15 at 14:25
  • @ThePopMachine: Well, at least, he would switch the crew's uniforms for Robin Hood era garments in Qpid. – O. R. Mapper Aug 19 '15 at 14:28
  • Note: Troi appeared as a Tal Shiar Major. This would count. – ThePopMachine Aug 19 '15 at 15:00
  • Question: Do any of the Star Trek games allow you to progress through ranks? I'm not normally interested in answers regarding games or EU, but it might be worth a note somewhere. – ThePopMachine Oct 14 '15 at 14:34

5 Answers5

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According to the Memory Alpha wiki, it would be Geordi LaForge.

Geordi has held more ranks on screen than any other Star Trek character: he was an ensign in a flashback in TNG: "Identity Crisis", he was a lieutenant junior grade in TNG Season 1, a full lieutenant in TNG Season 2, a lieutenant commander in TNG Seasons 3 through 7 and the four Next Generation feature films, a commander in the illusory future of TNG: "Future Imperfect", and a captain in an alternate timeline in VOY: "Timeless".

That would be 6 ranks (Ensign, Lieutenant JG, Lieutenant, Lt. Commander, Commander and Captain), and includes all ranks with the exception of the flag ranks (Admiralty).

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    This is going to be tough to beat – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 17:51
  • @johnP - Geordie is still the winner. One of Nog's ranks was illegitimate. – Valorum Aug 17 '15 at 18:51
  • @Richard: Can you explain? – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 19:15
  • @ThePopMachine - Sorry. There should have been a link to my answer below – Valorum Aug 17 '15 at 19:16
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    So he was a Lt JG in season one and a Lt Cmdr by season three. No wonder Harry Kim is frustrated! – ThruGog Aug 17 '15 at 21:05
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    @ThruGog well, you just have to get past ensign. Then you can breeze through the ranks – ThePopMachine Aug 18 '15 at 00:00
  • "That includes all ranks" You go straight from ensign to lieutenant in Starfleet?! – TylerH Aug 19 '15 at 14:39
  • @TylerH - Yes. Naval ranks - Ensign, Lieutenant junior grade (JG), Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Captain. – JohnP Aug 19 '15 at 14:46
  • @JohnP Oh, commissioned officers. I was confusing "Ensign" with the basic enlisted "Seaman". – TylerH Aug 19 '15 at 15:57
  • Geordi may have the most starfleet ranks in appearances, but not total ranks including other military forces which clearly Worf has, which was the actual question, see Worf below. – JMFB Sep 09 '15 at 15:35
  • @JMFB - Other than your answer has erroneous information, the last sentence states "Starfleet rank or other contemporary alien quasi military force". The objections to squire, etc. still stand, so if you grant the Captain position, that ties him at 6. The others are job titles. – JohnP Sep 09 '15 at 15:58
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    Note: as established here Memory Alpha doesn't make a good primary source. So the Memory Alpha quote is good for establishing when La Forge appeared as different ranks (verifiable). But the "has held more ranks on screen than any other Star Trek character" isn't verifiable from that quote. It's just an unsubstantiated claim. See the conflicting quote (also from MA!) in @Richard's answer of Nog. – ThePopMachine Oct 14 '15 at 14:39
  • @ThePopMachine good point. And this is only Starfleet ranks. Your question also included contemporary military groups, klingon, etc. Which this answer does not include. So how about switching the correct answer to me! lol. – JMFB Oct 21 '15 at 17:57
  • @JMFB: There are some legitimate issues with your answer in the comments that you haven't corrected. For example, Colonel Worf has no business being there. Also, you seem to be stretching the definition of rank to include position, which, if we allowed, would expand the other answers too. – ThePopMachine Oct 21 '15 at 21:14
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I'm going to go with Q.

He appears as a Starfleet Lieutenant, a Starfleet Commander, a Starfleet Captain, a Starfleet Admiral as well as an RN Captain, a US Marine Colonel, a WWIII 'Drug Soldier', A Chakuzon Commander (in Q2) and a Napoleonic-era Marshall.

This makes a total of 9 military ranks held, four Starfleet and five others, albeit all are held illegitimately.

enter image description here

Valorum
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  • excellent point. I really meant Starfleet rank. Would you be offended if I clarified the question and we counted this as four, with four more as interesting side note trivia? – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 16:02
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    It was only a throwaway answer. I knew what you meant ☺ – Valorum Aug 17 '15 at 17:49
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    Brilliant answer; I would never have thought of Q! – Often Right Aug 17 '15 at 23:26
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    @Richard: Are you sure there were all illegitimate? Maybe he went back in time, joined the Academy, studied for four years, and then served in Starfleet for 5-25 years, separately for each of those cases, while simultaneously manipulating the timeline to attain the rank and position needed for each of those displays. – ThePopMachine Aug 17 '15 at 23:41
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    @ThePopMachine: You really think Q would actually attend Starfleet Academy and take the tests -- as opposed to just finger-snip-altering the timeline to make it as if he had done so? It's much more in line with Q's character that he hadn't even bothered to do that much, and just donned the uniform, because -- who is to discipline him? ;-) – DevSolar Aug 18 '15 at 09:32
  • @DevSolar: It was just a joke to give Richard a hard time – ThePopMachine Aug 18 '15 at 12:48
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    the literally correct answer! – Fattie Aug 18 '15 at 16:40
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    @ThePopMachine: If Q had spent 4 years in Starfleet Academy and 25 more years serving in Starfleet, then why did he bother annoying 3 TNG-era captains for 10 years in the name of "testing humanity's potential"? – Ellesedil Aug 18 '15 at 22:43
  • @Ellesedil - For fun. – Valorum Aug 18 '15 at 22:51
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    @ellesedil - I think we have to consider the possibility that Q is just a bit of a dick – Jon Story Aug 19 '15 at 09:09
  • A drug soldier is not a rank, and he did say contemporary which Napoleonic and US Marshall are clearly not. So that brings Q down to 5. That's the reason I put squire and some of the others as separate items to include in my Worf answer below as they are not contemporary military forces. – JMFB Sep 09 '15 at 15:37
  • @JMFB - Clearly the drug soldier has a rank, we just don't know what it is. Also, the word "contemporary" was added after I'd posted this answer – Valorum Sep 09 '15 at 17:31
  • @Richard kind of like my Worf answer that has "weapons officer," which was discounted in the comments section under my question. Clearly Worf has the most ranks. Yes it was added after mine as well which means squire should be included as well. I didn't write the series, just answered a question about it. – JMFB Sep 10 '15 at 20:13
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Nog seems to hold an unfeasible number of ranks; On DS9 he holds the ranks of Cadet, Ensign and Lt Jg as well as a temporary promotion to Lt Cmdr on board the Valiant. He also holds the rank of full Commander as well as Captain, as seen in the alternate timeline in DS9: The Visitor.

That makes a combined total of 6 Starfleet ranks. The only main ranks we don't see are Fleet Admiral and Lieutenant

enter image description here

While it is sometimes held that Geordi La Forge has held more ranks on screen than any other Star Trek character, Nog certainly is a competitor. Nog is first seen in his cadet's uniform in "Facets" (albeit before formally entering the Academy) and retains this rank until he is promoted to ensign in "Favor the Bold". In the series' finale, "What You Leave Behind", he is promoted to lieutenant junior grade. However, while serving on the USS Valiant in the episode of the same name, Nog was assigned the duties of chief engineer with the rank of lieutenant commander by acting captain Tim Watters. Furthermore, in the alternate timeline of "The Visitor", Nog was seen first as commander and then later on as captain. In all, there are six ranks: cadet, ensign, lieutenant junior grade, lieutenant commander, commander, and captain, thus equaling La Forge's number. - Memory Alpha: Nog

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34

WORF

11 to 14 ranks

Starfleet:

Ensign (DS9/TOS Crossover: "Trials and Tribulations")

Lieutenant (TNG episode: "Encounter at Farpoint")

Lieutenant Jr Grade (TNG episode: "Evolution")

Lieutenant Commander (TNG movie: Star Trek Generations)

Commander (DS9 episode: "Way of the Warrior")

Starfleet Parallel Universe:

Commander and First officer of the Enterprise-D (TNG: "Parallels")

Mirror Universe:

Regent (DS9: "The Emperor's New Cloak") (both political and military position, commanded flagship of the Alliance) Look under heading Mirror Universe: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Regent

Gowrons Klingon Defence Force:

Weapons Officer (TNG episode: "Redemption")

Captain Worf "...whom attained the rank of Captain (in Worf's case, through the Klingon Defense Force) while under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard." See paragraph under heading Captain: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Starfleet_ranks

Klingon:

Commander and First Officer IKS Rotarran (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire")

Chancellor (DS9 episode: "Soldiers of the Empire") (The chancellor is both politically head of the high council and the military head of the Klingon Defense forces outranking all generals)

Other Possibilities:

If you include Ambassador(s):

Ambassador to Qonos (DS9 episode: "What you leave behind")

Starfleet TOS:

Colonel Worf of the Klingon Imperial Forces (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) (This is Worf's grandfather who is a different entity, but so is a person in a parallel or mirror universe. He is called Worf and has the same actor playing him)

Q's Universe

Squire (TNG episode: "Qpid") (A squire is a military rank, it is the second lowest rank just below becoming a knight) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squire

So anywhere from 11 to 14 depending on what you consider a rank. Clearly Starfleet, Parallel, Mirror Universe, Gowron's Defense Force, and Klingon would count. Colonel Worf you have to decide if he's the same character, since it is in name & actor, but not the same entity. Ambassador does have power and was a promotion from commander, but is not necessarily a rank. He was chancellor albeit for a brief moment before he gave the office over to Martok. Chancellor is head of the Klingon Defense Force and highest held military rank. Squire should also be considered. In the Robin hood episode he was Will Scarlet who in many Robin Hood stories is considered a squire.

Why I suggested you might think about including ambassador:

As high-ranking official representatives, Federation ambassadors have powers to issue orders and special instructions to Starfleet starship commanders. (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon"; TNG: "The Host", "Data's Day"; DS9: "The Adversary") https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Ambassador

Klingon Defense Forces Rank Emblems(added since people were questioning Worf holding various ranks in the Klingon Defencse forces):

The rank system of the Klingon Defense Force bears some resemblance to various Earth ranking systems. A ceremonial sash of varying design and material is worn by commanding Klingon warriors to show rank and status in society. The sash can be made of many materials, most commonly of gold thread or silver metal, such as those worn by Worf and Martok. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Klingon_ranks

Klingon Defense Force Hierarchy:

The system of hierarchy aboard ships within the Defense Forces was highly structured. According to one of their systems, one that operated successfully for centuries, the first officer of any Klingon vessel had the duty to assassinate his captain when and if the captain became weak or unable to perform. It was expected that his honorable retirement should be assisted by his "first". The second officer also shared similar duties with his "first". (TNG: "A Matter Of Honor"; DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire") https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Klingon_Defense_Force

List of Klingon Defense Force Personnel:

WORF https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Klingon_Defense_Force_personnel

(As a side note Worf is working on a project to do a new Star Trek series(God please make it happen) called "Captain Worf." So if that happens then the answer would change to 12-15 ranks adding Starfleet Captain. Here's a link to an article on it from this year http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2015/06/11/with-fan-support-michael-dorn-hopes-captain-worf-will-be-star-treks-next-frontier/)

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    Colonel Worf is Worf's grandfather; http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Worf_(Colonel). Ambassador is not a rank. – Valorum Aug 17 '15 at 18:26
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    @Richard that's why I put 9-12 just depends on how you look at it. A squire was an assistant to a knight or in this case Robin Hood, so it's synonymous with rank but not necessarily. I just included the extras just because...but there's a solid 8 in there, maybe more depending how you look at it. Colonel Worf is still "Worf", just like alternate universe Worf is Worf but not the same entity, just same name, but he said to include anything on-screen so I included all of them with disclaimers. – JMFB Aug 17 '15 at 18:32
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    Richard was at +7 and JohnP was at +13 when I posted this, it'll be tough to catch them... – JMFB Aug 17 '15 at 18:40
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    I refuse to upvote this when it's got wrong info in it :-P – Valorum Aug 17 '15 at 18:50
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    @Richard I'm an upvote whore, what wrong info you want changed? Actually your Nog answer that I wanted to ask but I'll ask later as I'm about to maxrep for the day. – JMFB Aug 17 '15 at 18:56
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    My objections above remain. Squire isn't a military rank. Colonel Worf isn't the same person as Cmdr Worf, Ambassador isn't a rank. – Valorum Aug 17 '15 at 19:01
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    Regent isn't a rank, neither is squire, chancellor or ambassador. All of those are civilian positions. Weapons officer is military, but again it's a position not a rank. That brings his number down to 5. – JohnP Aug 17 '15 at 19:32
  • @JohnP Regent and chancellor being government positions doesn't necessarily preclude them from also being military ranks though. As real-life examples, the US President is the highest miltary rank, and in North Korea the supreme leader is also the highest military post. – matts Aug 17 '15 at 20:01
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    @matts - For the US, Commander in Chief when used by the President is not a military rank. It is a civilian position. And no, the others don't preclude it, but it does not automatically connote it either. – JohnP Aug 17 '15 at 20:15
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    @JMFB: 'Colonel Worf is still "Worf"' - isn't that like saying that Wesley Crusher has held the position of Chief Medical Officer because Wesley Crusher is still "Crusher"? Not the same entity as his mother, just the same name? In any case, Colonel Worf was a Colonel of the Klingon Imperial Forces, not a member of "Starfleet TOS". – O. R. Mapper Aug 17 '15 at 22:47
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    @O.R.Mapper I used disclaimers for those. Your example is not exact. Same name, Same actor, different entity. Just like the mirror universe is same actor, same name, different entity. I just threw it in. That's why it has a range and disclaimers. – JMFB Aug 18 '15 at 00:17
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    When was Worf an ensign in the TOS crossover? He & Odo were disguised as civilian traders... – Omegacron Aug 18 '15 at 13:52
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    if you count a rank in the Klingon Military as separate from Starfleet military, than you could count 6 ranks or more. I am sure that Worf held other ranks (briefly) in the Klingon military – Malachi Aug 18 '15 at 20:28
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    @JMFB : You have definitely made some solid improvements to this answer. Nice work! +1 – Praxis Sep 09 '15 at 05:37
  • I went back and watched the DS9/TOS episode. Worf is never shown as an Ensign - he and Odo spend the entire episode in either their regular uniforms or the civilian trader disguises. Also, he was never technically Chancellor either - after he killed Gowron the cloak was on his back for like ONE second, plus he refused the position and gave it to Martok. – Omegacron Oct 23 '15 at 20:28
  • @JMFB, you want to clean this up? – ThePopMachine Oct 27 '15 at 07:12
  • @ThePopMachine yes I will, when I have the time. My heart just isn't into this stuff right now, going through a lot. But I appreciate you pointing it out to me. I'll try to go through it in the next couple of days. Thx – JMFB Oct 28 '15 at 00:34
  • @JMFB IN TNG All Good things, Future Worf is Governor of a Klingon outpost on the border of the Neutral Zone. Is that rank listed? – steenbergh Oct 31 '15 at 16:52
0

I'm going to post this and maybe someone can fill it out.

It's possible Wesley Crusher appears as six ranks.

It would depend on the following suppositions:

  • Different levels of cadet count as different ranks. The evidence for this: (1) cadets of different levels appears to be able to give lower-ranking cadets orders (see Red Squadron), and Locarno refers to 'anyone under my commands' and (2) they wear different numbers of little black bars similar to rank pips, which apparently indicate their year in the Academy.

  • Cdt. Crusher appears with zero or one pip. I'm not certain of this, but I suspect it to be true. It think there is a reveal of him in uniform after he hears he is admitted to the Academy.

  • Acting Ensign and Ensign are different ranks.

If we accept those premises, then Crusher appears as:

Acting Ensign, Ensign, Cadet grade 0 or 1, Cadet Grade 2, Cadet Grade 4, and Lieutenant.

That is six.

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