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Chief Petty Officer

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You may also be looking for senior chief petty officer, master chief petty officer, Command Master Chief Petty Officer, Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer or Master Chief Petty Officer of Starfleet.

The rating of Chief petty officer was the highest enlisted rating in Starfleet. The chief petty officer, invariably referred to as chief, was a senior non-commissioned officer and is often in control of an entire section of petty officers and unrated enlisted personnel.

The term "chief petty officer" is deduced from real-world naval nomenclature; it is not used in canon Trek, only the word "chief".

Chiefs are further subdivided into a series of ranks based on seniority and merit. These ranks, from lower to higher are as follows: chief, senior chief, and master chief.

A chief or senior chief is addressed as Chief (with surname, as in Chief O'Brien in the first instance, and as plain Chief thereafter). A master chief is addressed as Master Chief.

While chiefs are subordinate to all commissioned officers, intelligent ensigns or lieutenants will listen to their chiefs, as these non-commissioned officers frequently have far greater experience than the junior officers under whom they serve. Even senior officers recognize the value of a good chief petty officer and will take their suggestions and advice seriously.

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[edit] Chief of the boat

Usually, the most senior chief on board ship is designated the Chief of the Boat. In many ways, the Chief of the Boat serves as the enlisted counterpart to the ship's first officer. His responsibilities include ensuring that the other chiefs and the duty sections they are responsible for are properly carrying out their duties, carrying out crew evaluations of enlisted personnel, handling minor disciplinary infractions that do not require the first officer or captain's direct attention, and otherwise liaising with the captain and first officer to ensure the smooth running of the ship. (Star Trek: Dauntless, Star Trek: Independence, Star Trek: Remington, Star Trek: Tales of the USS Bluefin, et al.)

[edit] History

The term "chief petty officer" and "Chief of the Boat" originate in the maritime navies of Earth. The abbreviation in the United States Navy is CPO.

The navy rank system was adapted and simplified for use in Starfleet. In the 23rd century complex and safety-critical systems like the transporters are only operated by chiefs or senior engineering officers. (TOS)

By the 24th century the rating of chief was subdivided in to chiefs, senior chiefs and master chiefs similarly to 20th century usage. (DS9)

We can deduce this from O'Brien's insignia, which indicates senior chief. The distinction is not articulated in dialog. Previous costumes did not have distinct insignia for subdivisions of chief, but they have been created speculatively for RPGs.

[edit] Insignia

In the Starfleet of the 23rd century, enlisted personnel and ensigns both lacked rank insignia. (TOS)

Image:2265 - ENS (Command).PNG Image:2265 - ENS (Operations).PNG Image:2265 - ENS (Sciences).PNG

In the early 2270s, chiefs have a unique symbol on their shoulder strap. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

Image:2270 - CPO (Command).PNG Image:2270 - CPO (Engineering).PNG Image:2270 - CPO (Sciences).PNG Image:2270 - CPO (Medical).PNG Image:2270 - CPO (Helm, Communications, Navigation).PNG Image:2270 - CPO (Security).PNG
There is no screen evidence for further subdivisions of chief, though designs for these insignia have been conjectured.

From the 2280s, enlisted rates have different uniform from officers, tan and maroon, with rank insignia on the left sleeve. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, et al.)

Image:2278 - CPO (Command).png Image:2278 - CPO (Operations).png Image:2278 - CPO (Sciences).png Image:2278 - CPO (Medical).png Image:2278 - CPO (Security).png Chief
Image:2278 - SCPO (Command).png Image:2278 - SCPO (Operations).png Image:2278 - SCPO (Sciences).png Image:2278 - SCPO (Medical).png Image:2278 - SCPO (Security).png Senior chief
Image:2278 - MCPO1 (Command).png Image:2278 - MCPO1 (Operations).png Image:2278 - MCPO1 (Sciences).png Image:2278 - MCPO1 (Medical).png Image:2278 - MCPO1 (Security).png Master chief

From the 2350s, rank was indicated by pips work on the right collar. Enlisted personnel had no insignia, except for chiefs, indicated by a single hollow pip. (TNG)

Image:2366 - Chief (Command).PNG Image:2366 - Chief (Operations).PNG Image:2366 - Chief (Sciences).PNG Chief (2350-2366)

From 2366, a lozenge on the collar distinguished different classes of petty officer and chief petty officer. (DS9)

Image:2366 - CPO Alternate (Command).PNG Image:2366 - CPO Alternate (Operations).PNG Image:2366 - CPO Alternate (Sciences).PNG Chief
Image:2366 - SCPO Alternate (Command).PNG Image:2366 - SCPO Alternate (Operations).PNG Image:2366 - SCPO Alternate (Sciences).PNG Senior chief (VOY)
Image:2366 - MCPO Alternate (Command).PNG Image:2366 - MCPO Alternate (Operations).PNG Image:2366 - MCPO Alternate (Sciences).PNG Master chief



Enlisted ranks Non-commissioned officer ranks Etc Commissioned ranks Flag ranks
E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 O1 O2 O3 O4 O5 O6 O7 O8 O9 O10 O11
Starfleet CR CA CN PO3 PO2 PO1 CPO SCPO MCPO
CMCPO
FMCPO
MCPOSF 		WO

CDT

MID

REC

ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT

FCAPT

DDIR

CDORE

RDML

RADM VADM ADM FADM

CinC


Klingon ground troops Bekk2 Bekk1 Cpl Sgt MSgt SgtMaj 2nd Lt 1st Lt Capt (HoH) Maj LtCol Col Brig ('ech) LtGen Gen (Sa')
Klingon navy PO2 PO1 CPO MCPO ENS LTJG LT (Sogh) LCDR CDR (la') CAPT (HoD) CDORE (totlh) VADM ADM

[edit] External links

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