Officer
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An officer is a member of a group typically in the areas of the military, police, or some other form of authority. In a military service, an officer's typical role is to command and direct, maintain discipline and make plans and provisions for operation. Certain organizations have special criteria in order to achieve the status of officer.
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Commission
In a military service, a commission is an order from the service's supreme authority, such as its commander-in-chief, authorizing an individual to legally hold a military rank, with all the privileges and responsibilities of said rank. A commission usually appoints an individual to hold an officer's rank.
Commissions have long been used by the supreme authorities of military services throughout history to appoint officers. In the United States military, for example, commissions were granted by the President of the United States, who was the US military's Commander-in-Chief.
When an officer is promoted, the commission he/she has for his or her current rank is revoked, and replaced with a commission authorizing him/her for his/her new, higher rank. The same principle applies in a demotion, except that the new commission authorizes the officer for the lower rank he/she is being reduced to.
In times of conflict, a temporary commission could appoint an officer to command rank to replace an incapacitated or killed commanding officer. Commander William T. Riker, for example, was granted a field commission promoting him to Captain and given command of the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-D--D when the ship's commanding officer, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, was abducted and assimilated by the Borg during their first attempt to assimilate Earth.
In situations where contact with Star Fleet is not possible for very extended periods, a commanding officer has the authority to grant commissions to officers under his or her command, or revoke their existing commissions, i.e. he/she has the authority promote or demote his/her officers. Good examples of this are when Captain Kathryn Janeway, commanding officer of the USS Voyager, promoted her Chief Tactical Officer and Security Chief, Lieutenant Tuvok, to the higher rank of Lieutenant Commander, or when she demoted her Flight Controller, Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas E. Paris, to Ensign. After a year of exemplary service, she re-promoted him to his former rank.
Star Fleet
In the Federation Star Fleet, an officer or commissioned officer is an individual who has attended, and graduated from the four-year cadet program of Star Fleet Academy. Upon graduation from the Academy, the cadet is granted a commission appointing him or her to Star Fleet's most junior officer's rank: that of Ensign. With the commision comes a Bachelor's degree in his or her major field of academic study, be it the Pure Sciences, Medicine, Military Science, etc.
Commissioned officers are distinguished from non-commissioned officers and other crewmembers through the use of a rank structure.
Commissioned officer rank structure
Star Fleet ranks from lowest to highest:
- Ensign
- Lieutenant junior grade
- Lieutenant
- Lieutenant commander
- Commander
- Captain
- Commodore (aka rear admiral, lower half)
- Rear admiral (upper half)
- Vice admiral
- Admiral
- Fleet admiral
Other officer terms
- Certain officer positions can be filled by non-commissioned officers and civilians if the need arises.
By rank
- Field officer
- Flag officer
- Line officer
- Ranking officer
- Commissioned officer
- Provisional officer
- Non-commissioned officer
By title
By command structure
By department
- Helm officer
- Navigator
- operations officer
- Engineer
- Tactical officer
- Security officer
- Weapons officer
- Armory officer
- Intelligence officer
- Communications officer
- Medical officer
- Science officer
- Counselor
