Starfleet Officers
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All Starfleet Personnel aboard a starship are either commissioned officers or enlisted men. Commissioned officers hold their positions or command by the authority of commissions awarded them by the Alliance. A rank is a grade or level to which commissioned officers are appointed or promoted. An officer of a given rank is subject to all officers of higher ranks, and is superior in rank to any officer of lower rank. When officer have the same rank, the officer first promoted to that rank takes precedence. Commissioned ranks run from Fleet Admiral to Ensign.
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Line Officers
Unrestricted Line Officers (URL): Serve in the Command, Operations, Security/Tactical, and Flight Departments aboard a starship. They have been specially trained at the Academy, both in their particular specially and in how and why to lead men. Only an unrestricted line officer may serve in these two Departments. A line officer usually starts his career as an Ensign aboard ship, and has been carefully and rigorously tested by the Captain in all varieties of situations to see how he will perform under stress. Only after he passed these tests will an Ensign be made an unrestricted line officer.
Restricted Line Officer (RL): Serve in the Engineering, Science, and Intelligence departments aboard a ship or base. These officers are trained for command of a ship/base department or division, but not qualified for overall command of a ship or a base.
Staff Officers
Staff Corps Officers: Serve as the heads of the other Departments and Divisions aboard ship. Staff officers were civilians who, because of valuable and highly developed skills/expertise in a particular area, are given commissions with a corresponding rank and rating. As an example, postulate a skilled surgeon wishing to join Starfleet. After the extent and degree of his medical knowledge has been evaluated, he will study at the Academy how to efficiently run his Department or Division in a correct and military manner. As well, he will be familiarized with Starfleet duties and practices. Upon graduating from this rather shortened course, he will be assigned as a staff officer aboard a starship, either as Chief Medical Officer, or as the Head of the Surgical Division. As a staff officer, he will only be entitled to issue orders to personnel within his own Department. A staff officer may, at some later time, opt to take Command training. He will be re-assigned to the Academy and complete a six-week course. Upon matriculation, the officer will be rated as both a line and staff officer; still capable of assuming command in the absence of any superior Line officer.
Ensigns
Ensign: A unique rank due to its brevet (temporary) nature. It is the lowest commissioned rank. What makes it special is that it can be lost without incurring a black mark on the record of the cadet, since it was understood to be brevet from the first. Every graduate of Starfleet Academy is commissioned at graduation, usually as an Ensign. From this point in time the clock starts counting down, the testing period has begun. The rank of Ensign can only last two years. During this time, the Ensign's performance in his duties is under constant scrutiny. The Captain and Executive Officer observe this junior officer to see if the traits, aptitudes, and values judged as befitting an officer are exhibited. At the end of the two year term (or sooner at the Captain's discretion) the ship's senior officers will gather in the Briefing Room to evaluate the Ensign. Although the final decision is the Captain's, information brought forward by the Executive, Medical, and the Ensign's own immediate superior officer are invaluable in this final evaluation. If the Captain decides that the Ensign is ready he will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant (junior grade). If the Ensign does not meet the Captain's expectations, there are several options open. The cadet may choose to return to the Academy in the hope of strengthening any weak areas noted by the Captain. Contrawise, the cadet may choose to be decommissioned and serve as an enlisted crewman (probably as a petty officer). An Ensign may be placed in charge of a Division, such as the flight deck within the Operations division. he may not be placed in command of a vessel or shuttlecraft, as he has not yet completed his Command training, and so is not qualified to run a separate command without a senior officer's supervision. Nevertheless he may hold the position of Duty Officer. This designates the officer who sits at the Conn (Captain's station on the Bridge) during the Captain's off-duty time. It is not considered a separate command, as the other officers or crewman may request confirmation from the Captain if they receive orders from the Duty Officer that they believe questionable. In such a case, the Captain or Exec must be aboard ship.
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