#data soong edit

[allmyandroids]

oh babygirl...

[itberice]

Star Trek: The Next Generation I A Fistful of Datas

[peachviz]

We love 1 (gentle)man

[cinnabarlab]

just pretend i'm sherlock holmes

[hadeswearsprada]

STAR TREK Picard I love my unhinged son

[nymdraws]

more of these guys ( + one deanna)

[galaxygarak]

the duo of all time

reuploaded from my old account

[rrhhiiaannoon]

this is one of my most popular edits on TikTok so it’s only fair to share it here too 😌

[transcarcinization]

favorite recent datas now that he just appears in my margins

[mh777p]

Data edit again

[risingchaos]

Explanation of pips in Star Trek (TNG onward)

Explanation of the wrist cuffs in Star Trek TOS

This will mostly have pictures of Star Trek: Next Gen because of ease but this is generally applicable to any ST media chronologically after TNG. If I’m remembering correctly it doesn’t really deviate.

So, the way that Star Trek ranks work is based upon the U.S. Navy. I’m going to break this down into five classes and each rank inside it, lowest to highest.

If you just want to know the look and don’t care about any explanation, there is a guide at the end for you. :)

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Cadet - Uniform distinction

These are people enrolled in Starfleet. They wear distinctive uniforms to help differentiate them from others. Left is dress uniform, right is regular. The Cadet uniform is almost always an entirely red outfit, also shown in the AOS movies. Also I believe they have lines on their uniforms usually to tell what year they’re in. Think Cadet Uhura from Strange New Worlds (technically ranking works different in this show but the uniform is the same).

Petty Officer - No pips, CPO wears one empty [x]

Petty Officers wear no pips. This rank really isn’t talked about because almost no one is really featured. It’s comprised of people who are enlisted but didn’t attend the Academy. You see it on some engineers. Within this rank, there’s also a command structure like Chief Petty Officer who wear one empty pip, but it’s difficult to find reliable breakdowns of it. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any clear pictures of a lapel. Miles O’Brian is a Senior Chief Petty Officer.

Ensign - One gold [o]

It’s generally what people are promoted to out of the Academy. Technically they have command but not really. Under this rank is also Acting Ensigns and Ensigns who were promoted for the field. Think Wesley Crusher’s arc.

Lieutenants

This has three ranks within it.

Junior Grade Lieutenant - One empty, one gold [xo]

These are just above Ensigns. They wear one empty pip next to solid gold. Medical personnel are typically Junior Lieutenants out of the Academy due to their extended training. They often have actual responsibilities on the ship. We actually watch Geordi La Forge’s promotions through Lieutenant, as he starts the show as a Junior Lieutenant along with Worf.

Lieutenant - Two gold [oo]

This is what we see most often interacting with the crew we’re following. They have genuine responsibilities. We see them taking head of teams or working at consoles. They’ve proven themselves to Starfleet. Worf and La Forge are promoted to this in season two, and Tasha Yar was a Lieutenant in season one. Spock is a Lieutenant in the first two seasons of SNW.

Lieutenant Commander - One empty, two gold [xoo]

These are heads of departments, the one people default to about smaller issues on board, and general senior officers. They are the ones defaulted to for ship’s command, as seen throughout TNG with Data, and are often relied upon by Commanders and the Captain to keep the ship going. Data is a Lieutenant Commander throughout all of TNG, La Forge is promoted in season three. Worf is not promoted until season four of DS9. Deanna is actually a Lieutenant Commander for almost the entire duration of TNG. They are often referred to as “Commander” instead of Lieutenant by officers unless introducing themselves.

Commander - Three gold [ooo]

Most often called “Number One”, this is the second in command. They are competent, capable, and willing to take lead and help the ship. Commanders are trusted by the crew and the Captain, and are often a yin to the Captain’s yang. The Head Doctor is often a Commander to give them authority, like Dr. Beverly Crusher. William Riker is the iconic Commander in TNG, Spock is Commander in TOS.

Captain - Four gold [oooo]

We’re all very familiar with Captains. They are as senior as you can get on a ship unless there’s an Admiral on board. Captains are intelligent, confident, and understand what must be done, even if it’s a bad situation. The lives of their crew is in their hands. It comes with a great deal of free will to choose their ship’s path, yet an insane amount of responsibility. Captain Picard of TNG, Captain Kirk of TOS, Captain Janeway of Voyager. We know the names.

Admiral - Entirely different system

Admiral pips are strange. They do not wear pips on the collar, instead wearing them basically in boxes. It really was not standardized until the end of DS9, I think. The Admirals wear a different uniform to make themselves stand out. Admirals are representative of Starfleet. They make the big choices for the fleet, the life changing ones. They give direct orders if needed and expect respect from all lower officers. They’re incredibly powerful. We don’t get to see much of Admirals in any show, but we know of a few, such as Admiral Picard in Picard, Admiral McCoy in TNG, and Admiral Kirk in the movies.

Here is a complete guide to each rank in Starfleet, excluding Cadets and Petty Officers.

Ensign - [o]

Junior Lieutenant - [xo]

Lieutenant - [oo]

Lieutenant Commander - [xoo]

Commander - [ooo]

Captain - [oooo]

Commodore/Rear Admiral (lower half) - [[o]]

Rear Admiral (upper half) - [[oo]]

Vice Admiral - [[ooo]]

Admiral - [[oooo]]

Fleet Admiral - [[ooooo]]

x is an empty pip, o is a gold, and for the Admirals, the double brackets is to indicate that they’re in a box.

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Hope this helps you understand ranks in Star Trek better, as it has helped me. Let me know if anything needs clarifying! I have edited this a few times to add more clarifying information.

Thank you to @vvkingofgaybisciutsvv for asking for this! I had a great time putting it together.

[allmyandroids]

You are always on my mind...💕

[itberice]

Star Trek: The Next Generation I "Data's Day"

[peachviz]

The Measure of a Man (Reprise)

“I aspire to be better than I am.”

A massive character study edit on Data Soong. An edit I’ve been working on since I started TNG last year.

[thelastdayalive]

Star Trek: The Next Generation | S06E21 Frame of mind

[hadeswearsprada]

STAR TREK Picard - Part 8 Surrender Data and Geordi

Bonus