Captain (junior rank)

Captain was a commissioned officer rank, the equivalent of which was used by the service organizations of many civilizations. As an infantry rank, captains ranked subordinate to a major and above a first lieutenant.

During the 20th century, the infantry rank of captain was common in Earth militaries and was used by the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force branches of the United States military.

Within the naval services, captain was comparable to the rank of lieutenant and was represented by a double rectangular silver bar uniform insignia. The junior rank of captain was distinct and separate from the naval version of the same name, which was seen as an equivalent to the infantry rank of colonel.

History

On Earth, the rank of Captain had its origins in Medievalism, where a Captain was often a nobleman or other person of prominence who both raised and commanded a company of soldiers. The works of William Shakespeare gave reference to several characters who were captains, including a captain mentioned by Michael Williams in the play "Henry V". (TNG: "The Defector").

By the 18th century, the rank of captain was common in most militaries of Europe. The rank was used specifically in the armies of Napoléon Bonaparte and was pronounced "capitaine" in the French language. The entity Q, in a sardonic reference to the French heritage of Jean-Luc Picard, frequently referred to the starship captain as "Mon Capitaine". (TNG: "Hide And Q", "All Good Things...")

In 1969, the USAF Captain John Christopher's F-104 Starfighter was intercepted by the USS Enterprise. After Christopher was beamed aboard, he was given a Starfleet uniform that bore a comparable lieutenant's braid. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday")

In 2364, the Q entity took the form of a late 20th century US Marine Corps captain during his initial confrontation with Captain Picard. In this disguise, Q was quoted as stating, "All it takes is a few good men." (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")

In 2373, Q later took the form of an 1860s Union Army infantry captain during the Q Civil War, while another Q took the form of an 1860s Confederate Army infantry captain. (VOY: "The Q and the Grey")

In 2374, a holodeck simulation of a Nazi campaign in France, a group of Hirogen pitted the crew of USS Voyager against holographic 1940s Germans, a US Army captain named Miller was the role assigned to Chakotay in the program. (VOY: "The Killing Game", "The Killing Game, Part II")

It was also used by Nazi Germany during World War II. In the German Army, the rank was translated as Hauptmann ("headman"), but in the SS, company captains were referred to as hauptsturmführer' ("head storm leader"). The collar insignia for this was a black square bordered with white, with three silver pips in a diagonal line, with two stripes underneath.

In the same Hirogen Nazi holodeck campaign, a hauptsturmführer was a key character in the simulation. He was referred to by Brigitte as a Hauptmann. (VOY: "The Killing Game", "The Killing Game, Part II")

The Nazi captain in "The Killing Game" was played by J. Paul Boehmer. He was billed as the SS-Kapitän, a Kriegsmarine rank, but his rank insignia was that of the aforementioned hauptsturmführer.

The rank remained in use on Earth well into the 22nd century, where T. Ginwald and T. Pine served as captains in the United Earth Military. (Star Trek Beyond)

According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 2, p. 9, captain was a rank in the Military Assault Command Operations in the 2150s. The insignia for this rank was on display in a diagram of MACO rank and insignia.

This chart shows only general equivalencies based on the ranks used by many governments on Earth, as well as the rest of the galaxy.

External link

• Captain (armed forces) at Wikipedia