Ensign

Ensign is a military rank, the equivalent of which is used by the service organizations of many civilizations. As a traditional naval grade, ensign is the most junior line officer rank below the lieutenant grades, usually immediately under lieutenant or lieutenant junior grade.

Duties and responsibilities
The rank of ensign is usually the first commissioned rank assigned to new officers (such as recent graduates of Starfleet Academy). This naval rank is equivalent to the rank of second lieutenant which is found in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

An ensign's primary duty is professional growth, both as a leader and as an occupational specialist. Ensigns are mentored by more senior officers as well as their (nominally) subordinate chief petty officers as part of their development as Starfleet leaders. As ensigns prove themselves more capable, they are considered for promotion into the lieutenant tier. .

On some of the larger starship classes, such as the starships, it is not uncommon for veteran and seasoned enlisted personnel to have ensigns working for them as technicians, thus having the ensign "learning the ropes" of the more technical aspects of starship design, such as transporter components. 

Insignia
The 22nd century Starfleet denoted ensigns with a single rank pin. During the 2250s and 2260s, Federation Starfleet uniforms showed no insignia for ensigns. 

By the 2270s, ensigns were granted the former insignia of lieutenant junior grade, the lieutenant jg rank itself having been discontinued. By the 2290s, ensigns wore a single pin shaped like a stylized "v" letter. 

The late 23rd century pin insignia was used until at least the 2320s. By the end of the 24th century, Starfleet ensigns were once again indicated by one single rank pin. 

Notable ensigns
''All given positions refer to the person's last station as it was when he or she ranked ensign. This may differ from the person's latest assignment.''

Starfleet

 * Starfleet ensigns
 * Ensign Pavel Chekov (USS Enterprise (NCC-1701))
 * Ensign Pavel Chekov (alternate reality) (USS Enterprise (alternate reality))
 * Ensign Wesley Crusher (USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D))
 * Ensign Ezri Dax (Deep Space 9)
 * Ensign Harry Kim (USS Voyager (NCC-74656))
 * Ensign Travis Mayweather (Earth Starfleet)
 * Ensign Nog (Deep Space 9, USS Defiant (2370), USS Defiant (2375)
 * Ensign Tom Paris (USS Voyager (NCC-74656))
 * Ensign Ro Laren (USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D))
 * Ensign Hoshi Sato (Earth Starfleet)
 * Ensign Demora Sulu (USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B))

Background information
Star Trek has often portrayed ensigns as background characters who stand watches at bridge stations, serve as nameless security guards, or who get killed or eaten by the alien creature of the week (see "redshirt"). The characters of Wesley Crusher and Pavel Chekov were the first ensigns to be seriously explored with their duties and responsibilities mainly confined to learning and professional growth as officers. The episode also dealt with ensigns and what their daily duties consisted of.

Starfleet ensigns are rarely seen in command of others, one exception being when Ensign Chekov leads a security detail in or when Wesley Crusher was assigned to lead a science team in. In the real United States Navy, however, ensigns have much more responsibility and typically are in charge of divisions consisting of seven to fifteen sailors. In the case of prior enlisted ensigns, or "mustang ensigns" as they are called, it is not unheard of for an ensign to serve as a department head.

Occasionally, older characters have been seen as ensigns, an example of which is Jana Haines, who appears as an ensign but seems to be in her late 30s or early 40s, as well as ensigns Davies and Alans who hold the rank of ensign while serving as science officers with obvious graduate level education. Several other medical and science ensigns from Star Trek: The Next Generation (and later series) have also appeared whose age and experience indicates that they are obviously not recent Starfleet Academy graduates. This gives rise to the possibility that Starfleet, much like the United States Navy, has commissioning programs for prior enlisted personnel or for civilian doctors and scientists who wish to join Starfleet.

''Leonard McCoy (alternate reality), came out of Starfleet Academy as a lieutenant commander. This is also a common practice by the current armed forces, i.e. to give this elevated rank to highly specialized professions (doctors, lawyers, etc.).''

After his character's promotion on the show, Gene Roddenberry gave Wil Wheaton the second lieutenant bars he earned in the Army Air Corps (second lieutenant being equivalent to an ensign in the US Navy). Present at the ceremony was General Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who later became Secretary of State. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)

In the background/special features section of the Star Trek: The Next Generation DVD set, actor Wil Wheaton stated that he had received Roddenberry's "gold ensign bars" from World War II; however, since Roddenberry's service was in the Army Air Corps, and not the Navy, Roddenberry's insignia were actually second lieutenant bars.

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Praporčík Fähnrich Alférez Enseigne Guardiamarina Ensign Энсин Fänrik