Talk:Captain

Ranks
i was working on the ranks page, and i added a note that captain was also an infantry grade (between major and infantry lieutenant in old Earth systems..

my question is, has there ever been an infantry captain shown in Trek? the ST Encyc. lists a Bajoran Militia insignia for the rank, which has been seen on screen, but i'm not sure any officers were referred to as captain while wearing that pin.. i'll check Frank Gerratana's rank page later.

Meanwhile, the item i need someone to check on for me, in the Andorian Imperial Guard, are captains a naval designation or an infantry designation.. i added the Telev entry, but in retrospect i realize i dont recall what his deal was.. was he a shipmaster captain or a fighting captain?

German equivalent
Hauptmann was not only used by the Nazi, but is the traditional equivalent for the english Captain in the Army and in the Airforce. The Navy equivalent is Kapitän -- Spocky 17:00, 4 Mar 2005 (GMT)
 * Clumsy phrasing then -- most German military officers we've seen on Trek have been Nazis, so care should be taken to emphasize these are German ranks, not Nazi ranks.


 * I think the J Paul Boehmer character is a mistake -- he was billed as a Kapitan but his rank insignia was a Hauptmann -- which is equivalent to Army Captain -- but someone translated that "captain" is "kapitan" -- this is a higher grade equal to an SS/army Colonel (Oberst) -- Captain Mike K. Bartel 17:16, 4 Mar 2005 (GMT)

Yes that is definitely an Army Captain. The skull on his head also shows that he belongs to the Totenkopf-Standarte (Deaths Head Regiments) -- Spocky 17:40, 4 Mar 2005 (GMT)

Fleet Captain
where is the evidence that fleet captain is not a rank? where is it said or shown? --168.156.89.4 15:51, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
 * It is more to do with the fact that it is not ever said. Only canon material may be stated, with nothing in canon actually saying Fleet Captain is a rank.  See the article for more. -FleetCaptain 04:28, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Confusion
I feel that the article, as written, referencing both officers of NATO grade OF-2 ("Army" Captain) and OF-5 ("Navy" Captain) without much distinction. Perhaps a split of the section "Earth history" into two distinct subsections would be in order? Ssaint04 10:17, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

The army rank of captain is being confused with the naval rank of captain. The army (or marine or air force) rank of captain is equivalent to the navy lieutenant (senior grade.) The navy rank of captain is equal to the army/marine/air force rank of colonel, a senior field grade officer. The "railroad track" insignia of two silver bars isn't used in the correct context. For a present day example, four gold sleeve stripes or a silver spread eagle should be displayed. Kirk, for example, is equal in rank to a colonel while Sulu is equal in rank to a captain. This captain stuff can be confusing. Add to that in the US Navy any officer, regardless of rank, is addressed as Captain when in command of a ship. Jim Reaves

Science and medical captains
Doesn't Janeway deserve mention as a science office captain? Also, doesn't Beverly Picard ("All Good Things") count as a medical captain?
 * Not really, becuase by the time they were Captains they both had transferred to the Command Division and wore Command Officer uniforms and served as starship COs.  Neither was a Captain while serving as a science or medical officer, although Crusher having been a former Doctor was probably one of the reasons she was chosen as Captain of a Hospital Ship. -FleetCaptain 04:27, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

US Military
Why does this article compare Starship ranks to US Army ranks when clearly Starfleet is using Navy style ranks (such as Petty Officers and "full bird" captains instead of colonels.
 * First off, there is evidence that army ranks were used in "The Cage", second off, army ranks were used in Trek by other organizations, such as the MACOs, and within Starfleet itself (see Colonel West). --OuroborosCobra talk 08:43, 8 December 2007 (UTC)
 * MACOs are more congruous to Marines than Army, but that's beside the point. The USAr/USMC/USAF rank of Captain (O-3) is better related to the USN/Starfleet rank of Lieutenant (also O-3.)  The visual representation is misleading.  It would better serve the understanding if it showed equivalent rank, i.e. the Army/Air Force/Marine rank of Colonel (an eagle rather than two bars.)


 * "That which we call a 'rose' by any other name would smell as sweet."


 * "Captain," in this case, is just a word.


 * On a personal note, curse you for making me quote "Romeo and Juliet." -anon ip address


 * Except a naval captain with an eagle has never been seen in any Star Trek production, thus it is not in the canon. This was hashed out at United States military insignia and also apparently in the discussion thread on this page listed below.  Thus it was agreed that unseen insignia cannot be listed on insignia charts. -FleetCaptain

I went ahead and replaced the O-3 rank with O-6, since that's a more accurate reflection of what a captain in Starfleet is. If someone desperately wants US Army/Air Force/Marine Corps captain rank (O-3) for clarity's sake, I suggest it's added in addition to the O-6 rank, rather than instead of it. 98.203.198.33 18:05, October 25, 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm reverting it for the same reason FleetCaptain said. What you have added was not seen in canon. --OuroborosCobra talk 20:23, October 25, 2009 (UTC)

Statement Incorrect - Suggest Correction
At the top of this page it states: "As an infantry rank, Captain is the equivalent to a colonel, while a first lieutenant is the equivalent to a naval lieutenant junior grade."

An infantry (or Army) captain is NOT equivalent to a colonel. An Army, Marine, and Air Force captain is equivalent to a navy lieutenant. See below for correct rank break down:

– Captain Crowl 01:15, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I believe what it meant is that a Captain (naval) is equivalent to an infantry Colonel, which is true. --OuroborosCobra talk 01:33, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

I agree with that, however, that is not what is said. :)

I also suggest changing the image at the upper right of the article. The two silver bars rank is not the correct rank for all United States Armed Services. That rank (O-3) which is equivalent to a Navy Lieutenant works for the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force. For this page, a "full-bird" rank should be displayed with the dictation of "US Navy Captain." – Captain Crowl 01:35, 29 January 2008 (UTC)


 * It is what the text was intended to mean. Yes, it needs re-wording, but just that. As for the picture change, I'd have to oppose. We have seen Army captains, the silver bars, and this is an article for all captains, not just naval. We have never seen naval captain wearing the eagle. --OuroborosCobra talk 01:39, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Okay, I see what you mean. If the article is for ALL captains, then keep the double silver bar rank, but change the text under it to read "US Army/Marine Corps/Air Force". Then add another picture of the "Full-Bird" rank and have its text as "US Navy." By just having the O-3 rank, you are robbing the Navy of recognition. – Captain Crowl 02:55, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Sounds good :) --OuroborosCobra talk 03:38, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
 * We aren't "robbing" the Navy of anything. If anyone is doing that, it would be Paramount. The purpose of MA is to catalog Star Trek canon, not "real world" information. If the bird naval captain insignia was never seen in Star Trek, it does not belong on Memory Alpha. It belongs on Wikipedia. --OuroborosCobra talk 03:04, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Okay, fair enough. I still suggest that for accuracy, the text that currently states "US Armed Forces" be changed to "US Amry/Air Force/Marine Corps". Reasons...we have never seen a Navy Lieutenant (which uses that rank) in any of the series. – Captain Crowl 03:37, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Sounds good :) --OuroborosCobra talk 03:38, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

All it takes Are a Few Good Men.
Should a reference in a small note be made to the movie A Few Good Men?--UESPA 23:51, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Er, why would we do that? What would the note say?– Cleanse 04:56, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

I don't know it was a stupid question, sorry.--UESPA 13:05, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Medical Captain
"A medical captain has never appeared in any Star Trek production"

How do we know that this is true, couldn't Krasnovsky have been in the medical field (since blue is the color for science and medicine).--UESPA 19:49, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * What about Captain Picard? No, not Jean-Luc of course. I mean the OTHER Captain Picard. Technically she's transferred into Command instead of Medical (since her shirt turned red, and she's got her own ship), but it's a Medical ship so there's a good chance she's still a practicing doctor in her spare time (or during an emergency). Might be good to note at least, as with Krasnovsky. --Maelwys 16:35, 23 June 2008 (UTC)
 * I believe the point is based on division, and she was command division at that point. Not to mention, it was an alternate timeline created by Q that does not exist. --OuroborosCobra talk 17:06, 23 June 2008 (UTC)