Commodore

Commodore insignia

Commodore is a naval rank, the equivalent of which is used by the service organizations of many civilizations. As a traditional grade, commodore is the most junior flag officer rank or the most senior line officer rank, of a naval organization, under an admiral rank (usually under rear admiral) but senior to a captain. Commodores command groups of ships, as opposed to captains commanding single ships or units. In comparison to other ranking systems, this rank is equivalent to the military brigadier or brigadier general.

The rank of commodore was used by Starfleet until the year 2364. In 2366, Geordi La Forge insulted Centurion Bochra by calling him commodore, to which Bochra promptly corrected La Forge as to his proper title. (TNG: "Conspiracy", TNG: "The Enemy")

The first mention of the rank of commodore in Star Trek: The Next Generation occurred in the episode "Conspiracy". In that episode, several commodores were issuing commands in mission orders to starship captains. These orders were read by Lieutenant Commander Data in the android's investigation into a suspected conspiracy among the higher members of Starfleet Command.

The La Forge calling Bochra "commodore" was the only time that the rank was ever spoken of in dialogue in the series.

List of Starfleet commodores

• Robert April
• Barstow
• Richard K. Berman (Starfleet Command, 2364)
• Peter Bryce (Advanced Technologies Division, 2364)
• Matt Decker (USS Constellation)
• Anna Dixon (Starfleet Operational Support Division, 2364)
• Enwright (Starbase 6)
• Maxwell Forrest (Earth Starfleet, 2143)
• Joshua Jae
• José I. Mendez (Starbase 11)
• Probert
• Stocker (Starbase 10)
• Stone (Starbase 11)
• Toki (Starfleet Advanced Technologies Division, 2364)
• Travers (Cestus III outpost)
• Robert Wesley (USS Lexington)

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

Appendices

Background information

Apart from its Original Series usage, a commodore is spoken of in radio traffic heard at the start of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. A commodore "movie pin" is also seen in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The rank has appeared in ENT, being mentioned in "First Flight" and appearing on background characters in "First Flight", "Shockwave, Part II", "Home", and the "Demons"/"Terra Prime" two-parter. The latter featured the only female commodore yet seen.

The rank of commodore in Starfleet itself has not been seen or referenced in TNG, DS9 or VOY, although it was listed in the rank guide used by Robert Blackman and the TNG wardrobe department.[1]

In the US Navy, the rank of commodore has been phased out (although its use as a title remains for a senior captain who commands a group of ships), and the lowest flag officer rank is currently referred to as "rear admiral (lower half)". It is possible that by the time of the TNG-era, Starfleet has likewise replaced the rank of commodore with that of a "rear admiral-lower half", but that specific term has also never been seen or referenced onscreen.

Apocrypha

In numerous novels, including Before Dishonor, the rank of commodore is revealed to exist into the 24th century. In that novel, Captain Mackenzie Calhoun informs Captain Picard that since he was in command of a group of starships it would be proper for him to be referred to as Commodore Picard rather than Captain Picard. The rank also features prominently in the novel Imzadi, where the rank of commodore is held by a future version of Data.

Several non-canon reference manuals, among them the Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual, describe a five collar pip commodore insignia in use during the 24th century. Such an insignia, however, has never appeared in an actual Star Trek production. This five pip collar insignia is also used in fandom sources as an insignia for fleet captain.

External link

• Commodore (rank) at Wikipedia