Chief petty officer

File:Mov mcpo.png

2280s MCPO rank pin

Master chief petty officer (MCPO) was an enlisted naval rate, a type of military rank used by the service organizations of different cultures. As a traditional naval grade, MCPO was the most senior grade of chief petty officer, and was almost the highest noncommissioned officer grade in organizations like Starfleet and the US Navy. In comparison to infantry ranking systems, this rate was approximately equivalent to the most senior sergeant grade, such as Sergeant-Major. Personnel of this grade could be addressed simply as chief (or more properly, "master chief"), and sometimes by their job title, such as "master chief specialist."

While nominally subordinate to all commissioned officers, Master Chiefs wielded far more influence and authority than most junior officers and acted as mentors and advisors to senior officers. Master Chiefs had decades of practical experience and were an indispensable source of technical skill and leadership on Starfleet vessels.

When there were individual grades of chief petty officers, senior chief petty officer (SCPO) was subordinate to MCPO.

In 2286, when a probe projecting humpback whale signals threatened to destroy Earth, Master CPO Janice Rand was one of the officers in Admiral Cartwright's command area. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

Background

The rank of "master chief petty officer" was never referenced in dialog, but is rather derived from rank insignia.

The Star Trek movie-era rank insignia, designed by Robert Fletcher, were the first and only Trek insignia systems to feature separate pins for several realistic grades of CPOs. It is odd that Janice was in a chief uniform -- while she was an enlisted chief in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, when she appeared again in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock she was wearing officer insignia before being seen with MCPO insignia in Star Trek IV. Since the character in Star Trek III was simply credited as "woman", it may not necessarily been Rand, but a different character.

Similar confusion in Rand holding various officer ranks dates back to the Marvel TOS: "Eclipse of Reason" and DC TOS volume 2: "The Dream Walkers" comics, and continues in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and VOY: "Flashback".

See also

• Starfleet ranks
• Starfleet enlisted personnel

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