I wonder if these "older" officers are in fact enlisted crewmen like O'Brien. Some of these characters seem quite old to still be ensigns or lt.jgs. – The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.131.238.187 (talk).

His pip makes it quite clear that he is an Ensign. Not everyone can be a admiral, captain, or even a commander. Many members of modern armed forces go their whole careers without achieving a high rank. 31dot (talk) 16:27, February 2, 2013 (UTC)