# Name that rank!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 9, 2007, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328 "2007-05-09T00:10:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/21 "2007-05-09T17:28:24Z")
We somehow forgot the Yeoman of the Bowmen!
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### Author:  [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/22 "2007-05-09T17:38:15Z")
[QUOTE=Sean Factotum]
I remember the made-up rank of “Cpl-Capt” Hawkeye gave him also, to get into the Officer’s Club when they went to pick up BJ.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but that was just screwing with the guys at the O-club. His promotion to Lt was, while not strictly legit, accompanied by real papers and a change in duties.
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### Author:  [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/23 "2007-05-09T17:59:55Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir]
I don’t think Ripley ever made lieutenant, did she? I’ve always seen her referred to as a warrant officer.
[/QUOTE]
She was Warrant Officer in the first two, never saw the third, and I distinctly remember someone calling her a lieutenant in the fourth.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/24 "2007-05-09T21:04:10Z")
Are there any fictional characters with the rank of field marshal, commodore, or generalissimo?
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/25 "2007-05-09T21:24:33Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
Are there any fictional characters with the rank of field marshal, commodore, or generalissimo?
[/QUOTE]
Commodore Grimes, from A. Bertram Chandler’s Rim Worlds books. There are various Commodores in David Weber’s Honorverse books as well. Also, there’s Commodore Decker from _The Doomsday Machine_ in ST : TOS.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/26 "2007-05-09T23:59:11Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs]
Commodore Grimes, from A. Bertram Chandler’s Rim Worlds books. There are various Commodores in David Weber’s Honorverse books as well. Also, there’s Commodore Decker from _The Doomsday Machine_ in ST : TOS.
[/QUOTE]
That reminds me of [“Whom Gods Destroy”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whom_Gods_Destroy_%28TOS_episode%29) – the insane Garth had been a “fleet captain,” a rank (or functional title, it’s not clear) apparently higher than captain but lower than commodore; also, a rank/title I’ve never heard of in any real-life navy, nor in any other _ST_ episode.
The rank/functional title of [commodore](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_%28USN%29) in the U.S. Navy has a complicated history.
The U.S. Army has never had any [field marshals.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_marshal)
[Generalissimo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalissimo) seems to be a rank/title used mostly, but not exclusively, by dictators.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/27 "2007-05-10T00:31:30Z")
Found a wiki article on [fleet captain.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleet_captain) Apparently it’s never been a rank, only a title, and usually a temporary, mission-limited title.
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/28 "2007-05-10T00:33:25Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
…The U.S. Army has never had any [field marshals.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_marshal)
…
[/QUOTE]
But we had the rank of _General of the Army_ which is equivalent to Field Marshal. Supposedly this was because George Marshall did not want to be known as “Marshal Marshall”.
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### Author:  [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/29 "2007-05-10T04:51:28Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
Are there any fictional characters with the rank of field marshal, commodore, or generalissimo?
[/QUOTE]
Jack Aubrey was a commodore on at least two occasions. Commodore is a rank far lower than field marshal or generalissimo. A commodore is an officer other than an admiral given command of a fleet of ships. Usually it’s a senior captain (Post-Captian in Aubrey’s case) given a small task force.
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### Author:  [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/30 "2007-05-10T05:10:21Z")
Wolf Larsen was the (civilian) captain of a schooner in Jack London’s novel, The Sea Wolf.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/31 "2007-05-10T14:22:06Z")
There were a number of commodores in ST:TOS. By the time of TNG, as in the U.S. Navy by that time IRL, the rank was either abolished or no longer used.
> **[Commodore](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Commodore)**
>
> Commodore was the lowest flag officer rank, above captain but below rear admiral. A Starfleet rank insignia denoting commodore was used on the Starfleet uniforms of the 2140s-early 2160s. (ENT: "First Flight", "Shockwave, Part II") In 2364, several...
And Pike was a Fleet Captain by the time of TOS “The Menagerie,” as well.
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### Author:  [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/32 "2007-05-10T15:55:50Z")
What?!? No John Carter? What list of fictional characters and their ranks would be complete without this gentleman?
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### Author:  [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/33 "2007-05-10T16:42:41Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
Are there any fictional characters with the rank of field marshal, commodore, or generalissimo?
[/QUOTE]
I know there was a commodore in Pirates of The Carribean, becasue I distinctly recall Jack saying it. Not sure who he was talking to. Norrington?
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### Author:  [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/34 "2007-05-10T17:07:14Z")
[QUOTE=JSexton]
I know there was a commodore in Pirates of The Carribean, becasue I distinctly recall Jack saying it. Not sure who he was talking to. Norrington?
[/QUOTE]
Yes, Norrington was a commodore in the Royal Navy. OTOH, Cap’n Jack discussed Barbossa presenting himself as “commodore” due to having two ships potentially under his flag. (OTTH, Jack was setting up Barbossa. Great scene, that one.)
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/35 "2007-05-10T17:35:34Z")
[QUOTE=Tengu]
Kira Nerys - Colonel (Star Trek: DS9)
[/QUOTE]
In addition to starting the show as a Major, she was also briefly commissioned as a Commander in Starfleet.
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### Author:  [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/36 "2007-05-10T18:03:09Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs]
According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapp_Brannigan), he really is named Webelo Zapp Brannigan and is a General Major and a 25 Star General. Although the ranks could be his own fantasy.
[/QUOTE]
If you read under the ‘profile’ section, you see that where it says “General Major Webelo”, the Webelo links to the article on Cub Scouts.
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### Author:  [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/37 "2007-05-10T21:35:19Z")
[QUOTE=Scuba\_Ben]
Yes, Norrington was a commodore in the Royal Navy. OTOH, Cap’n Jack discussed Barbossa presenting himself as “commodore” due to having two ships potentially under his flag. (OTTH, Jack was setting up Barbossa. Great scene, that one.)
[/QUOTE]
Right, right. I think when Jack’s got Keira Knightly held hostage, and he’s getting Norrington to hander over effects, he refers to him as “Commmodore…”
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### Author:  [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/38 "2007-05-10T21:48:34Z")
[QUOTE=NoCoolUserName]
What?!? No John Carter? What list of fictional characters and their ranks would be complete without this gentleman?
[/QUOTE]
Since you’re asking, he was a captain (CSA, Virginia) on Earth/Jasoom, and the Warlord on Mars/Barsoom.
Warlord apparently being equivalent to a shogun in feudal Japan.
Ulysses Paxton.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2007, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/39 "2007-05-10T22:19:25Z")
In Robin Williams’ _Popeye_ movie, Popeye’s Pappy was “the Commodore” (the nature of his claim to the title being unspecified).
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### Author:  [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2007, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-rank/403328/40 "2007-05-13T22:34:12Z")
Anthony Rogers:
It’s been too long since I read the book, and I don’t remember. The comic-strip version, Buck Rogers, was a Captain. (Military, not Naval. I have in my possession a picture of Captain Rogers and Lieutenant Deering, and they are depicted wearing U.S.-style rank insignia. She wears one bar, he wears two.)
Steve Austin:
Colonel, in the book; Lieutenant Colonel in the TV show.
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