Cadet

"That was not my question, cadet!"

- Rear Admiral Brand, 2368 (TNG: "The First Duty")

Cadet was a military training rank for students in training to become officers. The rank was somewhat similar to Midshipman.

Starfleet

Cadet was a rank which is used at Starfleet Academy to denote students in training to become Starfleet officers. The rank was used in the mid 23rd century throughout the late 24th century. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy", Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, TNG: "The Game")

For a time, specifically in the 2280s, the rank of cadet was superimposed (if not outright replaced) by the rank of midshipman. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

Becoming a Starfleet cadet was a difficult process and required a significant amount of academic achievement while in high school. Academy entrance standards were particularly high, especially in scientific and math disciplines (such as calculus). Cadets were also expected to maintain a satisfactory grade point average during their attendance at the Academy. Getting bad grades was grounds for a cadet's revocation of appointment from the Academy, also known as "washing out". (TNG: "The First Duty", TNG: "Journey's End")

Starfleet cadets were under the same uniform code of justice as Starfleet officers and were in turn subordinate to the orders of superiors. Cadets were also expected to show military courtesy and respect to senior commanders. In 2370, after Wesley Crusher disrespected Commanders Data and Geordi La Forge and then further disobeyed a direct order from Captain Jean-Luc Picard, it was discussed that Wesley's appointment as a cadet might be revoked. (TNG: "Journey's End")

Cadet uniforms

Starfleet cadets wore uniforms similar to Starfleet officers. Uniforms from the 2250s consisted of a silvery metallic shirt worn with small starburst crest. By the 2280s, cadets wore enlisted style jumpsuits with red collared undershirts.

Cadet uniforms (2250s/2280s)

No cadets were seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and this is the only time frame of Star Trek where the rank of Cadet was never mentioned and no cadets were seen in uniform.

In the 2360s, cadets also wore a type of collar insignia consisting of pips with the number of pips determining the class level of the cadet. (TOS: "The Cage"; TNG: "Allegiance", "The First Duty")

By the 2370s, the use of rank pips by Starfleet cadets had apparently been discontinued. (DS9: "Homefront")

Riley Aldrin Shepard may have been wearing a field or duty uniform which is why he did not wear the same pips seen in "The First Duty".

Cadet uniforms (2360s/2370s)

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Bajor

The Bajoran Militia had some type of cadet program for those wishing to become militia officers. To become a Bajoran military officer, one first had to become a cadet at the Bajoran Military Academy. (DS9: "Meridian")

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

A Starfleet cadet was first seen in the original pilot episode of the "The Cage" as a background character in Christopher Pike's vision of an Orion bar. A cadet (albeit a recreation of one) was again seen in "Shore Leave".

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the Starfleet Academy students are all referred to as "midshipman", however this may be explained by the students in question attending a higher level command track training where they had graduated from cadet status to become midshipmen. Several non-canon reference books, among them Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual, attempt to explain the difference between cadet and midshipman as cadet being the standard training rank while midshipman is a rank for advanced command students.

It is certainly plausible that cadet is a rank used by many other spacefaring militaries, such as the Klingon Defense Force or the Romulan military. The rank of cadet has normally only ever been mentioned (with a few exceptions) as pertaining to Starfleet personnel.

External link

• Cadet at Wikipedia