Marshal

The Ekosian Reichsführer-SS (German for "Empire Leader")	Q as a Marshal of France

For the similarly named law enforcement title, please see US Marshal.

Marshal, which in most militaries of 20th century Earth was termed field marshal, was a military rank, the equivalent of which was used by the service organizations of many civilizations. As a traditional grade, marshal was the most senior general officer rank possible in an organization (a marshal outranked a general or admiral).

The rank of marshal was usually reserved for wartime or very large military forces. During Earth's World War II, "five-star" generals (General of the Army, and later, General of the Air Force) and admirals (fleet admiral) were created to give America a rank equivalent to that of European marshals. Douglas MacArthur was one such American general who presided over the surrender ceremony of Japan in 1945. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind") A German equivalent of the rank was a title known as Generalfeldmarschall, which was held by Erwin Rommel, while the Reichsmarschall, held by Luftwaffe commander Hermann Göring, was something equivalent to a six-star general. (VOY: "The Killing Game"; ENT: "Storm Front, Part II")

On the planet Ekos, the Federation historian John Gill established a recreation of Nazi Germany, complete with an SS security organization. The commander of the SS held a type of marshal rank that held the title of Reichsführer-SS, indicated by a wreath oak leaf insignia worn on both collars. (TOS: "Patterns of Force")

In 2364, Q took on the appearance of an old Earth marshal, in a French uniform, to which Captain Jean-Luc Picard replied: "A Marshal of France... ridiculous!" Starfleet officer William T. Riker had a more analytical approach, noting that, as a marshal, Q outranked his previous disguise as a Starfleet admiral. (TNG: "Hide And Q")

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

External links

• Marshal at Wikipedia
• Reichsführer-SS at Wikipedia