Memory Alpha:Projects/Rank insignia files

This project was initiated by AJHalliwell, after the approval and creation of Category:Memory Alpha images (rank insignia) (an in-universe category). It had an intended completion-by or mark inactive date of May 2021.

MA has a lot of great archivists who are experts in real-world military rank systems or recreate insignia in SVG form for ease of use; unfortunately, a variety of artists using different strategies and formats had left the rank insignia files in all sorts of different states of citation, cleanliness, and ease to find.

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

Issues that needed addressed

• Duplicates exist, especially when we have an on-screen shot, multiple prop shots, and a user-created graphic.
  • Or obvious file duplicates, like File:Starfleet DIS CDT1st.svg and File:Starfleet DIS CDT1st.png
• File names are hugely inconsistent
  • Some file names contain MA user names (wrong POV), File:Rear Admiral flans44.jpg
  • Some are too generic, or otherwise unencyclopedic, File:Lta.jpg
• Description pages and citation formatting is inconsistent, leaving it unclear which insignia are derived from onscreen materials (and what episode/movie they may be from)
  • Numerous insignia descriptions are just a string of links, no image/character source, File:Cage chief.png
  • Enforcement around speculative ranks / background information needs to be cleared up, File:Tng mcpo.png
    • Bajoran or US military ranks need reviewed to remove speculative ranks, or move to background where appropriate

Preferred formatting notes

Resources

• Memory Alpha:Image use policy
• Memory Alpha:Cite your sources
• MA Help:File description page
• Robert Blackman's production notes during Star Trek: The Next Generation [1]^(X)

Screencaps

• Title: File:Lastname's rank insignia.jpg or File:Lastname's rank insignia (year).jpg (if need to discern)
  • i.e. File:Vanik's captain insignia.jpg, File:Talarian captain's insignia.jpg, File:Takret captain's insignia.jpg, File:Sloane's deputy director insignia.jpg, File:Cutler's crewman insignia.jpg*
  • Most of the Starfleet ranks should be able to cite general screenshots of characters, so special cropped sources are not necessary.
  • Is Crewman Cutler's rank insignia identified as "crewman first class" on screen / has MA agreed to identify it as such?
  • Certain situations may use a term other than insignia in title if used consistently for that rank system, like "File:Sovak's tatoo.jpg"
• All images will be written in-universe and cited to an episode, with {{image star trek}} and [[Category:Memory Alpha images (rank insignia)]]. Some may have {{image citation}} if a user-created SVG/PNG version exists.

Example: Alien

File:Vanik's captain insignia.jpg
Captain Vanik's Vulcan rank insignia in 2151. (ENT: "Breaking the Ice")

The above image is published here under the following terms:

License

This image is copyrighted, but used here under fair use guidelines.

Owner/Creator

Paramount Global (was ViacomCBS and/or Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)

Source

See description

Rationale

N/A

[[Category:Memory Alpha images (rank insignia)]]

Example: Starfleet

File:Cutler's crewman insignia.jpg
Crewman Cutler's rank insignia in 2152. (ENT: "Two Days and Two Nights")

File citationThis file is used as a citation for a user-created reproduction. As this exact file was specifically chosen, take this into consideration before modifying or replacing it.

The above image is published here under the following terms:

License

This image is copyrighted, but used here under fair use guidelines.

Owner/Creator

Paramount Global (was ViacomCBS and/or Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)

Source

See description

Rationale

N/A

[[Category:Memory Alpha images (rank insignia)]]

Behind the scenes / props

User-contributed prop photo

Should follow usual concept art / behind the scenes guidelines for titles, descriptions, citations and categories.

• Props: User created graphics should cite screenshots, not props. Prop photos should be in the background section if they were not visible on screen. The only instance of this I can find seems to be the movie rank pins; where this chart includes some images of props in an in-universe section of the article that should be replaced with their SVG/user-created graphics, i.e. File:Lta.jpg and File:Starfleet lieutenant insignia (late 2270s-2350s).png.
• Should not be in an in-universe category, per: Memory Alpha:Category suggestions Changed to Category:Memory Alpha images (costumes and makeup): File:Ferengi collar insignia.jpg, File:Ferengi rank tattoos.jpg, File:Maquis Voyager pips Magdaleno.jpg, File:Robert Fletcher's enlisted rank pin chart.jpg and File:Monster maroon flag officer rank collection.jpg

User creations

• Title: File:Agency rank insignia (year from uniform article title).png (or svg).
  • i.e. File:Starfleet lieutenant insignia (late 2270s-2350s).png, File:Starfleet captain insignia (29th century).png. In instances where rank appeared in Parallels but not Future Imperfect, should only cite episode it was used. When used both, cite first ep, but include background note as done on File:Starfleet captain insignia (Barash's illusion).png
• User creations may be using one of several copyright templates along with Template:Image art reproduction. License, owner, source details will vary by artist.

Example: Starfleet

File:Starfleet captain insignia (2390s).png
A captain rank insignia, as worn by William T. Riker in 2399. (PIC: "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2")

This image is a reproduction based on the source image "William Riker, 2399.jpg", which can be seen to the right.

The above image is published here under the following terms:

License

This image was published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.5) license. It may be copied, redistributed, or modified as long as attribution to the original source is given, and the media is not used for commercial purposes.

Owner/Creator

Ramon Fliek

Source

User:OvBacon

Rationale

This image was created based on production art that is most likely owned by Paramount Global, but used here under fair use guidelines. The above licensing is restricted to the reproduction itself.

[[Category:Memory Alpha images (rank insignia)]]

Example: Future Imperfect / Parallels

File:Starfleet lieutenant commander insignia (Barash's illusion).png
A lieutenant commander rank insignia, as worn by a holographic duplicate of Worf in Barash's simulation. (TNG: "Future Imperfect")

This design was later re-used to represent a parallel universe in TNG: "Parallels".

This image is a reproduction based on the source image "Worf, 2383.jpg", which can be seen to the right.

The above image is published here under the following terms:

License

This image is used here with the explicit permission of the owner (see below). The terms of permission do not include third-party use.

Owner/Creator

Ramon Fliek

Source

User:OvBacon

Rationale

This image was created based on production art that is most likely owned by Paramount Global, but used here under fair use guidelines. The above licensing is restricted to the reproduction itself.

[[Category:Memory Alpha images (rank insignia)]]

Statuses and to-do

Status

• Starfleet ranks –
  • Star Trek: Enterprise era uniform rank: Described, Renamed.
  • USS Kelvin (Starfleet uniform (2230s)) / Disco-Stripes (Enterprise "new uniforms"): Described, Renamed.
  • Disco-Badge (Starfleet uniform (late 2230s-2250s)): Described, Renamed.
    • Is a Discovery-era "crewman" ever seen on screen? No evidence of a Discovery-badge crewman, changed file name and use context.
  • TOS pilots (2250s-2260s): Described, Renamed.
  • TOS series era: Described, Renamed.
  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture uniform: Described, Renamed.
  • "Monster Maroon" (late 2270s-2350s): Described, though some remain pna-uncited (Enlisted, Admiral, Vice Admiral.) Even if they were recreated from behind the scenes sources, we should find evidence they were on screen at all.
  • TNG, DS9, VOY, Films, LD, and flashback Picard: Described, Renamed.
    • TNG Season 1 admiral triangles ("upper/lower half") Treating them all as "admiral" with background note explanation.
  • Maquis provisional: Described, Renamed.
  • late 2390s-early 2400s (Picard era): Described, Renamed.
  • 29th century: Described, Renamed.
  • 32nd century: Described, Renamed.
  • Alternate Reality (Star Trek-Star Trek Beyond): Described, Renamed.
  • Parallels / Future Imperfect badges: Described, Renamed.
• Andorian Imperial Guard ranks – Andorian ranks don't have images.
• Bajoran ranks Image ranks appear done; only new material from here.
• Cardassian ranks Done.
• Ferengi ranks Done.
• Jem'Hadar ranks – Jem'Hadar ranks don't have images.
• Klingon ranks – I cannot find any positive indication (or intention) of visual Klingon ranks from Star Trek: Costumes, the prop auctions, etc, and would consider this done otherwise.
• Romulan ranks Done.
• Split to National Socialist uniform and National Socialist ranks -- updated, images renamed and cited. Reformatted to be more uniform and insignia oriented than rank focused, since it relies a bit much on rw info.
• MACO ranks: Described, renamed.
• Split to United States military ranks and United States military uniform
• Vulcan ranks Done.
• Terran Empire Starfleet / Terran Empire MACO

Items to work out

• Should the Chakotay precedence be applied to Miles O'Brien, who wears an insignia identified by production as "senior chief petty officer", when he was only ever (twice) addressed/ID'd as "chief petty officer" (including the first day he wore the new insignia), therefore requiring his insignia to be redesignated as per dialogue, as well? Also, should the "lieutenant" pips he wore when he was first ID'd as a CPO in "Family" be readded as "official" insignia for that rank?
  • I support treating the chevron insignia as "chief petty officer", and treating the lieutenant pips as costuming error/retcon (AOL chat, 1998) /bginfo. - AJHalliwell (talk) 15:27, 27 April 2021 (UTC)
• Observation: It looks like Adm Black has a black shoulder board/straps with markings wrapped around his epaulet which Adm Gardner doesn't have.
  • If this is the over-the-shoulder strap I think it is, I added a bgnote that it may denote decorations to Starfleet ranks (mirror). - AJHalliwell (talk) 21:12, 28 May 2021 (UTC)
• Gallery of orphaned insignia was nominated for deletion.
• Rank files needing on-screen citations:
  • File:Starfleet senior chief petty officer insignia (late 2270s-2350s).png
  • File:Starfleet chief petty officer insignia (late 2270s-2350s).png
  • File:Starfleet petty officer, 2nd class insignia (late 2270s-2350s).png (maybe File:Excelsior bridge crewman 6.jpg or File:Relief navigator tuc.jpg?)