Lieutenant commander is a military rank, which has an equivalent rank used in the service organizations of many cultures.
Earth History[]
This rank was used as a naval rank by the early navies of Earth including the United States Navy and the Royal Navy. In these organizations it was between the ranks of lieutenant and commander and was equal to that of major in infantry units.
By the 22nd century the rank had apparently become defunct and wasn’t used in the Earth Starfleet.
Use in Starfleet[]
By the 2260s the rank had returned in use by the Federation Starfleet, with the rank insignia being the same as lieutenant and then from 2266 onward its own insignia.
In the 24th century it was still a ranmk with equivalents in the Cardassian Union (glinn) and the Romulan Star Empire (centurion). Lieutenant commanders normally serve as senior department heads, the first officer aboard smaller vessels, ans sometimes as the commanding officer of a starship. Jadzia Dax, Tom Markel, and Piersall all held positions as commanding officers while holding the rank of lieutenant commander.
The rank of lieutenant commander is also used in the Mirror Universe’s Terran Starfleet.
| Enlisted ranks | Commissioned ranks | Flag ranks
| |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starfleet | Crew | PO | CPO | Ens | Lt, jg | Lt | LtCdr | Cdr | Capt | Cdore | RAdm | VAdm | Adm
Col? |
FAdm | |
| Earth SF | Lt | Cdr
| |||||||||||||
| USN | Crew | PO | CPO | Ens | LT, jg | LT | LCmdr | Cdr | Cpt | Radml/CD | Radm | Vadm | Adm | ||