Chakotay's rank..commander or lietuenant commander??

Iqqe

I have always wondered if Chakotay's provisional Starfleet rank is commander or lietuenant commander. On his collar theres one black and two silver stripes, which means lietuenant commander, but I have never heard someone called him for lietuenant commander, only for commander. I know they usually call Tuvok for commander, but for Tuvok it's clearly stated that he is a lietuenant commander.

In the episode "Equinox part 2" when janeway and chakotays disagrees about letting the aliens entering the cargo bay where the equinox crewmember is hold, janeways lowers the shields in there to make him talk, chakotay tries to override her command to raise shield but the computer says "Level 9 authorization required". As far as I know, captains have level 10 clearance, commanders has level 9 and lietuenant commanders has level 8.

TrekkieMage · **Sat Nov 20, 2004 2:27 pm**

Chakotay is a Commander.

I don't know about the different level of authorization though. Maybe it's because he's got a provisional rank that he doesn't have level 9 clearance. I don't know.

Founder · **Sat Nov 20, 2004 3:53 pm**

Excellant find. Im not too sure about it though.

Siege · Commander Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 447

Either an error in the script, or Chakotay is only level 8 because he was given a field commission of Commander by Janeway.

Alucard · **Sat Nov 20, 2004 6:00 pm**

too true siege too true

starnova · **Sat Nov 20, 2004 9:43 pm**

maybe since he isnt a real startfleet officer he does get to be comander but everyone just calls him that.

Kuro-chan · **Sun Nov 21, 2004 12:08 am**

It's a hell of a contradiction, but his collar pip does show 1 black and two gold strips, which is the provisional rank "Lieutenant Commander". Possible explanations for why his pip and what everyone else says doesn't match up could be...

#1: Uniform department has messed up for the last 7 years, and gave him the wrong pip.

#2: None of the writers over the years bothered to notice his actual rank.

m021 · Lieutenant Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 218

The rank thing on his collar is a Maquis rank.
http://www.star-trek-voyager.fsnet.co.uk/ranks.htm

So maybe in the Maquis he was a Lt. Comm, and in Starfleet he became a Commander.

Kuro-chan · **Sun Nov 21, 2004 1:13 pm**

His provisional rank showed him to be a Lieutenant Commander, NOT a Commander. I go with what I see on screen. Besides, it is perfectly acceptable to refer to a Lieutenant Commander as simply Commander. (Since Data (TNG), Worf (DS9), Uhura (TMP) and other Lt. Commanders have been referred as such.

As it stands with canon information, there was no military rank system among the Maquis. They were a resistance faction dedicated to purging the cardassian violence they had to endure, not some large-scale military organization.

Dark Lord of the Sith · **Sun Nov 21, 2004 8:08 pm**

maybe they didnt have commander uniforms, so they gave him what they had at the time...

and then forgot all about it...

Toad · **Sun Nov 21, 2004 11:09 pm**

The original first officer on Voyager was a Lt. Commander. Perhaps Intrepid Class Starships do not have Commanders, or Janeway felt that Chakotay didn't deserve a full Commander commision. And of course there is always the possibility that the degenarate technical staff messed up (which doesn't surprise me).

Founder · **Mon Nov 22, 2004 2:27 am**

Just for reference.....

Lieutenant Commander

Commander

Those are Maquis Ranks BTW.

Founder · **Mon Nov 22, 2004 2:35 am**

I don't think its a real mistake. In the Maquis military he might have been a Lt. Commander. When Janeway appointed him Commander of Voyager he just kept his Maquie pips as did the other Maquis.

The only thing I can't explain is....

m021 · Lieutenant Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 218

Kuro-chan · **Mon Nov 22, 2004 3:13 pm**

Toad · **Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:17 pm**

Kuro-chan · **Mon Nov 22, 2004 9:35 pm**

Founder · **Tue Nov 23, 2004 12:13 am**

Blancie · **Tue Nov 23, 2004 8:22 am**

Minor technicalities, Chakotay's supposed to be a Commander.

Maybe the silver stripes are just for decoration?

Iqqe · **Tue Nov 23, 2004 2:32 pm**

maybe it was ment as someone here said before, that intrepid starships are supposed to have a lietuenant commander as first officer, refering to the original first officer. There's a command structure on every ship that must be followed.

That is noticed when Harry Kim asks Janeway about letting him be the acting captain on the nightingale, when they say:

Janeway: "Is this your way of asking for promotion?"
Harry: "I know that there's a command structure to follow, but if we had been home by now, I would be a lietuenant, or even a lietuenant commander."

Iqqe · **Tue Nov 23, 2004 2:36 pm**

Toad · **Tue Nov 23, 2004 3:37 pm**

Thomas · **Tue Nov 23, 2004 3:59 pm**

Birdy · Socialist Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 13502 Location: Here.

I agree with Founder & m021, it is a Maquis rank.. I knew that!! Too bad you posted first..

I like it that Janeway did put some difference in the Maquis and Starfleet-members, back home they still think the Maquis are weird and stuff. And it comes in handy when you watch the show, than you know, if you see an ensign, if he/she was Maquis or is really a starfleet-er.

Iqqe · **Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:28 pm**

I started this thread but I finally found a real answer:

"A Native American descendant, this onetime Starfleet lieutenant commander resigned from his position as an instructor in Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training in 2370 to join the Maquis, sparked by his father's death fighting Cardassians on the tribe's homeworld along the Demilitarized Zone. Chakotay is a gentle man but resolute, and is one of the Maquis who are truly in the fight for principle, not mercenary gain or violent outlet � as was one of his students, Lt. Ro Laren."

From Star Trek's offical website.
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/VOY/character/1112391.html