tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Nov 27 02:48:33 2011

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[Tlhingan-hol] Klingon ranks

Philip Newton ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol ghojwI']

According to KGT (page 52), the ranks in the Klingon military "have
caused a certain amount of confusion, largely because the system does
not neatly map onto that used by Starfleet".

While thinking about it, the most obvious difference is that while
most of the usual translations are similar to ranks in the US Navy,
two (general and brigadier) are army ranks, and petty officer (which
the New Words List gives as the meaning of "yeoman") is an NCO rather
than an officer.

However, I wonder whether it's still possible to use the list on page
52, which explicitly gives a hierarchy of ranks, to something like
NATO rank codes.

Here's my attempt; what do you think?

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_Navies_Officers
may be interesting, as may
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_armies_officers
. Note: "USN" = "US Navy", "USA" = "US Army".)

la'quv  "Supreme Commander": NATO OF-10, USN "Fleet Admiral", USA
"General of the Army"
'aj "admiral": NATO OF-9, USN "Admiral", USA "General"
Sa' "general": NATO OF-8, USN "Vice Admiral", USA "Lieutenant General"
totlh "commodore": NATO OF-7, USN "Rear Admiral (UH)", USA "Major General"
'ech "brigadier": NATO OF-6, USN "Rear Admiral (LH)", USA "Brigadier General"
HoD "captain": NATO OF-5, USN "Captain", USA "Colonel"
la' "commander": NATO OF-4, USN "Commander", USA "Lieutenant Colonel"
Sogh "lieutenant": NATO OF-3, USN "Lieutenant Commander", USA "Major"
lagh "ensign": NATO OF-2, USN "Lieutenant", USA "Captain"
ne' "yeoman": NATO OF-1, USN "Ensign", USA "First/Second Lieutenant"

The last three are slightly messy in that both the Klingon Defence
Force and the US Navy have ranks traditionally called "lieutenant" and
"ensign", but they don't map to each other; on the other hand,
assigning {Sogh} and {lagh} to OF-2 and OF-1 would leave the problem
of what to call a {ne'}, if {ne'pu'} are officers rather than, say,
equivalent to US Navy petty officers (OR-9 to OR-4 depending on the
exact rank). Or maybe they're like warrant officers in the US Army,
below officers but above enlisted personnel?

( For enlisted ranks, compare
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_Navies_Enlisted
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_Armies_Enlisted
. Note: "USMC" = "US Marine Corps".)

bu' "sergeant": NATO OR-5, USA/USMC "Sergeant", USN "Petty Officer Second Class"
Da' "corporal": NATO OR-4, USA/USMC "Corporal", USN "Petty Officer Third Class"

Although given that these two ranks are described as "the
highest-ranking" and that "no specific titles are used for anyone of
lower rank", it may be more reasonable to assign them to NATO OR-9 and
OR-8, respectively (USA/USMC "Sergeant Major" and "Master Sergeant",
respectively, for example, or USN "Master Chief Petty Officer" and
"Senior Chief Petty Officer", for example).

Thoughts?
-- 
Philip Newton <[email protected]>

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