So does Rank have privileges in the future? For some it does because for example Data having to call Deanna sir because she was a commander and he was only a lieutenant commander. Even though she was just a counselor and he was chief operations. And I believe it was also hinted that he would have to follow her orders as well to some extent. But some say it doesn’t for example senior chief petty officer (enlisted) O’Brien ordering around Ensigns since he was chief of operations/chief engineer.
In itself, in Starfleet rank apparently carries some privileges (as you would expect). From TNG episode Lower Decks we have this quote: LAVELLE: Promote me, please, so I can make Lieutenant and have my own room. What you are touching upon though are two different mechanisms: authority by rank, and authority by position. How these two interplay is best answered by someone who knows more about the military than I do. And even then, it may be different within Starfleet since it's a fictional organisation hundreds of years in the future.
You're confusing "rank" with "position" in the case of Chief O'Brien. As the DS9 Chief of Operations he had authority for that scope of activity by virtue of that position, even if an Ensign technically outranked him. Besides, in my experience, an smart young officer a few months out from having been commissioned is going to listen to the advice of a non-commissioned officer like O'Brien who has been in the service longer than the ensign has been alive.
Apparently the size of your quarters is proportionate to rank. Not really sure what other privileges there are. Presumably available leave time increases with higher ranks. Although Deanna says Data has to now call her "Sir" I suspect that was a joke. Data was still the Enterprise's second officer, meaning that in the event that both Picard and Riker were incapacitated, command of the Enterprise would fall to him, despite the fact that both Deanna and Dr. Crusher have higher ranks than him. DS9 was always problematic with that. When Nog left for the Academy, O'Brien himself comments that he'll have to salute Nog after he graduates, despite the fact that prior to that he was ordering Lieutenants around. And then in the final season Nog needs access to O'Brien's access codes, since his own won't allow much. And apparently O'Brien's access code has sufficient enough clearance to remove Sisko's desk from his office and indeed off the station.
Positional authority trumps rank. Data calls Deanna “sir” because she was higher in rank and it is a sign of respect. However, Data was still second officer (third in command). In Gambit, Part I, Data was made acting first officer when Captain Picard went missing. When Commander Riker was captured in Gambit, Part II, Data was in command and appointed Lt. Worf as first officer even though Geordi was a lieutenant commander and even though Beverly was a commander who had passed the bridge officer’s test 8 years before.
As far as privileges, Janeway had a private mess on Voyager before it was tossed into the Delta Quadrant.
Kirk says that rank has its privileges in the teaser for "Arena" and McCoy agrees with a knowing laugh and says, "How well we both know that, eh?" And since TOS still takes place in the future, the answer is "Yes."
I do believe that in Star Trek ranking does have privileges But The fact that you can be in enlisted in hold such a high position kind of goes against that
And guys I am the yes side so you don’t have to direct your counter arguments to me. Preaching to the choir
Well, small privileges sure, like your own room or a smaller mess hall where only the senior staff can eat. But other than that with no money, those privileges must be very limited and more symbolic than real.
Captain Kirk and Picard also had their own unique captain’s uniforms. The Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E also had a captain’s yacht.
In that case, the higher your rank the fatter you get. You know you've been Captain for too long when you break the chair!