do you like the MACO's

[Shamrock Holmes]

Colonel (2-3 grades

Yeah I found it weird that there is no LT colonel.

Based on the insignia, there are at least two different grades of colonel in the militia. Day's insignia (worn on a grey uniform) was gold with an black patch, whereas Kira's was silver. Lenaris' insignia (worn on a red uniform) also appears to be different cfrom both (gold rim around the outside). Oddly, despite Day's rank being refered to as "field colonel" in the script (potentially the 'lieutenant colonel' equivalent) the silver->gold->gold options would seem to suggest that Kira is the most junior and that the continium is either (lieutenant?)-colonel -> field colonel -> (brigade?) colonel* or colonel -> field colonel -> (senior) colonel*

Militia captain has only been used once in Treklit IIRC, for Jaza Neprem who was a lieutenant commander not a lieutenant in Starfleet service so could actually have been intended to be a major.

*effectively a brigadier.

 

[Gabriel]

Based on the insignia, there are at least two different grades of colonel in the militia. Day's insignia (worn on a grey uniform) was gold with an black patch, whereas Kira's was silver. Lenaris' insignia (worn on a red uniform) also appears to be different cfrom both (gold rim around the outside). Oddly, despite Day's rank being refered to as "field colonel" in the script (potentially the 'lieutenant colonel' equivalent) the silver->gold->gold options would seem to suggest that Kira is the most junior and that the continium is either (lieutenant?)-colonel -> field colonel -> (brigade?) colonel* or colonel -> field colonel -> (senior) colonel*

Militia captain has only been used once in Treklit IIRC, for Jaza Neprem who was a lieutenant commander not a lieutenant in Starfleet service so could actually have been intended to be a major.

*effectively a brigadier.

To put it simply the bajoran ranks are just weird

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

A little.

 

[Delta Vega]

To put it simply the bajoran ranks are just weird

Bajorans are weird, full stop
Except Kira

 

[Timo]

....Thankfully, we don't have to mind, because when their membership gets accepted, all those rank pins will be torn off and melted. No "soft touch" there!

We know of individual examples of "other service" rank names in (almost) every culture. Klingons have both Admirals and Generals (including Brigadiers); Romulans have both Commanders and Majors; Starfleet has both Admirals and Colonels; Bajorans have both Ensigns and Majors.

We have scant evidence for "rival services" themselves, though. With the Romulans, the one "army" rank is explicitly from the separate Tal'Shiar. With the Klingons, there's nothing explicit or even particularly implicit about General Martok being "non-naval". Starfleet's one Colonel West may be a dedicated spook or ground fighter, but that's not explicit. And Bajor does have spaceships and its Ensigns serve on a space station while all the Colonels and Generals are planetside, but there's also a major Major presence up there.

Nothing much stands in the way of accepting that there are "rival services" in each of the cultures, though. Indeed, such would go a long way in explaining how Picard from the UFP "Navy" feels he's not part of the UFP Military aka "Army". And Bajorans would certainly be justified in sending their Navy folks to space for regular service while Kira's assignment was more of a banishment.

My only real gripe there is the Klingon "services split" - Klingons are the ultimate believers in warfare being a Gesamtkunstwerk, with starship commanders who fight with swords, with lots of vessels that have wings and land on planets, and so forth. Why divide? But perhaps that's just a silly UFP misunderstanding of the Klingon nature?

Timo Saloniemi