Colonel Kira

[Sam_I_Am]

Was Kira promoted to Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel?

She’s never referred to as Lt Col. but if we assume modern naval equivalencies, being a full Colonel would give her the same rank as Sisko.

Also, full Colonel would mean a two-jump rank promotion.

My head canon is Lieutenant Colonel.

 

[Sam_I_Am]

Ah and also when Kira was given an Starfleet rank, she was a Commander, equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel in the modern Armed Forces (but yes of course, future ranks may have different equivalencies).

This discussion reminds me of my position on Chakotay where I’m convinced he was a provisional Lt. Cmdr. despite never being referred to as such.

 

[kkt]

Yes. Lt. Cols. are generally called Colonel in speech, unless it's a court martial or other formal occassion, or the speaker is making a point like reminding the Lt. Col. that they are junior and should watch their mouth. Just like Lt. Cdrs. are called Commanders, Rear and Vice Admirals are called Admiral, Lt. JGs are called Lieutenant, etc. Promoting Kira to the same level as Sisko wouldn't have made sense.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Having the same rank is not an issue. The common saying goes "Don't confuse your rank with my authority." The ability to command is a function of assignments, and someone of a higher rank cannot willy-nilly overturn them. Indeed, this is a common situation in the US Navy, where the CO and XO are both ranked Captains on aircraft carriers. Sisko and Kira having the same grade wouldn't be a problem, and might make sense, given Sisko became more directly involved in war planning.

 

[Takeru]

Who says the bajorans even have a Lt. Colonel rank? And if they do why wouldn't Kira be able to skip it?

 

[altersalk]

Bajorans wear a Lt. Col. pin in season 2 that is different from Kira's Col. pin in Season 7. Kira is never referred to as a Lt. Col., just a Col. All signs point to Kira receiving a 2 rank promotion to full Colonel.

Keep in mind Kira's promotion occurred while Sisko was on indefinite leave, so it may have made sense for the Bajoran government to push for her higher rank to keep a Bajoran presence on the station, or that Kira was the only person that Bajor and Starfleet agreed could hold the position. Given that Sisko held higher responsibilities when he returned (and the writers had wanted to promote him to Admiral even in Season 6), it makes sense that the two could hold equivalent ranks, with Sisko being more involved in the war and Kira more involved in managing the station. After all, the Enterprise-A had 3 Captains on it in the later TOS movies.

Why Kira was only given a Starfleet commission at Commander is unknown, but it's simply possible that they didn't want to confuse fans with two "Captains" on the same show (according to the script, Kira was originally supposed to be given a Lt. Com.'s commission, which complicates things even further!)

 

[Oddish]

I kind of assumed that the Bajoran militia didn't have two levels of Colonel.

Kira had been a colonel for under a year, so her Starfleet equivalent rank was Commander. If she received a Starfleet commission after Sisko's departure and assuming command of DS9 (which might happen with the space arm of the Bajoran militia when Bajor joins the Federation), she might well be Captain instead.

 

[Takeru]

Bajorans wear a Lt. Col. pin in season 2 that is different from Kira's Col. pin in Season 7. Kira is never referred to as a Lt. Col., just a Col. All signs point to Kira receiving a 2 rank promotion to full Colonel.

Memory Alpha lists no Lt. Colonel or shows an insignia for one, so I don't think the rank actually exists.
But the fact remains that even if it does, how is it a problem if Kira skips it? Even on earth skipping ranks is possible.

And if a bajoran colonel is the equivalent to a starfleet captain then so what? a commanding officer and an XO can have the same rank, that's very common.
The entire topic is pointless in my opinion, both Lt. Colonel not existing and Kira potentially skipping a rank are things that are perfectly fine, so is Sisko not having a higher rank (his position would give him authority anyway).

 

[Oddish]

But the fact remains that even if it does, how is it a problem if Kira skips it? Even on earth skipping ranks is possible.

She didn't skip a rank. She was Bajoran militia, not American army, so they presumably had one grade of colonel. Maybe they don't feel the need to have as many officer ranks as we do.

Probably, a colonel transitioning into Starfleet might be either a commander or a captain, based on either position or seniority. Since Kira was a new colonel, it made sense that her equivalent rank was commander. As they did with their other characters, DS9 got character ranks right.

 

[Takeru]

She didn't skip a rank. She was Bajoran militia, not American army, so they presumably had one grade of colonel. Maybe they don't feel the need to have as many officer ranks as we do.

I said that twice I this thread. The part you quoted is me saying even IF it existed it still wouldn't#t be a problem, so I agree with you.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

She didn't skip a rank. She was Bajoran militia, not American army, so they presumably had one grade of colonel. Maybe they don't feel the need to have as many officer ranks as we do.

Actually, if we go by insignia, that they have as many as three different ranks (or possibly billets) for Colonel, as Day Kannu (Operations "field colonel" and general's adjutant), Lenaris Holem (Command, Commanding Officer) and Kira Nerys (Command, Executive Officer) all wore different collar insignia.

 

[Oddish]

If indeed there are two ranks, lieutenant colonel still makes more sense. It would have been the rank directly above major. And it would have corresponded with commander in Starfleet.

 

[kkt]

I'm not going to be strongly guided by her insignia. We know from Miles O'Brien that the costumers regarding setting up an orderly system of insignia as not their highest priority.

 

[Oddish]

I'm not going to be strongly guided by her insignia. We know from Miles O'Brien that the costumers regarding setting up an orderly system of insignia as not their highest priority.

Not to mention Tuvok and Tom.