| Captain | |
|---|---|
 Captain Nyoko Honda | |
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Captain Rank Insignia |
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The most senior line rank in Starfleet. It is inferior to a Rear Admiral, and superior to a Commander. It is most often held by starship and starbase commanders, as well as adjutants and executives serving beneath admirals. The equivalent ground forces rank to Starfleet Captain is Colonel.
On rare occasions, a Captain will be placed in temporary command of a taskforce or fleet. In these cases, this Captain is referred to as a "Fleet Captain", and has operational command normally reserved for Flag Officers.
It should also be noted that there are rare cases of officers holding the Captain's rank have served other than the commanding officer of starship. Examples include "Captain of Engineering" Montgomery Scott, who never actually served as a permanent ship's captain.
Decorum[]
By tradition, the commanding officer of any starship is referred to as Captain, regardless of that officer's actual rank. Visiting Captains aboard another starship may be referred to as "Commodore" to prevent confusion during starship operations.