Ensign Ensign was a commissioned rank , the equivalent of which was used by the service organizations of many civilizations . As a traditional naval grade , ensign was the most junior line officer rank below the lieutenant grades , usually immediately under lieutenant or lieutenant junior grade . Duties and responsibilities . In Starfleet , ensign was usually the first rank assigned to new officers upon graduation from Starfleet Academy . An ensign ' s primary duty was professional growth , both as a leader and as an occupational specialist . Ensigns were mentored by more senior officers as well as their ( nominally ) subordinate chief petty officer s as part of their development as Starfleet leaders . ( ) As ensigns proved themselves more capable , they were considered for promotion into the lieutenant tier . ( ) On some of the larger starship classes , such as the starships , it was not uncommon for veteran and seasoned enlisted personnel to have ensigns working for them as technician s , thus having the ensign " learning the ropes " of the more technical aspects of starship design , such as transporter components . ( ) Insignia . The 22nd century Starfleet denoted ensigns with a single rank pin . During the 2250s and 2260s , Federation Starfleet uniforms showed no insignia for ensigns . ( ; ) By the 2270s , ensigns were granted the former insignia of lieutenant junior grade , the lieutenant jg rank itself having been discontinued . ( ) By at least 2278 , ensigns wore a single pin shaped like a stylized " v " letter . ( ) The late 23rd century pin insignia was used until at least the 2320s . ( ) By the end of the 24th century , Starfleet ensigns were once again indicated by one single rank pin . ( ) Notable ensigns . " All given positions refer to the person ' s last station as it was when he or she ranked ensign . This may differ from the person ' s latest assignment . " Appendices . Background information . This naval rank was equivalent to the rank of second lieutenant which is found in the United States Army , Air Force , and Marine Corps . " Star Trek " has often portrayed ensigns as background characters who stand watches at bridge stations , serve as nameless security guards , or who get killed or eaten by the alien creature of the week ( see " redshirt " ) . The characters of Wesley Crusher and Pavel Chekov were the first ensigns to be seriously explored with their duties and responsibilities mainly confined to learning and professional growth as officers . The episode also dealt with ensigns and what their daily duties consisted of . Starfleet ensigns were rarely seen in command of others , one exception being when Ensign Chekov leads a security detail in or when Wesley Crusher was assigned to lead a science team in . In the real United States Navy , however , ensigns have much more responsibility and typically are in charge of divisions consisting of seven to fifteen sailors . In the case of prior enlisted ensigns , or " mustang ensigns " as they are called , it is not unheard of for an ensign to serve as a department head . Occasionally , older characters have been seen as ensigns , an example of which is Jana Haines , who appears as an ensign but seems to be in her late 30s or early 40s , as well as ensigns Davies and Alans who hold the rank of ensign while serving as science officers with obvious graduate level education . Several other medical and science ensigns from ( and later series ) have also appeared whose age and experience indicates that they are obviously not recent Starfleet Academy graduates . This gives rise to the possibility that Starfleet , much like the United States Navy , has commissioning programs for prior enlisted personnel or for civilian doctors and scientists who wish to join Starfleet . In the alternate reality , came out of Starfleet Academy as a lieutenant commander . This is also a common practice by the current armed forces , i . e . to give this elevated rank to highly specialized professions ( doctors , lawyers , etc . ) . After his character ' s promotion on the show , Gene Roddenberry gave Wil Wheaton the second lieutenant bars he earned in the Army Air Corps ( second lieutenant being equivalent to an ensign in the US Navy ) . Present at the ceremony was General Colin Powell , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , who later became Secretary of State . ( " " ) In the background / special features section of the " Star Trek : The Next Generation " DVD set , actor Wil Wheaton stated that he had received Roddenberry ' s " gold ensign bars " from World War II ; however , since Roddenberry ' s service was in the Army Air Corps , and not the Navy , Roddenberry ' s insignia were actually second lieutenant bars . Apocrypha . Mentioned in several non - canon novels and other publications is a junior rank known as " Ensign junior grade " . The character of Miles O ' Brien was suggested to have held this rank , specifically in the novelization of the " Emissary " . In the historic United States Navy , a rank known as " Passed Midshipman " existed in the early 20th century intended for recent Naval Academy graduates who had yet to qualify for a position at sea .