Starfleet commanders

In the history of Starfleet, there have been many officers holding the rank of commander.
==Commanders==
Name 	Post 	Position 	Division 	Dates 	Species 	Note
 	NX Project 	test pilot 	Command 	2143 	Human 	Promoted to captain in 2150
 	Starfleet Academy 	  	  	2285 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2370s 	Human 	KIA prior to 2377
Beach 	 	  	Operations 	2285 	Human 	 
 	 	  	  	2368 	  	 
Benteen 	Starfleet Operations 	Adjunct to Vice Admiral Leyton 	Command 	2372 	Human 	Promoted to captain in 2372
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2374 	  	 
Branch 	Epsilon IX station 	commanding officer 	SciencesThis officer wore a different division color than indicated by their apparent position. 	2270s 	Human 	KIA in the 2270s
 	/ 	  	  	2368/2374 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2374 	  	WIA in 2374
 	 	Science officer 	Sciences 	2256 	Human 	Stripped of rank after attempted mutiny. Rank restored in 2257. Promoted to Captain in 3189.
 	 	chief medical officer 	Sciences 	2268 	Human 	KIA in 2268
 	Starfleet Headquarters 	  	Sciences 	2286 	Human 	 
 	 	Executive officernavigator 	Operations 	2285-2293 	Human 	 
 	Starfleet Security 	  	Operations 	2154 	Human 	 
 	 	  	  	2369 	  	 
 	Starfleet Medical 	chief medical officerhead of Starfleet Medical	Sciences 	2362-2379 	Human 	 
 	Starbase 245 	Commanding officer 	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
Flaherty 	 	Executive officer 	CommandThis character was unseen in this position, and the division is assumed from their position.	2365 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	First officer 	Command 	3190 	Human 	KIA
 	Starbase Trailer Twenty-Nine 	Commanding officer 	  	2364 	  	 
 	Starfleet Academy 	Inter-stellar Ethnology instructor 	  	2285 	  	 
Gatsby 	 	  	  	2371 	  	KIA in 2371
 	 	First officer 	  	2365 	  	KIA in 2365
 	Starbase 153 	  	  	2374 	  	MIA in 2374
 	Starbase 129 	  	  	2374 	  	MIA in 2374
 	 	  	  	2369 	  	 
Gotthelf 	 	  	  	2256 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2374 	  	MIA in 2374
 	 	Executive officer 	Command 	25th century	Human 	Accelerated Starfleet program
 	Communications Research Center	head of the Pathfinder Project 	Operations 	2376-2377 	Human 	 
Hilliard 	Starfleet Medical 	  	Command 	2375 	Human 	 
Seth Shostak	Terrestrial Defense Division 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	Arkaria Base 	commanding officer 	Command 	2369 	Human 	KIA in 2369
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	Mordan IV 	negotiator 	  	2319 	Human 	Promoted to admiral by 2365
 	 	commanding officer 	Command 	2363 	Human 	Promoted to captain by 2371
 	 	chief engineer 	Operations 	2370 	  	 
Kelby 	 	chief engineerengineer 	Operations 	2154-2155 	Human 	 
 	 	  	  	2374 	  	WIA in 2374
Kira Nerys 	Deep Space 9 	liaison officercommanding officer 	Command 	2375 	Bajoran 	 
Kyle 	 	communications officer 	Operations 	2285 	Human 	 
 	  	exobiologist 	Sciences 	2370 	Human 	 
 	 	Chief of security 	Operations 	2256 	Human 	KIA in 2256
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	  	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2374 	  	KIA in 2374
Ludwig 	 	  	  	2373 	  	 
 	Daystrom Institute 	Associate Chair of Robotics 	Sciences 	2365 	Human 	 
 	 	chief medical officer 	Sciences 	2269-2293 	Human 	Promoted to admiral by 2364
 	 	  	Command 	2358 	Human 	KIA in 2358
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	executive officer 	Command 	2167 	Human 	KIA in 2167
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2374 	  	MIA in 2374
 	AR-558 	second-in-command 	Command 	2374 	Human 	KIA in 2374
 	 	chief medical officer 	Sciences 	2365 	Human 	 
 	Starbase 133 	physician 	Sciences 	2367 	Human 	Retired in 2367
Quinteros 	Starbase 74 	Commanding officer 	Command 	2364 	Human 	 
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	Communications officer 	Operations 	2293 	  	 
 	 	Chief engineering officer; Engineer 	Operations 	2256-2257 	Human 	 
Rhomsew 	 	 	 	2399 	 	
 	 	Executive officer 	Command 	2364-2379 	Human 	Promoted to captain of the
 	NX Project 	test pilot 	Command 	2143 	Human 	Promoted to captain by 2150
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
Rudman 	 	  	  	2369 	  	 
Saru 	 	First officer 	Command 	2256 	Kelpien 	Promoted to captain in 3189
 	 	chief engineer 	Operations 	2269-2285 	Human 	Promoted to captain in 2285
 	Starfleet Command 	executive officerhead of task force 	Command 	2367 	Human 	 
 	Deep Space 9 	commanding officer 	Command 	2369-2371 	Human 	Promoted to captain in 2371
Sonak 	 	chief science officer 	Sciences 	2270s 	Vulcan 	KIA in the 2270s
Spock 	 	chief science officer 	Sciences 	2267-2270s 	Vulcan-Human hybrid 	Promoted to captain by 2285
 	  	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	helmsman 	CommandOperations 	2285-2287 	Human 	Promoted to captain by 2290
T'Pol 	 	chief science officer 	Sciences 	2154-2161 	Vulcan 	 
 	 	  	  	2374 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	 	Counselor 	Sciences 	2370-2379 	Human-Betazoid hybrid	 
 	 	chief engineer 	Operations 	2151-2161 	Human 	KIA in 2161
 	Old City Station 	communications officer 	Operations 	2285-2293 	Human 	 
 	 	  	  	2256 	  	 
 	Starfleet Command 	  	Command 	2151-2154 	Human 	 
 	 	  	  	2256 	  	 
 	Starfleet Academy 	  	  	2285 	  	 
 	Starfleet Academy 	  	  	2285 	  	 
Wrightwell 	Starbase 310 	aide to Fleet Admiral Alynna Nechayev 	  	2370 	  	 
 	 	  	Operations 	2161 	  	 
 	  	  	  	2364 	  	 
 	  	  	  	2364 	  	 
Zakarian 	Starfleet Academy, Earth 	Survival Strategies professor 	  	2360s 	  	 
===Illusory commanders===
Name	Post 	Position 	Division 	Dates	Species 	Note
 	Starfleet Headquarters, Terrasphere 8	  	Command 	2375 	Species 8472 (posing as Human) 	 
Data	 	executive officer 	Command 	2383 	Holographic representation of a Soong-type android 	 
 	 	  	Command 	2375 	False alias of a Human 	 
 	 	chief engineer 	Operations	2383 	Holographic representation of a Human 	 
 	 	executive officer 	Command 	2368 	Satarran (posing as Human) 	 
 	 	executive officer 	Command 	2368 	Ux-Mal criminal (posing as Human) 	 
 	Starfleet Command 	aide to Admiral Jean-Luc Picard	Sciences 	2383 	Holographic representation of a Human-Betazoid hybrid	 
===Alternate or parallel commanders===
Name 	Post 	Position 	Division 	Dates	Species 	Note
 	 	executive officercommanding officer	Command 	2155 	Terran 	KIA in 2155
 	Starfleet Academy, Earth	instructor 	Operations 	2404 	Human 	 
 	  	  	Sciences 	2422 	Human 	 
 	  	  	Sciences 	2422 	Trill (joined) 	 
 	Yorktown 	Operations officer 	Operations division	2263 	Human 	 
 	Section 31 	  	  	2258 	Human Augment 	Turned traitor in 2259
Kenner	 	  	  	2267 	 	 
 	 	First officer 	Command 	2259 	Human 	Demoted from Captain and later repromoted following Christopher Pike's death
 	Starfleet Academy 	Starfleet Academy Board 	  	2258 	  	 
Nog 	  	  	Command 	2389 	Ferengi 	Promoted to captain by 2422
 	 	chief medical officer 	Sciences 	2370 	Human 	 
 	 	armory officer 	Operations 	2165 	Human 	Promoted to captain in 2165
 	 	First officer / Science officer 	Sciences 	2258 	Vulcan-Human hybrid	 
 	 	chief science officer 	Sciences 	2267 	Vulcan-Human hybrid	 
Thelin	 	chief science officer 	Sciences 	2269 	Andorian 	 
 	 	chief engineer 	Operations 	2155 	Terran 	 
Worf 	 	executive officer 	Command 	2370 	Klingon 	 
===Other commanders===
Name 	Post 	Position 	Division 	Dates 	Species 	Note
 	 	  	  	2270 	Pandronian 	Honorary
Chakotay	 	executive officer 	Command 	2371-2378	Human 	Provisionally held rank
 	 	executive officer 	Command 	2374 	Human 	Field promotion
 	 	records officer 	Command 	2267 	Human 	Costuming Error: lieutenant commander
Giotto 	 	security chief 	Operations	2267 	Human 	Costuming Error: lieutenant commander
Hansen 	Outpost 4 	commanding officer 	Operations	2266 	Human 	Wore no rank insignia; may have held position of commander
 	 	commanding officer 	Command 	2269 	Human 	Animation Error: lieutenant commander
 	Starfleet Headquarters	  	Command 	2285 	Human 	Costuming Error: master chief petty officer
 	 	chief engineer 	Operations	2286 	Human 	Costuming Error: captain
Spock 	 	chief science officer	Sciences 	2266-2267	Vulcan-Human hybrid	Costuming Error: lieutenant commander
===Gallery of unnamed commanders===
File:Starbase 11 patron 2.jpg|Starbase 11 lounge patron, 2267
File:USS Enterprise operations commander 1.jpg|USS Enterprise officer, 2267
File:Excelsior executive officer.jpg|USS Excelsior first officer, 2285
File:Starfleet Command communications officer, 2286.jpg|Starfleet Command officer, 2286
File:Saratoga helmsman, 2286.jpg|USS Saratoga officer, 2286
File:Excelsior navigator.jpg|USS Excelsior navigator, 2293
File:Excelsior security at Khitomer 1.jpg|USS Excelsior security officer, 2293
File:Excelsior security at Khitomer 2.jpg|USS Excelsior security officer, 2293
File:Enterprise-B communications officer.jpg|USS Enterprise-B officer, 2293
== Background information ==
Numerous officers were often referred to as commanders, or wore commander's rank insignia, but were actually other ranks. In , Jean-Luc Picard remembers meeting Lieutenant Commander Riker, but Riker was wearing commander's insignia in the corresponding scene in . This happened in TOS also, as Spock was referred to as an lieutenant commander in even though he regularly wore commander's stripes up to and including that point. The same went for Benjamin Finney in that episode and Giotto in , both of whom wore commander's insignia but were clearly referred to as lieutenant commander in dialogue. The reverse happened to Chakotay, who wore lieutenant commander's insignia but was only referred to as commander for VOY's entire run.
== See also ==
* Commander, Starfleet
* Theater Commander
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Commanders