Lieutenant Commander

<Lieutenant - Commander>

## Background

"*Excessive honesty can be disastrous particularly in a [lieutenant] commander. […] Knowing your own limitations is one thing. Advertising them to a crew can damage your credibility as a leader. [...] And you may begin to believe in those limitations yourself.*"

– **Jean-Luc Picard** to Data, 2366 ("The Ensigns of Command")

**Lieutenant commander (LCDR)** was a commissioned officer rank, the equivalent of which is used by the service organizations of many civilizations.

## Origins & History

A traditional naval rank, lieutenant commander was once used in the old navies of Earth, among them the Royal Navy and the United States Navy. In these organizations, a lieutenant commander was a grade between the lieutenant and commander grades with the rank equivalent to a major in the marine or ground forces.

In the mid 2160s, Starfleet was using the rank of lieutenant commander. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")

In the early 2260s, the rank of lieutenant commander was being used by the Starfleet of the United Federation of Planets. The insignia was at first the same as that of lieutenant, but by 2266 had developed into its own design.

## 23rd and 24th Century Usage

During the 23rd century, certain lieutenant commanders holding high shipboard positions, such as that of first officer, in a military tradition known as *brevetting*, were authorized to wear the full braid insignia of a commander while still retaining their rank of lieutenant commander. (TOS: "Court Martial", "The Menagerie, Part I", "The Devil in the Dark")

In the 24th century Starfleet, lieutenant commander is an active rank with its close equivalents in alien militaries being the Cardassian rank of glinn and the Romulan rank of centurion. It is common in informal circumstances to refer to lieutenant commanders in Starfleet simply as "commander" by both those under their command and their commanding officers. Lieutenant commanders normally serve as senior department heads, executive officers on smaller vessels, and in some cases as starship commanders. Lieutenant commanders Tom Markel, Jadzia Dax, and Piersall all held commanding officer postings. It is worth noting that Jadzia Dax served as the commanding officer of the USS *Defiant* during the height of the Dominion War because she had acted as Captain Sisko's second in command and was the most qualified to take over for him when he had been reassigned to administrative duties at a starbase. However, her posting was temporary until the Captain returned to command a taskforce during Operation Return. (DS9: "Behind the Lines") Another position that could be held by a lieutenant commander was as an instructor for Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training. (TNG: "Preemptive Strike")

The rank of lieutenant commander is also known to have existed in parallel universes. In the mirror universe, the Terran Empire Starfleet was using this rank in 2155 (with T'Pol being an example) and the rank was still being used in 2267. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly"; TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")

Regarding the service record of Ensign Ro Laren, as of 2368, Jean-Luc Picard explained that "*if she hadn't lost her rank in that incident at Garon IV, she'd be Lieutenant Commander by now.*" (TNG: "The Next Phase")

Commander William T. Riker read, during the mock sentencing staged for the promotion of Lieutenant Commander Worf, in 2371: "*We, the officers and crew of the USS*Enterprise*, being of sound mind and judgment, hereby make the following charges against Lieutenant Worf. One. That he did knowingly and willfully perform above and beyond the call of duty on countless occasions. Two. Most seriously, that he has earned the admiration and respect of the entire crew.*" Following the reading of the "charges", Captain Picard granted Worf his new rank, "*with all the rights and privileges thereto.*" (*Star Trek Generations*)