What does Chief mean?

[Qasim]

In Star Trek you have Chief Miles O'Brien and there is also a chief in BSG.

What does the title chief mean? Is it a military rank?

[babaganoosh]

It's a rank. Chief Petty Officer.

[Qasim]

Thanks

[FitzFG]

If it helps to compare...the rank of "Chief" is about equivalent to the rank of "Sergeant". "Chief" is used in the Navy while "Sergeant" is used in the Army and Air Force. It is the highest rank an enlisted person can achieve without a commission as an officer. Chief - Senior Chief - Master Chief all rank below Lieutenant even if the Chief has been in the service for twenty years and the Lt. is on his first day.

[Qasim]

It also says this

During his appearances on TNG, he was shown as being of officer rank, initially an ensign, subsequently a lieutenant, sometimes wearing one silver pip, sometimes two. However, in the episode "Family", Worf's father Sergey Rozhenko called him a "chief petty officer". O'Brien did not object to this, although he could have held his tongue in politeness.

On DS9, he was presented (and explicitly described himself) as being of enlisted rank. He consistently wore on his collar a black square with three chevrons on it, analogous to a present day US Navy chief petty officer insignia. If he was indeed a chief petty officer at the time of the meeting with Sergey, it is likely that he could have been promoted to a higher enlisted rank upon transfer to Deep Space Nine.

So I guess it is Chief Petty Officer

[Qasim]

On this site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...rek_characters

It says Chief of Operations Miles Edward O'Brien

[Manic]

What always confused me was that Chief O'Brien (being a non-commissioned officer) constantly gave orders to commissioned Ensigns, and was considered a member of DS9's senior staff.

Then again, maybe they gave him seniority since he's basically in charge of all of the station's operations.

And speaking of chiefs, check out qasimjavid's siganture banner. Meet your new chief medical officer, indeed.

[Scoobing]

"Chief of Operations" was O'Brian's title and position I think, not his rank.

I think that was supposed to be Chief Petty Officer, or Master Chief Petty Officer by the end of the show. Non-comissioned, so he wouldn't have gone to officer school, but he has been in something like 245 battle scenarios and had 20+ years of Starfleet experience. So, if I were an Ensign, I would listen to his orders.

[Metarock Sam]

Its another word for head I mean for example in Star Trek they have loads of engineers in engineering but there is a head engineer who has meetings with the captain. That engineer is the Cheif Engineer.

[Flyboy]

I'm not hot on Navy rank systems, but it is my understanding that Chief Petty Officer is the equivlent rank to the Air Force (at least the Royal Air Force)'s Warrant Officer, which is NOT an officer rank. In the RAF a "Station Warrant Officer" takes his orders ONLY from the Officer Commanding of the base, and the SWO can give orders to other officers on the base. It could be a similar situation here.

[FeloniousMonk]

I'm not hot on Navy rank systems, but it is my understanding that Chief Petty Officer is the equivlent rank to the Air Force (at least the Royal Air Force)'s Warrant Officer, which is NOT an officer rank. In the RAF a "Station Warrant Officer" takes his orders ONLY from the Officer Commanding of the base, and the SWO can give orders to other officers on the base. It could be a similar situation here.

A warrant officer is a completely different rate. A Cheif Petty Officer is equivalent to an US Air Force Master Sergent (both considered E-7 on the enlisted pay scale). The US Air Force doesn't have warrant officers; in the US Army a WO will outrank non-coms but still be subordinate to commissioned officers.

[Flyboy]

As stated, I was referring to British forces. From what I've heard of the Royal Navy, CPO is the highest of the ratings, where as Warrant Officer is the highest of the RAF's None Commisioned Ranks. A Warrant Officer takes orders from all commisioned officers, but a Station Warrant Officer takes his orders from only the Officer Commanding.