Ranks of Atlantis expedition?

[berlin88]

I will offer a few comments.

1. In season One, Bates was the head of security, and like Stackhouse, was an offworld team leader. Surely the military would have put an officer in charge instead of a sergeant? Sheppard may have been the only Major, but there were Captains/ Lieutenants like Miller (the guy flying the jumper in Siege Part 1).


2. The IOA prefers civilian commanders to military commanders, so would that have any affect on the base seniority? I say no, but then again Weir left Teyla in charge more than once. In some ways, I see it as being left up to the base commander to determine a chain of command.


3. Like it or not, some of the Atlantis members may trust Ronan/ Teyla more than some random military officer. The military guys will follow orders, but there is no guarantee the civilians will do so.

I see command as Woolsey- Sheppard- Lorne- McKay. I say McKay because there have been no recurring military officers with a rank of major or higher, beyond lorne. Caldwell and Ellis don't count since they are only semi present and not expedition members. Junior officers might not have been around as long, making them less knowledgeable and experienced. Most situations will require either Sheppard or McKay to save the day anyways.


4. What role to military officers/ enlisted personnel from other countries play? Obviously they have a limited role, since the writers use primarily US Air force/ Marines, but would an officer from say Russia or the UK have authority over someone from the USA?

[Flyboy]

I will offer a few comments.

1. In season One, Bates was the head of security, and like Stackhouse, was an offworld team leader. Surely the military would have put an officer in charge instead of a sergeant? Sheppard may have been the only Major, but there were Captains/ Lieutenants like Miller (the guy flying the jumper in Siege Part 1).

What's wrong with Sergeants?

2. The IOA prefers civilian commanders to military commanders, so would that have any affect on the base seniority? I say no, but then again Weir left Teyla in charge more than once. In some ways, I see it as being left up to the base commander to determine a chain of command.

Weir should have an administrative staff. It's a failure of the writers that she doesn't. As it stands, Atlantis may as well JUST be the SGC with a civilian in charge (ie Lost City). The military is the most important element in Atlantis, and as such, Shep, as military IC, takes command in Weir/Woolsey's absence.

3. Like it or not, some of the Atlantis members may trust Ronan/ Teyla more than some random military officer. The military guys will follow orders, but there is no guarantee the civilians will do so.

Why would they be more willing to take orders from an ALIEN than a member of the expedition?

I see command as Woolsey- Sheppard- Lorne- McKay. I say McKay because there have been no recurring military officers with a rank of major or higher, beyond lorne. Caldwell and Ellis don't count since they are only semi present and not expedition members. Junior officers might not have been around as long, making them less knowledgeable and experienced. Most situations will require either Sheppard or McKay to save the day anyways.

For a start, we saw an Atlantis Major in "Whispers".

Just because McKay is the head of a department doesn't mean he's next in line, despite his beliefs. He's a scientist, not a leader.

4. What role to military officers/ enlisted personnel from other countries play? Obviously they have a limited role, since the writers use primarily US Air force/ Marines, but would an officer from say Russia or the UK have authority over someone from the USA?

If the officer is part of the expedition, his rank, no matter what his nationality is static. A Royal Air Force "Wing Commander" would be equal in rank to "Lt Colonel" Sheppard, BUT would still be under his command as Sheppard is the Military IC. However, an RAF "Flight Lieutenant" would have no more or less seniority than a USAF "Captain". It doesn't matter what nationality you are, rank is rank. A USAF "Captain" would still be subject to orders from an RAF "Squadron Leader".

[berlin88]

I was commenting on the Sergeants because the SGC always had officers commanding offworld teams and running base security. I Understand Atlantis is different, I just thought that maybe there was a preference for having officers in charge.

I was also commenting on the ranks/ authority of non American military personnel, because of the fact we see so little of them. 90-95% of the military members we see are USA, mostly US Marine Corps. I don't think the foreign military members have ever been shown in a capacity beyond base security guards, and none have been given names. There may have been 1-2 episodes like Sateda where they went offworld, but they are not usually part of any offworld activity.

Russia made a big stink in SG-1 about its level of involvement, so it would make sense for Russia at least to have more military personnel in Atlantis, rather than the normal 1-3 guys we see.

[Flyboy]

I was commenting on the Sergeants because the SGC always had officers commanding offworld teams and running base security. I Understand Atlantis is different, I just thought that maybe there was a preference for having officers in charge.

I was also commenting on the ranks/ authority of non American military personnel, because of the fact we see so little of them. 90-95% of the military members we see are USA, mostly US Marine Corps. I don't think the foreign military members have ever been shown in a capacity beyond base security guards, and none have been given names. There may have been 1-2 episodes like Sateda where they went offworld, but they are not usually part of any offworld activity.

Russia made a big stink in SG-1 about its level of involvement, so it would make sense for Russia at least to have more military personnel in Atlantis, rather than the normal 1-3 guys we see.

Reaching Sergeant as an enlisted member of the military is extremely prestigious. Sergeants have been in the forces (generally, there are a few exceptions, such as Load Masters in the RAF) and generally reach the rank through years of hard work, rising from their first rank, Private, Airman, or whatever depending on your service. In a squad you generally have a very experienced Sergeant, and two Officers (one quite junior) leading it. The Sergeant is supposed to support his officers and assist them in every way, often guiding them, as the Sergeant has been there, done that, etc etc. It doesn't surprise me at all to have a Senior NCO in a command position such as that. It appauls me that in the Gateverse we're NOT shown the contribution of NCOs much more. In fact, the ONE good thing about Whispers imo is that they HAD a Sergeant, even though she wasn't listened to sufficiently.

There should be many more enlisted personnel in Atlantis and the SGC than officers. And they should have a LOT more responsibility, particularly in security purposes and for tactical considerations.


You are right there have been so few representations of foreign military personnel, which remains a massive gripe for me. But any that ARE there would simply be slotted into the ranks and would not be elevated or brought down past their actual rank.

[Hong3103]

I will offer a few comments.

1. In season One, Bates was the head of security, and like Stackhouse, was an offworld team leader. Surely the military would have put an officer in charge instead of a sergeant? Sheppard may have been the only Major, but there were Captains/ Lieutenants like Miller (the guy flying the jumper in Siege Part 1).

NCO's (Non-Commisioned Officers) are the back bone of the US military... actually of any modern military. A VERY simplistic way to look at it is that Senior/General Officers plan out the big picture, NCO's/Junior Officers (SGT's & CPL's/Cap-LT) figure out the minor details to get the big picture done... basically ensuring the Non-NCO's (PVT's, PFC's, LCPL's) are getting the job done.

The officer to enlisted ratio for the AF, Army, or Navy is about 1:4 or 5. Marine Corp is about 1:8 So a SGT in the Marine Corp has a fair bit of repsonsibility... sometimes similar to a junior officer in a different branch of the military.

[Flyboy]

NCO's (Non-Commisioned Officers) are the back bone of the US military... actually of any modern military. A VERY simplistic way to look at it is that Senior/General Officers plan out the big picture, NCO's/Junior Officers (SGT's & CPL's/Cap-LT) figure out the minor details to get the big picture done... basically ensuring the Non-NCO's (PVT's, PFC's, LCPL's) are getting the job done.

The officer to enlisted ratio for the AF, Army, or Navy is about 1:4 or 5. Marine Corp is about 1:8 So a SGT in the Marine Corp has a fair bit of repsonsibility... sometimes similar to a junior officer in a different branch of the military.

I like you Hong.

Damn right NCOs are important. I hope to see more of them in SGU. But unlike the Sgt in "Whispers" they're generally not "kill count mad" idiots. They're very clever people. They make things happen and I have a lot of respect for anyone with three stripes on their arm. They've earned it. Not through brown nosing or through being political but by doing the job for countless years, and doing it WELL.