Let's open this with a bang! Romulans get color insignia here: http://www.starfleetgames.com/Romulan_rank_Insignia.pdf

By Patrick H. Dillman (Patrick) on Monday, March 29, 2010 - 01:16 pm: Edit

OOOOO! Pretty!!

Is there a meaning for the different colored diamonds and wings?? Branch colors maybe??

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, March 29, 2010 - 01:33 pm: Edit

No, it just the higher ranks.

By Jason E. Schaff (Jschaff297061) on Monday, March 29, 2010 - 06:05 pm: Edit

Would that "bang" be the result of a detonation or of a deflagration?

(Runs away VERY quickly! I know it is a futile gesture, but at least others will be spared collateral damage from the Griswold impact. )

By Terry "Full Stop" O'Carroll (Terryoc) on Monday, March 29, 2010 - 10:21 pm: Edit

Very nice. Interesting to see how the highest rank at each "level" actually has no further hope of promotion. That reflects the Romulan political system I suppose. So for example, would a major-soldat who had the potential, and the political interest, be "jumped" a rank and go straight to ante-decurion?

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 12:30 am: Edit

No impact. Just waiting for Origins. And fleets. And a chance to talk next to said fleets. And to wear Wonderful Sleeves ...

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 02:32 pm: Edit

Terry,

It doesn't look like the Romulan ranks are a true progression. There are dead ends that functionally branch from the progression (most "pente" ranks) and others that are half-steps (most "proto" ranks).

So, for example, a Major-Centurion would work to become an Ante-Tribune. Normally this means he has to spend some time as a Proto-Tribune, but I doubt this is truly mandatory. If this doesn't happen after some time, when it becomes clear his career has stagnated, but he is still deemed useful to the fleet, he is moved to the Pente-Centurion rank.

The one series that is different is the Decurions. And there, I would imagine that the "pente" level still works the same. So, if a Decurion has any chance to become an officer he *must* do so no later than as a Major-Decurion. Once promoted to Pente-Decurion, he is will remain a Decurion for the rest of his career (potentially moving up to Manga-Decurion and Ultra-Decurion).

Also, there does not have to be any particular stigma with this. Just because he has no real hope to advance further doesn't mean he isn't valued. In fact, I would think the "pente" level is a full reflection of that value, in that the fleet wants him to remain, even if his rank has "topped out".

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 04:46 pm: Edit

Not quite. In almost all cultures, there are officers (upper class, college educated) and there are sergeants (working class blue collar guys), and it's pretty rare for a sergeant to be promoted to officer. Not impossible, just pretty rare, and something over 90% of officers (universe wide, and Earth wide) have no enlisted time. Most prior-enlisted who make officer do so after finishing their enlisted service and taking ROTC in college which they attend on the GI Bill. A whole bunch of the enlisted people who go to officer candidate school were picked for that before they enlisted (although when a war gets going a lot of veteran sergeants get promoted to second lieutenant in the first two years).

Even the Germans had a rank of "Aspirant" which was a soldier being groomed to be an officer, but he was probably never a sergeant.

The Israelis pride themselves on being the only military where every officer had to be a sergeant first, but even that is a sham. Kids who are destined for officer status go to "military high schools" and are promoted from private to sergeant on their second day in active service, then complete their sergeant tour in a year and go to college for two years to become a lieutenant.

My dad was in the 14th Armored Division in WWII. After the first couple of days of the Battle of Hatten-Rittershoffen (when the division suffered massive casualties in a really dumb attack) the general gave orders for every private with an IQ over 120 to be commissioned as a second lieutenant for the next day's attack (and most of those were killed or wounded the next day). My dad, who was told "go through these files, check the IQ scores, and sort out the lucky ones" forgot to check his own file. He left the Army at the end of WW2 and went to college taking ROTC and ended up a bird colonel.

The Romulan ranks are, indeed, kind of unique to their system. Centurions (lieutenants and captains) either get picked for promotion to field grade or not (mostly on political connections, although you have to actually be competent). Veteran Major-Centurions either have the connections to be sent to graduate school as a proto-tribune or eventually become Pente-Centurions (who have great skills and respect, but far less chance of promotion). Some Pente-Centurions do get promoted, and the rank of proto-Tribune exists so that hotshot Major-Centurions and old dogs who got lucky Pente-Centurions start at the same rank (so the old farts don't outrank the hotshots).

Major Tribunes and Pente-Tribunes are both eligible for promotion to Proto-Commander (Sub-Sub-Commander) but hotshots don't have to wait around long enough to become Pente-Tribunes.

And so on.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 04:51 pm: Edit

Thus proving your dad's IQ was well over 120.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 05:32 pm: Edit

Higher than mine, actually, which tested once as 142 and once as 136.