Terran ranks

Terran ranks are a part of the terran military structure. The Terran Confederacy, Raynor's Raiders, the Terran Dominion, the United Earth Directorate and many other terran forces use ranks which appear similar to 21st century United States military ranks.

Military personnel are divided into two broad categories: enlisted men and commissioned officers, with the latter outranking the former. Outside of these structures are warrant officers.

Some spacecraft are commanded by officers who use old Air Force rank names (e.g. Wraith pilots such as Colonel Tom Kazansky) whereas other spacecraft are commanded by officers using old naval rank names (e.g. battlecruiser commanders, which use the British navy term "commodore"). Dropships are often piloted by warrant officers; typically a 21st-century transport helicopter would be commanded or piloted by a captain but are often commanded or piloted by warrant officers.

Science vessel commanders usually use the old army rank of major, but Magellan is ranked commodore (an old navy rank); these ranks are visible if the science vessel is affected by the Lockdown ability.

The term Lance Corporal appears to be used in a different way in the Confederate Marine Corps; instead, the equivalent army rank Private First Class was used. The rank still existed during the Guild Wars.

The term commander is often used instead of a rank. Commander Brantigan Fole was the commander of the 33rd Ground Assault Division, a position which would be held by a major general in real life (commander is a naval rank). Fole was regarded as a major general shortly after the war.

Rank Listings

Ranks for standard "unit types" are from StarCraft I; StarCraft II uses a different system.

Commissioned Officers

Army Ranks

• General – Edmund Duke
• Major General – Brantigan Fole
• Colonel – Nero
• Major – Science vessel (a science vessel commander would be expected to hold a naval rank)

Captain can be both a naval rank and an army rank. As a navy rank, O-6, it is a high rank. As an army rank, O-3, it is a relatively low rank. Wraith pilots would be expected to have a low rank. Tom Kazansky, a heroic Wraith, holds the army rank of colonel, which, as O-6, is the same as a navy rank.

In real life, Air Force pilots usually use army ranks, whereas Navy pilots usually use navy ranks.

• Captain – Wraith.
• 1st Lieutenant – Medic

Lieutenant can be both a naval rank and an army rank. As a navy rank, it can refer to an O-2 "lieutenant junior grade" or O-3 "lieutenant". Male navy officers of rank lieutenant and below are often referred to as "mister". As an army rank, it can refer to an O-1 "second lieutenant" or an O-2 "first lieutenant".

Navy Ranks

• Admiral – Gerard DuGalle
• Vice-Admiral – Alexei Stukov

Admirals of any rank (rear (lower half), rear (upper half), vice and "full", are usually simply referred to as "admiral".)

• Commodore – Battlecruiser

Commodore is equivalent to the rear admiral ranks.

• Commander – Hunnicutt
• Lt. Commander – Valkyrie

Warrant Officers

Warrant officers hold a position between that of commissioned officers and those of enlisted men. In real-life there are 10 warrant officer ranks, simply referred to as Warrant Officer 1, Warrant Officer 2, etc.

• Warrant Officer – Dropship

Non-commissioned Officers

Army Ranks

• First Sergeant – Goliath
• Master Sergeant – Siege tank
• Sergeant – Vulture
• Corporal (E4) – Firebat
• Specialist (E4) – Ghost
• Private – Marine and SCV

Navy Ranks

In the real-life US Marine Corps, medical personnel, called corpsmen, actually come from the Navy. This is reflected in StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils, when Petty Officer Cassidy, works with a marine platoon.

• Petty Officer Third Class – Lisa Cassidy (medic)

Law Enforcement Ranks

• Marshal – Jim Raynor
• Detective – Malcolm Kelerchian
• Sergeant – Volmer
• Officer – Larry Fonseca

Kel-Morian Ranks

The military was organized along corporate lines.

• Overseer
• Assistant Overseer
• Guildmaster
• Foreman
• Taskmaster