Brothers In Theory / BTHEORY

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Ranking

Ranking governs the use of BIT ships. While onboard a BIT ship, the following regulations shall be followed when performing duties, addressing senior officers and providing guidelines for ship order. BIT ranks are not followed on members’ private ships unless said ships are temporarily donated for BIT missions.

Ensign

An ensign’s primary duty is professional growth, both as a leader and as an occupational specialist. Ensigns are mentored by more senior officers as part of their development as BIT leaders. As Ensigns prove themselves more capable, they are considered for promotion into the Lieutenant tier.

Requirements

As Ensign is the lowest rank in the BIT organization, all members start here and are asked to focus in a ship discipline that is both interesting to them and useful to the organization. As Star Citizen continues to expand, these disciplines will become more focused and interesting. Members are encouraged to try different activities as the game is developed.

Responsibilities

• An officer with the rank of Ensign is required to follow the command of any other officer with a rank higher than his/hers. Orders from officers of a higher rank always take precedence over the orders of lower ranked officer.
• An Ensign can be assigned to duties that only require the attention of a single individual, such as maintenance and repair or shield duty or other technician duties.
• Ensigns can command all non-commissioned personnel¹.
• Learn about an occupational specialty of interest.

Privileges

• In the absence of all other commanding officers, the Ensign with the most seniority has command.²

Demotion

Lieutenant

BIT Lieutenants are expected to be effective small-section leaders and technical experts, developing their leadership skills in preparation for promotion to the Lieutenant Commander tier.

Requirements

Responsibilities

Privileges

• In the absence of all other commanding officers, the Lieutenant with the most seniority has command.²

Demotion

Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commanders normally serve as senior department heads, executive officers on smaller vessels, and in some cases as starship commanders.

Requirements

Responsibilities

Privileges

• It is common in informal circumstances to refer to Lieutenant Commanders simply as “Commander” by both those under their command and their commanding officers.
• In the absence of all other commanding officers, the Lieutenant Commander with the most seniority has command.²

Demotion

Commander

The rank of Commander is a senior rank, common among executive officers and senior department heads.

Requirements

Responsibilities

Privileges

• Naval tradition states that even if a naval vessel is commanded by an officer whose rank is Commander or Lieutenant Commander, that officer is still referred to as a Captain while on the deck of their own vessel.
• In the absence of all other commanding officers, the Commander with the most seniority has command.²

Demotion

Captain

Captains of starships, often located hundreds of light years away from and out of communications with higher authority, need to be able to function autonomously and make independent command decisions. Accordingly, few BIT officers ever gain the captaincy of a starship, the result long term-sustained excellence as a BIT leader.

Requirements

Responsibilities

Privileges

• In the absence of all other commanding officers, the Captain with the most seniority has command.²

Demotion

Admiral

Admirals commanded fleets of ships, as opposed to Captains commanding single ships or units.

Requirements

Responsibilities

Privileges

Demotion

¹ Non-Commissioned Personnel are crew members who have no rank. These would include non-members of BIT, or members who have been demoted below the rank of Ensign.

² Seniority in a rank is calculated as the officer that has held the rank the longest.