Fleet Admiral (SCIFI)
|
|
The rank of Fleet Admiral is common in many science fiction sources as a senior military officer who commands a fleet of spaceships and the rank has been mentioned in numerous films, television productions, and science fiction literature sources.
The following are some of of the more common occurrences of the Fleet Admiral rank within the realm of science fiction.
Star Trek
SFfadm.gif
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Fleet Admiral is the highest commissioned rank of the Starfleet. As early as Star Trek: The Original Series, "Fleet Admiral" was used as a generic title to describe any Admiral of Starfleet. However, it was not until Star Trek III: The Search for Spock that an actual Fleet Admiral was seen on camera. Fleet Admiral Morrow, played by actor Robert Hooks, was the first Fleet Admiral of Star Trek to actually be seen by the viewing audience.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, the rank of Fleet Admiral again became generic, often used to describe any Admiral appearing on the show. However, in Star Trek fanon, the rank of Fleet Admiral was established in the follow-on Star Trek series, with the new insignia conjectured to be five gold pips within a gold collar rectangle.
Star Wars
SWARSFLTADM.jpg
In the Imperial Navy of Star Wars, Fleet Admiral is considered a senior Imperial military rank for those who command sector fleets or task forces. Due to the size of the Imperial Navy, however, the necessity exists for even higher ranks. As such, most Fleet Admirals answer to a High Admiral who in turn answers to a Moff, Grand Moff, or Supreme Moff.
Imperial Grand Admirals and Grand Generals are specially appointed and outrank all personnel, military and civil, save Emperor Palpatine and his appointed executors.
The insignia for an Imperial Fleet Admiral is six blue and red squares in a rectangle design. High Admirals use the same rank badge, but only wear one code cylinder while Fleet Admirals wear two.
An old style insignia for Fleet Admiral, used during the time of the first Death Star, comprised a single line of six red squares with three code cylinders. This was also the insignia for High General, the Imperial Army equivalent of Fleet Admiral. High General Tagge, of the first Death Star, wore the old style Fleet Admiral/High General insignia, while Fleet Admirals Piett and Ozzel, of Darth Vader's Task Force wore the later insignia version.
Ender's Game
In the novel Ender's Game, a child soldier named Ender Wiggin is conscripted into a Battle School for gifted youths. During what Ender believes to be a final exam scenario, he is actually placed in command of a starfleet that proceeds to destroy a menacing alien race, all the while with Ender believing that his command of this fleet is only a simulation. After learning the truth, Ender is told that he has been promoted to Fleet Admiral, and thus holds the rank at an age of no more than twelve years old.