Player rank
In Star Trek Online players are able to progress through various ranks with their character(s) for both the Federation and Klingon Empire factions. Some rank names are specific depending on which side the player fights for.
Each rank consists of ten grades, except the Ensign/Warrior and Lieutenant ranks which are compiled into one set of ten grades. As the player completes missions and advances through the game they gain skill points which are used to improve their characters skills which directly affect their character, ship and crews performance both in space and on away missions (ground combat). These points are mandatory to progression and whilst a player may reach the grade level for promotion they will not be able to advance until the points have been spent.
At each new Tier, Federation players are allowed access to the next tier of Federation vessels. Players of the Klingon Empire also gain access to new Klingon vessels. Players also achieve new abilities during their playing career. Some of these abilities are linked to Tier/Rank, however some are not.
Rank Progression
| Tier | Rank  |
Rank  |
Skill points spent | Skill points need to next rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Ensign | Warrior | 0 | 33,000 |
| Lieutenant | ||||
| Tier 2 | Lieutenant Commander | 33,000 | 60,000 | |
| Tier 3 | Commander | 93,000 | 80,000 | |
| Tier 4 | Captain | 173,000 | 90,000 | |
| Tier 5 | Rear Admiral, Lower Half | Brigadier General | 263,000 | 50,000 |
| Rear Admiral, Upper Half | Major General | 313,000 | 53,000 | |
| Vice Admiral | Lieutenant General | 366,000 | 0 (SKILL CAP) | |
Tier 1 - Ensign and Lieutenant 
Tier 1 initial ranks consist of three separate titles, one for each particular faction type and one that is shared. For the Federation, the player is at the Ensign rank for the initial tutorial however like the Klingon Empire faction they quickly rank up to the level of Lieutenant.
Tier 2 - Lieutenant Commander 
Tier 2 is the second tier in the game available to the player. Upon reaching Lieutenant grade 11 players can be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander when they have spent the required amount of skill points. This rank is shared for both the Klingon Empire and the Federation.
Tier 3 - Commander 
Tier 3 is the third tier in the game available to the player. At this Tier, players are promoted to the rank of Commander when they have spent the required amount of skill points and gained the necessary grades. This rank is shared for both the Klingon Empire and the Federation.
Since Klingons are unlocked by having a Federation character at level 25, the Klingon character will immediately start out at level 20 and is given all the points up to that level to spend.
Tier 4 - Captain 
Tier 4 is the fourth tier in the game available to the player. At this Tier, players are promoted to the rank of Captain when they have spent the required amount of skill points and gained the necessary grades. This rank is shared for both the Klingon Empire and the Federation.
- "Captain" also refers to the player character, regardless of in-game rank.
Tier 5 - Rear Admiral, Lower Half and Brigadier General 
Tier 5 is the fifth rank and second highest tier in the game and much like the initial starting ranks for both factions, their titles differ. Federation players upon reaching Tier 5, assuming they have attained and spent the necessary skill points, will be promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. Players of the Klingon Empire upon reaching the same feat will receive the rank of Brigadier General.
Tier 5 - Rear Admiral, Upper Half and Major General 
Since Season 2, players can attain the rank of Rear Admiral, Upper Half for the Federation and Major General for the Klingons, respectively, after spending the necessary skill points. These ranks are still Tier 5, meaning the player will earn a respec token but not access to a new ship tier.
Tier 5 - Vice Admiral and Lieutenant General 
Vice Admiral (for Federation players) and Lieutenant General (for Klingon faction players) is currently the highest rank. Upon reaching level 50, Federation players gain access to special Tier 5 ship classes called Retrofits while Klingon players can obtain the Fek'Ihri Kar'Fi class carrier and the B'Rel Bird of Prey Retrofit. Players also receive the Quantum Slipstream Drive ability at this rank.
Future Ranks
Cryptic has indicated a future increase to the level cap may see the following ranks:
Admiral and General 
Fleet Admiral and Dahar Master 
Bridge Officers
Bridge Officers, although not directly controlled by the player, follow very closely to the same ranking system outlined above for the player. The maximum rank of a Bridge Officer on your starship cannot be on-par or higher than the players current rank. For example, if the player starts a Federation character and completes the tutorial they are given a Federation Light Cruiser starship. This vessel can house three Ensign level officers. When the player gains promotion to Lieutenant Commander they will be able to promote all of their Ensigns to the rank of Lieutenant.
For the Klingon Empire, there are two different ranks which players and bridge officers don't use, these are:
- Bekk: The lowest Bridge Officer rank
- Sergeant: Equivalent of a Lieutenant Commander
Level Rewards
Starfleet Rewards
 |
* Starfleet Ensign * First Bridge Officer |
1 |
* Starfleet Lieutenant - New ship * Unlock Federation Diplomatic Corps |
| 2 |
* Access to Memory Alpha Research * Access to Patrol Missions * Access to Outreach Missions |
| 3 |
* Lieutenant Space Ability (12,000 Skill Points gained) - Evasive Maneuvers * Access to Star Cluster Missions * Access to Fleet Action Missions |
| 4 |
* Unlock Injuries on Advanced/Elite |
| 5 |
* Lieutenant Ground Ability (18,000 Skill Points gained) - Target Optics (Tactical) - Reroute Power to Shields (Engineering) - Tricorder Scan (Science) * Unlock PVP * Bridge Officer Awarded |
| 6 |
None |
| 7 |
* Duty Officer System unlocked * Initial Duty Officer Cadre |
| 8 |
* Lieutenant Space Ability (27,000 Skill Points gained) - Attack Pattern Alpha (Tactical) - Rotate Shield Frequency (Engineering) - Sensor Scan (Science) |
| 9 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
10 |
* Starfleet Lieutenant Commander (Gain 33,000 Skill Points) - New ship - Permission to buy next rank of ships |
| 11 |
* Duty Officers Awarded |
| 12 |
None |
| 13 |
* Lieutenant Commander Space Ability (51,000 Skill Points gained) - Brace for Impact |
| 14 |
* None |
| 15 |
* Lieutenant Commander Ground Ability (63,000 Skill Points gained) - Fire on my Mark (Tactical) - Cover Shield (Engineering) - Neural Neutralizer (Science) * Bridge Officer Awarded |
| 16 |
None |
| 17 |
None |
| 18 |
* Lieutenant Commander Space Ability (81,000 Skill Points gained) - Fire on my Mark (Tactical) EPS Power Transfer (Engineering) - Subnucleonic Beam (Science) |
| 19 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
20 |
* Starfleet Commander (Gain 93,000 Skill Points) - New ship - Permission to buy next rank of ships |
| 21 |
* Duty Officers Awarded |
| 22 |
None |
| 23 |
* Commander Space Ability (117,000 Skill Points gained) - Ramming Speed |
| 24 |
* Unlock Klingon Faction |
| 25 |
* Commander Ground Ability (133,000 Skill Points gained) - Tactical Initiative (Tactical) - Support Drone (Engineering) - Dampening Field (Science) * Bridge Officer Awarded |
| 26 |
None |
| 27 |
None |
| 28 |
* Commander Space Ability (157,000 Skill Points gained) - Tactical Initiative (Tactical) - Nadion Inverison (Engineering) - Dampening Field (Science) |
| 29 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
30 |
* Starfleet Captain (Gain 173,000 Skill Points) - New ship - Permission to buy next rank of ships |
| 31 |
* Duty Officers Awarded |
| 32 |
None |
| 33 |
* Captain Space Ability (200,000 Skill Points gained) - Abandon Ship |
| 34 |
None |
| 35 |
* Captain Ground Ability (218,000 Skill Points gained) - Security Escort (Tactical) - Orbital Strike (Engineering) - Nanoprobe Infestation (Science)* Bridge Officer Awarded |
| 36 |
None |
| 37 |
None |
| 38 |
* Captain Space Ability (245,000 Skill Points gained) - Go Down Fighting (Tactical) - Miracle Worker (Engineering) - Photonic Fleet (Science) |
| 39 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
40 |
* Starfleet Rear Admiral, Lower Half (Gain 263,000 Skill Points) - New ship * Permission to buy next rank of ships |
| 41 |
Duty Officers Awarded |
| 42 |
* Unlock Rear Admiral, Lower Half Daily Missions (PVP, Exploration) |
| 43 |
* Rear Admiral, Lower Half Space Ability (293,000 Skill Points gained) - Fleet Support |
| 44 |
None |
45 |
* Starfleet Rear Admiral, Upper Half (Gain 313,000 Skill Points) * Rear Admiral, Upper Half Ground Ability (313,000 Skill Points gained) - Strike Team (Tactical) - Engineering Proficiency (Engineering) - Scientific Aptitude (Science) |
| 46 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
| 47 |
None |
| 48 |
* Rear Admiral, Upper Half Space Ability (343,000 Skill Points gained) - Tactical Fleet (Tactical) - Engineering Fleet (Engineering) - Science Fleet (Science) |
| 49 |
None |
50 |
* Starfleet Vice Admiral (Gain 366,000 Skill Points) - Permission to buy next rank of ships * Unlock Vice Admiral Daily Missions (PvP, Exploration) |
Klingon Rewards
20 |
* Klingon Commander - New ship - Permission to buy next rank of ships |
| 21 |
None |
| 22 |
* Commander Space Ability (109,500 Skill Points spent) - Ramming Speed * Duty Officer System unlocked |
| 23 |
None |
| 24 |
* Commander Ground Ability (125,500 Skill Points spent) - Tactical Initiative (Tactical) - Support Drone (Engineering) - Dampening Field (Science) |
| 25 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
| 26 |
None |
| 27 |
* Commander Space Ability (149,500 Skill Points spent) - Tactical Initiative (Tactical) - Nadion Inverison (Engineering) - Scattering Field (Science) |
| 28 |
None |
| 29 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
30 |
* Klingon Captain (173,000 Skill Points spent) - New ship - Permission to buy next rank of ships |
| 31 |
None |
| 32 |
* Captain Space Ability (191,500 Skill Points spent) - Abandon Ship |
| 33 |
None |
| 34 |
* Captain Ground Ability (209,500 Skill Points spent) - Security Escort (Tactical) - Orbital Strike (Engineering) - Nanoprobe Infestation (Science) |
| 35 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
| 36 |
None |
| 37 |
* Captain Space Ability (236,500 Skill Points spent) - Go Down Fighting (Tactical) - Miracle Worker (Engineering) - Photonic Fleet (Science) |
| 38 |
None |
| 39 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
40 |
* Klingon Brigadier General (263,000 Skill Points spent) - New ship * Permission to buy next rank of ships |
| 41 |
None |
| 42 |
* Brigadier General Space Ability (283,500 Skill Points Spent) - Fleet Support * Unlock Brigadier General Daily Missions (PVP, Exploration) |
| 43 |
None |
| 44 |
* Brigadier General Ground Ability (303,500 Skill Points Spent) - Strike Team (Tactical) - Engineering Proficiency (engineering) - Scientific Aptitude (Science) * Bridge Officer Awarded * Unlock Brigadier General Daily Mission (Special Task Force) * Access to Undine Sector Episodes and Fleet Action |
45 |
* Klingon Major General (313,000 Skill Points spent) |
| 46 |
* Bridge Officer Awarded |
| 47 |
* Major General Space Ability (333,500 Skill Points Spent) - Tactical Fleet (Tactical) Engineering Fleet (Engineering) - Science Fleet (Science) |
| 48 |
None |
| 49 |
None |
50 |
* Klingon Lieutenant General (366,000 Skill Points spent) - Permission to buy next rank of ships * Unlock Lieutenant General Daily Missions (PvP, Exploration) |
