Petty officer

"There's nothing petty about being a petty officer."

- Anonymous Republic Navy chief

Petty Officer was a non-commissioned officer rank within most military space forces across the galaxy. These included the, , the , and many others. It was often split into varying grades, with the lower grades serving as technicians and the upper ranks as department supervisors.

Grades

 * Petty Officer Third Class: Lowest non-commissioned officer rank, typically given to a technical specialist in any number of ships' departments, including engineering, weapons, shields or elsewhere.
 * Petty Officer Second Class: Basic non-commissioned officer rank. More experienced technicians, specializing in repair and maintenance of ships' systems.
 * Petty Officer First Class: Experienced technician and/or specialist, and often the lowest grade of crew assigned to work on the bridge of a warship and could also serve as deputy department supervisors.
 * Chief Petty Officer: First grade of chief petty officer and the first with command and/or supervisory responsibilities. Experienced petty officers that were typically assigned as department supervisors, coordinating the actions of crewers and lower-grade petty officers in the performance of their duties. Answerable to ships' officers serving as department heads and the senior chief.
 * Senior Chief Petty Officer: Experienced petty officer who often served as instructors at basic training and advanced technical schools. Lowest grade of petty officer to hold the title of "chief of the boat," an informal title given to the most senior NCO aboard a warship.
 * Master Chief Petty Officer: Highly-experienced petty officer typically assigned to smaller warships to oversee other enlisted personnel, to serve as lead department NCOs aboard larger warships, or else as senior instructors at basic and advanced naval recruit training. Could also serve as staff aides to captains of major warships.
 * Command Master Chief Petty Officer: Highly-experienced petty officer, often the highest ranking enlisted crew member of most warships. Also served as senior instructors for advanced naval training schools not undertaken by most recruits. Could also serve as staff aides to flag rank officers (Rear Admiral or higher).
 * Fleet/Sector Master Chief Petty Officer: Highly-experienced petty officer that often served as liaison between large bodies of enlisted Navy personnel and the officer corps, or else as chief petty officer aboard the largest of command ships depending on the service branch.