Chief petty officer
Chief petty officer (CPO) was a non-commissioned officer rank used by service organizations such as Earth's United States military and the Federation's Starfleet.

History 
The origins of the rank chief petty officer can be traced to Earth's 20th century, where the title was used by the United States Navy. ()

In Starfleet, chiefs were subordinate to all commissioned officers, but they generally had far more experience and practical knowledge than ensigns and lieutenants, and were expected to act as mentors to them and to the junior enlisted assigned. () As such, chiefs were often among the actual leaders in a Starfleet organization, and could even hold the authoritative position of Chief of Operations. () Chiefs served with distinction in most Starfleet branches and specialties, but were particularly visible in engineering and other technical trades. ()

During the late 23rd century Starfleet chief petty officers were also defined as senior chief petty officer and master chief petty officer. (–) 

When Sergey Rozhenko spied Miles O'Brien as the transporter chief aboard the  in 2367, Rozhenko was excited to meet another chief petty officer. When O'Brien introduced himself, he acknowledged Rozhenko as "sir", to which Rozhenko told him not to call him "sir," as he used to work for a living. Sergey's wife, Helena, then told O'Brien that he was just joking and that Sergey's proudest moment was when their son, Worf, had earned his commission. Sergey then added, "Imagine. An old enlisted man like me raising a boy to be an officer!" ()

Several years later, O'Brien was identified by a Jem'Hadar as the rank of "chief petty officer," or "what Starfleet refers to as a "noncom,"" adding "you must have a great deal of experience […] that makes you a priority target." ()

In 2374, Cadet Dorian Collins of the  introduced herself to Nog and Jake Sisko as "acting chief petty officer." ()

List of chief petty officers 
Master CPO
 Fambi
 Janice Rand
 Tashmom
 Trag

Senior CPO
 
 Dorian Collins (acting)
 Isang
 Miles O'Brien
 Raz
 Sanarek

CPO
 Brossmer
 Garison
 
 Gladstone
 Kelso
 Sergey Rozhenko
 Sangrom
 Trax

Chief 
 Humbolt
 Pendleton
 Edgar Willoughby

Appendices

See also 
 Senior chief specialist
 Warrant officer
 Starfleet ranks
 List of Starfleet enlisted personnel

Background information 
Personnel of this grade can be addressed simply as "chief". 

As a traditional naval grade, CPO was senior to a petty officer, and was the highest enlisted grade in organizations like the US Navy. In comparison to infantry ranking systems, this rank was approximately equivalent to the more senior sergeant grades. 

Scripts for  described Garison's rank stripe as "first crewman" and "bridge CPO."

In , Captain Kirk, saved by an enlisted man from , who intended to assassinate him, was told that "Mr. Chekov was going to make me a chief, sir." 

In , a chief petty officer contacts the CDO Commander Rogerson, regarding a power drain in the energy systems of the aircraft carrier Enterprise. The CPO's voice is not heard on screen, but the commander responds to the question "Yes, chief. We're tracking that too."

Information pertaining to the  "senior chief petty officer" and "master chief petty officer" ranks originated from Robert Fletcher's personal costuming notes (p. 9, seen here) and later confirmed in multiple lots sold in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction. Props designated as "master chief petty officer, second class" were apparently designed and created, but did not appear on Fletcher's notes, were also among the costume props sold in It's A Wrap!. 

Additionally, the revised shooting script for Star Trek IV was prefaced with several production notes, including one that stated: "Please note that Master Chief Petty Officer Rand now first appears in Scene 25 and in all subsequent Starfleet Command scenes," replacing the previous script note reference to her being a lieutenant. A similar note appeared during the production of , which originally listed her as an ensign, but was revised to chief (no sleeve stripes), due to her position as the transporter chief.

The Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Journal (p. 35) labeled the single hollow/black pip insignia as a 2360s "ensign junior grade."

The first appearance of Miles O'Brien's chevrons-and-dots insignia was , which Miles O'Brien (and in one case, Dorian Collins) would wear through the end of the series. Several O'Brien uniforms with this insignia were sold as part of the It's A Wrap! sale and auction.

External link 
 
 
 

de:Chief Petty Officer
de:Senior Chief Petty Officer
de:Master Chief Petty Officer
es:Jefe suboficial
es:Jefe suboficial senior
es:Maestro jefe suboficial
ja:兵曹長
ja:上級兵曹長
ja:最上級兵曹長
nl:Hoofd onderofficier
nl:Hoofd onderofficier (senior)
Military ranks