25 réponses à ce sujet

[Drone223]

tbh I think the Alliance rank system doesn't know what it wants to be and is a complete mess. For example in ME1 starting screen Shepard was a Lt. commander in ME2/3 however it just refers to Shepard as just commander, but in the alliance there is no rank of commander, its Lt. commander and staff commander and there is no mention of a promotion at any point in ME2/3, so is Shepard a lt. commander or a staff commander?

In ME:N if they have a codex entry on the do you think the Alliance rank structure be changed to resemble the ones found in today's military's across the world?

[Taki17]

Shepard is addressed as commander for the very same reason as most people call others by their first name only: it is shorter.

[Drone223]

Shepard is addressed as commander for the very same reason as most people call others by their first name only: it is shorter.

I know but is Shepard a Lt. commander or a staff commander? After in ME2/3 it's never mentioned.

[ozthegweat]

Well if he's a Lt. Commander in the first game and there was never a promotion in 2 or 3, then I guess you have your answer?

[Drone223]

Well if he's a Lt. Commander in the first game and there was never a promotion in 2 or 3, then I guess you have your answer?

That's what I think, but I think in the next game it should be mentioned and the ranking system redone so its more like the ones we have today.

[JoltDealer]

Personally, I was sorta put off by the fact that Shepard was never promoted at all.  Ashley/Kaidan got promoted for doing far less than Commander Shepard did.  The moment Shepard received the Normandy, he or she should have been promoted to Captain.  After he or she stopped Saren's attack on the Citadel would have also been a prime time for promotion.  Mass Effect 2 gets a pass, though technically as a Cerberus Operative, Shepard could have called him or herself whatever rank they damn well pleased.  In Mass Effect 3, you were essentially negotiating on behalf of all of humanity and Kaidan, who was effectively in a coma for the first half of the game, was still a higher rank than Shepard.

 

Whatever happens in the next Mass Effect series, if the main character is part of the military, he or she needs to be promoted at some point.

[Taki17]

In ME1, Shepard became a Spectre, and his Spectre status overrides his military rank, which Anderson also confirmes. So there was no need for a promotion even when he assumed command of the Normandy, because he operated outside the Alliance Navy and answered directly to the Council.

 

In ME2, Shepard retained his rank mostly as a honorary title, 'cause he was technically no longer part of the Alliance Navy.

 

In the beginning of ME3, Shepard was stripped of his rank for the past events, and was reinstated by Anderson to the same rank he had before his "death" in ME2. Plus, Shepard also got reinstated as a Spectre, so again, this title overrides his military rank.

[cap and gown]

What really bugs me are the insignia. I try to make sense of them, but fail. 3 bars for Commander, 4 for Captain, but 4 for Admiral as well? They seem to just want to put some stripes on characters epaulets without regard for figuring out what the the rank progression should look like. And why do the even have Majors? Or Generals? The Alliance should either be all Navy or there should be a clear distinction between Navy and Marines with different ranks and insignia. And if Shepard is a Marine it is kinda hard seeing how she get to command a naval vessel.

 

But when it comes to ME:N we don't even know if the PC will even be in the military. So this may all just be, as you humans say, liquid under the bridge.

[JamesFaith]

That's what I think, but I think in the next game it should be mentioned and the ranking system redone so its more like the ones we have today.

 

Problem is which one ranking system would be that right one?

 

Because surprisingly there are small differences in ranking system in different countries and the more accurate it would be to one of them  (most probably to US one) then the more it would become problematic for other countries.

 

Just for example Shepard's rank "lieutenant commander" (USA, Great Britain, Pakistan) is in different countries called "corvette captain" (Germany, Italy, Brazil and most French and Spanish speaking countries), "captain lieutenant" (Portugal, Estonia), "captain of third rank" (Russia) or "commander captain" (Finland). But simplified short version commander is no problem for them because it is "basic" rank like f.e. captain. 

[katamuro]

The alliance rank system is a mixed navy/marine one. As for shepard I think since he was dead and working for cerberus and under arrest his rank had remained the same. but because he/she is a spectre I assumed it gave an overriding authority.

[Drone223]

Personally, I was sorta put off by the fact that Shepard was never promoted at all.  Ashley/Kaidan got promoted for doing far less than Commander Shepard did.  The moment Shepard received the Normandy, he or she should have been promoted to Captain.  After he or she stopped Saren's attack on the Citadel would have also been a prime time for promotion.  Mass Effect 2 gets a pass, though technically as a Cerberus Operative, Shepard could have called him or herself whatever rank they damn well pleased.  In Mass Effect 3, you were essentially negotiating on behalf of all of humanity and Kaidan, who was effectively in a coma for the first half of the game, was still a higher rank than Shepard.

 

Whatever happens in the next Mass Effect series, if the main character is part of the military, he or she needs to be promoted at some point.

I think the reason why Shepard wasn't promoted is because something like "Captain Shepard" wouldn't have the same ring as "Commander Shepard" which is understandable.

 

What really bugs me are the insignia. I try to make sense of them, but fail. 3 bars for Commander, 4 for Captain, but 4 for Admiral as well? They seem to just want to put some stripes on characters epaulets without regard for figuring out what the the rank progression should look like. And why do the even have Majors? Or Generals? The Alliance should either be all Navy or there should be a clear distinction between Navy and Marines with different ranks and insignia. And if Shepard is a Marine it is kinda hard seeing how she get to command a naval vessel.

 

But when it comes to ME:N we don't even know if the PC will even be in the military. So this may all just be, as you humans say, liquid under the bridge.

Yeah this is another issue with the ranks in the alliance, instead of merging all the branches into one they should have just kept them separate i.e. navy, marines, army each with their own rank structure, the one Bioware made just contradicts itself.

[Drone223]

Problem is which one ranking system would be that right one?

 

Because surprisingly there are small differences in ranking system in different countries and the more accurate it would be to one of them  (most probably to US one) then the more it would become problematic for other countries.

 

Just for example Shepard's rank "lieutenant commander" (USA, Great Britain, Pakistan) is in different countries called "corvette captain" (Germany, Italy, Brazil and most French and Spanish speaking countries), "captain lieutenant" (Portugal, Estonia), "captain of third rank" (Russia) or "commander captain" (Finland). But simplified short version commander is no problem for them because it is "basic" rank like f.e. captain. 

By the looks of things I think its meant to be based on the US structure, if that's the case then it should be exactly like the US ranking system, but the way Bioware has made it, its just a complete mess.

[cap and gown]

Since ME:N is supposed to be about dentists, I doubt we'll have to worry about a rank structure.

[JoltDealer]

I think the reason why Shepard wasn't promoted is because something like "Captain Shepard" wouldn't have the same ring as "Commander Shepard" which is understandable.

 

Maybe.  I'll admit, "Commander Shepard" is just as iconic of a name as "Master Chief."  However, having his/her name remain the same over the course of several years goes against what would be realistic in this case.  Outside of war or any major conflict, military promotions are based on a schedule, though I am unfamiliar with the finer points.  During war, promotions are treated on a case-by-case basis to often replace any higher ranking officers that are killed.  Shepard received zero promotions in either situation, which just doesn't fly in my book.

 

Yeah this is another issue with the ranks in the alliance, instead of merging all the branches into one they should have just kept them separate i.e. navy, marines, army each with their own rank structure, the one Bioware made just contradicts itself.

 

To be fair, the Alliance is the unified military force for humanity.  From what I could tell, it was based on the navy more than anything.  I've always just assumed that the ranks progressed in the same manner as in the navy.  Hence my confusion when Shepard wasn't promoted to Captain upon taking command of his/her own ship.

[Sanunes]

 

To be fair, the Alliance is the unified military force for humanity.  From what I could tell, it was based on the navy more than anything.  I've always just assumed that the ranks progressed in the same manner as in the navy.  Hence my confusion when Shepard wasn't promoted to Captain upon taking command of his/her own ship.

 

From my understand you don't have to be at Captain rank to be in command of a ship, its possible for larger ships to have people with higher ranks in charge, but I don't think being at Captain rank is a requirement.

[Jeadin]

From my understand you don't have to be at Captain rank to be in command of a ship, its possible for larger ships to have people with higher ranks in charge, but I don't think being at Captain rank is a requirement.

You are right (at least here in Canada).  I'm an Lt(N) and our ships' commanding officers are Commanders, executive officers are Lieutenant-Commanders and Coxswain are Chief Petty Officer 1st class.

[JoltDealer]

From my understand you don't have to be at Captain rank to be in command of a ship, its possible for larger ships to have people with higher ranks in charge, but I don't think being at Captain rank is a requirement.

 

That is true.  Captains are typically in charge of larger or higher-priority vessels, while Lt. Commanders are the commanding officers on smaller ships.  I guess it comes down to what you qualify the Normandy as.  The original was technically a frigate, but the SR-2 was three times that size and arguably a very high-priority ship.  My point is, Shepard should have received a promotion at some point in the series and I'm bother that he/she never did.

[Sanunes]

That is true.  Captains are typically in charge of larger or higher-priority vessels, while Lt. Commanders are the commanding officers on smaller ships.  I guess it comes down to what you qualify the Normandy as.  The original was technically a frigate, but the SR-2 was three times that size and arguably a very high-priority ship.  My point is, Shepard should have received a promotion at some point in the series and I'm bother that he/she never did.

 

If Mass Effect 2 was done differently I would have a much stronger hope for a promotion, but to me there is enough actions done by Shepard that could offset a promotion too.

[JoltDealer]

If Mass Effect 2 was done differently I would have a much stronger hope for a promotion, but to me there is enough actions done by Shepard that could offset a promotion too.

 

True, but saving the Citadel from Saren would warrant a promotion.  Leading Alliance forces on hunting down Geth remnants would warrant it as well.  Aiding and abetting Cerberus, a known human terrorist group, would definitely hurt things.  Blowing up a mass relay would also do so.  However, being one of the most influential Alliance Military Leaders outside of Admiral Anderson or Admiral Hackett, should've warranted at least one promotion.  The biggest thing that bothers me about this issue is that the notion was never even considered by the Alliance.

[Han Shot First]

Shepard is addressed as commander for the very same reason as most people call others by their first name only: it is shorter.

 

Shepard's rank is also abbreviated as CDR in Mass Effect 3. 

 

That is the abbreviation for the Commander rank. The abbreviation for a Lt. Commander would be LCDR. 

 

While the reason for the CDR abbreviation is likely that one or more of the devs goofed, I think it wouldn't hurt to create a Commander rank between Lt. Commander and Staff Commander in the next game. That is of course assuming that the next game is a sequel and that the Alliance will appear in it. Creating a Commander rank would both explain away that error and have Shepard be promoted at some point prior to ME3. 

 

I don't see it as a major issue if that error is never addressed, but inserting an extra rank into a codex entry seems like a really easy fix. Why not do it?

[FluffyCannibal]

I'm pretty sure that Shepard is specifically a Lt Commander in Mass Effect 2, and that it's only in Mass Effect 3 that he/she/it/that one's referred to as 'CDR' at the creation screen. It's been talked about before and generally accepted that it was probably a typo. Sloppy work, but still a typo nonetheless. However, you could argue that technically, at character creation Shepard is no longer a member of the Alliance - he/she/it/that one has been stripped of his/her/it's/that one's rank - and 'CDR' doesn't need to be a rank as Shep no longer has one at all.

 

As for the whole 'Shepard not getting promoted' thing...think about it. Shepard was dead between ME1 & 2 - you can't get promoted when you're dead. The next opportunity that the Alliance would have had to give Shepard a promotion would have been after ME 2 - but Shepard was in prison for either war crimes or terrorism, and so there's no chance of the Alliance handing him/her/it/that one a promotion. In addition to all of this, the whole time Shepard is either working for Cerberus, or a Spectre (or both), and either way promotions are pointless. The Alliance has nothing to gain from pointless promotions, therefore it wouldn't bother making them.

[Drone223]

I'm pretty sure that Shepard is specifically a Lt Commander in Mass Effect 2, and that it's only in Mass Effect 3 that he/she/it/that one's referred to as 'CDR' at the creation screen. It's been talked about before and generally accepted that it was probably a typo. Sloppy work, but still a typo nonetheless. However, you could argue that technically, at character creation Shepard is no longer a member of the Alliance - he/she/it/that one has been stripped of his/her/it's/that one's rank - and 'CDR' doesn't need to be a rank as Shep no longer has one at all.

 

As for the whole 'Shepard not getting promoted' thing...think about it. Shepard was dead between ME1 & 2 - you can't get promoted when you're dead. The next opportunity that the Alliance would have had to give Shepard a promotion would have been after ME 2 - but Shepard was in prison for either war crimes or terrorism, and so there's no chance of the Alliance handing him/her/it/that one a promotion. In addition to all of this, the whole time Shepard is either working for Cerberus, or a Spectre (or both), and either way promotions are pointless. The Alliance has nothing to gain from pointless promotions, therefore it wouldn't bother making them.

People can get promoted posthumously.

 

http://en.wikipedia....umous_promotion

[Han Shot First]

 

As for the whole 'Shepard not getting promoted' thing...think about it. Shepard was dead between ME1 & 2 - you can't get promoted when you're dead.

 

Actually you can!

 

People who have been killed in action have been posthumously promoted before, for recognition over some act of heroism or outstanding leadership. It isn't entirely unheard of it. Its sort of like awarding someone who was killed in action a medal.

 

Of course Shepard's situation would be unique in that he (or she) doesn't stay dead, but a promotion is a promotion. 

[FluffyCannibal]

Well, ok, you can get promoted while dead, but it's still fairly logical that Shepard wouldn't get promoted.

[Sirzechs_Krios]

pft they could have promoted him to captain, yes commander shepard sounds between but he has been referred to as captain shepard a few times in times in  games. it bugs be that fodder-turned supersoldier Ashley ranks the same as Shepard both in and out of the Alliance. and Kaiden outranks him.