officers

officers                                                                02Nov15
  
  Officers, Forms of Address & Tradition
  
  The President of the Federation commissions all Starfleet Officers to uphold
  the Articles of the Federation. It is an honorable burden and requires that 
  officers be above reproach. An officer should always be treated with respect,
  and carry himself in a professional manner worthy of the uniform. 

  When addressing a superior officer, the officer should be referred to as 
  "sir"; regardless of sex (or lack thereof), unless the officer has a known
  preference for some other form of address. Starfleet officers do not salute,
  unlike Romulan officers for example, but in instances of formality - such as
  at a hearing or formal occasion, or in the presence of an Admiral - may be 
  required to come to attention. Unless standing orders dictate otherwise, upon
  entrance of a superior officer, personnel should rise from their seats (if 
  appropriate) and acknowledge the presence of the officer. The presence of a
  flag officer (Rear Admiral Lower Half or higher) should always be announced
  upon entrance. 

Continued in: officers2                                          Top: starfleet
officers2                                                               02Nov15
  
  When addressing an officer or enlisted person of lower rank the speaker has 
  several options: "Mister" alone which is usually reserved for an interaction
  where the senior officer is chastising or correcting the subordinant; 
  "Mister" followed immediately by the family name; the rank of the addressee 
  alone, or the rank of the addressee followed by the patronym or single name
  if that is all the addressee maintains. Referring to others of equal rank is
  done by rank alone or rank and last name as clarity requires.
  
  Under no circumstances should one address an officer of senior or equal rank
  as "Mister" while both are in uniform, and even out of uniform it is 
  considered of marginal taste to do so unless making an introduction to a 
  civilian at a civilian function. 
  
Continued in: officers3                                          Top: starfleet
officers3                                                               02Nov15

  When given an order the proper response is "Aye, sir" or "Aye-aye, sir." 
  "Aye" is old Earth vernacular for "yes" and in the strictest sense means 
  "I understand and obey." In many instances "Yes, sir" is perfectly 
  acceptable. Some commanding officers have a personal preference for the 
  acknowledgement of orders, and make them known as standing orders.
 
  Particularly for Starfleet officers hailing from alien worlds, many Earth 
  naval terms can be confusing such as the method for denoting direction. 
  The front of a vessel is referred to the "bow" or "fore". The rear of the
  vessel is the "aft" or "stern" of the ship. The left and right sides of 
  the vessel are the "port" and "starboard", while up and down are referred
  to as "dorsal" and "ventral." 

                                                                 Top: starfleet