Rank Revisions

Just been making some adjustments to the Imperial Military Service Table of Ranks today (specifically, adjusting the enlisted ranks to correct some seniorities and fix the missing E-9 grade), so here's the current version, screenshotted from my internal wiki for your convenience:

For those playing the game at home, here's some of the differences between this and the good old NATO ranking system.

• For one, well, it goes up notably further. Incidentally, an Imperial O-14 is equivalent to the occasionally seen Generalissimus or the mythical American six-star, inasmuch as the only people at that grade in the Empire are the Lords of Admiralty present and retired. The promotion comes with the job, and there's no more up to go.
• Unlike on Earth, their scale includes the midshipmen, cadets, and recruits at O-1 and E-1. That's because in the IMS you don't leave that level after basic training; you have to prove yourself "in the field" first. For the Navy this means your middie cruise; in the Legions, you have to pass muster with your legion, not just the training command.
• In the Imperial Navy, not only are smaller-than-typical ships often commanded by Commanders (O-6) rather than Captains (O-7), larger-than-typical ships (on which you are basically guaranteed that all the department head slots rate an O-7) are often commanded by a Commodore (O-8), just like the lead ship in squadrons of smaller types.
• In general, in comparing grades subtract one, to allow for the midshipmen/cadets/recruits; although even given that, there are some rank contortions and confusions, not all caused by the desire to avoid having land captains:
• For a start, the IMS has two grades of lieutenants and ensigns, meaning that an IN Lieutenant Commander is the equivalent of a full Commander, a Commander a Captain, and a Captain a Rear Admiral (lower half). Since they don't split that rank, we go on with Commodores as equivalent to Rear Admirals (upper half), Rear Admirals to Vice Admirals, and Vice Admirals to full Admirals.
• Meanwhile, an IL Ensign is a Lieutenant, a Sublieutenant is a Captain, a Lieutenant is a Major, and a Major - since there are no Captains in the Legions - is the equivalent of a Lieutenant Colonel. Fortunately, a Colonel is a Colonel everywhere, as is a Brigadier, and while they don't use the same titles, the next two General ranks are both Generals, but since the IL only have two kinds of general, a Vice Marshal is the equivalent of a four-star general.
• The Other Ranks are at least less confusing and more or less equivalent, although our PO3 is their First Spacehand/Spacecraftsman and PO2 is their simple Petty Officer because no-one is second-class or third-class in the Imperial Navy. While it might look by the cascade effect that all the petty officer ranks move down one, in practice what it means is that they merge PO1 and PO2 together.
• Likewise, in the legions, the equivalents of Sergeant and Staff Sergeant are merged, while the equivalent of a Sergeant First Class is a Master Sergeant, a Master Sergeant is a Gunnery Sergeant, and a Sergeant-Major is, well a Sergeant-Major.
• And note that they don't make use of the "Specialist" designation. So you're a Technical Corporal, 'kay?