History Main / OutrankingYourJob

** At least partly averted in {{Sierra}}'s ''Aces Over Europe'', which allowed you to choose at the start of a campaign whether you were a 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant, or Captain[[hottip:*:or their RAF or Luftwaffe equivalents]]. Both what aircraft you were in the flight and what radio messages you were allowed to send depended on your rank. A 2nd Lieutenant was typically the last aircraft in the flight, and could only send messages to his wingman - either calling for help or warning of approaching enemies. A Captain, in contrast, was always the flight leader, and could order all or part of the flight to perform specific tasks like bombing the target or flying cover.

** In the ''WingCommander'' games, the main character starts as a 2nd Lieutenant and can work his way up to Lt. Colonel by the end of the first game along with a ludicrous number of medals (Including the equivalent of ''two'' Medals of Honor), but no matter what his official rank, he is never shown commanding anyone in the field other than his wingman (Which he does even when the wingman outranks him).

* ''Film/{{Heat}}'' features Robbery Homicide Lieutenant Hanna acting as lead investigator for every crime in the film, from the climactic bank robbery to the murder of a prostitute. Hanna does have subordinates under his command, but their duties are limited to assisting in the larger cases by running down leads, not handling cases of their own.

[[folder: Video Games]]

* In ''StarTrekOnline'', this is to be expected because rank is tied to level (also because it's [[TheMainCharactersDoEverything Star Trek tradition]]), but it is most flagrant in the context of Special Task Force missions on elite difficulty. Elite [=STFs=] are locked out to all but those who have reached the level cap of 50. This translates to five Starfleet Vice Admirals or KDF Lieutenant Generals each commanding an individual ship against a fleet of Borg or, worse, ''five Vice Admirals/Lieutenant Generals beaming down alone into a Borg-infested base.''

* ''Soldier Soldier'' : The 1st Battalion Kings Fusiliers often consisted of the Lieutenant Colonel, A Major, A Lieutenant, The regimental Sergeant-Major, The Company Sergeant-Major, A Sergeant and er... [[ThoseTwoGuys Privates Garvey and Tucker]].

* Like the Commish above, Chief Mannion of ''{{Series/TheDistrict}}'' can't resist getting personally involved in many of the MPD's cases. It is played better than many examples of this trope, however, as he does spend much of his time supervising from headquarters.

* Warhammer40K:

** Similarly, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ([[TheodoreRoosevelt Yes, his son]]) insisted on going with the troops landing on Utah Beach, feeling that in the chaos that was going ot ensue, ''someone'' had to be on the scene who could take control and make the necessary strategic decisions. [[BadassGrandpa At 56 years of age]], and [[{{Determinator}} while suffering from arthritis and heart trouble]], he lead his troops on the beach using his cane to signal with. He ended up dying of a heart attack the following month.

* The various ''{{Wolfenstein}}'' games have Captain BJ Blazkowicz as the player character. He commands no one. Justified, in that BJ works for an OSS {{Expy}}.

* In ''StarTrekOnline'', this is to be expected because rank is tied to level (also because it's [[TheMainCharactersDoEverything Star Trek tradition]], but it is most flagrant in the context of Special Task Force missions on elite difficulty. Elite [=STFs=] are locked out to all but those who have reached the level cap of 50. This translates to five Starfleet Vice Admirals or KDF Lieutenant Generals each commanding an individual ship against a fleet of Borg or, worse, ''five Vice Admirals/Lieutenant Generals beaming down alone into a Borg-infested base.''

Compare and contrast the OverrankedSoldier, who may be in a position befitting his or her rank, but is unqualified (or simply too young) to realistically hold either. Contrast YouAreInCommandNow, in which battlefield conditions force a lower ranking officer to take command of a larger unit than normal. If the officer in question is being assigned menial tasks by his superiors, see DudeWheresMyRespect. When ''royalty'' are on the front lines, see RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething.

* Both in the comics and the film, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica typically either works alone or commands the Howling Commandos, a squad sized unit. May be justified in that they are a Special Forces-type unit.

** May be justified in that many officers were likely killed in the nuclear holocaust that led up to the series.

* Lt. ''{{Columbo}}'' should have been running a squad rather than out investigating murders on his own.

* ''TheCloser'': The major case squad consists of five or six lieutenants and one sergeant, with a deputy chief in charge. Ordinarily a police unit will be headed by a lieutenant or captain, with the rest of the squad being no higher ranked than sergeant.

* ''SavingPrivateRyan'' - Captain Miller, who would normally command a company of maybe a hundred men, is given command of an eight-man squad, typically the role of a sergeant or lieutenant at most. Of course, given the mission circumstances, a higher-ranked CO may have been chosen to allow him to draw additional assistance if needed.
* ''TheDirtyDozen'' features Major Reisman leading twelve convicts and a sergeant on the film's climactic raid.
* ''{{Heat}}'' features Robbery Homicide Lieutenant Hanna acting as lead investigator for every crime in the film, from the climactic bank robbery to the murder of a prostitute. Hanna does have subordinates under his command, but their duties are limited to assisting in the larger cases by running down leads, not handling cases of their own.
* ''{{Stargate}}'' has Colonel O'Neil leading a specialized team of a Lieutenant Colonel, a number of Lieutenants, and a civilian scientist. Justified both because this is an elite unit and because many of the team members have highly advanced qualifications.
* ''[[LethalWeapon Lethal Weapon 4]]'' has Murtaugh and Riggs both promoted to Captain when their involvement in a shootout causes the department to lose its insurance coverage. While this is supposedly done to get them out of the field, neither is assigned any additional responsibilities, and both remain [[CowboyCop Cowboy Cops]] throughout the film. The only sign they've been promoted is Riggs occasionally waving his badge and saying, "This is your Captain speaking..."
* TangoAndCash: Both officers are Lieutenants. Both are also seen to be [[CowboyCop Cowboy Cops]] who only work alone.

* In ''DoctorWho Classic'' UNIT often consists of TheBrigadier, one Sergeant, and one Corporal.

* The [[StarTrek Starship Enterprise]] in all its incarnations seems to be crewed ''entirely'' by officers. The "cannon fodder" on a landing party are Ensigns, an officer rank. The only non-officer we've ever seen is Miles O'Brien, who's a noncom.

* In a MirrorUniverse episode of ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' someone in the Terran Rebellion bemoans the rebellion's many captains and apparently very few footsoldiers.

* TangoAndCash: Both officers are Lieutenants. Both are also seen to be [[CowboyCop Cowboy Cops]] who only work alone.

* ''GauntsGhosts'' has Colonel-Commissar Gaunt leading large-scale operations from the front, given the rank of colonel to facilitate the paperwork.

* Both in the comics and the film, CaptainAmerica typically either works alone or commands the Howling Commandos, a squad sized unit. May be justified in that they are a Special Forces-type unit.