History Main / RankUp

* The entire Wardog Squadron in ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' is promoted from Lieutenants to Captains following their mission in the Razgriz Straights. Also, [[spoiler:Chopper is posthumously further promoted to Lieutenant Colonel]].

*** Also Obi-Wan is noticeably sitting on the Council in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' with his promotion never commented upon. He was also promoted from Padawan to Jedi Knight after defeating Darth Maul in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', which was presumably a FieldPromotion.

* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Literature/GuardsGuards'' Carrot Ironfoundersson joins the watch as Lance-Constable Carrot, who is made a full Constable at the end. By the start of ''Literature/MenAtArms'', Carrot has become a Corporal, and by the end he's Captain Carrot and his commanding officer Captain Vimes is made Commander Sir Samuel Vimes. ''Men At Arms'' also introduces Lance-Constables Detritus and Angua; Detritus becomes a Sergeant before ''Literature/FeetOfClay'' and Angua is Corporal by ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', Sergeant by ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'' and a Captain by ''Literature/IShallWearMidnight''. And Cheery Littlebottom is introduced in ''Feet of Clay'' as a Corporal (she gets extra rank for being an alchemist rather than a beat officer, as long as she doesn't try to give orders to real watchmen) and becomes a Sergeant (and accepted as a real watchman) by ''Literature/{{Thud}}''

** ''Film/StarTrek2009'' ends with the rather ridiculous promotion of James T. Kirk from third-year officer cadet straight to captain. This is [[{{Handwave}} handwaved]] as being because Nero and his crew apparently killed a ''lot'' of Starfleet's senior officers during the course of the movie.

* In ''Film/TopGun'', Maverick and Iceman were both lieutenants. By the time of ''Film/TopGunMaverick:

** In ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'', Riker is ''finally'' made Captain, though it's made clear that it's only because if he didn't take the rank, he'd never get it.

** James T. Kirk got promoted to rear admiral sometime prior to ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture''. However, at the end of ''[[Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome The Voyage Home]]'' Starfleet busted him back down to captain for stealing the ''Enterprise'' in defiance of orders in ''[[Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock The Search for Spock]]''.
** All of the series regulars moved up through the course of the movies - Spock, Scotty and Sulu all make Captain, while [=McCoy=], Uhura and Chekov all make Commander. [=McCoy=] only moves up 1 rank from where he was in the series, though.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Anakin Skywalker rises through the Jedi ranks throughout Prequel Trilogy. He does resent the fact that the Council gives him a seat (at Palpatine's insistence), but doesn't grant him the rank of Master in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''. In [[Literature/RevengeOfTheSith the novelization]], he thought that getting the Council seat would give him the rank, then he could access the restricted records in the Jedi Archives that would show how he could use the Force to keep Padmé from dying in childbirth.
*** Also Obi-Wan is noticeably sitting on the Council in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' with his promotion never commented upon. He was also promoted from Padawan to Jedi Knight after defeating Darth Maul in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', which was presumably a FieldPromotion.
** ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'':
*** Darth Vader is strangling Admiral Ozzel.
---->'''Vader:''' [[YouHaveFailedMe You have failed me for the last time]], Admiral. Captain Piett?\\
'''Piett:''' Yes, my lord?\\
'''Vader:''' ''[gives instructions]'' {{You are in command now}}, '''Admiral''' Piett.
*** Later, he shows just how tenuous the "promotion" is:
---->'''Vader:''' ''[after the Millennium Falcon "disappeared"]'' Don't fail me again, "Admiral".
*** Meanwhile, [[TheHero Luke Skywalker]] has been promoted to Commander in the time between ''Film/ANewHope'' and the beginning of ''The Empire Strikes Back''.
** ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'':
*** Captain Han Solo becomes ''General'' Han Solo, because he is just crazy enough to volunteer to lead the Rebel strike team to Endor's surface.
*** As does his "friend," Lando Calrissian; he goes from Bespin City Administrator/Executive to General.

* Johnny Rico in the ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' film starts off as a private and gets promoted to squad leader, then sergeant, then lieutenant. The same for his ex-girlfriend, who goes from a lieutenant to a captain.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' films:
** James T. Kirk got promoted to rear admiral sometime prior to ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture''. However, at the end of ''[[Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome The Voyage Home]]'' Starfleet busted him back down to captain for stealing the ''Enterprise'' in defiance of orders in ''[[Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock The Search for Spock]]''.
** All of the series regulars moved up through the course of the movies - Spock, Scotty and Sulu all make Captain, while [=McCoy=], Uhura and Chekov all make Commander. [=McCoy=] only moves up 1 rank from where he was in the series, though.
** ''Film/StarTrek2009'' ends with the rather ridiculous promotion of James T. Kirk from third-year officer cadet straight to captain. This is [[{{Handwave}} handwaved]] as being because Nero and his crew apparently killed a ''lot'' of Starfleet's senior officers during the course of the movie.
** In the beginning of ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', Worf, a lieutenant throughout the series, is promoted to lieutenant commander.
** In ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'', Riker is ''finally'' made Captain, though it's made clear that it's only because if he didn't take the rank, he'd never get it.
* ''Film/PoliceAcademy''. Most of the main characters start off as cadets and graduate to officer for the second film. Any of the cadets from the original film still left are sergeants by the third film, justified by the fact that they are now instructors at the academy. Harris starts as a Lieutenant and becomes a captain upon his return in the fourth. Mauser is a Lieutenant in the second film, is promoted to captain midway through and is commandant of the rival academy in ''3'', while his BumblingSidekick, Proctor starts as a sergeant and is promoted to Mauser's Lieutenant vacancy when Mauser becomes a captain. Callahan starts as a sergeant and is promoted offscreen twice between films and Hightower is promoted to Lieutenant in the sixth film. The only recurring characters that don't see promotion are Commandant Lassard and Chief Hurst, though to be fair, Lassard has no interested in being promoted away from the academy, and there's nowhere for Hurst to be promoted to.

* At the end of ''Film/DoctorInTheHouse1954'', both Simon and Taffy successfully pass their final exam and become doctors. Tony and Grimsdyke aren't so lucky.

** Kaladin hops from the First Oath to the Second in ''Literature/TheWayOfKings'', and then to the Third in ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' and the Fourth in ''Rhythm of War''. The Third comes with a sweet MorphWeapon as a bonus, the Fourth with magical armour.

* Happens twice in ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'':

* In ''VideoGame/UnchartedWaters'' and ''VideoGame/UnchartedWatersNewHorizons'', in addition to leveling up, your character can rise from being a commoner to becoming a duke. In one ending of the first game, you become King of Portugal.

* In ''VideoGame/UnchartedWaters'' and ''VideoGame/UnchartedWatersNewHorizons'', in addition to [[LevelUp leveling up]], your character can rise from being a commoner to becoming a duke. In one ending of the first game, you become King of Portugal.

*

* ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' ties the soldiers' ranks to their CharacterLevel: all recruits start at the Rookie rank/level 1, and progress through Squaddie (2), Corporal (3), Sergeant (4), Lieutenant (5), Captain (6), {{Major|lyAwesome}} (7), to {{Colonel|Badass}} (8), gaining a new {{skill|ScoresAndPerks}} with every rank/level up.
** The original series had a different rank system: Rookie, Squaddie, Sergeant, Captain, Colonel and Commander. Rookies are automatically promoted to Squaddies after their first combat kill but the rest of the ranks are dependent on the global number of Squaddies you have: 1 Sergeant per 5 Squaddies, 1 Captain per 11 Squaddies, 1 Colonel per 23 Squaddies and a single Commander once the player has least 30 Squaddies. Promotions happen automatically whenever there's an opening, with the maximum number of officers {{cap}}ped at 50 Sergeants, 22 Captains, 10 Colonels and a single Commander. The primary reason for taking an officer into combat isn't their combat experience but because their mere presence on the battlefield [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan decreases morale loss]] in the team from injuries and casualties - but if the officer is the one who bites it, [[MassOhCrap the entire team loses more morale than they normally would]].

* In ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' the SoleSurvivor PlayerCharacter can ascend through the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel should s/he join them. You are inducted as an [[EnsignNewbie Initiate]] after helping Danse out at the Cambridge Police station. You get promoted to Knight when [[CoolAirship the Prydwyn]] arrives and you are introduced to Elder Maxson. As a simple Knight, you are treated with great importance in the organization, with you getting orders directly from senior leadership, bypassing any chain of command. Once [[TomatoInTheMirror Danse is exposed as a synth]], you are given his rank of Paladin, apparently bypassing a whole lot of Knight ranks. And if you finish the game with the Brotherhood, you once again bypass a lot of Paladin ranks to be appointed Sentinel and thereby second only to Elder Maxson himself in the Brotjerhood’s command structure.

* ''Film/PoliceAcademy''. Most of the main characters start off as cadets and graduate to officer for the second film. Any of the cadets from the original film still left are sergeants by the third film, justified by the fact that they are now instructors at the academy. Harris starts as a Lieutenant and becomes a captain upon his return in the fourth. Mauser is a Lieutenant in the second film, is promoted to captain midway through and is commandant of the rival academy in ''3'', while his BumblingSidekick, Proctor starts as a sergeant and is promoted to Mauser's Lieutenant vacancy when Mauser becomes a captain. Callahan starts as a sergeant and is promoted offscreen twice between films and Hightower is promoted to Lieutenant in the sixth film. The only recurring characters that don't see promotion are Commandant Lassard and Chief Hurst, though to be fair, there's nowhere for Hurst to be promoted to.