An officer is the title given to an individual who holds a position of authority either in some branch of the military or in a corporation. In times of war, officers may be called upon to act as combatants. Some authoritative bodies distinguish between commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs), the latter of which cannot assume a position of command, while commissioned officers can be promoted in rank while still holding the position of officer.
Officer may be used as a formal title in addition to just a general description. For example, Aeryn Sun from the TV series Farscape was identified by the title Officer Sun during her time serving with the Peacekeepers. In the Star Trek mythos, members of the Federation Starfleet may be referred to as a Starfleet Officer. Some officers may be identified by a specialty such as a Tactical Officer who is usually in charge of a ship's shield capabilities and onboard weaponry or a Weapons Officer, who may perform similar functions to that of a Tactical Officer, but with more of a focus strictly on weaponry. Other types of officers include Warrant Officers and Chief Petty Officers.
In the Planet of the Apes film and television franchise, the ape community consisted of a caste system in which only male gorillas were able to serve in the military. Their ranks included non-commissioned officers and patrol riders as well as commissioned officers holding the ranks of Sergeant, Captain and General.