Okay, I admit Vendome came after, but still, it’s not like ops/security/engineering people have never become captain. Plus, come on. Vendome’s face was just begging to be memed.
The main example I can think of from canonically before this moment is Uhura, though everyone was wearing red uniforms at the time.
Counter argument: Geordi’s in a gold admiral’s uniform.
Didn’t he become a Commodore, not an Admiral?
A commodore is a one star flag officer. Commodore, rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral.