Traditionally, any pilot fresh to the deck gets their kill score zero'd. Fresh ship means fresh provings. No matter the rank or experience a nugget is a nugget, and shall remain a nugget till otherwise noted.
Thank you for the correction.
How would you do a wog ceremony in space, though...it usually involves a dip in the ocean at one point unless I'm mistaken. The analogue in space would probably be...what's the word I'm looking for here.................
Fatal. Yep.
If you do the instinctive thing and hold your breath, yes, you'll rupture your lungs. As long as you avoid that, you'll get 5 to 10 seconds of consciousnous, and after 30 seconds can probably be resuscitated without ill effects. Here, courtesy of TVTropes, is
Human Exposure to Vacuum by Geoffrey C. Landis, with references. I fear that the future Marine Corps in space will demonstrate how hardcore they are by competing to spend the most time "outside". Only do this in deep space, since one hazard the linked article doesn't address is radiation exposure. Also don't do this while in formation with other ships - I doubt those nifty glowing engines are only emitting visible light.
Would Confed ships have "decompression drill"? Learning to overcome the instinct to inhale as the air rushes out of your ship could save your life - but the practice itself could easily kill you. It could be the future equivalent of chemical warfare or submarine escape training (which I'm assured are no fun, but survivable) or could be like ejecting from a fighter plane (which you don't practice - it doesn't often kill people, but can easily leave you with a permanent spinal injury and unfit for actual service).
Or, you can go for the purely psychological trauma. Zip the victim into one of
these, and see how long they last. Once again, you can compete on duration. Panic, and you'll go through your "one hour" oxygen supply in a fraction of the time.
Also, instead of getting a unit tattoo, have a glove with a symbol cut into it. Spend enough (really, really painful) hours wearing the glove in vacuum, and you'll end up with a permanent scar.
Finally, be sparing if you celebrate with drinks afterwards. Having gone through various stages of oxygen deprivation, you will be vulnerable to alcohol poisoning - not "entertainingly drunk", just "dead". Confed won't be impressed if, after all that expensive training, your unit doesn't keep you alive until your first mission. (Where, if X-COM is accurate, you'll be used as a meat shield for someone with actual experience).