Who is the most famous character?

Discussion in 'General Trek Discussion' started by JoeZhang, Aug 28, 2012.

  1. JoeZhang

    JoeZhang Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2008
    If a kid from the 26th century was studying the origins of the federation - which of the Captains or other characters would he read about? Who would have the most historical significance?*




    * going off what we saw and heard from the shows rather than guessing about events *after* the time-periods we saw.
     
  2. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Location:
    A type 13 planet in it's final stage
    Up until 2001, it was James T. Kirk. Then they retconned Jonathan Archer and his Enterprise into the timeline. He saved Earth from the Xindi, he brought Vulcans, Andorians and others together to found the Coalition of Planets, and by Kirk's time has two planets named after him.
     
  3. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2009
    Location:
    T'Girl
    Especially when you factor in the movies, it has to be James Kirk. He was the man on the scene for multiple major events and even his (supposed) death in the begining of GEN show him to be a hero to the end, and his death (again supposed) at the end of GEN reinforces his hero status.

    All the Captains had their moments, Kirk just had more of them.

    :)
     
  4. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    To answer the question asked about the 'origins' of the Federation then it has to be Archer, if we are talking about the Federation, perhaps the pairing of Kirk and Spock.
     
  5. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2012
    Location:
    Shangri-La
    If you wanna factor in the number of "saved Earth from total annihilation" moments, I'd guess Picard has the high number there.
     
  6. Use of Time

    Use of Time Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2012
    Location:
    Va. Beach, VA
    I think Archer wins easily as he credited with a lot of "firsts" for mankind. He truly was a pioneer and a trailblazer. Our own history is big on remembering a lot people who were the first as something.
     
  7. 22 Stars

    22 Stars Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2001
    Yeah, the positioning of Archer in the timeline skews his "historical" importance for sure.

    Kirk is up there with the Khitomer stuff and the Klingons, that's a pretty big event.

    Also, the Dominion war, a truly Galactic war, must hold a special significance, so I would imagine Ben Sisko takes up a few pages in that history text. If it weren't for him 1/2 of the galaxy (2 Quadrants) would have been ruled by the Founders, right?
     
  8. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2001
    Location:
    Ferguson, Missouri, USA
    If it's only about the origins of the Federation as suggested in the OP, then the only answer is Archer.

    I think Kirk could be viewed as famous from a 26th-Century perspective by being the most well-known captain of the 23rd-Century. Ditto for Picard in the 24th-Century. Sisko's contributions to history is connected to the discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole and as a hero of the Dominion War. Janeway could also be considered historically important for bringing back slipstream drive from the Delta Quadrant and the unprecented number of first contacts she made there (which could be a big deal in the 26th-Century).
     
  9. Methos

    Methos Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2012
    Location:
    Hiding under Gaila's bed...
    Well i think the first one they'd learn about would be Zefram Cochran...

    It's said throughout pretty much all the series, that he has god knows how many schools and places named after him... the father of Warp Drive... Captain of The Phoenix.

    I'd say he's the most famous figure that a kid in the 26th century would read about... without Warp, and the ensuing First Contact with the Vulcans, there would be no Federation or anything else, so I'd say he was more important than any captain that came after...

    Also of note, if you're writing in the perspective from the 26th century, by that time in the Trek universe, they have time ships as well... so i'm guessing whoever perfected the Temporal Drive (not sure if it was ever actually named in any episode dealing with the future TimeShips or not), would be pretty heavily talked about in schools :)

    M
     
  10. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Location:
    A type 13 planet in it's final stage
    Cochrane only invented warp drive for humans. All the other major races already had it for centuries. So although Cochrane would be a big celebrity on Earth, I'm not so sure he'd be more than a footnote about Earth finally catching up with the rest of the galaxy by the 26th century.
     
  11. REDrake

    REDrake Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2012
    Location:
    Bucharest, Romania
    I can't believe it. People arguing about Archer vs Kirk, but forgetting (completely) about Spock. He's also a captain at some point, but he also came back from the dead, saved worlds several times, became and ambassador and then worked to bring about a unification between Romulans and Vulcans. On top of that he's half-vulcan, so he lives twice as much as a normal human.
    And if we're talking about mirror universes he actually became Emperor Spock.
     
  12. Satyrquaze

    Satyrquaze Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2010
    Setting aside Roddenberry's idea that the citizens of the Federation and Starfleet Officiers were completely without fault. I think it'll be one of those situations where the deeds of the character get exagerated over time. Case in point, consider how many Americans perceive the near-mythic personalities of the 'Founding Fathers' vs. the personalities of even the civil war.

    There's definately a level of hero-worship on the part of later generations. Nostalgia seems to increase the further in history the historical figure is.

    Taking the canon at face value, I imagine that the feats of Archer will be almost god-like and Kirk's mythic by the time of the 26th century.
     
  13. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2001
    Location:
    Ferguson, Missouri, USA
    Kirk's exploits might already be considered mythical by the 24th-Century. Janeway seemed to have trouble believing some stuff Kirk did.
     
  14. Satyrquaze

    Satyrquaze Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2010
    Agreed, imagine how she might have thought of Archer had she ever heard of him. :rolleyes:
     
  15. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2001
    Location:
    AI Generated Madness
    Archer's probably thought of along the same lines as George Washington. As explorers Picard and Kirk might be the Lewis and Clark of UFP history. Similarly Janeway might be the Admiral Byrd or Captain Cook of the 24th Century. Because of the Dominion War, Sisko would be noted for his military exploits. ( except on Bajor)
     
  16. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Location:
    inside teacake
    Archer is someone you'd have to memorize facts about for history.

    Kirk is someone you have posters of on your bedroom wall.
     
  17. Xhiandra

    Xhiandra Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2012
    Probably Archer and Picard.

    Archer for being "the first" for Humans and "Founder of the Federation" for every Federation citizen.

    Picard for being the archetype, the epitome of Starfleet's values.
     
  18. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Location:
    inside teacake
    Kirk is the myth that we know lives on. It's Kirk, KIRK damnit.
     
  19. Sexy Human

    Sexy Human Lieutenant

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2012
    Never cared much for Archers character. Didnt appear to be Captain material.
     
  20. Dazzie

    Dazzie Ensign Newbie

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2012
    Sisko, his story must be pretty mythical? The captain who started and helped win a galactic war before becoming a higher being.