Inspired by the quasi best captain thread, figured I'd post one to discuss who is the best first officer of the five major trek series.
1) Spock- Without a doubt he was the most able of the first officers. The trademark Vulcan logic coupled with a core of common sense made for a solid support character and definitely kept Kirk's more impulsive tendancies in check.
2) Kira Nerys- Sure she was a firebrand at first, but once she mellowed out a bit, she became a very able officer. While she didn't necessarily compliment Sisko's style of command smoothly, she had an independent streak and leadership style all of her own.
3) William T. Riker- A lot of people like him, but he seemed rather bland to me. Turning down one command after another. Not sure if it was daddy issues, comfort issues or just plain indecisiveness, but he never really got out of Picard's shadow. When he was pushed back against the wall he could be a good leader, but you had to drag him kicking and screaming. Not to mention he's just mean at times.
4) T'Pol- While she's definitely able, she's about as lifeless as a glacier and has less tact that a drunken Klingon. There's definitely a huge T'Pol fanclub, so I might offend some with this ranking. But she manages to offend just about every human she meets. After so long among them, you'd think it's be logical to learn how not to make an ass out of yourself?
5) Chakotay- You know, after watching Caretaker for the first time, I was thinking he was going to be a great first officer and exciting character. Boy did I miss the call with that one. Couple every Native American cliche being exploited at his expense to the point of it probably insulting the -real- Native Americans with him basically being Janeway's submissive yes-man, and you get a character that's just there because they need a first officer to say "Aye Captain."
1) Spock- Without a doubt he was the most able of the first officers. The trademark Vulcan logic coupled with a core of common sense made for a solid support character and definitely kept Kirk's more impulsive tendancies in check.
2) Kira Nerys- Sure she was a firebrand at first, but once she mellowed out a bit, she became a very able officer. While she didn't necessarily compliment Sisko's style of command smoothly, she had an independent streak and leadership style all of her own.
3) William T. Riker- A lot of people like him, but he seemed rather bland to me. Turning down one command after another. Not sure if it was daddy issues, comfort issues or just plain indecisiveness, but he never really got out of Picard's shadow. When he was pushed back against the wall he could be a good leader, but you had to drag him kicking and screaming. Not to mention he's just mean at times.
4) T'Pol- While she's definitely able, she's about as lifeless as a glacier and has less tact that a drunken Klingon. There's definitely a huge T'Pol fanclub, so I might offend some with this ranking. But she manages to offend just about every human she meets. After so long among them, you'd think it's be logical to learn how not to make an ass out of yourself?
5) Chakotay- You know, after watching Caretaker for the first time, I was thinking he was going to be a great first officer and exciting character. Boy did I miss the call with that one. Couple every Native American cliche being exploited at his expense to the point of it probably insulting the -real- Native Americans with him basically being Janeway's submissive yes-man, and you get a character that's just there because they need a first officer to say "Aye Captain."
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