Favorite Captain?

1. Kirk- Kirk is a true leader. He's the guy you want running your offense and calling signals down by 6 with 1:32 left on the clock in the big game. You can't say that about any of the other Captains. He cares deeply about his people. He has the heart of an explorer but he is also an exemplary warrior and tactician. Although his good-natured humor doesn't always show it, his intellect is near-on-par with Spock. He is decisive and strong when he wants to "move out." He is also a tremendous friend, based on the relationships he forms with his closest officers.

2. Sisko- Ben Sisko is a close second. Again, like JTK, a flawed man who inspires his people by pushing through his flaws and doing what must be done. Sisko maneuvers expertly in both war and peace. He is also a very skilled politician, keeping many complicated balls in the air between Bajor, the UFP, the Dominion etc etc etc. He's also a single father and very dedicated family man.

3. Picard- Picard is a distant third in this contest. Picard is smart, disciplined, and inspires confidence and dedication in his people. He is an accomplished diplomat, but is more of a bureaucrat than a pure leader. He has trouble forming relationships (never really gaining any ground more than mutual respect or mentor with his crew) compared to Kirk and Sisko. He is much less decisive. Where Kirk and (to a lesser extent) Sisko could lead your football team on one last come-from-behind drive...Picard would be more suited for winning a chess tournament. Just a different cat here.

4. Janeway- I'm not a Janeway fan, but she has some very strong points. She can make very tough decisions. She is good at building relationships (better than Picard). She pulled together a crew of misfits and built them into a family in the long run, finally getting everyone home.

5. Archer- I like Scott Bakula a lot...

 

I also think a lot of fans who gravitate away from Kirk don't like him because he reminds them of the "popular guy" in school who always pissed them off.

A little psychology there...

 

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I agree. Going back now, Picard just isn't very inspiring (or interesting). He comes off as a grumpy, brooding, lonely guy oftentimes. He's also extremely "hands off" in situations where more decisive leadership would have been required.

He gets accused of being pompous and arrogant a lot (Q, Madred, Robert, Lilley, etc), and for a good reason. The "holier than thou" perfect Starfleet Officer routine gets old fast. Nobody wants a lecture from their leaders. They want to be lead and inspired. They want a strong, decisive figure to follow.

Picard was a good character, but I think he gets a lot of votes simply because people like TNG (grew up on it, nostalgia points, etc), where if you really look at the character from a true leadership perspective, I wouldn't score him nearly as high.

That said, I don't DISLIKE Picard...and I LOVE Patrick Stewart. I just think the writing for the character was flawed.

 

Surprise, surprise! I choose Kirk.

 

1. Picard: Seems to me to represent what the Federation is all about the best, as scientist-explorer-diplomat.
2. Kirk (TOS): Not much to say about Kirk. He was a great captain, what more is there.
3. Sisko: Took me a while to warm to Sisko, but once he shaved his head he was pretty awesome.
4. Janeway: Never quite got a feel for Janeway, but Kate Mulgrew did a good job.
5. Archer: If this was just Season 3 Archer I would probably put him over Janeway, but I've got to look at the whole character.
6. Kirk (NuKirk): I just don't think he's earned it yet.

 

So, who's your favorite?

 

Picard - first place
Kirk - second place

Still don't know the third place...