Favorite Guest Starship Commanders, All Series!

[Red Ranger]

My Peeps:

Well, I started a similar thread over in the TNG forum, so I decided to give equal time to all the ST series.

Over the years, we've seen a number of starship commanders in all the series as guest stars. Would like to see which ones you liked the most and would have loved to see more of, or which ones you couldn't care less for.

Among my favorites: Commodore Wesley from "The Ultimate Computer;" Captain Ben Maxwell from TNG ep "The Wounded;" Captain Rixx from TNG ep "Conspiracy;" Captain Rachel Garrett from TNG ep "Yesterday's Enteprise;" and Captain Erika Hernandez from ENT, various eps. Hell, I even liked pain-in-the-ass Captain Jellico, as played by the great Ronny Cox.

Among my faves who died and so couldn't appear again are: Commodore Decker from TOS ep "The Doomsday Machine;" Captain Dathon from TNG ep, "Darmok;" and Captain Ransom from VOY ep "The Equinox."

Who do you like? Who did you want to see again? Who did you want to see beamed out into open space at maximum dispersal, or shoved out an airlock?

Red Ranger

 

[James Bond]

Forget an Excelsior/Sulu series. I want a Bozeman series with Kelsey Grammar reprising his role as Captain Morgan Bateson. Just think, Frasier in space! The possibilities truly are endless!

 

[Plum]

Well, not sure if it counts, but I always loved it when Scotty was in the big chair.

 

[Red Ranger]

Wanted to add that since this is GenTrek, you can mention starship commanders who appeared in the films, too.

I did like Captain Willard Decker from TMP, despite the fact that Riker from TNG seemed almost identical to his character, even sharing a similar first name -- good thing he grew the beard!

And while Excelsior Captain Styles from TSFS was a pompous ass, played by James B. Sikking, he kind of reminded me of a space-going Lieutenant Hunter from "Hill Street Blues," also played by Sikking. Wonder if this Styles had any connection to the Styles we saw in TOS ep "Balance of Terror," or was even supposed to be the same character?

Red Ranger

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

Red Ranger said:

I did like Captain Willard Decker from TMP, despite the fact that Riker from TNG seemed almost identical to his character, even sharing a similar first name -- good thing he grew the beard!

Red Ranger

I saw Jonathan Frakes at a Star Trek Convention in Baltimore, Maryland in the early 1990s and he said he grew that beard and gained weight during the Writers Strike in the Summer of 1988. When the strike was over he returned to the set with the beard and the producers thought it made him look nautical. So he kept it.

My favorite commander is Will Decker too, also Captain Christopher Pike from "The Cage". I am disappointed that JJ Abrams cast Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike in Star Trek 11. I just don't see it. I saw Greenwood as a commander in that Submarine flick "Below" and I was not convinced. I still see Greenwood as his Doctor character from the 1980s TV Series St. Elsewhere . Besides, Greenwood is too old to play Pike in my opinion. Greenwood is 51 years old, Jeffrey Hunter was 38 years old in late November and early December 1964 when they filmed "The Cage".

Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[LeadHead]

Red Ranger said:

And while Excelsior Captain Styles from TSFS was a pompous ass, played by James B. Sikking, he kind of reminded me of a space-going Lieutenant Hunter from "Hill Street Blues," also played by Sikking. Wonder if this Styles had any connection to the Styles we saw in TOS ep "Balance of Terror," or was even supposed to be the same character?

Red Ranger

Doubtful that they were supposed to be the same character. The one in "Balance of Terror" was Stiles, while "The Search for Spock" was Styles.

Also they didn't sem like the same one, an officer who had served under Kirk wouldn't have been so pompus about breaking speed records set by his own former Captain.

 

[captcalhoun]

Shran!

Martok!

 

[Red Ranger]

captcalhoun said:
Shran!

Martok!

Hell yeah! They both kick ass!

 

[JD]

^Agreed.

Red, do you read the books? Because alot of the people you listed have appeared in the books.

 

[Red Ranger]

JD said:
^Agreed.

Red, do you read the books? Because alot of the people you listed have appeared in the books.

Actually, JD, it's been years since I read a ST novel. I plan on reading the Titan novels in the new year, though. So I'll keep my eyes peeled for any novels with some of the characters I like. Which do you suggest? -- RR

 

[JD]

Decker: Has appeared in The Brave and the Bold book 2 ,which (I think) focuses on him and his crew as they work with the Ent. I haven't actually read the books, but from what I've heard they take a guest ship/crew (Decker/Contellation with Kirk/Enterprise, Keogh/Odyssey with Ben Sisko/the Defiant/DS9, De Soto/Hood with Janeway/Voayer and Cal Hudson/his Maquis and Chakotay and co., and Klag (the 2nd officer from A Matter of Honor)/IKS Gorkon (a Klingon ship which actually got it's own series after this book and one other earlier book) wiht Picard/E-D.

Wesley has apparently been in several books according his Memory Beta entry.

Rache Garrett and the E-C actually got their own stand alone novel (which I haven't read) Well of Souls.

Jellico has gone on the be an admiral now, and has been in quite a few books, most of them in the New Frontier series and the A Time To miniseries.

According to Memory Beta Rixx has only had two relatively minor appearances in a couple books and Maxwell hasn't made any appearances, except for a mention in one book.

Erika Hernandez and the Columbia are going to be playing a role in the 2nd post finale Enterprise novel Kobayashi Maru, which is going to explain the origins of the famous no-win scenario test.

 

[Alyssa]

Shran
And the Commander of the Vulcan ship in ENT 'Breaking the ice'.

 

[JiNX-01]

Alyssa said:
Shran
And the Commander of the Vulcan ship in ENT 'Breaking the ice'.

Shran -- Yes to both who nominated my favorite Andorian! I was starting to think only SF ships would be included...


The Vulcan captain's name was Vanik.
Didn't Degra have his own ship?
And there was the Vissian Captain Drennik. He was pretty cool and even let Archer drive the stratopod without a learner's permit!

 

[Cephas]

Admiral J.P. Hanson. Though he was clearly in command of the fleet, I don't think it was established that he commanded a specific ship. Regardless, he was a class act, lacking the arrogance that we saw in other admirals (Nechayev). He clearly had great respect for Picard. Had he survived, it would have been cool to see him again.

 

[Red Ranger]

JD:

Thanks for the info on past starship commanders appearing in novels. Some sound very interesting, esp. the book with Captain Garrett of the Enterprise-C, who I have a thing for. She is so fine, I wouldn't mind being the captain's man, till she says otherwise!

Red Ranger

 

[JD]

Red Ranger said:
JD:

Thanks for the info on past starship commanders appearing in novels. Some sound very interesting, esp. the book with Captain Garrett of the Enterprise-C, who I have a thing for. She is so fine, I wouldn't mind being the captain's man, till she says otherwise!

Red Ranger

Just to warn you, I have heard alot of people say they didn't really care for it. But, like I said, I haven't read it myself, so I can't give you anything first hand.

 

[Apogeal Alpha01]

Captain Jelico. He was Captain's Captain.

 

[Joanna McCoy-Kirk]

Apogeal Alpha01 said:
Captain Jelico. He was Captain's Captain.

I agree totally. He was one of best captains in all of Trek.

 

[captcalhoun]

just an FYI, Decker is in 'The Brave and the Bold' bk 1, with Keogh. DeSoto and Hudson appear in bk 2 with Klag.

 

[Cyke101]

My favorite is DeSoto, so much so that I made a respect thread for the USS Hood a few months back. Even though, canonically, we don't know if DeSoto was captain for any of the ship's other mentions throughout TNG/DS9/the movies, but I'd love to think that he still is, which would probably make him the most prominent non-hero captain in Starfleet.