People Who Commanded the Enterprise-D

[Sarcastic Vulcan Salute]

The mention of Jellico got me thinking on this topic.

Who all have run the ship, and when?

Obviously, Picard and Riker have had the bridge on numerous occasions.

Data was acting captain when the episode where the rest of the crew was unable to sleep because of an anomaly, and probably other times that aren't coming to mind.

Geordi had the bridge in the first season's Arsenal of Freedom.

Worf got command to talk the Klingons down in "The Emissary."

Troi was sorta-kinda in charge in "Disaster," but I don't know if that really counts.

Beverly seemingly commanded regularly, and was in charge in "Descent."

Pulaski, Yar, Wesley and Ro didn't ever as far as I know actually command. (Wesley pretended he was acting captain in "The Naked Now.") Did they ever do so in books or non-canon sources?

Are there other examples I'm forgetting?

 

[Timo]

Only examples that go beyond the crew proper come to mind at the moment:

Admiral Pressman once claimed command, and perhaps had the formal right to do so, but nobody obeyed him much.

Admiral Jameson had mission command, but it never really extended to encompass the ship proper.

The ship itself sometimes refused to be commanded, too...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Orphalesion]

Troi did have the Bridge durign some scenes in "Genesis"

 

[Tosk]

Data was acting captain when the episode where the rest of the crew was unable to sleep because of an anomaly, and probably other times that aren't coming to mind.

In Gambit as well. Data was presumably in command quite often, we see him in command during night watch in Data's Day and it's presented as just a normal occurance.

 

[Xhiandra]

Worf got command to talk the Klingons down in "The Emissary."

Not sure that one really counts, it was only pretending to command for the benefit of the Klingons. But he did have the bridge at the end of Data's Day, anyway.

 

[Tosk]

But he did have the bridge at the end of Data's Day, anyway.

And Conundrum, even though it wasn't legit.

 

[saladdays]

Was Commander Shelby ever in command during "The Best of Both Worlds"? My guess is no, but it's been a while since I've watched it.

Also, I assume we don't mean when a hostile force takes over the ship? Like in Rascals, you could technically say the commander of the Ferengi pirates was in control of the ship for a short while.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

The good Mr. “Broccoli” did so under the Cytherian’s influence but had no rank to do so.

 

[Crewman6]

Troi was sorta-kinda in charge in "Disaster," but I don't know if that really counts.

Why not? It counts just as much as your other examples.

 

[BillJ]

I imagine someone had to have the center seat during the ships test runs and shakedown cruise. Maybe Commander Quinteros from “11001001”?

 

[Crewman6]

Not sure that one really counts, it was only pretending to command for the benefit of the Klingons. But he did have the bridge at the end of Data's Day, anyway.

He wasn't pretending, he was in actually in temporary command. Picard says, "Very fine first command," not "Haha, good job playing make-believe!"

 

[Sarcastic Vulcan Salute]

Why not? It counts just as much as your other examples.

Troi assumed command acting under the assumption that everyone ahead of her was dead or incapacitated, as the senior officer who happened to be on the bridge. Although obviously justified under the situation and the Starfleet protocol, in fact, plenty of officers ahead of her on the chain were awake and potentially able to issue orders and had equal or better claims to be in charge. Picard was on board if wounded. I forget what Riker and Data were doing, but they were around too.

That is different in my mind from a situation where someone has officially been granted command or where it is clear that all those above one are in fact unable to command.

 

[Sarcastic Vulcan Salute]

Was Commander Shelby ever in command during "The Best of Both Worlds"? My guess is no, but it's been a while since I've watched it.

Also, I assume we don't mean when a hostile force takes over the ship? Like in Rascals, you could technically say the commander of the Ferengi pirates was in control of the ship for a short while.

Yeah, by in command, I mean "approved by Starfleet rules/regs to assert sole charge of the Enterprise." So not situations like when the Binars hijacked the ship, not the time when an alien was acting as a doppelganger for Picard, not Q., etc.

 

[amp]

During the events of "Tapestry" Data tells Lieutenant Picard that a Captain Thomas Halloway is in command of the Enterprise. We never actually see him though.

Also, in "The Arsenal of Freedom" Chief Engineer Logan is given command of the saucer section when Geordi separates the ship.

 

[Crewman6]

Troi assumed command acting under the assumption that everyone ahead of her was dead or incapacitated, as the senior officer who happened to be on the bridge. Although obviously justified under the situation and the Starfleet protocol, in fact, plenty of officers ahead of her on the chain were awake and potentially able to issue orders and had equal or better claims to be in charge. Picard was on board if wounded. I forget what Riker and Data were doing, but they were around too.

That is different in my mind from a situation where someone has officially been granted command or where it is clear that all those above one are in fact unable to command.

She was the ranking officer on the bridge during a crisis situation. She was in charge. Period. It's just as valid as those other instances.

 

[JesterFace]

I don't remember if it was mentioned what the thing was called in 'Emergence' but it kind of had command of the Enterprise through the holodeck in that episode. But maybe that's out of the list in this case.

 

[Mojochi]

Frankly, if we're crediting Troi as holding command in Disaster, which she is, then the woman she replaced, after dying on duty, Lt. Monroe, was also in command. When you think of it like that, senior officer on the bridge, there's got to be plenty of times when other lower folks held the ship, including probably Ro Laren

 

[Farscape One]

Except for Picard, Riker, and Data of course, I can think of these at the moment...

"Encounter at Farpoint" - Worf of the saucer.

"Too Short A Season" - Admiral Jameson DID sit in the captain's chair in the episode.

"Angel One" - LaForge.

"The Arsenal of Freedom" - LaForge, and then Logan for the saucer.

"The Emissary" - Worf.

"The Best of Both Worlds Part II" - Commander Shelby of the saucer.

"Data's Day" - Worf.

"Disaster" - Lt. Monroe, Troi.

"Time's Arrow" - Worf was given command at the end while everyone else went to the past.

"Time's Arrow, Part II" - Until the others returned, Worf was still in command.

"Chain Of Command", both parts - Captain Jellico.

"Descent", both parts - Crusher.

"The Pegasus" - Admiral Pressman was able to order Picard into the asteroid. Whether that was because he had command of the mission or the ship, I'm not sure.

"Thine Own Self" - Crusher, then Troi had watch duty at the end.


As mentioned before, because of Bridge watch duty, there were likely dozens more that we never saw. But going by on screen, this is what I can recall at the moment.

 

[trekshark]

Troi assumed command acting under the assumption that everyone ahead of her was dead or incapacitated, as the senior officer who happened to be on the bridge. Although obviously justified under the situation and the Starfleet protocol, in fact, plenty of officers ahead of her on the chain were awake and potentially able to issue orders and had equal or better claims to be in charge. Picard was on board if wounded. I forget what Riker and Data were doing, but they were around too.

That is different in my mind from a situation where someone has officially been granted command or where it is clear that all those above one are in fact unable to command.

didn't Troi start getting bridge watches after her promotion from passing the bridge officer test? I seem to remember her saying something along the lines of "I need to get going, I have the watch next shift" at the end of an episode

 

[Farscape One]

That was in "Thine Own Self" at the end. We see her on Bridge Watch duty at least one other time in "Genesis".

 

[publiusr]

The Binars had de facto control, as did the trilithium resin terrorists, for a time—and the Ferengi with the Birds of Prey