The Ultimate WORST CAPTAIN poll!

[Aurian]

I quite like all the captains but in different ways. I came close to writing Pike and Janeway though because I think she handled things a bit too wierdly sometimes. But then I think of the fact that I prolly like her a lot more for those wierd decisions, so I could not vote for her.

 

[Mach5]

He was just handed the captaincy on a silver platter. He didn't earn it.

Give him some credit for saving Earth. Had Spock stayed in command and taken Enterprise to the Laurentian system, Earth would haven been destroyed.

 

[Reanok]

Kathryn Janeway made really bad decisions and was a poor leader.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

He was just handed the captaincy on a silver platter. He didn't earn it.

Give him some credit for saving Earth. Had Spock stayed in command and taken Enterprise to the Laurentian system, Earth would haven been destroyed.

So give him a medal. Don't let him skip over all those ranks as if they don't exist. I don't care if he saved the whole universe, not even he deserves that.

 

[Captrek]

Worst captain: Capt. John Harriman (Alan Ruck).

He was captain of the Enterprise. Is say he’s eligible. So is Capt. Garrett.

I’ll leave out Capt. Decker, Capt. Jellico, and Capt. Riker because their captaincies were so brief. (I suppose it’s possible that Harriman and Garrett also had brief captaincies, but there’s no reason to believe so.) Capt. Spock also doesn’t count because he didn’t captain the ship on active duty; the ship was used only as a training vessel while he was captain.

 

[clint g]

Janeway without a doubt.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

I wouldn't want to serve under either Kirk, or under Janeway. Shatner's Kirk is the least bad of the three, but there's still something about him that annoys me. Pine's Kirk is a hotshot kid who needs to grow up before assuming command, and Janeway has a bit of a tyrannical streak. Archer is an honorable mention, as he has a lot of the same failings as Janeway (I often thought that Archer must have been one of Janeway's role models), but he's a likeable enough guy that I wouldn't mind serving under him.

Both Picard and Sisko are captains I would like to serve under.

 

[Gorn Captain]

Half seriously, I would have to say Jean Luc Picard, because he apparently had some sort of multiple personality syndrome. When I was first introduced to him, he was a cold, reserved administrator who stayed on the ship as befitting his rank. By the time he was done, he was a goddamn action figure who was constantly saving the Federation in his undershirt and doing the samba in his spare time.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Worst captain: Capt. John Harriman (Alan Ruck).

He was captain of the Enterprise. Is say he’s eligible. So is Capt. Garrett.

I’ll leave out Capt. Decker, Capt. Jellico, and Capt. Riker because their captaincies were so brief. (I suppose it’s possible that Harriman and Garrett also had brief captaincies, but there’s no reason to believe so.) Capt. Spock also doesn’t count because he didn’t captain the ship on active duty; the ship was used only as a training vessel while he was captain.

Technically, Harriman's scene was similar. The trip aboard the Enterprise-B was basically a quick trip around the solar system for the benefit of the three major news networks. It wasn't supposed to be any more active duty than Spock's command was in TWOK. It certainly doesn't mean that Harriman was a bad captain or anything. He did the best that could be done, with the extremely limited resources available. Hell, he even swallowed his pride and asked Kirk for advice in front of the whole bridge crew - then was prepared to hand over command *to* Kirk to save the mission and the ship.

 

[Captain Randy Hall]

Half seriously, I would have to say Jean Luc Picard, because he apparently had some sort of multiple personality syndrome. When I was first introduced to him, he was a cold, reserved administrator who stayed on the ship as befitting his rank. By the time he was done, he was a goddamn action figure who was constantly saving the Federation in his undershirt and doing the samba in his spare time.

I have to agree with you, but he was even less worthy of the captain's chair than that. In the first season he surrendered the ship to any Ferengi who happened to be in the quadrant. Who knows how many cans of Turtle Wax were needed to keep his noggin shining bright?

Kirk was such a good character that TNG split him in two. The captain part went to Picard. The likable adventurer went to Riker. Then Patrick Stewart started complaining that "Shatner got all the babes. Why don't I get any babes?'

That was during the crossover two-parter called "The Best of Both Worlds." When they finally worked out Stewart 's contract, he got to hold onto the center seat while Riker was emasculated. Just once I with they'd have had Riker read the opening monologue to see how many people would pass out because it wasn't Picard.

 

[DevilEyes]

Half seriously, I would have to say Jean Luc Picard, because he apparently had some sort of multiple personality syndrome. When I was first introduced to him, he was a cold, reserved administrator who stayed on the ship as befitting his rank. By the time he was done, he was a goddamn action figure who was constantly saving the Federation in his undershirt and doing the samba in his spare time.

I have to agree with you, but he was even less worthy of the captain's chair than that. In the first season he surrendered the ship to any Ferengi who happened to be in the quadrant. Who knows how many cans of Turtle Wax were needed to keep his noggin shining bright?

Kirk was such a good character that TNG split him in two. The captain part went to Picard. The likable adventurer went to Riker. Then Patrick Stewart started complaining that "Shatner got all the babes. Why don't I get any babes?'

That was during the crossover two-parter called "The Best of Both Worlds." When they finally worked out Stewart 's contract, he got to hold onto the center seat while Riker was emasculated. Just once I with they'd have had Riker read the opening monologue to see how many people would pass out because it wasn't Picard.

That did a world of good to Riker's character, who became so much more interesting and less pointless when he was forced to take command in Picard's absence and clash with another officer (TBOBW) or clashwith a superior officer in Picard's absence (Chain of Command), or when he had to deal with another version of himself (Second Chances) or when he had his mind screwed-up with (Frame of Mind) or when he had to deal with his past and denounce his militaristic former captain, now admiral (The Pegasus), than when he was playing the role of an intergalactic playboy and sleeping with alien babes of the week. I said it on the 'oh so sexyyy' thread: Riker was only hot when he was doing his job as officer, or dealing with some problem or getting angry and butting heads with someone... the moment he would start chatting up a woman (other than Troi - he was somewhat tolerable with her), yikes, it was totally cringe-worthy.

Oh, and are you sure that Picard getting babes was (just) because of Stewart's demands, rather than the result of the fact that Picard turned out to be a sex symbol with the female audience, probably more so than Riker?

 

[kes7]

I have a love-hate relationship with Janeway. She had many fine qualities as a person and was fun to watch, but as a Captain, she routinely made horrible decisions from which only the writers' love of the reset button could save her (or more correctly, save her poor crew).

 

[erastus25]

Janeway

 

[Mach5]

Just once I with they'd have had Riker read the opening monologue to see how many people would pass out because it wasn't Picard.

Geez, we really never did hear Riker do the "Space: TFF" speech... Damn shame, I say!

 

[Captain Randy Hall]

>>Oh, and are you sure that Picard getting babes was (just) because of Stewart's demands, rather than the result of the fact that Picard turned out to be a sex symbol with the female audience, probably more so than Riker?<<

Depends on how much Turtle Wax he used.....

 

[msbae]

Janeway for letting her very high ideals frequently get in the way of common sense. Starship captains face tough moral choices very often, but there is such a thing as setting the bar too high and doing onself more harm than good, IMO...

I would also like to give honorable mention to J.T. Esteban of the Starship Grissom for being overly cautious one moment over proper procedures and then getting caught with his pants down when a Klingon ship appeared.

QFT

Esteban was a pussy. No wonder Starfleet only gave him a Science Vessel...

Janeway had to get my vote, just because the stupid bitch went looking for trouble so damn much. Seriously, why would you go out of your way to attack the Borg when it's usually quite difficult to simply avoid them and/or survive their attacks? I would have led a mutiny against her and it would have been successful.

I voted for Jeffrey Hunter's Pike as well, just because he was such a manic-depressive individual. That sort of personality flaw is going to negatively affect his command performance. I don't remember him being sexist, though...

EDIT: Jellico should be on this list too.

 

[Omega_Glory]

I don' care for NuKirk...he acts too much like a teenager. Also I thought Sisko was kinda boring.

 

[Captrek]

Just once I with they'd have had Riker read the opening monologue to see how many people would pass out because it wasn't Picard.

Geez, we really never did hear Riker do the "Space: TFF" speech... Damn shame, I say!

I agree. They should have done that “just once.” In BOBW2. The main credits then should have listed Frakes as Captain Riker and Dennehy as Commander Shelby, with Stewart credited after the break as a “Special Appearance by.” That would have been cool.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I voted for Jeffrey Hunter's Pike as well, just because he was such a manic-depressive individual. That sort of personality flaw is going to negatively affect his command performance. I don't remember him being sexist, though...

I think it was because of his one line about "just can't get used to having a woman on the bridge." Then he looks at Number One and says "No offense, Lieutenant, you're...different, of course."

 

[Captrek]

I don't remember him being sexist, though...

I think it was because of his one line about "just can't get used to having a woman on the bridge." Then he looks at Number One and says "No offense, Lieutenant, you're...different, of course."

Yeah, that was funny. He said he couldn’t get used to having a woman on the bridge, as if there weren’t a woman sitting right there. She shot him a nasty look, and he attempted that clumsy apology, which just made her look even more upset.

That’s not just sexism. It’s also an unbelievable lack of tact for a starship captain.