Who is your favorite captain? And why?
- Thread starter ECHEMH
- Start date
The OP just joined today. Nice way to welcome them.
Mine's somewhere between Archer and Burnham.
Archer and Burnham always come first for me, if I'm listing them alphabetically, but my absolute favourite captain... depends on how they're written. Picard can be an insightful and diplomatic commander, or the most boring and genocidal man in space. Kirk can be brilliant and commanding, or comically over the top. Sisko can be strange and low key, or intelligent and intense.
That's a cop out answer because I can't pick a favourite.
That's a cop out answer because I can't pick a favourite.
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There's only one guy for me and that's Jean-Luc. Because... he is Jean-Luc. No more explanations needed. 
Robau with Pike close behind.
Sisko, then Picard, then Kirk, then Carol Freeman from Lower Decks. Yeah I'll die HORRIBLY but it'll be entertaining.
In order of least... Archer -- blugh. Burnham... don't like the actress in that role so I don't take her seriously. Pike... not enough information yet.
Sisko (badass captain)
Robau (badass captain)
Kirk, George (brave soul)
Discovery Pike (yum, yum)
Kirk, James
Robau (badass captain)
Kirk, George (brave soul)
Discovery Pike (yum, yum)
Kirk, James
Picard and Janeway (yes, Janeway. The fact she's the most inconsistently written character in the entirety of Trek doesn't mean she isn't a leader). I'd follow either of them anywhere. As for the others:
- Kirk I wouldn't follow across a room. Too easily distracted by the woman of the week, too full of himself.
- Sisko I wouldn't follow into the room in the first place. I never warmed to Sisko, at all. Not at all sure why.
- Archer would probably be kidnapped and tortured on his way to the room. Therefore I can't take him seriously.
- Pike I'd probably follow across the room, but the jury's out as to how much further I'd go.
- I'm way behind on Discovery but I'd have followed original!Geogiou anywhere. Can't really comment further without getting caught up on the show.
1) Picard, easily.
Level-headed, acts like an adult rather than a manchild hopped up on being "badass" (at times, Kirk and Burnham remind me of Ronald McDonald... the Always Sunny character, not the mascot. Though Mac's fighting style is slightly less comical than Kirk Fu), always dedicated to following his principles even if it's not in his best interests (something very lacking in many people).
2) Janeway on a good day. Unfortunately, Janeway was written to flip-flop on every issue, so it's hard to find a consistent one.
On the flipside, that means there's a Janeway for everyone to like, just with everyone selecting a different set of episodes.
3) Pike. Cage/Ménagerie Pike, not AbramsPike nor DSC Pike.
He was a bit of a proto-Picard, in a sense. Really liked the "war weariness" angle of the character. Also like Cage/Ménagerie Doctor better than McCoy, for that matter.
Level-headed, acts like an adult rather than a manchild hopped up on being "badass" (at times, Kirk and Burnham remind me of Ronald McDonald... the Always Sunny character, not the mascot. Though Mac's fighting style is slightly less comical than Kirk Fu), always dedicated to following his principles even if it's not in his best interests (something very lacking in many people).
2) Janeway on a good day. Unfortunately, Janeway was written to flip-flop on every issue, so it's hard to find a consistent one.
On the flipside, that means there's a Janeway for everyone to like, just with everyone selecting a different set of episodes.
3) Pike. Cage/Ménagerie Pike, not AbramsPike nor DSC Pike.
He was a bit of a proto-Picard, in a sense. Really liked the "war weariness" angle of the character. Also like Cage/Ménagerie Doctor better than McCoy, for that matter.
Maybe Q knew that he's a half-prophet and is gonna become a full one, that's why he respected him as a fellow superior being
1. Kirk: Partly because he was my first (and there are no heroes like childhood heroes), partly because of Shatner's charisma in the role, partly because of the unfair stereotyping the character gets (see Kelvin Kirk) when he's really a complex character, partly because of his cleverness/determination/not believing in no-win scenarios/cheating death/Horatio Hornblower style heroism
2. Picard: I love Picard through 90 - 95 % of TNG and Patrick Stewart is obviously great in the role, but when the writers screwed him up they REALLY screwed him up (Homeward, his asking why Crusher saved the people in cryo in Neutral Zone): stuff that even as a kid watching left a very very bad taste in my mouth.
3. Sisko: Brooks is fun, it was great to see a single parent captain, and Sisko was tough. There's an argument to be made that he was guilty of a war crime or two, but I think they did an excellent job of bringing the viewer along his journey with him regarding his bringing the Romulans into the war (not so much the time he gassed a planet...). As some one who is adopted though I was always appalled by his (off screen???) decision in Cardassians.
4. Pike: He was interesting in The Cage, tragic in Menagerie and easily one of the best things about Discovery season 2. If they keep doing as well with the character in Strange New Worlds he may even go up on my list.
5. Freeman: She's often ridiculous but that's what you get for being the captain in a comedy. I was super impressed by her quick thinking in the season one finale though, not getting destroyed in the same way as the ship they'd come to rescue thanks to a lightning quick realization.
6. Burnham: The character has issues, mostly extensions of the issues with the show she's in, but I can't fault many of her calls since she became captain this season.
7. Kelvin Kirk: I like Pine, but this is (at least until Beyond) what all too many people who don't watch TOS think Kirk is.
8. Janeway: I have to disagree with the poster up the thread a bit who says being inconsistently written doesn't make her a bad captain: it absolutely does. Imagine some one that inconsistent in charge of something in real life. When she was good she could be very good, unfortunately that was all too infrequent.
9. Rios: We've seen very little of his captaining, but his backstory is (unlike so much in Picard season one) interesting to me.
10. Archer: This was understandable to a degree given he was chronologically the first human deep space captain, but near Janeway level uneven writing really exacerbated this. A waste of Backula.
11. Dal: Naturally: he's a punk kid, that's the point at this stage.
I regret that we never really got to see enough for me to rank Georgiou (prime), Lorca (prime), Saru (who I feel was great at the end of season 2 but sabotaged by the writers in season 3 to make way for Burnham), Spock, Sulu, April, Harriman or Garret.
Outside of "canon" I also like Calhoun (New Frontier), Martinez (Shield of Tomorrow) and Sul (Clear Skies). Also, though I've not seen much of him, the captain of the Enterprise F in Star Trek Online seems interesting.
2. Picard: I love Picard through 90 - 95 % of TNG and Patrick Stewart is obviously great in the role, but when the writers screwed him up they REALLY screwed him up (Homeward, his asking why Crusher saved the people in cryo in Neutral Zone): stuff that even as a kid watching left a very very bad taste in my mouth.
3. Sisko: Brooks is fun, it was great to see a single parent captain, and Sisko was tough. There's an argument to be made that he was guilty of a war crime or two, but I think they did an excellent job of bringing the viewer along his journey with him regarding his bringing the Romulans into the war (not so much the time he gassed a planet...). As some one who is adopted though I was always appalled by his (off screen???) decision in Cardassians.
4. Pike: He was interesting in The Cage, tragic in Menagerie and easily one of the best things about Discovery season 2. If they keep doing as well with the character in Strange New Worlds he may even go up on my list.
5. Freeman: She's often ridiculous but that's what you get for being the captain in a comedy. I was super impressed by her quick thinking in the season one finale though, not getting destroyed in the same way as the ship they'd come to rescue thanks to a lightning quick realization.
6. Burnham: The character has issues, mostly extensions of the issues with the show she's in, but I can't fault many of her calls since she became captain this season.
7. Kelvin Kirk: I like Pine, but this is (at least until Beyond) what all too many people who don't watch TOS think Kirk is.
8. Janeway: I have to disagree with the poster up the thread a bit who says being inconsistently written doesn't make her a bad captain: it absolutely does. Imagine some one that inconsistent in charge of something in real life. When she was good she could be very good, unfortunately that was all too infrequent.
9. Rios: We've seen very little of his captaining, but his backstory is (unlike so much in Picard season one) interesting to me.
10. Archer: This was understandable to a degree given he was chronologically the first human deep space captain, but near Janeway level uneven writing really exacerbated this. A waste of Backula.
11. Dal: Naturally: he's a punk kid, that's the point at this stage.
I regret that we never really got to see enough for me to rank Georgiou (prime), Lorca (prime), Saru (who I feel was great at the end of season 2 but sabotaged by the writers in season 3 to make way for Burnham), Spock, Sulu, April, Harriman or Garret.
Outside of "canon" I also like Calhoun (New Frontier), Martinez (Shield of Tomorrow) and Sul (Clear Skies). Also, though I've not seen much of him, the captain of the Enterprise F in Star Trek Online seems interesting.
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I change my mind everyday. Today it's Janeway.
Bruce Greenwood's version of Pike.
Janeway for nostalgic reason and despite inconsistencies, she works really hard for her crew and Starfleet policy in certain stories that is.
Sisko, we saw him start out from Command to Captain, we knew he earn that position; balance between Starfleet and Bajor necessaries. Then again, he probably shoots in as he is half-wormhole alien.
Pike(Hunter), when I first saw The Cage, I was unhappy because I know Kirk will take over next, I immediately prefer him over Kirk, I can see him as actual leader, as in real life world, I like the boss like him. He need at least one season before Kirk take over, and Kirk grows on me by second half first season.
Kirk(Shanter), he know what he wants from life.
For rest of them, they are good in their own way, I haven't hate any captain as of yet. I have high hope for Pike(Mason) in upcoming NSW.
That being said, it is varying favourites on depend day. As of now, it's Janeway and Pike.
Sisko, we saw him start out from Command to Captain, we knew he earn that position; balance between Starfleet and Bajor necessaries. Then again, he probably shoots in as he is half-wormhole alien.
Pike(Hunter), when I first saw The Cage, I was unhappy because I know Kirk will take over next, I immediately prefer him over Kirk, I can see him as actual leader, as in real life world, I like the boss like him. He need at least one season before Kirk take over, and Kirk grows on me by second half first season.
Kirk(Shanter), he know what he wants from life.
For rest of them, they are good in their own way, I haven't hate any captain as of yet. I have high hope for Pike(Mason) in upcoming NSW.
That being said, it is varying favourites on depend day. As of now, it's Janeway and Pike.
That was the point. He had to grow. He didn't have his dad's guidance.
