Who is your least liked Captain, and why?

[6079SmithW]

Janeway cause she let her morality get in the way of getting the crew home in "Caretaker" thus stranding them. Also, her convictions seemed to be black and white with no grey. She also seemed to swap the "black" and "white" occasionally. By that I mean she would adhere strictly to starfleet/federation ethics in one case and then completely throw them out the window in another. Her ethics/morals were whatever is convienient at the time.

This could be due to inconsistent writing as others have pointed out. Also, Voyager (along with DS9) are my least favorite trek shows. They just bore me.

 

[firecrackerrrr]

I like all the Captains in some way. My least favourite will always be Archer. I'd put it in this order (1 being favourite, 5 being least favourite):

1. Janeway
2. Picard
3. Sisko
4. Kirk
5. Archer

 

[KJbushway]

Janeway cause she let her morality get in the way of getting the crew home in "Caretaker" thus stranding them.

yeah if you remember ENT, Archer stole the other vessel's warp drive in order to save earth and get his crew back there. I mean he was nice by giving them extra food and water but still he did what he had to do.

 

[Smellincoffee]

I've never gotten attached to Archer, but I've only seen two seasons of Enterprise in full.

 

[siskokid888]

For me it's definitely Chris Pine's nuKirk. Not that I didn't like the actor, but the way he was written and portrayed he was far too imature, inexperienced and arrogant to be a convincing Starfleet Captain.

Archer comes in second for me on this list. For many of the reasons already posted in this thread.

As far as the other Captains go I can't find too much wrong with them and I have favourable opinions of all of them.

Gotta disagree. I thought Pine and the writers portrayed a Kirk that would have resulted in the alternate timeline - one without a strong father figure to guide him, whose fearlessness and restlessness didnt find a track until Pike guides him into Starfleet - the talent, courage (and luck) were there, they just needed to be molded into the Kirk we know.

 

[M'Sharak]

If pressed, I could probably name a favorite, but of the five series regulars, I don't really have a "least-liked" captain - I liked them all, though not each for all the same reasons.


(If, as some have with Esteban or Jellico, I were to go out and choose from among the "see them once and never again" captains, I'd go for someone like the popinjay Captain Styles, but I think that's kind of dodging the intent of the OP's question.)

 

[Neutral Zone]

After a great deal of thought, I would have to go for Archer. The actor himself is great, but I think that there would have been problems casting the right captain no matter what. The others had certain qualities that Archer lacked. Kirk, no matter what always appeared in control and Shatner made him look confident even if he did overact at times. Picard was the perfect Captain, he was confident and compassionate with Janeway running a very close second. Then we have Cisco, I felt that he was not always in control ofthe situation but he was better than Archer. I like all of the Treks, but Ent is at the bottom of my list. It had no real direction as to which way it was heading, and there were too many two and three parters, at times it was a mismash of story lines which I think reflected in the casts acting. If the stories had been a little like TOS or TNS in its approach then it may well have survived into a 5th or 6th season.

 

[Jefferies]

For me it's definitely Chris Pine's nuKirk. Not that I didn't like the actor, but the way he was written and portrayed he was far too imature, inexperienced and arrogant to be a convincing Starfleet Captain.

Archer comes in second for me on this list. For many of the reasons already posted in this thread.

As far as the other Captains go I can't find too much wrong with them and I have favourable opinions of all of them.

Gotta disagree. I thought Pine and the writers portrayed a Kirk that would have resulted in the alternate timeline - one without a strong father figure to guide him, whose fearlessness and restlessness didnt find a track until Pike guides him into Starfleet - the talent, courage (and luck) were there, they just needed to be molded into the Kirk we know.

You are entitled to disagree with me of course and I actually didn't mind the whole tormented childhood angle. What bothered me was how he behaved once he got into Starfleet. He completely lacked discipline, was overly cocky with seemingly little respect for protocol. Furthermore he lacked the gravitas that is usually associated with Starfleet Captains, especially the legendary ones. He also looks very young and green behind the ears. Altogether he didn't strike me as someone who could inspire confidence in people, very unlike the Kirk we know of old. Now the new Chris Pike was a far better example of a convincing Captain, even if he had a few shoddy lines in the film, none of that could distract from him comming across as a leader.

 

[barnaclelapse]

Janeway. She makes far too many questionable decisions to inspire confidence.

Agreed. I also think her character developed the least of all the main captains, which is really kind of inexcusable considering there were seven damn seasons to do something.

 

[gomtuu20]

For me, it's probably Kirk. He was too shallowly developed, and apart from his charisma, using wits/unorthodox means to get out of situations, and being a ladies man, he had no other depth to him. Picard and Sisko had episodes that featured their families, hobbies, love interests/girlfriends/wives, etc. But never one for Kirk.

I think Kirk was also not as well acted as Picard and Sisko. Which Kirk scene was ever as powerful as "And I will make them pay for what they've done!" or Benny Russell's breakdown?

I've never understood these criticisms of James Kirk. We saw him develop a deep relationship with Edith Keeler in City on the Edge of Forever, had to kill his best friend in Where No Man Has Gone Before and had to sacrifice his principles to save his ship in Mudd's Women.

"We're killers. But we're not going to kill... today."
"Let's get the hell out of here."
"Will you try for one moment to feel? At least act like you've got a heart. We're talking about Gary."
"Come along Dr. Daystrom... M5 is out of a job."

People seem to have this grudge against Kirk/William Shatner because Star Trek was an entirely different beast, made in a different time from Modern Trek. And it had a hell of a lot more interference during production than either The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

YES, YES YES!!
EXACTLY RIGHT!!!
What he said.

 

[gomtuu20]

I'm actually amazed at the number of people that name Kirk as their least favorite. He had everything! He was extremely intelligent, a master tactician and inspired extreme loyalty. Some of those qualities were present in Picard to, but let me put it this way: While Picard would be having a staff meeting to figure out how to deal with an oppressive enemy, Kirk would have already attacked and destroyed them. They had different leadership styles. And Shatner did an excellent acting job. Just look at the scenes with Picard and Kirk together in Generations. By this time, Shatner was already an overweight old man, but he completely overshadowed Steward in their scenes together.
While I liked Enterprise for the most part, I thought Archer was the worst captain (although Janeway comes close). The guy that played Trip would have made a far superior captain. I don't think Bakula ever really got a handle on his character. He is an adequate actor, but he didn't play this one very well. For example, there was an episode where he experienced something very strange - might have been something to do with the temporal cold war plotline, I can't remember exactly - he said "that's never happened before". That line should have been delivered as "THAT's never happened before". Bakula just doesn't have the presence and bearing of a leader like Shatner or Stewart.

 

[BillJ]

While I liked Enterprise for the most part, I thought Archer was the worst captain (although Janeway comes close).

I liked season three's 'Airlock Archer'!

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

For me it's Archer.

Partly due to miscasting. I'm sorry but Scott Bakula was the wrong actor to play a starship capatin, He has no command presence what so ever. As a scientist he would have been fine, Bakula does curious really well, but as the captain? No.

And partly because of the writing. What was meant to portray lack of experience came off as lack of common sense. And that doesn't even go into the whole nepotism thing.

The real pity for me is I really wanted to like this one, but the minute Bakula was announced as the captain I knew there was going to be trouble with his range. A starship captain is just too far outside of Mr. Bakula's acting range.

 

[david g]

Without question, Archer. Poorly written and played by a woefully miscast actor. Scott Bakula is expert in other roles, but a Trek captain he simply wasnt.

 

[david g]

For me, it's probably Kirk. He was too shallowly developed, and apart from his charisma, using wits/unorthodox means to get out of situations, and being a ladies man, he had no other depth to him. Picard and Sisko had episodes that featured their families, hobbies, love interests/girlfriends/wives, etc. But never one for Kirk.

I think Kirk was also not as well acted as Picard and Sisko. Which Kirk scene was ever as powerful as "And I will make them pay for what they've done!" or Benny Russell's breakdown?

I've never understood these criticisms of James Kirk. We saw him develop a deep relationship with Edith Keeler in City on the Edge of Forever, had to kill his best friend in Where No Man Has Gone Before and had to sacrifice his principles to save his ship in Mudd's Women.

"We're killers. But we're not going to kill... today."
"Let's get the hell out of here."
"Will you try for one moment to feel? At least act like you've got a heart. We're talking about Gary."
"Come along Dr. Daystrom... M5 is out of a job."

People seem to have this grudge against Kirk/William Shatner because Star Trek was an entirely different beast, made in a different time from Modern Trek. And it had a hell of a lot more interference during production than either The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

Bill J, I couldnt agree more. I personally love Kirk and Shatner as Kirk.

 

[THE Imzadi Fan]

Definitely Kirk. Can't stand William Shatner's acting...so couldn't stand Kirk. I did like Kirk a little better in the new movie because Chris Pine portrayed him...but he was still a cocky bastard and in my opinion he lacked the charisma and force of nature personality that Jonathan Frakes has as Riker to make it less annoying.

 

[david g]

I also love Janeway. It still mystifies me that anyone could *not.*

I like Picard, though he was also somewhat opaque for my taste. I dont really like Sisko...but at least with Sisko, courtesy of Brooks and his overacting, you had a presence and a style. With bland and dull Archer, you didnt have much of...anything.

I think that ENT improved in its later seasons, while never jelling. But Archer never came through as a character, for me.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Janeway is by far the worst Captain. Obnoxiously self-righteous, but she bends her principles whenever she finds it personally convenient. Very inconsistently written. Her annoying voice and that stupid hair bun... God, I hated her.

 

[Vanyel]

NuKirk

Hasn't displayed the range of Classic Kirk (Which is saying something.) He acts more like a whinny brat who cavalierly cheated and instead of putting forward a well thought out defense of his actions went into the hearing thinking he was wronged.

 

[BillJ]

Definitely Kirk. Can't stand William Shatner's acting...so couldn't stand Kirk. I did like Kirk a little better in the new movie because Chris Pine portrayed him...but he was still a cocky bastard and in my opinion he lacked the charisma and force of nature personality that Jonathan Frakes has as Riker to make it less annoying.

This is the funniest thing I've read all day... thank you.

Jonathan Frakes!