NationStates Jolt Archive


Best Star Trek Captain?

Delator
16-06-2005, 08:59
This is a spin-off from THIS (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=425869) thread.

The poll speaks for itself... :p

(Note...I never bothered with "Enterprise", hence the poll option)
Pure Metal
16-06-2005, 09:12
pickard was teh bomb, but voyager still rocks more as a whole


and it was captain archer for enterprise *hopes he gets no votes*



edit: you should have made this a public poll... i want to see who voted for sisko! was it you :confused:
why??
Cmdr_Cody
16-06-2005, 09:17
The original, of course. Kirk didn't take sh*t from nobody, wasn't afraid to shoot first and ask questions later, and had all the ladies in the palm of his hand. He was a man of action and conviction.

Picard would be more likely to try and talk you to death rather then actually get in a fight. Sisko would be too busy playing the role of a religious zealot, and Janeway was just a stupid bipolar b*tch who could've saved her whole crew from being stranded across the galaxy if she bothered with a little invention known as a TIMER BOMB! :gundge:
[/rant]
Mekonia
16-06-2005, 09:20
Kathryn Janeway is by far the best ST Captain. I don't think the others compare to here,

1) She has the nicest hair
2) She did't sleep around with her crew( although we'd have made an exception to Chakotay!)
3) She destroyed the Borg
4) She brought her crew home from the other side of the galaxy, granted she turned into a recluse but still, she did it in style.
Roparth
16-06-2005, 09:22
considering archer was pre kirk, archer should be much more politically incorrect.

Not a good captain and one of the weakest characters in the programme, oddly enough. Trip fortehwin
Palenque IV
16-06-2005, 09:28
I liked DS9 the best of the series', but Picard was my favourite captain. Didn't see much of Kirk and Janeway I found ugh.

Didn't watch more than two episodes of Enterprise so my knowledge of Archer is limited.
Cromotar
16-06-2005, 09:29
Though I liked Voyager as a whole better, Picard is the better captain. Janeway tended to be annoyingly PC and moralistic at times...

Oh, and Sisko was commander, wasn't he? Not captain.
MissDefied
16-06-2005, 09:30
James Tiberius Kirk.
Hands down.
The rest are just posuers.
Greedy Pig
16-06-2005, 09:34
Hmm.. Picard would be the best actor among them. He just oozes of aura, that it's hard not to pick him. I think when it comes to negotiations and diplomacy, Picard's the number one choice.

Then again, Janeway have managed to survive innumerable odds and brought her crew back. Plus she probably had more battles than Picard, & Sisko put together. And had a better crew.

Kirk and Archer are more dummies. Sisko was a..... I dunno. After watching so many episodes of DS9, I don't know what to say of Sisko.

Darn.. wish I could vote again. I voted for Picard without thinking it through, if not my vote would have went with Janeway.
Mekonia
16-06-2005, 09:36
James Tiberius Kirk.
Hands down.
The rest are just posuers.


He was a sex crazed maniac and a bad actor to boot!
Posuers?? I've never seen a man wear so much make up!
Cabra West
16-06-2005, 09:43
Janeway, by far the best captain ever.
James T Kirk acted irresponsibly and was a disgustin macho,
I've seen very little of Archer so far and I hope I won't see much more.
Picard is nice enough as a diplomat and when it comes to hostile contacts, but in relationships with other crew members he's just poor. Even Data cmoes across as more involved than him!
And having to see him in those disgusting V-neck leisure shirts really freaks me out!
Thustris
16-06-2005, 09:45
Whereas the other Captains all have their strengths, quirks, & backgrounds, Picard was the one that stood out the most exemplifying honor, courage, & commitment in all that he did. A scientist before a commander, a historian before a warrior. He was more cerebral than Kirk by far. He stood as a bastion of diplomacy compared to Janeway, who was stuck in a really f*cked-up situation form the get-go, so perhaps this is an unfair observation. Next to Sisko, however, there are many similarities, but Sisko was also in the unenviable position during the Dominion war, so we saw a Machiavellian side to him (i.e. when it came to manipulating the Romulans) which I've never seen Picard stoop to. (If someone has, by all means: please bring it to my attention.) So, Picard. Yeah...
Delator
16-06-2005, 09:54
edit: you should have made this a public poll... i want to see who voted for sisko! was it you :confused:
why??

I did vote for Sisko...anyone who slugs Q in the face instead of listening to him ramble automatically has more bad-ass points than the Borg, Jem'Hadar and Klingons put together. :D
Ariddia
16-06-2005, 10:02
Whereas the other Captains all have their strengths, quirks, & backgrounds, Picard was the one that stood out the most exemplifying honor, courage, & commitment in all that he did. A scientist before a commander, a historian before a warrior. He was more cerebral than Kirk by far. He stood as a bastion of diplomacy compared to Janeway, who was stuck in a really f*cked-up situation form the get-go, so perhaps this is an unfair observation.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Kirk was in many ways an irresponsible cowboy; Janeway leaned towards being psychotically deranged (and I don't mean only in "Equinox"!). It's probably no surprise that Picard best exemplifies the Trek spirit and Roddenberry's vision, since TNG was the only series in which Roddenberry himself was given full control. After his death Trek just wasn't quite the same, although valient efforts were made in some very good episodes in DS9 and VOY.
BLARGistania
16-06-2005, 10:05
http://www.forumspile.com/CantSee-Captain.jpg
Cmdr_Cody
16-06-2005, 10:07
Bah, figures most people here would vote for "let's hold hands, sing hippy songs and discuss your problems" Picard :D I mean, you never saw Kirk have a counselor on his bridge, did you? :)
Damne
16-06-2005, 10:25
The best captain is Janeway, hands down. She overcame so much and still managed to not sleep with her crew (like Mekonia said, with the exception of Chakotay) despite the fact that she was stranded away from home for 7 years i think...(i havent seen the show in ages so im rusty). Sisko was rather good too, but Janeway got my vote.
Phylum Chordata
16-06-2005, 10:43
Why do so many people on this thread act as though sleeping with your crew is a bad thing? The Captain is in charge of a ship powered by anti-matter, the most destructive substance in the universe. You don't want the captain to be getting antsy just because her needs aren't being met. (Mind you, I don't think being ordered to satisfy someone's needs is a good thing. Unless it's all prearranged or something. "So my little ensign, how will you please your Captain today?" "Anything you want, but tomorrow night I get to be Captain.")

Or maybe Janeway was just getting her needs met on the whorelodeck?
Iansisle
16-06-2005, 10:49
Well, let's see:

Archer is right out. God, I loathed "Enterprise".

Pike is pretty close behind. Appeared in all of what, two episodes? Still, being played by Jesus is enough to keep him ahead of Archer.

Janeway is next. The first season of Voyager made me want to cry. I heard it got much better, but I've yet to see it in reruns.

Followed, at some distance, by Sisko. Although he certainly was quite active in the later seasons, I can't shake that image of him as a paperpusher who handed out runabouts to anyone with a half-way valid reason.

Which leaves us with the big boys. I really like Captain Picard. I feel he embodies the entire Star Trek philosophy. I love his emotional distance from his crew and his dedication to duty. And, of course, I remain convinced that he can talk his way out of ANY situation whatsoever.

But Kirk. Ah, Kirk. I grew up on TOS reruns. Star Trek VI was the first of the movies I went to see in the theater. I saw him kick every ass and bed every woman from Earth to Great Barrier. He has my ultimate most-quoted Star Trek line ("I've never trusted Klingons, and I never will. I can never forgive them for the death of my boy.")

I can't decide. Picard was probably the best (strictly speaking), but Kirk is far and away my favorite. :D
Syawla
16-06-2005, 10:51
Nerdssssssssssssssss!
Disraeliland
16-06-2005, 11:42
The one thing that puzzles me about Janeway is this: they are supposed to have eliminated smoking by that time (presumably by gassing anyone who lit up), so what's the deal with Janeway's Marlboro voice?
Non Aligned States
16-06-2005, 11:44
The one thing that puzzles me about Janeway is this: they are supposed to have eliminated smoking by that time (presumably by gassing anyone who lit up), so what's the deal with Janeway's Marlboro voice?

There's something really ironic about that statement. The part about gassing anyone who lit up.
Dominus Gloriae
16-06-2005, 11:45
I did vote for Sisko...anyone who slugs Q in the face instead of listening to him ramble automatically has more bad-ass points than the Borg, Jem'Hadar and Klingons put together. :D

Typical human response, to "slug" an omnipotent being is illogical.SIsko is an asshole, a lonely man who harbors wishes of screwing Major Kira, and Dax, maybe even Kai Opaka. I bet he goes back to his quarters after his duty shift and whacks off constantly. Janeway, on the other hand just has a hot bath and turns on the jacuzzi function, but gets some points, Archer symbolizes for me one of ST's problems, they revise technology constantly, every time a newseries comes out, like Enterprise they revise the technology from before, why would Starfleet go from building ships like the NX-01 to the constitution class, the NX-01 seems more high tech than Enterprise 1701, it doesnt fit. at least in SW, the technology follows logical lines of progression, a person can look at RoTS and see hints of the TIE fighter, X wing, and see a similarity in Sith Infiltrators and Jedi Starfighter Mk2's. I liked Captain Rachel Garret from TNG; Yesterdays Enterprise, Captain Sulu of the Excelsior NCC 2000, and Captain Ransom from VOY Equinox.
Sinn Feins Ireland
16-06-2005, 11:51
in my opinion it would have to be Janeway, Picard, Archer, Kirk, Sisko, but any of the last three could go in any order.
Skinny87
16-06-2005, 11:53
For me, it has to be Picard. I watched First Contact again yesterday, or the day before, I forget, and his character seems to be one of the most complex in the series, although this is Star Trek we're talking about here. Plus it helps that Patrick Stewart is a brilliant actor.
Dominus Gloriae
16-06-2005, 12:08
For me, it has to be Picard. I watched First Contact again yesterday, or the day before, I forget, and his character seems to be one of the most complex in the series, although this is Star Trek we're talking about here. Plus it helps that Patrick Stewart is a brilliant actor.

Patrick Stewart is a wanker, "King of Texas" and "Moby Dick" I submit as evidence.Shatner... is....a Joke....anymore..I cant see him being...popular today... can you? Scott Bakula did Quantum Leap, ages back, and his perfomance on enterprise shows that Dean Stockwell was important to the series. I think the true title belongs to Hikaru Sulu, or Captain John Ransom, does Worf count as a captain from his time as captain of the USS defiant? in First Contact
Tekania
16-06-2005, 14:50
This is a spin-off from THIS (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=425869) thread.

The poll speaks for itself... :p

(Note...I never bothered with "Enterprise", hence the poll option)

Enterprise Captian = Captain Johnathan Archer.
Skinny87
16-06-2005, 14:56
Patrick Stewart is a wanker, "King of Texas" and "Moby Dick" I submit as evidence.Shatner... is....a Joke....anymore..I cant see him being...popular today... can you? Scott Bakula did Quantum Leap, ages back, and his perfomance on enterprise shows that Dean Stockwell was important to the series. I think the true title belongs to Hikaru Sulu, or Captain John Ransom, does Worf count as a captain from his time as captain of the USS defiant? in First Contact

Nice argument....

Patrick Stewart has a thriving acting career in A-Movies in Hollywood (X-Men anyone?)
William Shatner has the same career success in television - Boston Legal, for example
Syniks
16-06-2005, 14:58
Janeway, by far the best captain ever.
James T Kirk acted irresponsibly and was a disgustin macho,
I've seen very little of Archer so far and I hope I won't see much more.
Picard is nice enough as a diplomat and when it comes to hostile contacts, but in relationships with other crew members he's just poor. Even Data cmoes across as more involved than him!
And having to see him in those disgusting V-neck leisure shirts really freaks me out!

Ah, Yes... Capitan Janeway. She of "Lost in Space with a Mini Van". :rolleyes:

Kirk's macho issues were a product of 1960's TV. He was a better Capitan. He Lead. He did not run things by committee. He violated the Rules when necessary. He both fought and treated with the Enemy. He was Loved, Hated, Feared and Respected. In a leadership role, Respect alone gets you nowhere.

I vote Kirk.

(I never saw enough of "Enterprise" to form an opinion of Scott Backula (sp)'s Cpt. Archer.)
Huntaer
16-06-2005, 15:04
Captain picard, hands down for me. TNG also came out the same year I was born (1987). It's almost as old as I am! I still find it rather ironic that my favorite ST show came out the same year I was born.
Markreich
16-06-2005, 15:08
Janeway, by far the best captain ever.
James T Kirk acted irresponsibly and was a disgustin macho,
I've seen very little of Archer so far and I hope I won't see much more.
Picard is nice enough as a diplomat and when it comes to hostile contacts, but in relationships with other crew members he's just poor. Even Data cmoes across as more involved than him!
And having to see him in those disgusting V-neck leisure shirts really freaks me out!

I tried to like Voyager. Really, really tried. But I couldn't.

I just couldn't consider Janeway to be a real person. She didn't need the crew! Everytime there was a problem or disaster, she was smarter than the specialists. She was a better engineer, a better pilot, a better navigator... etc. In short, the writers made her into Kirk, Spock, Bones & McCoy all at the same time. You never saw Picard or Kirk jump in and start brainstorming on esoteric engineering theories with Geordi or Scotty... maybe a general idea, but never what Janeway was *always* doing.

...I did like Picard. Didn't care for Sisko, but then I didn't like DS:9 either. Archer was decent, but the show's writers got really lazy in season 2 and didn't ever really recover...

In short, Janeway suspended my suspension of disbelief...
Markreich
16-06-2005, 15:10
Nice argument....

Patrick Stewart has a thriving acting career in A-Movies in Hollywood (X-Men anyone?)
William Shatner has the same career success in television - Boston Legal, for example

If you want to see a Stewart with his own hair (!), find a copy of "I, Claudius" (70s BBC series).
Syniks
16-06-2005, 15:11
Captain picard, hands down for me. TNG also came out the same year I was born (1987). It's almost as old as I am! I still find it rather ironic that my favorite ST show came out the same year I was born.

Hmmm. Didn't TOS come out in 1967? There may be something to your theory...
Markreich
16-06-2005, 15:11
Pike is pretty close behind. Appeared in all of what, two episodes? Still, being played by Jesus is enough to keep him ahead of Archer.


Pike appeared only in the original pilot "The Cage", (never televised) and with the episodes (as an old, crippled man) where Spock is tried for treason.
Huntaer
16-06-2005, 15:36
Hmmm. Didn't TOS come out in 1967? There may be something to your theory...

Ah, it Aired in '67. They started writing and prepairing it in '64 which is why ST celebraited it's 30th aniversery in 1994, and it's 40th aniversery in 2004 rather than 1997 or 2007.
Aqualay
16-06-2005, 15:38
I really don't have a favorite Captain per say as they were never really my favorite characters in any of the Shows .. But I chose Sisko because DS9 was my favorite series...
Blessed Misfortune
16-06-2005, 15:54
Kirk, of course. Anyone who feels differently is a heretic. :D
Liberated Free States
16-06-2005, 16:33
I believe that Captian Archer was by far the best of all the Star Trak Captains. He was the only one who truly embodied the nature and characteristics of an explorer, which is what all Starship captains are. He alwasy inspired his crew who overcame challenges much more effectively than under any of the other captains proabably due to his superior leadership. Despite being an effective commander he also showed his human side through the attachment to his dog. If I was going to go into space I would want something like him as Captain.

He's also just soo much cooler than the others.
Of the underpants
16-06-2005, 17:44
I chose picard.

Most of you seem to be forgetting that kirk was so un PC because of the time the original series was made. Archer is so PC because enterprise has been made later on when the culture as a whole is more PC than it was then....get my drift?
Iansisle
16-06-2005, 18:21
Pike appeared only in the original pilot "The Cage", (never televised) and with the episodes (as an old, crippled man) where Spock is tried for treason.

"The Menagerie", a two-part episode. Please, don't try to out-TOS-geek me. :D I was actually just watching that one a couple days ago.

Kirk's macho issues were a product of 1960's TV. He was a better Capitan. He Lead. He did not run things by committee. He violated the Rules when necessary. He both fought and treated with the Enemy. He was Loved, Hated, Feared and Respected. In a leadership role, Respect alone gets you nowhere.

Pah, a tin-plated dictator with delusions of grandeur. He reminds more of a Denebian slime devil than a captain! :D
Feil
16-06-2005, 18:31
Other: Pike

EDIT: Forgot Sulu. Now I have to reconsidder...
Celticium
16-06-2005, 18:34
Sisko was commander, wasn't he? Not captain.
He became captain in the later episodes (where it became boring!).

I voted for Kirk, go for the classic no-nonsense guy... but I thought Sulu was a good captain in The Undiscovered Country and the Voyager episode he was in.
Dominus Gloriae
16-06-2005, 19:14
Nice argument....

Patrick Stewart has a thriving acting career in A-Movies in Hollywood (X-Men anyone?)
William Shatner has the same career success in television - Boston Legal, for example

X-men post-dates ST:TNG, but he (Shatner) also had massive failures *cough* Tek War *Cough* and as for Bakula, I'm not saying he's a bad captain archer, per se, just a bad actor, he needs someone like Stockwell beside him who is just as good as he is, if not better to be good. Dean Stockwell did the Langoliers made for TV film in 1999 I believe, and besides the fact that Stephen king wrote so well, Stockwell was good. Janeway was not the best overall, or the best for her situation, she needlessly put the ship at risk many times. Imagine Kirk and the enterprise trapped in the Delta quadrant, or Kirk with the Voyager, he'd probably be all about getting back, and forget exploration, or he would have snapped.
Markreich
16-06-2005, 19:22
X-men post-dates ST:TNG, but he (Shatner) also had massive failures *cough* Tek War *Cough*

Ah, but Patrick Stewart was in other A-films such as Dune & Excalibur...