NationStates Jolt Archive

I don't think we've chewed this one to death before. :D

Any case, which actor do you think did the best job at being the captain? I'd have to go with Patrick Stewart as the best man who really had command presence, but he's followed very closely with Avery Brooks as the best actor overall for bringing real humanity to Captain Sisko.

The rest would be William Shatner, (who can't forget the original Kirk?) followed very distantly by Kate Mulgrew and even further away by Scott Bakula (Liked him in other series, not Enterprise).

Patrick Stewart. He did well with a relatively shallow character.

A better question would be who is the best actor after Patrick Stewart (Avery Brooks would be my choice).

Patrick Stewart. However, in the first few seasons even he was terrible. And he just can't weep convincingly.

Have to go with William Shatner-for all his hammy chewing of the scenery, the entire franchise is really built on his portrayal of Captain Kirk. It is a sad commentary that no other command level Starfleet officer had a tenth of his spine.

Have to go with William Shatner-for all his hammy chewing of the scenery, the entire franchise is really built on his portrayal of Captain Kirk. It is a sad commentary that no other command level Starfleet officer had a tenth of his spine.no, shatner is a poor actor.

Have to go with William Shatner-for all his hammy chewing of the scenery, the entire franchise is really built on his portrayal of Captain Kirk. It is a sad commentary that no other command level Starfleet officer had a tenth of his spine.
I always felt that the first two seasons of TOS was Shatner at his best, and yes, he sold us Captain Kirk, after that though... Then it was more like William Shatner playing William Shatner portraying Captain James T. Kirk.

Everyone besides Shatner is pretty good. Stewart is of course an excellent actor regardless. Brooks did a good job with Sisko. Scott Bakula did the best he could with what he was given. He made the character believable at least.

Avery Brooks, hands down.

I detest Bakula. He's ugly and he can't act. He's probabyl the single biggest reason that I couldn't get into Enterprise.

Shatner was at his best when the scenes were comical. The scene in The Trouble With Tribbles when he was standing hip deep in tribbles, with a dead tribble on his head, was classic. Otherwise, he was pure ham.

Stewart improved over time, but he always had a stick up his ass.

Brooks did well with some occasionally dubious material.

Mulgrew was too busy trying to be "the female captain" to be credible as "the captain."

I'd have to go with Brooks.

Best series and captain: TOS & Kirk.

That was one damn fine show.

TNG is like fine red wine to TOS's cheap beer - There's a place for both but you can drink more beer than wine ;-)

no, shatner is a poor actor.

For all I actually agree that Shatner is a poor actor, I would like to put down for the record, that A)Shatner had proved himself in other series long before Star Trek-most notably the Twilight Zone "Gremlin", and B) sustained himself on television roles much longer than any of the others in the list. I honestly don't believe he hasn't been on television other than the few years he was doing his "career end" in the Star Trek movies-which merely served to open more doors for him. For all I disparage his "talent", his career track record is enviable. He's jumped genres and thrived, and he still commands top dollar. Granted, he's now an American Icon(not a bad feat for a Canadian), but still...

Shatner, because he loved himself so much.

This is a no-brainer. Patrick Stewart.

I mean shit, you remember how in that BBC production of I, Claudius William Shatner did such a fine job as Sejanus? Me neither, because that was Patrick Stewart, an honest-to-god actor.