There are many ways to enter a debate with a Trekkie, but there aren’t a lot of ways to convince them that their logic might be faulty about, oh, anything. One topic in particular is who was the better captain in the entire franchise, since many people would gladly argue over the virtues of one captain or another for days and try to explain why their favorites are the best candidates ever and why the others are good but not quite as memorable. Trying to win such a debate would be next to impossible since it’s almost like the Kobayashi Maru scenario, before Kirk gets to it, in that it’s a no-win scenario that tests a person’s character and how they handle adversity. As a non-Trekkie it’s easy enough to pull up a reference here and there to the franchise since a few of them are quite well known. But if you’re ever going to argue just who the better captain is then you’re bound to be there a while since a lot of Trekkie’s have days worth of facts and trivia that they could unload on a person in order to prove that their logic is sound and that their choice of captain is the absolute best. Never mind that Han Solo could best a lot of them. Yes, I had to get my dig in there just for the fun of it.
Here are the top five captains in the Star Trek franchise, from a certain point of view.
5. Jonathan Archer
Being among the first to do something is usually counted as pretty special and being one of those that managed to influence the United Federation of Planets is no small thing either. Some folks might want to argue with this since he hasn’t been around all that long, but the point here is that Archer is one of those that was able to lead the way and save his people at the same time. Like a few captains he’s not always bound to do the most conventional thing or listen to other people when he needs to be, but that’s usually the quality of a great leader, they know how to take the initiative and push forward and when to put on the brakes.
4. Benjamin Sisko
Being a leader that can fight is a plus but being a leader that can also play the part of the diplomat is a must as well since the commanding officer in any group needs to be able to talk to people instead of simply defending his crew or ordering them forward into the fray. Sisko wasn’t quite like other captains that would charge full ahead, but he didn’t balk in his duties and was ready to throw down when it was needed. As the commander of Deep Space Nine he was able to make a big splash of his own in a galaxy where he needed every skill he possessed to keep his people, and himself, alive.
3. James T. Kirk
Headstrong, vain, crafty, cunning, creative, and definitely stubborn, Kirk is one of the most legendary captains there is in the franchise. Yet for all that he slips down a few rungs since he was a bit too cocky at times and it did manage to get him and his crew in trouble now and again. Whether it was the TV show or the movies he managed to tick off the wrong people at certain points as well and he really paid for those times since the fights he found himself waging with certain characters were so vicious that one had to wonder if it was Kirk’s ego that was fueling the fight or if the other person was really that bad. Sometimes it was both.
2. Kathryn Janeway
Don’t tell Captain Janeway she can’t do something because chances are she’ll find a way to do it…then do it again. Her track record more than speaks for itself when it comes to her accomplishments and her willingness to go against authority, which is something that must come naturally to a lot of Star Trek captains since it tends to come up quite often in the shows and in the movies. It’s a thankful trait though since otherwise there are a lot of situations in which many captains would have been utterly lost.
1. Jean-Luc Picard
Was there any other captain you could think of that should make the head of this list? Picard has been the absolute favorite of many for years now since he came on the scene and he’s only been getting more and more popular since the other captains are great, but he’s become a legend. Whether it’s his many exploits or something else, Picard is the kind of captain that a lot of people feel is simply the epitome of what a Starfleet captain should be.
Anyone have any other thoughts on who should have made the list?
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