Home » Film & TV » Sci-Fi TV » Star Trek Captains Then And Now

Star Trek Captains Then And Now

© Tanya M. Blakeley

Ever since Star Trek The Next Generation began, there has been one question on every fan's mind "Who is the Best ST Captain?". I for one can't choose, I, put simply, like them all. I firmly believe that they all have their good points and bad points. Here is my take on each of them.

First of all let's start with the original Captain, Captain James T. Kirk. Kirk has the "lady in every port" quality. He is daring, resourceful and is a student of "Cowboy Diplomacy". He is a fighter and an explorer. To his crew he is a hero and always, no matter the cost to him personally or how difficult the mission, brings them home. He is well known for his ability to come out on top, and for saving the universe over and over again. Although he is a good leader, he sometimes fails to respect the orders of his commanding officers and many times has been reprimanded for this.

Captain Jean-luc Picard, Captain of the USS Enterprise D and E. Picard is more of a Philosopher Captain and tends to quote Shakesphere a lot. His first thought is to try and find a diplomatic solution to proplems and still preserve the prime directive. He tends to be an "Ask Questions First, Shoot Later" type, unless confronting the Borg. When confronting the Borg he tends to "Shoot First" and forget to ask the questions. He has the ability to keep calm, cool and collected even when the odds are stacked against him. He is well repected, but sometimes has an unapproachable air to him. He has a hard time with children on starships.

Captain Benjamin Sisko of DS9. Well he is a good solid commander and is well like by his crew, he has had a hard time adjusting to being a single father and with the events surrounding the death of his wife at Wolfe 359. He has the distinction of being the first StarFleet officer to be named as the Emissary by the Bajoran People, thus becoming not only a hero to StarFleet by also to the Bajorans. Like Kirk and Picard he has the ability to survive the odds and bring his crew home. He has taken a crew of individuals and made them into a family of sorts.

Which now brings me to the Captain of the USS Voyager, Captain Kathryn Janeway. To me she is the bravest of all the Captains, because she and her crew are lost in the Delta Quadrant, far away from StarFleet Command. They have to rely on their training and instincts and trust for one another to get home. Janeway is a scientist and a humanitarian. To me she is the quintessential explorer. She fights only when needed to protect her crew, she is dedicated to bring her crew home. She is courageous, resourceful and brave.