Earlier tonight I posted to Facebook:
It’s going to be realllllly hard to convince me that Sisko isn’t my favorite captain. But I mean, you can try.
Rather than post my nerdgasm for the full public to read, I figured I’d do it here.
I should note this conclusion might change. I’ve watched every episode of ToS, TAS, TNG, and so far, through S5E2 of DS9. I’ve seen most of DS9 at one point or other, many/most of Voyager, and none of any Trek series after, so there’s a chance…a slim chance… but a chance.
My order is this (of the series I’ve watched enough to comment on):
- Sisko because he is so fucking human while also maintaining decorum of his Starfleet rank (before and after becoming a captain), his realistically portrayed relationship with his son, his command/battle skill against the Borg (and his just blame of Picard for his wife’s death and humanity’s near annihilation), and finally, what Avery Brooks masterfully brings to the character. These two links sum it up nicely: http://bit.ly/2DYUirb http://bit.ly/2DWgfqM . So many people read him wrong or in a very limited manner – the man is a marvel of humanity and of blackness – and he brought it to the screen at a time when that was rare, especially in genre television, and sci-fi nonetheless.
- Kirk (ToS/TAS/Films) because he is as courageous as he is cunning and unrelenting. He always puts himself in harm’s way rather than risking anyone else’s life. Spock realizes this and ***SPOILERS-ISH*** gives his own life to save crew and Kirk as a thank you for his intrepid and unequivocal friendship. And let’s face it, Shatner did an outstanding job setting the tone for his successors – don’t forget, he is Picard’s hero afterall.
- Janeway because she is a fucking squint *scientist* who merges and commands the dedicated crews of not one but two ships “lost in goddamn space” 75 years from home, a classic sci-fi trope expertly depicted by a gifted female lead actor – and her brilliant though controversial solution to the aforementioned problem. This problem was at the core of every Voyager episode I can recall, and it lead to both remarkable tension and incredible tenderness from Janeway/Mulgrew.
- Picard because he is The Perfect Human, the synthesis and epitome of past and future, who not only survived Borg assimilation but used the experience to defeat them, lived decades in a dream and came out playing a flute, owned a real saddle, mind-melded with Sarek, and is very rightly annoyed by Wesley PoFS Crusher.
Don’t get me wrong, I love The Picard, The P.Stew, Worf’s best cha’Dich. He is amazing. But. The other captains are just…better. Sure, there are polls. But numbers without context don’t mean much, and I suspect that many of those polls are targeted at 90s kids (which I am, too) whose Trek scope is TNG-heavy.
So, like I said. Good luck Archer, BabyKirk, Lorca, et. al. You have some big uniforms to fill.
Oh. And Pike doesn’t count. Nor do other non-lead captains. And if you want to whine about it, go sit on a phaser.