Star Trek Message Forum

I will adress this comment to both you, Onyx, and you, Typo.

Our coveted title is that of Greatest Starship Captain, and the nominees are:

JAMES T. KIRK: Arguably the greatest of all Starfleet history, Kirk set many standards to which all other captains are compared: his successes, his failures, his devotion to his officers, his personality. To understand Kirk's legendary libido, one must remember his string of broken romances prior to the five-year mission, until he found the one true love of his life: Enterprise, herself.

It is a testament to Kirk's abilities, that in later books and stories, Kirk's exploits are reviled and criticised as lies and exaggerations - always, these perjoratives are made by those officers of lesser abilitiy and integrity. Whereas, those who remember or knew the man, speak the truth of his legacy.

JEAN-LUC PICARD: Easily one of the greatest commanders of the 24th century, Picard suffers from one flaw: his Federation is civilized, with a politically-correct Starfleet to enforce its edicts. And Picard is without doubt, a product of that generation of Starfleet officers. It is during ST: "Generations", when he meets Kirk at last, that he realizes taht the cowboys of the frontier past are every bit as honorable and as civilized as himself.

BENJAMIN SISKO: I hesitate to call him a starship captain, since he is a station commander with rank. One can split hairs and say he was captain of the Defiant, and I'll agree to that condition. I simply wasn't made to care enough about him to worry much; the situations were desperate, but his strength was in his staff, and they didn't draw much inspiration from him. He's among the great, but not the greatest.

JOHNATHAN ARCHER: I was not remotely interested in this new incarnation of my beloved Star Trek. If anything may have sounded the death-knell for the franchise, it was this. Archer isn't even in the running.

KATHRYN M. JANEWAY Starfleet's Greatest Living Captain, by far. Held her barking, insubordinate hybrid crew together by the force of her personality. Few others may have done what she did, bringing Voyager home - none other could have done it the way she did. Kirk's love was his ship; Janeway's was her command crew. Kirk's strength was his unmatched friends on the bridge; Janeway's was her gift of getting the best out of her people.

I have to call it a provisional tie: Kirk was the greatest of his century; Janeway of hers.



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