Greatest Star Trek Captain

Wrath of Khan - It's pretty much got everything the original series had about it without loosing sight of what it was supposed to be - an affectionate, character driven science fiction show with a great deal of heart too it. Wrath of Khan's one of those rare animals where you didn't particularly have to be a fan of the show to get into the film and enjoy it yet it still managed to entertain and enthral the die-hard fan - The Voyage Home and First Contact come close equal seconds largely on the same basis.

All three have the same essential ingredients - plenty of action: not overly complex plot: easy, accessible premises: great ensemble performances all round.

On the whole I always thought the original series cast films made a better stab at actually making movies than their TNG cast counterparts - Generations aside, largely what followed tended to be cantered towards extending the post-OS television franchise into the cinema arena where as, with the original cast efforts, the emphasis remained very focused on making movies first and foremost, touching bases with an ever increasing and lucrative television market second.

That being said of course the TNG cast movies tended to be tighter, more focused in direction and delivered generally speaking better overall plots - shame they only got four shots at it and the last two in the series followed an almost interchangeable formulae between one another more or less scene by scene.

With Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock you can largely give it a miss and end up not particularly missing terribly much - Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier is actually a good deal more jolly than people often make out, all shortcomings concerning Billy Shits directorial abilities aside, it actually quite fun. Star Trek: The Motion Picture lives up to its title entirely and actually gets a lot better on second or third viewing. Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country - highly enjoyable romp, a little too self consciously the last as far as that particular cast remain concerned, but nevertheless an admirable note to bow out on.

All in all, ST3 remains the weakest but they're all pretty well enjoyable, Wrath of Khan being the best all rounder.

 

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Kirk! by all means Kirk!

 

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i would trust picard around my daughters, can't say the same for kirk.

 

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I see. I'd agree with some of you for the most part.

My favorites include The Voyage Home(Klingon Bird of Prey instead of the same ship, and then the feeling that is inspired in every person when they see that the federation has re-built the enterprise, and time travel, always awesome, and their interaction with people in the 21st century). Also, The Wrath of Kahn. V was pretty good, it was action packed, different a little than the others, and still had some issues addressing the idea of God. VI was political in my opinion, although it was the very first star trek movie I ever viewed in theatres.


Out of the new series, I liked Generations for the union of Picard and Kirk, almost a "passing of the torch" so to speak. The movie had a lot to say, Kirk dies, and so does another Enterprise. I actually also enjoyed the music by Dennis McCarthy, it was new, and enlightening in a sense. Ironically, also the first CD i ever bought(good god I'm such a geek). I do think First Contact surpassed Generations, I liked it a lot. Insurrection I didn't care for too much, and Nemesis......... Eh. It was good to see the cast back together, but Data was destroyed, and we're left with this B-4(Down Syndrome Data), Riker and Troy marry and leave the ship, and Worf is already on DS9. So the ending of TNG series movie wise, is so far below the ending of the original movies.

Uhura - "Captain...I'm getting a transmission from Star Fleet Command....we are to return to the nearest starbase...and be decommissioned"
Ensign - "Course heading, sir?"
Kirk - "second star to the right....and straight on until morning"


B-4 - *stares blankly, confused, unintelligently glancing at everything*
Picard *explains to B-4 the details of Data*

What a horrible way to end another crew under the name Enterprise.

 

Well lookie here...Prince James was inspired to start a Captains thread

I maintain Janeway (as I said before) because:

1. She had balls. Big ones for someone who biologically does not HAVE a set. She sacrificed 'herself' to murder the Borg Queen...how's that for cajones?

2. She had the power of command, nobody was ever willing to back chat Janeway. Spock fought Kirk physically already (Pon Farr, Schmon Farr...Chakotay never dared hit Janeway because he was horny)

3. Considering Kirk, Picard and Janeway, she is the only captain that actually had a stable personal life ("hubby and dog with a picket fence house"). And she was still able to hold personal and starfleet ideals even stranded away from him. I don't have the heart to put Sisko in that comparison because the Locutus cube killed his wife

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4. She loved what she did. So much so that Voyager's misplacement became just another day at the chair, and continued her mission and pioneering in the delta quadrant.

5. She recognized violence as a necessary resort, and did not fail to use it...killed the Borg Queen and a few thousand drones, slammed Voyager into the time ship, created a mini-fleet in the Void and left the pirates in there, decimated a Species 8472 fleet with the Doctor's nano-probes, consistently beat the Kazon...

Janeway might seem strange choice coming from the 1701D, but...I'm sexier than the starship Voyager anyway

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Janeway rocks.

 

You forgot part of the Nemesis ending was actually B4 singing the song Data sang at the wedding... giving the viewer hope that Data can come back. It is left this way (I imagine) to give Paramount leave to bring back TNG crew...remember Data is a machine and as such can be copied onto say...a starship main computer.

 

I took that into consideration when I saw the movie, but I doubt the weight that it holds on indicating there's going to be another movie. Sometimes they end movies letting the viewer know things will turn out good, without making another movie. Also there's times where the movie ends and you suspect there will be another, and there isn't.

When The Undiscovered Country came out the ending hinted in some ways that the crew of the 1701-A was not finished. When Generations came out, many believed that it might be the last movie. The death of Kirk, the crashing of the Enterprise, the ideaology behind the movie itself.


But lets consider that this is true. That Data will be back. First, even with his return, the rest of the crew is scattered. Riker and Troi are now on another ship, Worf is on DS9. 1701-E's main crew is now comprised of Picard, Laforge, and Dr. Crusher.

Second........even if they can pull that off as well. It doesn't change the fact Nemesis had a pretty lame ending.




Personally, I would -love- to see a new movie come out. 1701-E is by far my favorite Enterprise, I don't think she got enough screen time. For a while I thought maybe there'd be a movie involving the DS9 crew, or even Voyager. So hopefully they do, we need another ST movie, and soon!

 

Two words: Captain Archer

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Hey People vote here: http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=60921

 

So now the game is team up?

Okay. Kirk and Picard would be my choice.

As far as commanding a starship, they have some similarities, basic, general ones. However, they are complete opposites. Picard is diplomatic, and resolves things by mutuality. Kirk is impulsive, and knows how to get things done. He knows good and evil and knows when and how to take a risk.

I'm sure some might nitpick just how well they would 'get along', but if we're asking ourselves who would win in a team up, we're assuming that they -will- get along. Kirk and Picard create a perfect balance, moreso than what Sisko represents on his own, I think they would own all. We actually have proof of their team work and chemistry, from Generations.

Sisko and Janeway? Gah. Sisko is a little too head strong, he's great when he's the only commanding officer, things are his way. But all throughout DS9 he didn't listen to much, maybe other than a few times, and to Dax. Janeway I don't know too much about, but i saw a few seasons of Voyager, I wasn't impressed with her.

I suppose if we're talking team ups though, that there are other options than what I've listed, but my vote is still on Kirk and Picard. Fused. Picirk. Yes. and the people rejoice.

 

One thing I forgot to mention, was Kirk and Picard both listened to lower ranking officers when they offered advice. That's key in their ability to command, knowing that even Captains are prone to error.

 

Yeah I agree. the two really got it as commanders. captains' charisma...so to speak.

 

Janeway listens to lower ranking officers too...Chakotay and Tuvok in particular. So does Sisko...especially to "old man" Dax.

I don't think under normal circumstances Picirk would be a good idea...Kirk and Picard operated with mutually exclusive styles generally. The Generations pair up was to save a planetful of ppl from destruction by a nutty professor, bigger than starship command.

Skinwalker...I'm not even considering Captain Archer...he's from Quantum Leap!

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I saw Picard in a movie about gay people with AIDS.
He was dating one of the AIDS sufferers, and had a lisp.

That should settle who the bigger man is.

 

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the man has gone down to history

 

Nobody thinks Captain Pike has a shot at the gold?

 

In the days before he became a hover-chair bound cripsy-critter or after...?

 

i've only seen one episode of voyager, a 2 parter.
ever since then i have been looking for voyager dvd sets but so far nothing.

seeing that one episode left me wanting more.
i cannot say the same for enterprise or ds9.

 

I'm a Janeway man myself. Second Kirk, third Picard.

 

You're missing absolutely nothing at all, trust me....

If y'do go for the voyager - stick with the first couple of seasons only - from then on it becomes just nothing but improbably disaster scenario - bullshit techno-babble solution, no follow through. Seasons One, possibly Two however remain fresh and have some of the funkier idea's ever seen in a startrek series...

Just let me qualify this though with one sentence though - they managed to totally fuck up the Borg. Imagine that, if you can and avoid any episode featuring Neelix.

Personally, I though the first season of Enterprise was simply fantastic - how they managed to cock it up so badly I'll never to my dying day bother to fathom - but that first season they did was as close to anything even remotely startrek themed outside of the original series. Marvellous stuff, even actually felt like watching the original series in some places - the characters and set up were so spot on...

Season Two onwards, forget it, A Night In Sick Bay and a handful of other standalone episodes being the soul excuse to even think about continuing to watch it.

DS9 managed to finally shape up around the end of Season Three onwards, second to TNG its possibly the only next satisfactory - everything else y'can happily give a skip and not actually miss a solitary thing.