"Archer does not feel like a military leader." That's because he is non... He is a Scientist / Explorer. That's why they keep telling you that the NX Enterprise is build with exploration in mind. And he struggles half the time because humanity doesn't know a thing! Never understood why the series got this much hate. At this time they atleast tried to make sense instead of just adding more flashlights... ;)
He struggled half the time because he was arrogant, short-tempered and overly proud. Why Starfleet would put a person in charge who is openly hostile towards Vulcans, can't control himself and doesn't know the first thing about diplomacy is beyond me. That one episode in which his dog gets sick after returning from a first contact mission on an alien planet was very revealing.
I like "Enterprise" and Archer better than "DS9". "DS9" was too dark and depressing. Kirk wasn't bad either. Haven't seen "Discovery" yet. The crew of a ship becomes like a family..I remember what Kirk saying something about how empty the ship felt with the children gone. I'm sure Archer soon felt the same. Picard's not much a family man and I'm not sure about Janeway either. Sisko was better at fathering his boy.
@@Zimionz He doesn't like Vulcans at the start. But the show gives a good explanation for that. His father never got to see the result of his lifes work, because the Vulcans slowed them down. (For logical reasons of course. ; ) ) He got his position because he knows the Enterprise, which is an experimental prototype. And diplomacy.. well atleast better than Kirk's diplomacy. That's more like "Set Phasers to stun.." ;) But this is all the point of Enterprise. To show how Starfleet rules and protocols develope. They make mistakes (ok, sometimes reaaaly stupid ones) and learn from it.
She had me at captured Borg. Also, shooting a phaser into a temporal window could destroy a galaxy. Time and again is one of my favorite of all the star treks
Considering Janeway had no support from Star Fleet, a combined crew that she had to get them to work together is a testament to her leadership skills. Not to mention some of the most terrifying and powerful aliens any captain has faced in the Alpha Quadrant. Oh, don't forget defeating the Borg several times. Sisko should be 2 or 3.
Agreed. But Sisko is an obvious # 4 for me. 1st (clearly) Captain Jean Luc Picard. 2nd, Captain James T. Kirk. #3 Captain Kathryn Janeway...After that? I don't really care.
No way Sisko should be number 4....I’ve recently watched the whole of DS9 again from start to finish....it really makes you appreciate how awesome Sisko was.
Sisko and DS9 as a series went onto a different "frontier", looking into ones self. The series had dept exploration into its characters that the other shows didn't even touch.
@@revinar5838 well at the moment i am watching DS9 again its a good series... problem its has to much religios shit in it that i do not like and sosko has some realy horrible moments.
Ash Burn It was. TNG grew out of “Star Trek: Phase II”, the Trek/Shatner comeback in the late 70’s. Had Star Wars not dropped onto the scene we would have not had the original crew move to movie format.
But Ettansf is right. Originally speaking the NX-01 Enterprise wasn't really designed for combat. Unlike most future Starfleet vessels. (Note I'm not calling them warships, I just mean vessels that built with combat in mind but not dedicated to the role)
No, and neither are the other USS ships; mostly for science research, exploration, and humaintarian aid. For NX Enterprise, it was the beginning of stronger weapons for "defense," and to aid those that were getting attacked....just like other ships in the future did. Starfleet's ships are " military type," but not military persay.
In Styles' defense: a) It turns out even after fixing the sabotage, transwarp wasn't stable, they had to replace it with standard warp, and b) That swagger stick was a cut down and deactivated Klingon pain baton... which Styles won in single combat. (I forget the whole story but it was like, instead of ship vs. ship he challenged the Klingon Captain mano-a-mano and won, even shaming the Klingon because he cheated bringing the pain stick.) Starfleet still threw him under the proverbial shuttlecraft.
@LogKnow No, they were two completely different people. Lt. Stiles was not the same person as Captain Styles (note the different spelling). Lt. Stiles was a bigot who got owned by Kirk after smarting off about Spock. Captain Styles was the CO who oversaw the shakedown cruise of the Excelsior. Their names do sound the same, hence the confusion.
Does he even count since he waa reconned? Star Trek The Cage: "our new ships....." 13 years before Kirk talking to someone out of contact with civilization for 18 years, well, that doesn't quite add up to 115 years.
I hated the theme song and the "time cold war" which led to a locked room on the ship with "Mcguffin's" to get out of any situation, were my only problems. They jumped the shark with those bits. I wanted more just raw "Wild West" exploration, which they had a fair bit of. All that being said I don't think it was as bad as most people believe it to be.
@@davidfulwiler4713 I rewatched it on Netflix - the second time around I really, really liked the show, even the "Expanse" subplot. I could have well done without a forehead "explanation" though.
Having just watched season 2 of discovery. The of the portrayal of Pike as the acting captain in that series is brilliant! He consults with the officers around him without being weak, remains authoritative without being unyielding, and incredibly accepts the tragic future that awaits him without hesitation knowing his personal sacrifice will ultimately serve the greater good! I was in awe, and genuinely felt emotional as he relinquished control of Discovery and returned to the Enterprise.
Totally agree I just also recently watched season 2 and grew to appreciate and like him more with each scene he absolutely nailed it and almost put him right up with Picard for me 👍
Kirk is more than playboy rebel. He was a brilliant tactician in his own right. So, where I may agree with you for the most part, it's close race between KirK and Picard.
Kirk thought out of the box to get the job done and keep the ship safe out of danger... he will always be number 1. Politics make Picard number 1. :-) Kirk never liked Star Fleet Politics... :-)
Prime Kirk being brilliant when he needed to makes Kelvin Kirk so much more unbelievable. Yes, Prime Kirk also manipulated the Kobayashi Maru Simulator, but even though we never see it on screen, I bet he had made a more believable Bluff than just going "oh, look on those sensors again, you've missed something". So to me, Kelvin Kirk is even worse than a mirror Lorca posing as Captain.
@@Starfleet8555 if somebody had told me 25 years ago that I'd be saying this, I'd have laughed myself silly at them, but having recently binge-watched Deep Space Nine after not seeing it in many many years, you're right. Pr at very least, 1a: Sicko 1b: real Kirk since this cointdown thinks Chris Pine even counts.
Picard is so far ahead the best, just by his ability to handle anything and reason out situations, no matter how nuanced. I love Kirk, and he is the best 'hero', but Picard is the best captain.
@@idontwannaidontwanna7307 Hahahahahahaha. That was a terrible episode. Clearly it was their "We are running out of money for the season and have to do a six characters in a closet episode to make up the difference."
That was actually an example of Picard at his worst, being dismissive of an important warning of the infiltration of his bridge crew because it's coming from a kid. This whole scene is so poorly interpreted, because people only remember the stupid meme, not the scene's actual intent. It humanizes Picard by showing him losing his temper and allowing his frustration to make him make a mistake. If Dr. Crusher hadn't pointed out his outburst to him, Picard may not have put a tail on Lore and stopped him from feeding the ship to the crystaline entity. The point of the scene was that you shouldn't be dismissive of someone just because they're young, and it became a way of doing just that.
The only time Picard was really cool was when he had the laser pointer on his head. Why take a British Shakespeare actor to play a French, whose name he can't even pronounce properly?
Russell Harrison agreed! She flew into Borg space, boarded a Borg vessel and informed them they would permit Voyager safe passage if they wanted to live, and meant it.
@@andrewquick4176 I did and do like Janeway but I, wouldn't go THAT far!!! Captain Kirk is, still my favorite but I'm torn between captain Archer and Captain Picard for next favorite... Janeway was, awesome though... Discovery and Picard I, have yet to see...
I agree. Though I'm not really a Trekkie or Trekker, I love vintage TV better than the crap that's on now. And, also if it wasn't for Kirk, we wouldn't have everything else "Star Trek".
When the Next Generation started on TV, I said, as a kid, they need to kill off Jean-Luc Picard and have Cmdr. William Riker take over. It would be far more exciting to have a younger Captain flying through space and an old man. I have to agree with you, Kirk will always be Number 1.
@@vincentk3502 Old? Patrick Stewart was about 47 (born in 1940) when he began as Picard in 1987. Probably because he was bald, he looked older than he was to a kid who started watching in 1987. I started watching the original series as a young kid in the 60's and still think Kirk is tops - although the Shatner had a huge ego because of it.
@@riogrande5761 I started in early 70s with my dad. I agree, Kirk will always be the best. At the time in the 80s, I wanted Picard gone and replaced with Riker because Riker seemed more like a 'Young Space Cowboy flying through space, and putting his *boots* on, resembling a new Kirk. :-)
5. Kirk- It was from a time where I wasn't even born but still the acting was bad then too. 4. Janeway- She had characteristics similiar to Picard but her wrong choices led to her crew becoming stranded and the death of several species. 3. Archer - Already a sci-fi giant, Bakula brought us closer to an actual star trek rather than just a fictional one. 2. Sisko- not just an explorer. Not just a miliatary commander. But a spiritual leader as well. 1. Picard- He was wise beyond any of us.
Janeway above Sisko?! Highest in strategic terms?! She couldn't figure out to just trick the Kazon and plant timed explosives to both get the crew home and help the Ocampa. Admiral Janeway only cared to save her bridge crew and not go back to save the dozens others who died under her command. She's show faith in criminals but in 7 years didn't promote Kim. Sisko, by far, was the better mentor, commander, role model, strategist, leader and so on. He balanced being a religious figure with being a captain. Embraced his flaws rather than lecture others about theirs. (Eddington not withstanding.) He headed up and won the war. United cultures and ideals. Sponsored and promoted Nog. Didn't mess with the timeline by trying to go back and save Jadzia. A father, a husband, a boyfriend, a captain of 2 ships and 1 station, he faced the Borg, the Maquis, the Cardassians, the Dominion, the Klingons, the Pah Wraiths, Bajoran isolationists and did what it took to save the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. His leadership is what made the difference. Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Archer wouldn't've existed in the gray that Sisko had to in order to bring in the many many kinds of individuals that all played key roles in the survival of the Federation. Sisko is the best. Picard and Kirk ranked above him, I can live with that but not Janeway.
@@randyt60 Agreed. I attribute that to lazy writing. Make it a true no win scenario where Janeway must remain in the Delta Quadrant, not the weak and clearly solvable issue they made it. It made the entire crew look dumb. Janeway and co deserved better.
Kirk was portrayed from a young man in his first captaincy during the tv series to the mature, seasoned veteran in the movies. His growth and maturation as captain (and admiral ), not to mention sacrifice, in my opinion, give him the edge over Picard.
I got to say it, I am so sick of every single list putting Kirk and Picard as #1 & #2 just because they are the "prime" captains. Let's be honest here, there would be rebellion and destruction all around from 90% of Trekkie's if they are not on top but they are nothing compared to Janeway not even close. She was alone for 7 years (23 years in the original timeline) in an unexplored quadrant with ZERO help from the federation facing enemies that would (and literally have) made the likes of Pixard beg for help to get them out of it. She won every single fight in the long run and practically destroyed the Borg, she made the most first contacts, created ablative hull armor and stealth tech, brokered peace agreements and alliances among tens of species, saved billions of lives all while keeping a strong close bond with her crew who respected her and were so loyal because of her skills. If Janeway were to fight Pixard AND Kirk 2 Vs 1 then bye bye boys because she will f$@k you up!
good ranking with the exception of Archer I think Cpt Archer deserved a bit more credit considering he was responsible for the founding of the federation itself and the xindi crisis oh and the whole saving the timeline thing LOL!
I don't like the idea that Archer Foundet the Federation. I like him. he made friends with Shran, gained mutual respekt with the Vulcans and other species. But ultimately, He only brought people to a table that then decided to found the Federation. Did he play a major role? sure.
The fans didn't agree and neither did I. The story arch of the time jumping was just to stupid for a show that was about how the Federation and Star Fleet came into existence. The writing was just bad, which is why no one watched it, and since the days of that show Star Trek has continued on a downward trajectory to this very day
Ok, lets not get carried away now. I very much enjoyed enterprise. But archer?.... He just wasn't a believable captain. It didnt help that he was extra corny alot of times. I agree with the top 4
@@coolbeans6148 LMAO... I'm not getting carried away at all, I simply did not enjoy the show, and the fact that the show did not hit the magic 7 season number like all the Star Treks that came before it (except the original Trek) shows that the majority of the fans agreed. I have to admit, I laughed myself to tears when Stella told me to shut up, I just love her passion for the show, she is a true Trek fan, I just hate the Trek she loves is all... nothing personal on my end, just expressing my opinion and I respect everyone else's I just cannot stand Enterprise, and right next to that one is Voyager, absolutely could not STAND Janeway
While I love them both, I prefer Kirk to Picard because he's more willing to forget the Prime Directive and do what's right over what's approved. But Sisko will always be my favorite captain.
Agreed, but lets be honest, who would rather serve under? Officers dying under Picard was a rarity. With Kirk, well . . . In other words, we could say Kirk is a better TV/movie captain, and Picard would be the better captain in real life. After all, in real life, do we really want military leaders who frequently disregard the rules?
@@crazydud3380 There's an episode where an alien people want to kill Wesley for walking on grass, and Picard's like, "Hmm... well, the Prime Directive applies here...." Kirk would NEVER let something like that even be considered. The Prime Directive was always stupid, so, no, I don't want a leader who blindly follows it.
@@CuckooKukri Yes, well, I think we all mostly like to ignore season 1! LOL. From season 3 onward, Picard was not that extreme. That, and that isn't how the prime directive works. The point of it is not to create cultural contamination by making contact with a pre-warp species, as well as not interfering with conflicts on another world (such as a war between nations on another planet), especially if the species is not part of the Federation. If they are, then they will intervene to protect from foreign invaders, such as protecting Bajorans from Cardassians. If it is a dispute within the world between species that are both part of the Federation, then it gets more complicated. Star Trek never did a particularly great job at defining how the Federation works, particular in terms of how it is governed. The most we usually saw of that was in DS9, wherein the Prime Directive was a guiding principle always given consideration and not likely broken, but sometimes it was. What is most interesting is each Captain's response to it, as they are each different. Maybe Janeway would be a good to serve under, just without the whole getting stranded aspect of it, or even Sisko. Both took the Directive very seriously and fully understood why it was important, but both violated it when it was determined that others factors superseded it. Picard did this too on multiple occasions, but he was definitely the least frequent violator (I am not counting Archer, as the directive did not exist yet). Even Kirk did not completely ignore it (at least not in most of the well-written episodes). A prime example of this is a Private Little War. Here Kirk interferes, but only because interference had already taken place thanks to the Klingons, so Kirk put in equal interference in order to balance both sides (a very obvious Cold War parallel). In Return of the Archons, he interferes, but that is because they are being unknowingly controlled by an AI, so he is simply giving their world back to them. In that episode where people report to execution chambers. Kirk interferes as a direct result of his crew being markes for death. He sees his duties to protect his crew as even more important than the Prime Directive. Also note there is a down side. His interference is part of why he got so many red shirts killed. Kirk, as much as I love him, has the worst track record with keeping his crew alive. Ultimately, there should be an ideal middle ground between Kirk and Picard.
Janeway by far had the hardest challenges and she and most of the 2 crews that made up the Voyager got home. Janeway dealt with having no Starfleet backup and a seemingly impossible task of returning to the Alpha quadrant against unknown opponents and challenges . Janeway is number 1 for my money.
nohomers100 yeah true but that happened in original series and Next Gen . Remember they did have replicators to help out as well. Also the next episode didn't necessarily start the next day , it could be a month between incidences.
Regardless of what series I find best, if I were choosing what captain to follow, it would be Captain Picard. There are many reasons. But I choose Picard because his attitude and philosdophy are very similar to that of Mr. Myagi from "Karate Kid." For me, Captain Picard defined himself when someone called him a warrior. And then he said: "I prefer to think of myself as an explorer."
I agree with this list But Benjamin Lafayette Sisko Is the greatest Commander then promoted Captain ever. He did it with Grace, defiance, ruthlessness and above all else, swagger.
1. Picard (the golden one) 2. Sisko (my personal favorite/people's champ) 3. Kirk (the original) 4. Janeway (the survivor) 5-10. doesn't matter since those are the only good ones
Archer is my one of my favorite captains and I really enjoyed Enterprise and i love the opening song I grew up with Next Generation pichard is probably the best of the early Series
Shatner's Kirk is number 1. Picard number 2. Pine's Kirk is number 3. You can juggle the rest how you like. Kirk was the pioneer that made Star Trek what it was, and did it while sleeping in the bed of his pickup truck he was so poor. And the sets were cardboard and Christmas lights. He was the underdog that made good. Highly relate-able, truly bold, a real adventurer, Picard is more like an administrator. British fusspot.
Kirk from Kelvin timeline above Archer hahahahha. Only in the series is this the first Earth ship to go into deep space.The ship leaves without many weapons with the main thought for exploration.Everyone expects only exploration missions.And then they run into problems. I loved the series.And he may have made some mistakes, but no one has encountered such situations before him.Also, this series did not spoil what we know about the timeline too much
I would of put sisko first, I feel like he's one of the more complete and complex captains in star trek, but that might just be my bias to ds9 as a whole
I think you forgot to mention, especially after your line about Picard rewriting the book, is that Kirk ( and in Archer’s case literally ) wrote the book.
You should do a "Turnabout Intruder" for #1 & #2 . Remember Picard has a glass jaw in "Generations" & Kirk came in to save the day, the galaxy & billions of lives. How many times did Kirk save the Federation & Earth ?
I was pleasantly surprised that you ranked Sisko lower than TSO Kirk. Sisko transcended being a captain, and felt more like a President at times. The level of responsibility he carried was immense and he handled it so beautifully during that show that I think all other captains are unmatched, minus Picard and Janeway. I fully agree with Picard being number one, by the way. He had his faults, his trauma, but he still remained true to himself and duties, while also showing an elegant diplomacy.
All Janeway did was get her crew lost and wander back home. Obviously he never actually watched DS9. Sisko traveled to the Gamma quadrant, as well as saved the Federation from the Dominion. He was the most flawed captain, which helped make him the most relatable.
Remember when Janeway murdered one of her own crew while he begged for his life and the rest of her crew refused to assist her? Yeah not too keen on having her as a commanding officer.
@@stewarde17 how about in some episodes holding the Prime Directive as sacrosanct even when it would help people but breaking it when it was inconv for her? Hell it was her own fault they were stuck in the first place. If she wanted to get involved with the caretaker she could have planted timed explosives on it and still used it to get home.
Picard could win this solely based on his senior staff. Riker, Data, Worf, Geordi and even Dr. Crusher went onto command positions of their own. He was such a charismatic leader that most of the top Starfleet talent wanted to serve under him - and would even delay their own promotions to captaincy - simply because of his leadership abilities. He's like the Bill Walsh coaching tree of the Federation.
Yeah. Well recognized, man. Well put, well-recognized, well said, well considered. In my estimation of the greatest Captains, Picard simply has no competition. If he did, it'd be Captain James T. Kirk.
Very good video! For me, James Tiberius Kirk's the best Star Trek Captain ever. He does the right thing, NOT what the rules & regulations always say. He was also a flawed CO, like Benjamin Sisko & Jonathan Archer; he never pretended to be perfect, and he was allowed to make errors, and like Gabriel Lorca, he appreciates the military aspect of Starfleet; he considered himself more of a soldier than a diplomat. And, Jim can think out of the box in a military scenario, being at his best in a wartime/crisis situation. * as for Capt. Archer's acting like a head of a family, that's ironic as Jean-Luc Picard IS more of a father-figure as a Commanding Officer. And Picard's too dependent on diplomacy, and unless he's facing the Borg, he won't consider a military option. As Cmdr. Riker noted in the episode Peak Performance, Picard is too conservative. And he doesn't acknowledge the need for higher intervention or assistance, as shown in Q Who? ; Kirk at least admits in the existence of God (in Who Mourns for Adonais, he tells the self proclaimed god Apollo that 'we find one God sufficient'.) Outside the TV series, Mackenzie Calhoun of Star Trek: New Frontier is the best 24th Century Trek CO.
Disagree with a lot of this. Picard would always exhaust diplomatic options because the consequences are innocent lives lost, but if diplomatic options failed he was ready to fight, and fight well. That is not a weakness but a strength and shows he has the will to resist the easy reaction of fighting that most of us would take. He was proved right more than he was wrong. Kirk was often too happy trigger, and the long line of red shirts would agree. Picard has excellent insights and instinct as well as Kirk did. Riker also notes the Picard was the best captain he served under. You call it conservative, I prefer prudent and wise and his whole crew looked up to him as a father figure which is not a weakness, and also as the commanding officer when he disciplined them or commanded them in battle. Picard often thought out of box right from the start of his career when he was outgunned in the stargazer and created a new tactical manoeuvre. The whole point about Q Who was that Picard did acknowledge the need for higher intervention in the end. I can also cherry pick flaws in Kirk- the fact he wants to go to war with the Klingons and eventually has to admit the diplomatic way is better. (In the episode where the Klingons take over a world, and the aliens there are entirely peaceful and refuse to fight. ) The fact that he wanted the whole Klingon species to die “let them die” and didn’t want to help any of them and blamed the whole species for killing his son. Picard also admits that there may be God. He’s agnostic at the very least. In one episode he talks about the beauty of the universe and its wonders and complexity and says there must be something more. Even if he was an atheist though, that is not something that makes you a weak captain. They are both very different captains but both excellent. For me, Picard is a better captain, and if we were serving on his ship would be more likely to survive a beam down thanks to Picard’s diplomatic skills.
Also just from a tv standpoint he is the best character in my opinion. But I have only seen TOS and TNG and a little discovery before I dropped that garbage.
My top 3, having watched every Star Trek episode and movies. 1. Picard, 2. Janeway, 3. Kirk (TOS). All strong, clever and collaborative. Great vid, thx.
I am impressed by the reviewer. Clearly a real Star Trek fan. However while my order of the top 4 would differ, mostly I think that Benjamin Sisko should have rated a bit higher.
@@ThanosXv I probably would have done the same. Picard will always be number one for me but DS9 was probably the show I like more overall. And Sisko was a great captain in that.
I feel Sisko to be a better captain than Janeway, but that's my opinion. And Enterprise is far more better than what some people tend to say. I really liked that show. But DS9 still remains my favorite Trek.
I liked all the captains of the main Star Trek TV series. That said, Sisko, Archer and Kirk are my favorites (in no particular order as they all excelled in totally different ways). Picard and Janeway are also good,, but not in my personal top 3. But that's just me..
What makes Picard my number one is his sheer integrity. He shows the difference between principles and values. A principle is meerley what you say you value, but a value is what you actually do. It's what drives you and ultimately makes your decisions. A flawed character, but a very hard act to follow.
Seriously! Janeway at no3. This is the captain who literally said "there's coffee in that nebula". She then took her ship into said nebula, frakked everything up, and limped out again. That little adventure cost voyager energy that they could ill afford to lose, all so she could have her coffee. And none of this covers the whole I will do anything to return us all home promise, which she repeatedly breaks, and then has the cheek to bring charges against her own crew (including Tuvok) when they try to follow thru on everyones desire (including her own) of getting home.
Janeway is my favourite of the bunch, or at least the same tier as Picard, but I don't think you can put her ahead of Picard or Kirk because of what they did for the franchise. I really liked season 1 Kirk, but season 2 and 3 Kirk was unbearable. Season 2 and 3 Kirk might even be my least favourite of the 5 main captains, except maybe season 4-7 Sisko - not so much the fault of the acting (as it was with Shatner in 2 and 3 TOS), but the mid to late series writing for his character was atrocious.
Both Sisko and the Discovery version of Pike deserved to be rated higher than Janeway. She was too inconsistent as a character, you never knew just how schizophrenic Janeway was going to be from episode to episode.
Discovery version of any captain should be the buttom stumped on together with any jar jar movie captains they should all die and disapear, together with CBS B license lets get back to the A License and prober star trek.
@@Wipeout186 its all canon but since its in a different timeline it has no bearing over the universe the rest of the shows/movies are set in. so its like. its canon, technically, but it literally doesnt matter and i Dont Care
@@redcoded4430 the b license and with it kelvin timeline is not canon in anyway. Plus std is set before kelvin happen which means everything it does damage the a license and prime timeline canon is ruined. As I said anything under b license can't and shouldn't be canon as CBS demand
People are a little unfair with Janeway. She made more first contacts than any other captain alive at the time and more than treaty's etc than some ambassadors. She had enough information in voyagers databanks to keep the starfleet busy for decades. Including new types of life the starfleet did not even knew existed IE the dinosaurs and the aliens from the realm of light. She never had more than a day or two off in seven years and had to be spiritual leader/captain/mother to a crew of 170. she had a pretty rough gig
Dean Motterhsead yeah she did more than any other captain under tougher conditions with no real let up ( except that time when Chakotay were stock on a planet camping for a few weeks ) . As far as capability goes she has to be number 1 . If course Picard and Kirk win popularity contests but if i was needing to travel through space I'd choose Janeway to get me where i needed to go.
@@drbosommd Yes I have thought before that if I had a choice of what starship to serve on I would likely pick Voyager for the smaller more family feeling of the ship. I did think about that time that Janeway and Chakotay had the virus when they had to stay on that planet. But I think they had some communications device that allowed the ship to relay messages even if audio-only and some time delay for some of the time. Hardly what I would call proper time off either.
A) It takes a brave man to wander into this minefield. B) nice list. I think Janeway is generally under-rated. I think you present very convincing arguments.
But lacks follow through. Returning from being lost is admirable, but Sisko defended and fought at another level. Captan and Commander of a crucial port. His star ship was serious too. Just saying.
@@organizationalcoaches7072 I think one can make a strong argument in Sisko's favour and I would not say you were objectively wrong. It's all a matter of personal preference. Nor would I claim to have sufficient mastery of the source material that my word be accepted as law.
There was never any question that Picard would be number 1 in this list, but i do think original star trek Kirk should be below Janeway, and maybe even Sisko. How many hundreds of red shirts died while he was captain? xD
Very hard to choose a ranking order because they’re all great, in different ways, under different circumstances. It’s just as difficult to name my favourite series! I love all of them, despite the odd error here and there and I reckon each series has it’s own strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think ranking all the series is fair because the series are all very different from one another. I absolutely agree with your #1 pick for captain. I believe he far outshines all the others however, I would’ve put Janeway ahead of the Kirks due to her strength of character, especially considering the very extraordinary circumstances. Hey, continue doing a GREAT job dude. Us Trekkie’s love all the diverse insight and perspectives from people such as yourself and you do it so very well! Thank you so much for taking the time to feed our very hungry curiosities about everything Star Trek. Live long and prosper, the force is with you ✌️
It’s a personal thing really. It’s not really a right or wrong. Kirk will always be number one to me cos as a kid of the 80s it was all about Wrath Of Khan and the original Tv Show. Then I’d say it’s a equal between Picard and Janeway. I personally loved Voyager though many didn’t. After that it’s just anything for me. I loved Chris Pine to be honest but in terms of the actual shows I don’t see anyone any better or worse than each other with the exception of the NEW stuff which is dead to me.
I think archer deserves be much higher. Biggest difference between him and other they had starfleet back them up...archer on other hand basically on his own. I like sisko better but I can kind see logic bc sisko had much more experience crew and had starfleet backing him up. Janeway had one solid officer tuvok..with very tough situation.
Picard grew up on a quaint little French vineyard, squishing grapes with his toes, while Kirk slung bales of wheat and hay in Iowa to put himself through school. Kirk fought a Greek god and won.
i change the question a little bit? Which captain would You like work under command? My answer is Chris Pike. He helps his crew to improve themselves and even sacrifices his life for them. Sisko, technicallly is not a star trek ship commander. He is a warrior leader. but i would challenge every danger and fight under his command.
Janeway: if anyone's going to kill her crew, it's going to be her. Jokes aside, Kirk should be up there but not for the reasons outlined in the video. He's a much deeper character with strong ethics and not just the gun-ho bed-all-the-chicks guy that pop culture (and JJ Abrams) thinks he is. I'm willing to bet that if you actually counted through all the movies and series that Picard has actually bedded more women than Kirk.
Picard had the benefit of more seasons to do more bedding, but yeah, Kirk is surprisingly deep in quite a few episodes. In one of the original pilot episodes, they say Kirk used to be a nervous bookworm before his friend Gary Mitchel turned him around
Well, that's just from what we've seen, right? I believe what they could get away with showing in the 90s was more than what they could get away with in the 60s.
@@LickMyRainbow77 I would also add that just as Picard had his blindspot (the Borg), Kirk had his (the Klingons and the death of his son). And both had complex character arcs dealing with those blind spots. I would personally say that I preferred the Kirk arc in terms of character development, but that is a tough call.
There irony is, the top four at one time or another almost all sacrificed their crews at least once. Sisko, well the war (then offed a Romulan Senator for good measure), Picard almost blew up the Enterprise at least 3 times got a new ship then almost blew that one up, Kirk...he did blow up his ship, and Janeway wipped out a timeline of her crew just to "save" it.
7:44 - It's good to see Katherine Janeway get the high rating she deserves! 9:35 - "Picard might be more by-the-book, but he's also the guy who re-wrote the book!" Magnificent!
Janeway deserves #2 over Kirk. He’s too impulsive and she was calculating. But that’s also due to the release time periods and maturation of the ST universe.
Archer 7 no way all the other captains after stood on the shoulders of his work no archer no federation and he did it in a time when they was out match and under gunned I'm not saying he is the best but to low ball him like that is nonsense as for him not being ruthless he stole a warp coil and stranded another ship and de-pressurised a air lock with a captive pirate in to complete his mission
A couple commentators here have noted that Picard doesn't really compare as a military commander to Sisko or Janeway. It's worth noting, though, that Picard talked his way out of more potential battles than all the other captains combined. Considering the Enterprise D was also the home of many of the personnel's families, that seems a lot more important than how many Cardassian or Borg ships he got to blow up. Janeway is likable because Kate Mulgrew did a phenomenal job making her likable. She was afflicted with the same inconsistent writing that the rest of Voyager got. In one episode, she would be the supreme military commander who could blow up a Borg cube just by telling Tuvok to rotate the phaser frequencies and making Paris use fancy flight patterns; in another, she would be the desperate space mom who got swindled hard while trying to care for her surrogate family. I have mixed feelings on Sisko. He had to wear a lot of hats all at once, but he always came off as really stiff.
Agreed!! Every difference would create an undetermined amount of different situations!! Who came up with that number anyway??? Never heard of it until now.
@@DD-eight From my understanding, the 25% it was for copyrights and legal purposes. They had to make it at least 25% different than the prime timeline in order to make the movie. Everything Kelvin sux anyways.
Here is my understanding of the main captains: Archer was human, new to space and showed the learning that was needed for humanity to find their place in the universe. Kirk was kind, responsible, and trying to be a role model in the new era of space exploration. Picard was seasoned, a diplomat and peacemaker focused on preventing war and conflict from the borg and future threats. Sisko was a wayman, a soldier and father that decided to focus on one area, and in turn, played a vital role in preventing the fall of the federation from outside threats. Janeway was a protector. Trying to lead her family home through unknown, and never before seen odds. She was a throwback to Archer and the struggles and triumphs humanity faces when facing new stuations. This was a good ranking, but I can't fathom trying to rank these captains, for they were all different and unique. All set and written for different eras, not meant to be necessarily what everyone wanted them to be as characters, but what the needed to be for the time they were written. And that is why I love Star trek so much.
Interesting list. We’ve had some great captains. Sisko for the win for me. Shouldn’t there be three pikes on this list? TOS/Kelvin/Discovery? 25% different timelines and all 👍.
@@coreymicallef365 True alas. In a way both spin-offs (Kelvin and Discovery) attempt to flesh out a fascinating character that we only got glimpses of in TOS (and never again referred to in canon alas; though wasn't there a ship named after him at one point even if not in canon?). I was always intrigued by the Pike we met in the Menagerie and Cage. A thoughtful, passionate captain who cared deeply for his crew and was very clear-headed, brave, and resourceful. I love the crippled Pike we see as well. Even when against his own best interests, he votes against Spock -- I'm assuming because it's his duty. And let's not forget how he got that way: saving the lives of others. The glimpse we get is of a captain (and Hunter played the role brilliantly) that is every bit as outstanding as Kirk, Picard, Sisko or Janeway. I get the same impression about Captain Rachel Garrett of Enterprise-C. Again, another amazing captain that we only get a taste of. But the real question: What about Captain April? :)
@Jim Barrows a murderer? Oh please, he observed all the laws of war to the letter, and his actions were a proportionate response to earlier hostile actions. He stopped a genocide before it started.
@@coreymicallef365 Quick question. I'm just refreshing my memory re-watching the video and Wesley Crusher is stated as being given the position of acting captain. When did this occur? I remember the episode where he takes over engineering and declares himself acting captain, but that's not an official appointment. Was there another time Wes took over?
@@philiptite1082 I have no clue, my memory of TNG is fairly spotty, especially with the early seasons. Google was no help either, maybe have a look through the wiki.
Brannon Braga couldn't stand the theme. He wanted to use the U2 song "It's a Beautiful Day," but didn't want any royalty issues. I actually find the theme uplifting and optimistic. Good one for a group of explorers on an untested prototype ship.
25% digs are totally valid, its contractually not real Star Trek, the fact that STD also inverts the spirit of Star Trek... ugh. As for "Faith of the Heart", it's worthy to be mentioned how this was not a fully appreciated theme, and while I found it inspirational, it was also, annoying, and they made it worse one they sped it up.
"Archer does not feel like a military leader." That's because he is non... He is a Scientist / Explorer. That's why they keep telling you that the NX Enterprise is build with exploration in mind. And he struggles half the time because humanity doesn't know a thing! Never understood why the series got this much hate. At this time they atleast tried to make sense instead of just adding more flashlights... ;)
Enterprise and DS9 dont deserve the hate they get for sure.
He struggled half the time because he was arrogant, short-tempered and overly proud. Why Starfleet would put a person in charge who is openly hostile towards Vulcans, can't control himself and doesn't know the first thing about diplomacy is beyond me. That one episode in which his dog gets sick after returning from a first contact mission on an alien planet was very revealing.
I like "Enterprise" and Archer better than "DS9". "DS9" was too dark and depressing. Kirk wasn't bad either. Haven't seen "Discovery" yet. The crew of a ship becomes like a family..I remember what Kirk saying something about how empty the ship felt with the children gone. I'm sure Archer soon felt the same. Picard's not much a family man and I'm not sure about Janeway either. Sisko was better at fathering his boy.
I stopped listening at that point... Enterprise was a much better show than the crappy Discovery.
@@Zimionz He doesn't like Vulcans at the start. But the show gives a good explanation for that. His father never got to see the result of his lifes work, because the Vulcans slowed them down. (For logical reasons of course. ; ) )
He got his position because he knows the Enterprise, which is an experimental prototype.
And diplomacy.. well atleast better than Kirk's diplomacy. That's more like "Set Phasers to stun.." ;)
But this is all the point of Enterprise. To show how Starfleet rules and protocols develope. They make mistakes (ok, sometimes reaaaly stupid ones) and learn from it.
“Janeway not a risk taker”
Janeway: There’s coffee in that nebula
She also sold WMDs to the Borg.
Make it so!
Janeway: You want to run inhumane experiments on me and my crew, well I guess I'll just kill us all.
She had me at captured Borg. Also, shooting a phaser into a temporal window could destroy a galaxy. Time and again is one of my favorite of all the star treks
The reason I think Janeway is severely overrated on this list is because, despite Kate Mulgrew's best efforts, she was written so _inconsistently._
Considering Janeway had no support from Star Fleet, a combined crew that she had to get them to work together is a testament to her leadership skills. Not to mention some of the most terrifying and powerful aliens any captain has faced in the Alpha Quadrant. Oh, don't forget defeating the Borg several times. Sisko should be 2 or 3.
He's number 2 for me. Pacard 1. Sisko 2. Janeway 3. And Kirk at 4. I couldn't stand Janeway's character but she was a great captain
Janeway is my # 3. Right behind Kirk at #2 and Picard at (obviously) #1.@@vernonleewarren280
Agreed. But Sisko is an obvious # 4 for me. 1st (clearly) Captain Jean Luc Picard. 2nd, Captain James T. Kirk. #3 Captain Kathryn Janeway...After that? I don't really care.
No way Sisko should be number 4....I’ve recently watched the whole of DS9 again from start to finish....it really makes you appreciate how awesome Sisko was.
Sisko is number 1 on grunge look at that one.
Sisko and DS9 as a series went onto a different "frontier", looking into ones self. The series had dept exploration into its characters that the other shows didn't even touch.
Number 4 are you serious!!!!????
@@revinar5838 well at the moment i am watching DS9 again its a good series... problem its has to much religios shit in it that i do not like and sosko has some realy horrible moments.
Dude, same!
Patrick Stewart said Capt Picard and William Riker (his second in command) was Capt Kirk split into two characters.
Ash Burn It was. TNG grew out of “Star Trek: Phase II”, the Trek/Shatner comeback in the late 70’s. Had Star Wars not dropped onto the scene we would have not had the original crew move to movie format.
Picard was the anti-Kirk is many ways. Picard was a philosopher, a poet, a renaissance man... riker is a poon hound.
Picard , Data and Riker together had the traits of Kirk and Spock
Yes. Very much. Awesome observation. I just started the new generation and I cant unsee this! Lol
Still picard was around alot longer, so he ended up dealing with alot more.
Jonathon Archer’s Enterprise was NOT a military vessel.
@Superfly Toad i love the MACOs I think, they themselves should get an entire series alone. I mean about time we see Starfleet special forces.
But Ettansf is right. Originally speaking the NX-01 Enterprise wasn't really designed for combat. Unlike most future Starfleet vessels. (Note I'm not calling them warships, I just mean vessels that built with combat in mind but not dedicated to the role)
Miles Millet remember that whole Malcom Reed, his family angry with him for not joining a military vessel, rub it in Blue Chick, rub it in....moment?
No, and neither are the other USS ships; mostly for science research, exploration, and humaintarian aid. For NX Enterprise, it was the beginning of stronger weapons for "defense," and to aid those that were getting attacked....just like other ships in the future did.
Starfleet's ships are " military type," but not military persay.
@@Starfleet8555 we almost did on Star Trek Beyond, but they turned out to be vicious, outrageous killing species 😳😳
Worst captain: Captain Styles of the USS Excelsior. Notable achievement: getting his ship sabotaged while walking around with a baton.
Not the main ship but should absolutely count. Add to it.. the next time we see "his" ship...Sulu is Captain
In Styles' defense: a) It turns out even after fixing the sabotage, transwarp wasn't stable, they had to replace it with standard warp, and b) That swagger stick was a cut down and deactivated Klingon pain baton... which Styles won in single combat. (I forget the whole story but it was like, instead of ship vs. ship he challenged the Klingon Captain mano-a-mano and won, even shaming the Klingon because he cheated bringing the pain stick.)
Starfleet still threw him under the proverbial shuttlecraft.
@LogKnow No, they were two completely different people. Lt. Stiles was not the same person as Captain Styles (note the different spelling). Lt. Stiles was a bigot who got owned by Kirk after smarting off about Spock. Captain Styles was the CO who oversaw the shakedown cruise of the Excelsior. Their names do sound the same, hence the confusion.
I'll see you and raise you Captain John "Is It Tuesday Yet" Harriman of the Enterprise-B
@@AndrewD8Red I don't think we can count him; after all, we're not seeing him at his best. He's just seething with envy that the Great Kirk is aboard.
I like your list, but alas, left out an important point of Archer: He pretty much founds the United Federation of Planets. Tough to compete with that.
How about an emissary of d prophets lol.
Nope
@@kevinwalsh9662 Archer did basically wrote the book of being a Captain.
Does he even count since he waa reconned? Star Trek The Cage: "our new ships....." 13 years before Kirk talking to someone out of contact with civilization for 18 years, well, that doesn't quite add up to 115 years.
Exactly! Thank you! At least someone was paying attention! Hehehe 🧐🧐😉
I love Archers Enterprise. They feel of 'space is new to us' really related to modern times.
Yes... But then the second half of season 3 happened...
Enterprise was pretty good felt like how we could be
archer was the captain before kirk
I hated the theme song and the "time cold war" which led to a locked room on the ship with "Mcguffin's" to get out of any situation, were my only problems. They jumped the shark with those bits. I wanted more just raw "Wild West" exploration, which they had a fair bit of. All that being said I don't think it was as bad as most people believe it to be.
@@davidfulwiler4713 I rewatched it on Netflix - the second time around I really, really liked the show, even the "Expanse" subplot.
I could have well done without a forehead "explanation" though.
Having just watched season 2 of discovery. The of the portrayal of Pike as the acting captain in that series is brilliant! He consults with the officers around him without being weak, remains authoritative without being unyielding, and incredibly accepts the tragic future that awaits him without hesitation knowing his personal sacrifice will ultimately serve the greater good! I was in awe, and genuinely felt emotional as he relinquished control of Discovery and returned to the Enterprise.
Totally agree I just also recently watched season 2 and grew to appreciate and like him more with each scene he absolutely nailed it and almost put him right up with Picard for me 👍
We like -Ike- Pike!
Just watch strange new worlds and you will appreciate this guy even more
@@ankitbisaria I do need to, it’s on my list for sure!
Kirk is more than playboy rebel. He was a brilliant tactician in his own right. So, where I may agree with you for the most part, it's close race between KirK and Picard.
Kirk thought out of the box to get the job done and keep the ship safe out of danger... he will always be number 1. Politics make Picard number 1. :-) Kirk never liked Star Fleet Politics... :-)
His improvised Corbomite Manuever is referenced as being part of Starfleet curriculum by the 24th century.
Prime Kirk being brilliant when he needed to makes Kelvin Kirk so much more unbelievable. Yes, Prime Kirk also manipulated the Kobayashi Maru Simulator, but even though we never see it on screen, I bet he had made a more believable Bluff than just going "oh, look on those sensors again, you've missed something". So to me, Kelvin Kirk is even worse than a mirror Lorca posing as Captain.
Imagine Picard facing Khan. lol Khan would’ve owned him because Picard is inept with no intuition or guts to disobey starfleet
Sisco punches Q
Q: Picard never hit me
SISCO: I am not Picard
@kevin lawrence i think he got the top 4 correct though. those are my favorite Star Trek captains and probably most peoples as well.
I agree except for janeway
OK , enough of this jazz it's captain Captain James Tiberius Kirk he's the real deal I'm sorry 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓
@@deborahskillman3003 Kirk is one of my favorite captains to. But Sisko is number one in my book.
@@Starfleet8555 if somebody had told me 25 years ago that I'd be saying this, I'd have laughed myself silly at them, but having recently binge-watched Deep Space Nine after not seeing it in many many years, you're right. Pr at very least, 1a: Sicko 1b: real Kirk since this cointdown thinks Chris Pine even counts.
Captain Sulu of the Excelsior. "She'll fly apart!" FLY HER APART THEN!
leftcoaster67 Target that explosion and fire!
One of the best lines in Star Trek history.
Yes😂
Star Trek 6 The Undiscovered Country is my favourite in the movie series, even though Picard is my fav captain
"Ooohh my...."
I think Archer was unfairly treated harshly, but I can live with this list.
Picard is so far ahead the best, just by his ability to handle anything and reason out situations, no matter how nuanced. I love Kirk, and he is the best 'hero', but Picard is the best captain.
Absolutely, totally agreed. There's no competition for Jean Luc Picard, frankly.
Even as a Commander, Sisko beat up Q, became a prophet, and hopscotched to allamaraine. He had the full range!
while raising a child which NONE of the other captains ever did!
Love the allamaraine reference
Sisko beat up Q?? How?!? How does one beat up Q??
You bastard.... You've got me picturing that god awful scene of Sisko, Kira, Dax hopscotching.... Thanks..! 🤣👏🏾
@@idontwannaidontwanna7307 Hahahahahahaha.
That was a terrible episode. Clearly it was their "We are running out of money for the season and have to do a six characters in a closet episode to make up the difference."
"Shut up Wesley" That's what makes Picard number 1.
Ash?
ALWAYS listen to Wesley.
That was actually an example of Picard at his worst, being dismissive of an important warning of the infiltration of his bridge crew because it's coming from a kid. This whole scene is so poorly interpreted, because people only remember the stupid meme, not the scene's actual intent. It humanizes Picard by showing him losing his temper and allowing his frustration to make him make a mistake. If Dr. Crusher hadn't pointed out his outburst to him, Picard may not have put a tail on Lore and stopped him from feeding the ship to the crystaline entity. The point of the scene was that you shouldn't be dismissive of someone just because they're young, and it became a way of doing just that.
Mr. Broccoli quote was a good one too
The only time Picard was really cool was when he had the laser pointer on his head.
Why take a British Shakespeare actor to play a French, whose name he can't even pronounce properly?
Glad to see Janeway get some credit
Russell Harrison agreed! She flew into Borg space, boarded a Borg vessel and informed them they would permit Voyager safe passage if they wanted to live, and meant it.
I didn't like Kate Mulgrew until I saw her in Voyager... She had almost always played bitches and appeared in movies and TV shows that sucked...
She’s my very favourite captain
@@andrewquick4176 I did and do like Janeway but I, wouldn't go THAT far!!! Captain Kirk is, still my favorite but I'm torn between captain Archer and Captain Picard for next favorite... Janeway was, awesome though... Discovery and Picard I, have yet to see...
@@NorthMountainFairy Which then allowed the Borg to assimilate several other entire species. Not Janeway's finest hour at all.
Having grown up with the original Star Trek Kirk will always be number one for me as will all the original series.
I agree. Though I'm not really a Trekkie or Trekker, I love vintage TV better than the crap that's on now. And, also if it wasn't for Kirk, we wouldn't have everything else "Star Trek".
When the Next Generation started on TV, I said, as a kid, they need to kill off Jean-Luc Picard and have Cmdr. William Riker take over. It would be far more exciting to have a younger Captain flying through space and an old man. I have to agree with you, Kirk will always be Number 1.
That's what they call rose tinted glasses.
@@vincentk3502 Old? Patrick Stewart was about 47 (born in 1940) when he began as Picard in 1987. Probably because he was bald, he looked older than he was to a kid who started watching in 1987. I started watching the original series as a young kid in the 60's and still think Kirk is tops - although the Shatner had a huge ego because of it.
@@riogrande5761 I started in early 70s with my dad. I agree, Kirk will always be the best. At the time in the 80s, I wanted Picard gone and replaced with Riker because Riker seemed more like a 'Young Space Cowboy flying through space, and putting his *boots* on, resembling a new Kirk. :-)
Kirk is a badass! and always listen the two souls that advice him. He's instict, but Spock is Logic and mcCoy is emotion.
I never thought of it that way - well put!
Spock : Team Wisdom
McCoy : Team Valor
Kirk : Team Instinc??
@@aegyo9272 good point! pokemon vibes hehe but yes!
5. Kirk- It was from a time where I wasn't even born but still the acting was bad then too.
4. Janeway- She had characteristics similiar to Picard but her wrong choices led to her crew becoming stranded and the death of several species.
3. Archer - Already a sci-fi giant, Bakula brought us closer to an actual star trek rather than just a fictional one.
2. Sisko- not just an explorer. Not just a miliatary commander. But a spiritual leader as well.
1. Picard- He was wise beyond any of us.
Kirk was dynamic and ocasionally hilarious: "What does God need with a starship?" Gotta love that guy.
Janeway above Sisko?! Highest in strategic terms?! She couldn't figure out to just trick the Kazon and plant timed explosives to both get the crew home and help the Ocampa. Admiral Janeway only cared to save her bridge crew and not go back to save the dozens others who died under her command. She's show faith in criminals but in 7 years didn't promote Kim. Sisko, by far, was the better mentor, commander, role model, strategist, leader and so on. He balanced being a religious figure with being a captain. Embraced his flaws rather than lecture others about theirs. (Eddington not withstanding.) He headed up and won the war. United cultures and ideals. Sponsored and promoted Nog. Didn't mess with the timeline by trying to go back and save Jadzia. A father, a husband, a boyfriend, a captain of 2 ships and 1 station, he faced the Borg, the Maquis, the Cardassians, the Dominion, the Klingons, the Pah Wraiths, Bajoran isolationists and did what it took to save the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. His leadership is what made the difference. Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Archer wouldn't've existed in the gray that Sisko had to in order to bring in the many many kinds of individuals that all played key roles in the survival of the Federation. Sisko is the best. Picard and Kirk ranked above him, I can live with that but not Janeway.
I see the Prophets are with you!
StillsTheSeries Janeway is far superior to Sisko
Dancestar1981 In what ways?
If she'd done that then the series would have lasted exactly one 90 minute episode...
@@randyt60 Agreed. I attribute that to lazy writing. Make it a true no win scenario where Janeway must remain in the Delta Quadrant, not the weak and clearly solvable issue they made it. It made the entire crew look dumb. Janeway and co deserved better.
Kirk was portrayed from a young man in his first captaincy during the tv series to the mature, seasoned veteran in the movies. His growth and maturation as captain (and admiral ), not to mention sacrifice, in my opinion, give him the edge over Picard.
WHAT?!?!?!?!
I love how you listed the HMS Bounty among Kirk's commands. Its something most fans might forget or unintentionally omit if it weren't mentioned.
I got to say it, I am so sick of every single list putting Kirk and Picard as #1 & #2 just because they are the "prime" captains. Let's be honest here, there would be rebellion and destruction all around from 90% of Trekkie's if they are not on top but they are nothing compared to Janeway not even close. She was alone for 7 years (23 years in the original timeline) in an unexplored quadrant with ZERO help from the federation facing enemies that would (and literally have) made the likes of Pixard beg for help to get them out of it. She won every single fight in the long run and practically destroyed the Borg, she made the most first contacts, created ablative hull armor and stealth tech, brokered peace agreements and alliances among tens of species, saved billions of lives all while keeping a strong close bond with her crew who respected her and were so loyal because of her skills. If Janeway were to fight Pixard AND Kirk 2 Vs 1 then bye bye boys because she will f$@k you up!
Shut up Wesley!
@@vornamenachname4232 lol crusher sucks. I am not him haha
@Jim Barrows lol, never touched one in my life mate.
@@Neurolytik Janeway also got her crew stuck in the Delta Quadrant for 7 years and VIOLATED THE PRIME DIRECTIVE TO DO SO..
good ranking with the exception of Archer I think Cpt Archer deserved a bit more credit considering he was responsible for the founding of the federation itself and the xindi crisis oh and the whole saving the timeline thing LOL!
Kirk, Sisko, Archer, Janeway, then Picard.
I don't like the idea that Archer Foundet the Federation. I like him. he made friends with Shran, gained mutual respekt with the Vulcans and other species. But ultimately, He only brought people to a table that then decided to found the Federation. Did he play a major role? sure.
Again, thank you to you too! EXACTLY what I mean.
I'm so fed up with Enterprise bashing. Enterprise was one of the greatest Trek shows out there and Archer was brilliant.
The fans didn't agree and neither did I. The story arch of the time jumping was just to stupid for a show that was about how the Federation and Star Fleet came into existence. The writing was just bad, which is why no one watched it, and since the days of that show Star Trek has continued on a downward trajectory to this very day
@@marcmorgan7796 Oh shut up
@@stellapm The truth hurts sometime
Ok, lets not get carried away now.
I very much enjoyed enterprise.
But archer?....
He just wasn't a believable captain. It didnt help that he was extra corny alot of times.
I agree with the top 4
@@coolbeans6148 LMAO... I'm not getting carried away at all, I simply did not enjoy the show, and the fact that the show did not hit the magic 7 season number like all the Star Treks that came before it (except the original Trek) shows that the majority of the fans agreed. I have to admit, I laughed myself to tears when Stella told me to shut up, I just love her passion for the show, she is a true Trek fan, I just hate the Trek she loves is all... nothing personal on my end, just expressing my opinion and I respect everyone else's I just cannot stand Enterprise, and right next to that one is Voyager, absolutely could not STAND Janeway
While I love them both, I prefer Kirk to Picard because he's more willing to forget the Prime Directive and do what's right over what's approved. But Sisko will always be my favorite captain.
The way things were going with Starfleet now, closer to the 25th century, I think Picard threw the book out the nearest airlock! Lol
Agreed, but lets be honest, who would rather serve under? Officers dying under Picard was a rarity. With Kirk, well . . .
In other words, we could say Kirk is a better TV/movie captain, and Picard would be the better captain in real life. After all, in real life, do we really want military leaders who frequently disregard the rules?
@@crazydud3380 There's an episode where an alien people want to kill Wesley for walking on grass, and Picard's like, "Hmm... well, the Prime Directive applies here...." Kirk would NEVER let something like that even be considered. The Prime Directive was always stupid, so, no, I don't want a leader who blindly follows it.
@@CuckooKukri Yes, well, I think we all mostly like to ignore season 1! LOL. From season 3 onward, Picard was not that extreme. That, and that isn't how the prime directive works. The point of it is not to create cultural contamination by making contact with a pre-warp species, as well as not interfering with conflicts on another world (such as a war between nations on another planet), especially if the species is not part of the Federation. If they are, then they will intervene to protect from foreign invaders, such as protecting Bajorans from Cardassians. If it is a dispute within the world between species that are both part of the Federation, then it gets more complicated. Star Trek never did a particularly great job at defining how the Federation works, particular in terms of how it is governed. The most we usually saw of that was in DS9, wherein the Prime Directive was a guiding principle always given consideration and not likely broken, but sometimes it was.
What is most interesting is each Captain's response to it, as they are each different. Maybe Janeway would be a good to serve under, just without the whole getting stranded aspect of it, or even Sisko. Both took the Directive very seriously and fully understood why it was important, but both violated it when it was determined that others factors superseded it. Picard did this too on multiple occasions, but he was definitely the least frequent violator (I am not counting Archer, as the directive did not exist yet). Even Kirk did not completely ignore it (at least not in most of the well-written episodes). A prime example of this is a Private Little War. Here Kirk interferes, but only because interference had already taken place thanks to the Klingons, so Kirk put in equal interference in order to balance both sides (a very obvious Cold War parallel). In Return of the Archons, he interferes, but that is because they are being unknowingly controlled by an AI, so he is simply giving their world back to them. In that episode where people report to execution chambers. Kirk interferes as a direct result of his crew being markes for death. He sees his duties to protect his crew as even more important than the Prime Directive.
Also note there is a down side. His interference is part of why he got so many red shirts killed. Kirk, as much as I love him, has the worst track record with keeping his crew alive. Ultimately, there should be an ideal middle ground between Kirk and Picard.
@@crazydud3380 Which is why Sisko is my favorite.
Janeway by far had the hardest challenges and she and most of the 2 crews that made up the Voyager got home.
Janeway dealt with having no Starfleet backup and a seemingly impossible task of returning to the Alpha quadrant against unknown opponents and challenges .
Janeway is number 1 for my money.
No starfleet backup and yet amazingly the ship would be like new at the start of every episode even though it took major damage in the previous one.
nohomers100 yeah true but that happened in original series and Next Gen . Remember they did have replicators to help out as well. Also the next episode didn't necessarily start the next day , it could be a month between incidences.
It was Janeway's fault the crew got stuck in the Delta Quadrant to begin with.
Regardless of what series I find best, if I were choosing what captain to follow, it would be Captain Picard. There are many reasons. But I choose Picard because his attitude and philosdophy are very similar to that of Mr. Myagi from "Karate Kid." For me, Captain Picard defined himself when someone called him a warrior. And then he said: "I prefer to think of myself as an explorer."
Before watching:
Kirk or Picard are obviously gonna be #1 or 2 with maybe Janeway being #3.
After watching:
And i was right. :P
@Logan Waltz oppinios are assholes - everyone has it...but some stinks more that other
I like Enterprise's intro
I agree with this list
But Benjamin Lafayette Sisko Is the greatest Commander then promoted Captain ever. He did it with Grace, defiance, ruthlessness and above all else, swagger.
@Jim Barrows Sisko never killed a single Maquis.
1. Picard (the golden one)
2. Sisko (my personal favorite/people's champ)
3. Kirk (the original)
4. Janeway (the survivor)
5-10. doesn't matter since those are the only good ones
To be honest, you are right.
Captain Archer was more of an explorer and that was his commanding style. Often you have a more unified crew willing to make sacrifices to the cause.
Archer is my one of my favorite captains and I really enjoyed Enterprise and i love the opening song I grew up with Next Generation pichard is probably the best of the early Series
Shatner's Kirk is number 1. Picard number 2. Pine's Kirk is number 3. You can juggle the rest how you like.
Kirk was the pioneer that made Star Trek what it was, and did it while sleeping in the bed of his pickup truck he was so poor. And the sets were cardboard and Christmas lights. He was the underdog that made good. Highly relate-able, truly bold, a real adventurer, Picard is more like an administrator. British fusspot.
The fact that the actor slept in a pick up truck does not make it a better captain, but I understand what you are trying to say!
If it wasn't for James T. Kirk in 1967 there wouldn't be any other Star Trek captains.
I agree. Without Kirk, there is no Star Trek.
What about captain Data?? True badass!!
Kirk from Kelvin timeline above Archer hahahahha. Only in the series is this the first Earth ship to go into deep space.The ship leaves without many weapons with the main thought for exploration.Everyone expects only exploration missions.And then they run into problems. I loved the series.And he may have made some mistakes, but no one has encountered such situations before him.Also, this series did not spoil what we know about the timeline too much
True but you see Archer’s ship take a beating but it seemed like the Enterprise was made out of paper and cardboard in the Kelvin timeline.
I would of put sisko first, I feel like he's one of the more complete and complex captains in star trek, but that might just be my bias to ds9 as a whole
I think you forgot to mention, especially after your line about Picard rewriting the book, is that Kirk ( and in Archer’s case literally ) wrote the book.
You should do a "Turnabout Intruder" for #1 & #2 . Remember Picard has a glass jaw in "Generations" & Kirk came in to save the day, the galaxy & billions of lives. How many times did Kirk save the Federation & Earth ?
Kirk was the best his devotion and his thing to turn absolute death into a fighting chance as once said by leonard mcoy towards him.
Yeah for me kirk is more charismatic
I was pleasantly surprised that you ranked Sisko lower than TSO Kirk. Sisko transcended being a captain, and felt more like a President at times. The level of responsibility he carried was immense and he handled it so beautifully during that show that I think all other captains are unmatched, minus Picard and Janeway. I fully agree with Picard being number one, by the way. He had his faults, his trauma, but he still remained true to himself and duties, while also showing an elegant diplomacy.
Big mistake. STD is not Star Trek.
Factually inaccurate statement, but thanks for playing.
STD is sexually transmitted disease. Star Trek Discovery is cinematically transmitted disease. Both are horrible.
@@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies Sorry, just for Christopher Pike I'm glad this series exist.
Factually accurate statement, thanks for your honesty.
100% Facts
Sisko and Archer should be higher up.
All Janeway did was get her crew lost and wander back home. Obviously he never actually watched DS9. Sisko traveled to the Gamma quadrant, as well as saved the Federation from the Dominion. He was the most flawed captain, which helped make him the most relatable.
She did much more including destroying the borg Janeway always be #1 to me. Has the moxie of Kirk and diplomatic skills of Picard
Remember when Janeway murdered one of her own crew while he begged for his life and the rest of her crew refused to assist her? Yeah not too keen on having her as a commanding officer.
@@stewarde17 how about in some episodes holding the Prime Directive as sacrosanct even when it would help people but breaking it when it was inconv for her? Hell it was her own fault they were stuck in the first place. If she wanted to get involved with the caretaker she could have planted timed explosives on it and still used it to get home.
Janeway got helped by picard, if i remembered correctly
@@stewarde17 Janeway was more diplomatic than Archer, I'll give her that
Picard could win this solely based on his senior staff. Riker, Data, Worf, Geordi and even Dr. Crusher went onto command positions of their own. He was such a charismatic leader that most of the top Starfleet talent wanted to serve under him - and would even delay their own promotions to captaincy - simply because of his leadership abilities. He's like the Bill Walsh coaching tree of the Federation.
Nice evaluation
Yeah. Well recognized, man. Well put, well-recognized, well said, well considered. In my estimation of the greatest Captains, Picard simply has no competition. If he did, it'd be Captain James T. Kirk.
Very good video!
For me, James Tiberius Kirk's the best Star Trek Captain ever. He does the right thing, NOT what the rules & regulations always say. He was also a flawed CO, like Benjamin Sisko & Jonathan Archer; he never pretended to be perfect, and he was allowed to make errors, and like Gabriel Lorca, he appreciates the military aspect of Starfleet; he considered himself more of a soldier than a diplomat. And, Jim can think out of the box in a military scenario, being at his best in a wartime/crisis situation.
* as for Capt. Archer's acting like a head of a family, that's ironic as Jean-Luc Picard IS more of a father-figure as a Commanding Officer.
And Picard's too dependent on diplomacy, and unless he's facing the Borg, he won't consider a military option. As Cmdr. Riker noted in the episode Peak Performance, Picard is too conservative. And he doesn't acknowledge the need for higher intervention or assistance, as shown in Q Who? ; Kirk at least admits in the existence of God (in Who Mourns for Adonais, he tells the self proclaimed god Apollo that 'we find one God sufficient'.)
Outside the TV series, Mackenzie Calhoun of Star Trek: New Frontier is the best 24th Century Trek CO.
Disagree with a lot of this.
Picard would always exhaust diplomatic options because the consequences are innocent lives lost, but if diplomatic options failed he was ready to fight, and fight well. That is not a weakness but a strength and shows he has the will to resist the easy reaction of fighting that most of us would take.
He was proved right more than he was wrong. Kirk was often too happy trigger, and the long line of red shirts would agree. Picard has excellent insights and instinct as well as Kirk did.
Riker also notes the Picard was the best captain he served under. You call it conservative, I prefer prudent and wise and his whole crew looked up to him as a father figure which is not a weakness, and also as the commanding officer when he disciplined them or commanded them in battle.
Picard often thought out of box right from the start of his career when he was outgunned in the stargazer and created a new tactical manoeuvre.
The whole point about Q Who was that Picard did acknowledge the need for higher intervention in the end.
I can also cherry pick flaws in Kirk- the fact he wants to go to war with the Klingons and eventually has to admit the diplomatic way is better. (In the episode where the Klingons take over a world, and the aliens there are entirely peaceful and refuse to fight. )
The fact that he wanted the whole Klingon species to die “let them die” and didn’t want to help any of them and blamed the whole species for killing his son.
Picard also admits that there may be God. He’s agnostic at the very least. In one episode he talks about the beauty of the universe and its wonders and complexity and says there must be something more. Even if he was an atheist though, that is not something that makes you a weak captain.
They are both very different captains but both excellent. For me, Picard is a better captain, and if we were serving on his ship would be more likely to survive a beam down thanks to Picard’s diplomatic skills.
Also just from a tv standpoint he is the best character in my opinion. But I have only seen TOS and TNG and a little discovery before I dropped that garbage.
My top 3, having watched every Star Trek episode and movies.
1. Picard, 2. Janeway, 3. Kirk (TOS). All strong, clever and collaborative.
Great vid, thx.
Now I want to see a list of top people on star trek who were captain at least a little bit but are not the mains.
I am impressed by the reviewer. Clearly a real Star Trek fan. However while my order of the top 4 would differ, mostly I think that Benjamin Sisko should have rated a bit higher.
I would have done Picard, Sisko, Kirk, Janeway (in that order)
@@ThanosXv I probably would have done the same. Picard will always be number one for me but DS9 was probably the show I like more overall. And Sisko was a great captain in that.
I feel Sisko to be a better captain than Janeway, but that's my opinion.
And Enterprise is far more better than what some people tend to say. I really liked that show. But DS9 still remains my favorite Trek.
Snowwie I also liked enterprise I though the series final was great it wasn’t until years later I read about all the hostilely it created😳
I liked all the captains of the main Star Trek TV series. That said, Sisko, Archer and Kirk are my favorites (in no particular order as they all excelled in totally different ways). Picard and Janeway are also good,, but not in my personal top 3. But that's just me..
I've always ranked the Captains as followed: 1A and 1B-Sisko and Archer, 3-Kirk, 4-Picard, 5-Movie Kirk, 6-Kelvin Kirk, 7-Janeway, and everyone else.
Archer will always be my favorite captain, and I actually liked the theme everyone always hates on!
Yes it changed about the 3rd season? I found it an amusing ditty.
@@fredkelly6953 I love the Enterprise Theme :-)
What makes Picard my number one is his sheer integrity. He shows the difference between principles and values. A principle is meerley what you say you value, but a value is what you actually do. It's what drives you and ultimately makes your decisions. A flawed character, but a very hard act to follow.
Agreed. Everyone is flawed and has flaws at the end of the day
I just came for the comments section
Was it good for you?
@@jameskwaka You beat me to it. So to speak.
Captain Kathrine Janeway is my favorite by far
Hmm, Not a Shocker At All, (Lol)
Seriously! Janeway at no3. This is the captain who literally said "there's coffee in that nebula". She then took her ship into said nebula, frakked everything up, and limped out again. That little adventure cost voyager energy that they could ill afford to lose, all so she could have her coffee. And none of this covers the whole I will do anything to return us all home promise, which she repeatedly breaks, and then has the cheek to bring charges against her own crew (including Tuvok) when they try to follow thru on everyones desire (including her own) of getting home.
THANK YOU. Janeway is definitely not top five material, might put her around seventh?
I think Janeway should go before Kirk. Also give Archer some love!
Janeway is my favourite of the bunch, or at least the same tier as Picard, but I don't think you can put her ahead of Picard or Kirk because of what they did for the franchise. I really liked season 1 Kirk, but season 2 and 3 Kirk was unbearable. Season 2 and 3 Kirk might even be my least favourite of the 5 main captains, except maybe season 4-7 Sisko - not so much the fault of the acting (as it was with Shatner in 2 and 3 TOS), but the mid to late series writing for his character was atrocious.
Archer should be higher, else is OK
That and Sisko above Janeway
Picard...can’t even believe it’s up for discussion
Both Sisko and the Discovery version of Pike deserved to be rated higher than Janeway. She was too inconsistent as a character, you never knew just how schizophrenic Janeway was going to be from episode to episode.
Discovery version of any captain should be the buttom stumped on together with any jar jar movie captains they should all die and disapear, together with CBS B license lets get back to the A License and prober star trek.
@James sevensix nothing under b license aka kelvin timeline is trek or should be considered trek or canon
@@Wipeout186 its all canon but since its in a different timeline it has no bearing over the universe the rest of the shows/movies are set in. so its like. its canon, technically, but it literally doesnt matter and i Dont Care
@@redcoded4430 the b license and with it kelvin timeline is not canon in anyway. Plus std is set before kelvin happen which means everything it does damage the a license and prime timeline canon is ruined. As I said anything under b license can't and shouldn't be canon as CBS demand
STD is great. Y'all need to chill.
Don’t have to watch the video to know that Kirk is the G.O.A.T. !!
I can buy it. I love Sisko but once you hit those 90's Trek series, you are basically splitting hairs to figure out who is better.
I kind of think you completely misunderstood the complexities of Captain Archer.
ModerusPrime almost unsubbed over it.
Thanks for putting my queen at #3.
People dont give Janeway enough Credit
@@TyMarshall007 You're right ! And I'm also sad that Archer is so underrated ...
Sisko should be higher on this list. What he accomplished during his tenure in command were no less than amazing.
People are a little unfair with Janeway. She made more first contacts than any other captain alive at the time and more than treaty's etc than some ambassadors. She had enough information in voyagers databanks to keep the starfleet busy for decades. Including new types of life the starfleet did not even knew existed IE the dinosaurs and the aliens from the realm of light. She never had more than a day or two off in seven years and had to be spiritual leader/captain/mother to a crew of 170. she had a pretty rough gig
Dean Motterhsead yeah she did more than any other captain under tougher conditions with no real let up ( except that time when Chakotay were stock on a planet camping for a few weeks ) .
As far as capability goes she has to be number 1 .
If course Picard and Kirk win popularity contests but if i was needing to travel through space I'd choose Janeway to get me where i needed to go.
@@drbosommd Yes I have thought before that if I had a choice of what starship to serve on I would likely pick Voyager for the smaller more family feeling of the ship. I did think about that time that Janeway and Chakotay had the virus when they had to stay on that planet. But I think they had some communications device that allowed the ship to relay messages even if audio-only and some time delay for some of the time. Hardly what I would call proper time off either.
A) It takes a brave man to wander into this minefield.
B) nice list. I think Janeway is generally under-rated. I think you present very convincing arguments.
But lacks follow through. Returning from being lost is admirable, but Sisko defended and fought at another level. Captan and Commander of a crucial port. His star ship was serious too. Just saying.
@@organizationalcoaches7072 I think one can make a strong argument in Sisko's favour and I would not say you were objectively wrong.
It's all a matter of personal preference.
Nor would I claim to have sufficient mastery of the source material that my word be accepted as law.
There was never any question that Picard would be number 1 in this list, but i do think original star trek Kirk should be below Janeway, and maybe even Sisko. How many hundreds of red shirts died while he was captain? xD
Btw that is the single best reason for Piccard as #1. Wore the red shirt for years and lived to tell the tale.
Only 25 redshirts died in the original series. Not as bad as we all thought.
Very hard to choose a ranking order because they’re all great, in different ways, under different circumstances. It’s just as difficult to name my favourite series! I love all of them, despite the odd error here and there and I reckon each series has it’s own strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think ranking all the series is fair because the series are all very different from one another. I absolutely agree with your #1 pick for captain. I believe he far outshines all the others however, I would’ve put Janeway ahead of the Kirks due to her strength of character, especially considering the very extraordinary circumstances. Hey, continue doing a GREAT job dude. Us Trekkie’s love all the diverse insight and perspectives from people such as yourself and you do it so very well! Thank you so much for taking the time to feed our very hungry curiosities about everything Star Trek. Live long and prosper, the force is with you ✌️
You forgot about Captain Morgan, Crunch, and Sparrow.
😂😂😂😂
Cute
😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
Agree with the number 1 spot. Picard is my favorite captain. :-)
It’s a personal thing really. It’s not really a right or wrong.
Kirk will always be number one to me cos as a kid of the 80s it was all about Wrath Of Khan and the original Tv Show.
Then I’d say it’s a equal between Picard and Janeway. I personally loved Voyager though many didn’t.
After that it’s just anything for me. I loved Chris Pine to be honest but in terms of the actual shows I don’t see anyone any better or worse than each other with the exception of the NEW stuff which is dead to me.
Pike from discovery. That guy needs his own series.
They said at a convention that they are thinking about giving him his own series
I think archer deserves be much higher. Biggest difference between him and other they had starfleet back them up...archer on other hand basically on his own.
I like sisko better but I can kind see logic bc sisko had much more experience crew and had starfleet backing him up. Janeway had one solid officer tuvok..with very tough situation.
Picard grew up on a quaint little French vineyard, squishing grapes with his toes, while Kirk slung bales of wheat and hay in Iowa to put himself through school. Kirk fought a Greek god and won.
And let's not forget when Picard was ASSIMILATED and became Locutus he was responsible for the death of gazillions!
Spock was enterprise captain in the wrath of khan, kirk was admiral
i change the question a little bit? Which captain would You like work under command? My answer is Chris Pike. He helps his crew to improve themselves and even sacrifices his life for them.
Sisko, technicallly is not a star trek ship commander. He is a warrior leader. but i would challenge every danger and fight under his command.
Janeway: if anyone's going to kill her crew, it's going to be her.
Jokes aside, Kirk should be up there but not for the reasons outlined in the video. He's a much deeper character with strong ethics and not just the gun-ho bed-all-the-chicks guy that pop culture (and JJ Abrams) thinks he is. I'm willing to bet that if you actually counted through all the movies and series that Picard has actually bedded more women than Kirk.
Picard had the benefit of more seasons to do more bedding, but yeah, Kirk is surprisingly deep in quite a few episodes. In one of the original pilot episodes, they say Kirk used to be a nervous bookworm before his friend Gary Mitchel turned him around
Well, that's just from what we've seen, right? I believe what they could get away with showing in the 90s was more than what they could get away with in the 60s.
This statement exactly.
@@LickMyRainbow77 I would also add that just as Picard had his blindspot (the Borg), Kirk had his (the Klingons and the death of his son). And both had complex character arcs dealing with those blind spots. I would personally say that I preferred the Kirk arc in terms of character development, but that is a tough call.
There irony is, the top four at one time or another almost all sacrificed their crews at least once. Sisko, well the war (then offed a Romulan Senator for good measure), Picard almost blew up the Enterprise at least 3 times got a new ship then almost blew that one up, Kirk...he did blow up his ship, and Janeway wipped out a timeline of her crew just to "save" it.
WhatCulture: My favorite captains are: #1 Jean-Luc Picard. #2 Benjamin Sisko. #3 Kathryn Janeway. #4 Captain Sulu.
This is my ranking...1. William Shatner’s James T. Kirk. 2. Patrick Stewart.’s Jean Picard And 3. Kate Mulgrew.’s Kathryn Janeway!!!!
Anne Cohen Janeway over Sisko? Ehh
Janeway is an inconsistent and kinda hypocritical character but I blame the writers. So I Still prefer sisko.
captain kirk had arguably the best instinct and that alone is what will keep you alive when the crap hits the fan in space
7:44 - It's good to see Katherine Janeway get the high rating she deserves!
9:35 - "Picard might be more by-the-book, but he's also the guy who re-wrote the book!" Magnificent!
???
@@dantsem2640 What confuses you about the above comment?
Janeway deserves #2 over Kirk. He’s too impulsive and she was calculating. But that’s also due to the release time periods and maturation of the ST universe.
@@bent404 Completely agree. Janeway was a far better captain than Kirk, although I love him immensely too.
@@bent404 Frankly Janeway is too high. It was her fault her crew got stuck in the Delta Quadrant to begin with.
Did you guys know Shatner was on a show once and sheepishly admitted he didn't know what the "T" in James T. Kirk stood for?
Archer 7 no way all the other captains after stood on the shoulders of his work no archer no federation and he did it in a time when they was out match and under gunned I'm not saying he is the best but to low ball him like that is nonsense as for him not being ruthless he stole a warp coil and stranded another ship and de-pressurised a air lock with a captive pirate in to complete his mission
A couple commentators here have noted that Picard doesn't really compare as a military commander to Sisko or Janeway. It's worth noting, though, that Picard talked his way out of more potential battles than all the other captains combined. Considering the Enterprise D was also the home of many of the personnel's families, that seems a lot more important than how many Cardassian or Borg ships he got to blow up.
Janeway is likable because Kate Mulgrew did a phenomenal job making her likable. She was afflicted with the same inconsistent writing that the rest of Voyager got. In one episode, she would be the supreme military commander who could blow up a Borg cube just by telling Tuvok to rotate the phaser frequencies and making Paris use fancy flight patterns; in another, she would be the desperate space mom who got swindled hard while trying to care for her surrogate family.
I have mixed feelings on Sisko. He had to wear a lot of hats all at once, but he always came off as really stiff.
The 25% difference rule is nonsense. How would they even calculate that!
With Vulcan logic?
Easy; out of every 100 similarity units, there needs to be at least 25 difference units to balance them out.
Agreed!! Every difference would create an undetermined amount of different situations!! Who came up with that number anyway??? Never heard of it until now.
@@DD-eight From my understanding, the 25% it was for copyrights and legal purposes. They had to make it at least 25% different than the prime timeline in order to make the movie. Everything Kelvin sux anyways.
I love all the five OG captains, but Sisko is THE MAN.
I was watching this and thinking... “If Captain Tilly is on there...”
Here is my understanding of the main captains:
Archer was human, new to space and showed the learning that was needed for humanity to find their place in the universe.
Kirk was kind, responsible, and trying to be a role model in the new era of space exploration.
Picard was seasoned, a diplomat and peacemaker focused on preventing war and conflict from the borg and future threats.
Sisko was a wayman, a soldier and father that decided to focus on one area, and in turn, played a vital role in preventing the fall of the federation from outside threats.
Janeway was a protector. Trying to lead her family home through unknown, and never before seen odds. She was a throwback to Archer and the struggles and triumphs humanity faces when facing new stuations.
This was a good ranking, but I can't fathom trying to rank these captains, for they were all different and unique. All set and written for different eras, not meant to be necessarily what everyone wanted them to be as characters, but what the needed to be for the time they were written. And that is why I love Star trek so much.
Interesting list. We’ve had some great captains. Sisko for the win for me. Shouldn’t there be three pikes on this list? TOS/Kelvin/Discovery? 25% different timelines and all 👍.
TOS and Discovery are the same timeline and therefore the same Pike
@@coreymicallef365 True alas. In a way both spin-offs (Kelvin and Discovery) attempt to flesh out a fascinating character that we only got glimpses of in TOS (and never again referred to in canon alas; though wasn't there a ship named after him at one point even if not in canon?). I was always intrigued by the Pike we met in the Menagerie and Cage. A thoughtful, passionate captain who cared deeply for his crew and was very clear-headed, brave, and resourceful. I love the crippled Pike we see as well. Even when against his own best interests, he votes against Spock -- I'm assuming because it's his duty. And let's not forget how he got that way: saving the lives of others. The glimpse we get is of a captain (and Hunter played the role brilliantly) that is every bit as outstanding as Kirk, Picard, Sisko or Janeway. I get the same impression about Captain Rachel Garrett of Enterprise-C. Again, another amazing captain that we only get a taste of. But the real question: What about Captain April? :)
@Jim Barrows a murderer? Oh please, he observed all the laws of war to the letter, and his actions were a proportionate response to earlier hostile actions. He stopped a genocide before it started.
@@coreymicallef365 Quick question. I'm just refreshing my memory re-watching the video and Wesley Crusher is stated as being given the position of acting captain. When did this occur? I remember the episode where he takes over engineering and declares himself acting captain, but that's not an official appointment. Was there another time Wes took over?
@@philiptite1082 I have no clue, my memory of TNG is fairly spotty, especially with the early seasons. Google was no help either, maybe have a look through the wiki.
The light saber sound at the beginning is a nice touch.
25% digs and bashing “Faith of the Heart”? Come on, we’re all better than this.
Brannon Braga couldn't stand the theme. He wanted to use the U2 song "It's a Beautiful Day," but didn't want any royalty issues. I actually find the theme uplifting and optimistic. Good one for a group of explorers on an untested prototype ship.
25% digs are totally valid, its contractually not real Star Trek, the fact that STD also inverts the spirit of Star Trek... ugh. As for "Faith of the Heart", it's worthy to be mentioned how this was not a fully appreciated theme, and while I found it inspirational, it was also, annoying, and they made it worse one they sped it up.
That song nearly ruined the series. The worst.
That's what you have to say about SIsko? Have you even seen Deep Space Nine?
1 - Benjamin Sisko. I have spoken !
1. Sisko
2. Picard
3. Kirk
4. Discovery's Pike
5. Jellico
6. Garret
7. Harriman
8. Archer
9. Janeway
I like your justifications for the ranking I however rank Cisco higher around 2nd place