(Originally written: February 6, 2011) Well I've had this blog for quite a while now and I just realized that I haven't had a single post about Star Trek yet! What the heck is wrong with me?! If you weren't aware Reader, I am in fact a Trekkie. I enjoy Star Trek quite a bit and I have many opinions regarding its contents, characters, themes, etc. I've decided for my first rant regarding this timeless classic, I'd discuss the four captains whom I have come to know quite well. As for Commander Sisco, I'm sorry. I have not had the chance to watch much of DS9 so I am not well enough informed to make a fair judgement. The other four are fair game though! ;)
I will start with Kirk from TOS because he was the one who started it all. I loved Kirk in the show and I love the way he inspired so many people. Kirk was the first captain to be shown in the Star Trek franchise and I believe he held that role quite well. He was always in control, he knew how to handle himself in every situation and he was indeed quite the lady's man. It seemed that almost every new planet they encountered, Kirk would find himself a beautiful new alien of the week to try and court. He was never afraid to go on the away missions; in fact he went on nearly all of them. This impressed me and yet bothered me at the same time. Yes, in most situations he was indeed qualified to go on these missions and probably was the best one to solve the problems but he was the captain of the flagship. Should he really have been putting himself in danger so frequently? Probably not. He cared greatly for his crew and he seemed to be very personable. I think if I were on a starship, these would be qualities in a captain that would make your experience more enjoyable. That being said, even though he was easy going and almost carefree in his mannerisms, he still got the job done.
Years later (aka the 80's {side bar, what an awesome decade, I wish I could've experienced it first hand}), TNG debuted and took the world by storm. Years later from then (aka 2009), I discovered Captain Picard and he managed to take me by storm. Say what you will about the fact that he was supposed to be a French captain but he was played by an English man, I don't care. I'll take my British/French captain any day. Picard gave us seven seasons of awesomeness and there's nothing more to be said. Just kidding. His poise and self control were definitely his defining features as well as his love for "tea, earl grey, hot" and his hatred of children. Although Picard was definitely not a lady's man, he still held his own. He remained cool in every situation (aka was abducted by the Borg, returned to his ship and was back at work the next day {no big deal or anything}), he had the respect of all of his crew and he was a great diplomat. He rarely went on away missions which in my opinion makes a whole lot more sense. The captain of the flagship should not be risking his life on every single away mission. Only on the truly important missions would we see Picard going along with the team. The best part about Picard was that he would bend the rules when it was necessary and would always have a good reason for doing so. He was without a doubt, one of a kind.
So we arrive at Captain Janeway, the only female captain to have her own show, Voyager. There are so many opinions out there about Janeway and the way she behaves throughout her series. I would just like to say right now that I absolutely loved her and the way she handled the daunting mission of getting her crew home from the Delta Quadrant. Many fans of Trek will comment about her obsession with the Prime Directive and how if she could've bent the rules just a smidge, they wouldn't have been in their situation in the first place. Fair enough. I will admit that Janeway does take it too far with the Prime Directive at times. That being said I do believe that she did everything in her power to get her crew home. She was just as hopeful as the crew each time there was a new opportunity to get them closer to their goal. What I liked the most about Janeway was her directness. She didn't take crap from anybody but at the same time she had softer side. There would be episodes showing her true emotions and just how much stress she was actually under. She got along fairly well with her crew (in my opinion) and she was strong-headed enough to get things done (even when others didn't have the strength to do them). I don't care what other people might say. I'd like to see what they would do if they were stranded 70 000 light years from Earth with Neelix on board their ship.
Last and certainly least, we come to Captain Archer. Enterprise in itself was not the greatest contribution to the Star Trek franchise but then again I did find myself enjoying quite a few of the episodes. Archer is an idiot. Plain and simple. His persona is just so strange for a starship captain. He's so childish in his actions and the way he presented himself to new alien races. I always remember the episode where he insisted on bringing his dog down to a planet with him when he was making first contact. His dog peed on a sacred tree and Archer REFUSED to apologize to the alien culture. The aliens were of course angry at him and did not wish to continue relations. The whole episode shows Archer's crew trying to convince him to apologize and he simply refuses. What a childish and immature attitude for a starship captain to have. In my opinion, Archer was the biggest let down of all the senior officers throughout the series (and yes I'm including Harry Kim, Wesley Crusher and Chakotay). Enough said.
I don't think I'd be able to choose a favourite captain. I always tell people how much I love and respect Janeway but she couldn't trump Picard or Kirk (I know some people are going "NOT EVEN CLOSE" as they read this). Anywho, there's my geeky post for the month! :)
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