As a fan of Star Trek since it’s resurgence at the end of the 1970s (old as we are, even EIC Stephen and I were born after the show went off the air, albeit very shortly after), I’ve had many a conversation arguing the old metric of “Kirk Vs. Picard.” Things got even more complicated when we started to factor in the stone-cold awesome of Benjamin Sisko, the steely resolve of Kathryn Janeway and that one show where Sam Beckett leaped into the body of Jonathan Archer at the dawn of the Federation. (If you think I’m being facetious or flippant, think about the number of time-travel plots and paradoxes that show created and/or resolved, then tell me I’m crazy.) It’s the kind of thing that can start a lively nerd-fueled debate, which leads us to today’s final frontier query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) is even willing to allow third-party and expanded-universe Captains because, hey, it’s all made up and the points don’t matter, asking: Which Starfleet captain would you MOST want commanding the Enterprise,were you on-board?
8 Comments
Picard. Kirk always seemed really impulsive and taking risks all the time while Picard was much more calculating. I would probably be normal red shirt, so I feel I’d have much better chances of surviving with Jean Luc on helm.
Does Voyager;s EMH with his command subroutines activated count? Otherwise, from canon sources, I’ll go with Captain Sulu.
From officially licensed but ambiguously canon sources, I’d take post “Generations” Kirk as he was in the novels co-written by Shatner. He seems more mature than he ever did in any of the shows or movies. He was still very much Kirk, just a little more competent rather than just being lucky.
From non-canon, I’d have to go with Alizha, my Orion from Star Trek Online (made with the “alien” base since the actual Orion species is only available on the Klingon side). I can’t speak for her actual qualifications, but she has pigtails and the Mirror Universe style uniform, so at least she (and the rest of her all female crew) would be pleasing to look at while we got blown to bits in battle.
Commander EMH will count, as this is the QOTD…
A vote for Picard !Most likely to get out of a bad situation without a fight.
Kirk a very close second as for its time was ,well ahead of its time!That and he always reminds me of my Dad.
Kirk: He is a seasoned warrior, fearless explorer and a genius in his own right. Youngest person to become a Starfleet captain and often displayed the ability to take over for anyone except McCoy in a pinch.
His ship is not as nice or comfortable as any other ship other than Archers. Practical and truly meant for bare bones exploration with terrors lurking everywhere.
Picard
The only red shirts on Kirk’s crew to constantly survive and I believe it’s due to several points of not being expendable, Scotty being the master engineer on the Enterprise rarely left the ship, and Uhara if she ever when down there was either one or two red shirts on the away team who buy the farm for her or Kirk and/or Spock would save her from the red shirt curse..
It’s how you want the risk;
Archer would be the first exploration and the wild west of space, much more risk but the reward can’t be measured
Kirk more so the cold war with the Klingons and Romulans, Problems with issues from the past (Khan), exploring further into space encountering complex situations like the city on the edge of forever. Wyatt Earp, the Gorn, the Plutarkians with telekinesis
Picard: Peace with the Klingons, uneasy truce with Romulans however with further exploration of Space brings in new threats Borg & Q
Janeway: Lost in Space I’m going to drop that
DS9: ? cause my memory is more faulty on that series
Up side of Picard’s Enterprise is the Holodeck. quarters are more comfortable down side in the Cantina with Woopi Goldberg, alcohol is synthetic.
Picard is a chess player planing his moves carefully using wisdom
Kirk is the risk taker the gambler only losing so much till he figures out the other player
Archer would be the cowboy sometimes all or none gambits that would most times get the crew & ship out of trouble
Tough part is all of them take the information from those under their command before moving on a specific decision, most of the time depending on the situation danger level and the speed of the answer needed and each had a modicum of self reliance from experience or from history if they are on their own…
I’d have to give the information to Commander Data to process lol
Shipwise I’d say Picard technology advancement
Exploring Kirk/ cause sometimes too cautious can comeback to bite you Licutus the Borg
Also Kirk was little more relaxed in the command chair, while Picard’s command was more as a command structure much more Navy-like
Final would be Picard cause Kirk sometimes was distracted by females some of the green skin variety hard to compete if you’re further down the totem pole lookin’ for love…..
TOS Kirk then TAS Kirk.. then end,