Who is the worst main captain in Star Trek history?
As a seasoned Star Trek enthusiast with a lifetime of adventures spent among the stars, I must say that the debate about the best captain is as eternal as the universe itself. However, there exists one captain whose journey, to put it mildly, has been less than smooth – Michael Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery.
Leading a Star Trek series is a significant distinction, often assigned to the individual portraying the captain or the one in command of the spaceship. Alternatively, they might ascend to the role of captain after serving as a commander initially. These characters are the ones we typically consider as main leads when we envision the heroes who take center stage.
Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a trend in Star Trek series that deviates from the traditional format – the absence of a clear-cut captain or leading figure at the beginning of shows like Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, and Prodigy. Although some might argue that Benjamin Sisko in Deep Space Nine wasn’t technically a captain, he was still the one who commanded respect and held authority among his crew.
In the initial stages of their respective series, Michael Burnham, Beckett Mariner, and Dal R’El do not hold positions of authority. This is similar to Jean-Luc Picard at the beginning of his show, who also wasn’t in a position of power initially. However, Michael later assumes a leadership role, while Picard reclaims a familiar powerful position. As for Mariner and Dal, they are yet to reach the point where others have.
10 primary television franchises exist, but only seven of them feature a distinct main character: James T. Kirk in the Original Series, Jean-Luc Picard in The Next Generation and Picard, Benjamin Sisko in Deep Space Nine, Kathryn Janeway in Voyager and Prodigy, Jonathan Archer in Enterprise, Michael Burnham in Discovery, and Christopher Pike in Strange New Worlds.
It’s a tight list, and trying to figure out which one is the best and which one is the worst is a hard task. One that ScreenRant took upon themselves and in our opinion, did a mixed job of evaluating. They had, from worst to best; Archer, Burnham, Pike, Sisko, Kirk, Janeway, and Picard.
It’s essential to note that the standards we use to evaluate the captains will differ from yours. On most days, you could argue convincingly for any of these captains to be ranked anywhere between sixth-best and first-best. However, one thing we can’t do is rank Burnham lower than the others. It’s an absolute no-go.
Although Sonequa Martin-Green delivers an exceptional performance, her character Michael Burnham’s actions have been hard to endure. Forcing her into situations with Spock and his kin, having her lead a mutiny, causing the death of a captain, and inciting a war with the Klingons…it’s difficult to overlook these elements.
They seemed to overemphasize her significance in the Star Trek franchise’s timeline for unknown reasons, rather than allowing her to carve out her unique identity within the universe like other Star Trek captains were allowed to do. Initially, she was developed with limited personality, and it wasn’t until they ventured into the far future, away from the storylines that constrained her development, that she began to showcase her character more distinctly.
In my viewpoint as an ardent fan, she significantly improved, even excelled compared to others. Yet, it seemed peculiar that none of the other captains needed such a dramatic enhancement. Somehow, they all remained fairly consistent, with only minor deviations here and there. However, Burnham’s character transformation was the most profound, spanning from the initial episode to the finale. Unfortunately, this growth was overshadowed by an excess of unnecessary plot twists, making it challenging to endure two complete seasons of a Star Trek series.
Regardless of our ongoing discussions about which captain is the best, there’s no question that there’s a clear consensus on who the least effective one is.
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2024-11-28 05:23