Star Trek: Every Captain Ranked Worst To Best (2023)

Taking the age old argument of Kirk versus Picard, to its logical conclusion.
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#StarTrek #Captains #no

[@Sniper361984]

If you want to stop a war, send Picard. If you want to end a war, send Sisko.

[@dellytancyl524]

well said!

[@twizshiz]

Agreed.

[@ajfarr8481]

If you want to start a war send burnam

[@djsynthia694]

If you want to start a war, send Buhrnam

[@edinalewis4704]

If you want someone to commit war crimes, send Sisko.

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

The impressive thing about Janeway is her ability to manifest torpedoes and shuttles out of nothing,

[@thecunninlynguist]

😂 the delta flyers podcast (Tom Paris/Harry Kim actor's going through Voyager episodes) talk about this all the time. They actually counted from S1 how many torpedoes they should have after being stranded and how the show has went over that amount loads of times.

[@stuartwald2395]

Amateurs discuss tactics. Professionals know logistics.

[@simonupton-millard]

That's what industrial replicators are, can replicate everything but the fule and the dylitheum ( I beleve)

[@citizen_wayne]

@@simonupton-millard Dilithium, latinum, and a few other things cant be replicated, yeah.

[@Irishdrivingbloopers]

I doubt Harry Kim would vote for her though lol.

[@SailorDeath]

Kirk's demotion back to captain wasn't a punishment. He was miserable not being able to command a ship making him a captain was most definitely a reward for saving the life of everyone on earth from the probe. He said it himself, "Don't let them take you out of that chair, once you lose it you never get it back."

[@kennyhagan5781]

Agreed, that's exactly how I read it too. The man was made for exploration, putting him behind a desk was a grave mistake.

[@TubbysExplorationsYT]

Hear hear!

[@cryofpaine]

It was both. He stole a starship. Starfleet couldn't let that go. They needed to punish him on paper. But he also saved Earth, so they couldn't just imprison or discharge him. This was a way to give him something he wanted, but still "punish" him.

[@ericmadsen7470]

The top 6 greatest Starfleet captains of all time are IMO are 1.James T Kirk. 2. Jean-Luc Picard. 3 Benjamin Sisko. 4. Katheryn Janeway. 5. Christopher Pike. 6.Jonathan Archer w/ an honorable mention Robert April. Now there's not a lot of history about Robert April but who really cares.

[@rutgersplague4595]

Don't let them promote you. don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you're there you can make a difference

[@andromeda5414]

In reality Janeway is the most accomplished on this list. She svaed the galaxy from galactic genocide at the hands of 8472, she made more first contacts than any other Captain since Kirk, explored the Delta Quadrant successfully and tunred a 75 year trip into a 7 year one, was then promoted to Admiral, she's stated as one of the most decorated officers in all Starfleet history and is a very esteemed Admiral. Her captaincy of Voyager was so legendary that Starfleet has carried the name Voyager forward for over 800 years. She's remembered all the way in the 32nd century with a starship having been named in her honor. She's a Starfleet legend whose name literally went down in history and is remembered centuries later.

[@MalloonTarka]

If only they could have shown us why she might be deserving of those honours more often.

[@andromeda5414]

@@MalloonTarka I already listed some...

[@zillagrilla315]

I watched a few episodes and looked over the scripts of Voyager. My opinion on Janeway is not good. She killed the Ocampas (under the caretaker's protection). She destroyed the technology that allowed the Ocampas to be safe, but that destroyed their way of life. She left them to die instead of taking a few months to help them get back on their feet. Chose to antagonize the two Ferengi who were exploiting a pre-warp civilization. Due to her actions, the two Ferengi enter the wormhole that was a one-way trip back home. The worst thing about that episode was that the Ferengi weren't doing anything bad. Started a Q-civil war, which caused countless supernovas. Which probably killed a lot of innocent civilians. Admiral Janeway literally broke the most important rule in the Temporal Directive. Don't willing time travel! All for what to get a 'better' future where things were already good? Finally, the thing that pisses me off is that she never promotes Kim! I'll admit that most of Janeway's flaws came down to the writing of her character and the show in general. But if you look at her actions from an outside and objectionable manner she is not a good captain.

[@andromeda5414]

@@zillagrilla315 This may be a result of you not looking closely enough at the scripts or not having the appropriate context but this is inaccurate. She didn't kill the Ocampa. The Caretaker was dying and soon wouldn't be able to take care of the Ocampa. Once dead, the Kazon could have then turned the device on the Ocampa or used its advanced technology to commit a number of atrocities. It had to be destroyed. Also, once the Caretaker knew he was dying, he supplied the Ocampa with enough energy reserves to last 5 years. They were set for a good while. Voyager staying would have been moot, and waiting around for five years would have been untenable. It wasn't Voyager's responsibility to care for this entire civilization as even the Caretaker himself realized because it was making them dependent on him instead of standing on their own two feet as a civilization. The Ferengi were absolutely doing something wrong. They were manipulating the inhabitants of that planet into believing they were holy figures and furthermore they kept the people in abject poverty while living in luxury. They were destabilizing this society, and we're downright mistreating these people and Janeway rightfully stopped them. Further the Federation was partially responsible for the situation and as such rightly rectified the situation. She didn't start the Q civil war. The war was about the differing ideologies between those who believed in Quinn's teachings and those who promoted the status quo. Before Quinn killed himself, Janeway heard his request for asylum. As a Starfleet captain she was required to hear his case and see if it warranted asylum which his case did and therefore she granted it. The future Admiral Janeway is not the same character we're discussing. She was the Janeway of an alternate timeline. Further, some of Starfleet's most legendary officers have violated the temporal prime directive or even the most prominent of Starfleet's directives, the Prime Directive. Starfleet's cardinal protocol. Literally referred to as General Order 1. If breaking either of those directives makes one a bad Captain then most of Starfleet's most well regarded officers are bad Captains as well. Picard, Kirk, Sisko. Heck Picard violated the prime directive over 9 times by the time of season 4. So no, in the final analysis, she objectively isn't a bad Captain by any stretch of the imagination. She is one of the most decorated officers in all Starfleet history and for good reason. I'd suggest taking a closer look at Voyager.

[@QuinnJACKSON-zx1dx]

Janeway was boring.

[@deaks25]

For me, Picard and Sisko are very different captains for very different periods. Picard was the perfect captain for the Golden Era of peace; a diplomat and explorer who knew when to stand his ground, when to placate but also when to fight. Sisko is a captain of war; he will make those hard choices and sacrifices, he will perform necessary evils to ensure the survival of the entire quadrant without hesitation and he will motivate those around him to fight to the bitter end, but never lost his ability to care about people and knew when it was time to make the peace he fought for. I agree Sisko getting the No.1 spot because he did make those sacrifices that literally saved the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion.

[@MarcioJPDias]

A very good point.

[@smthgsmthg1504]

A really good way to put it!

[@roydowling2542]

Sisko and his arrogance was the reason the Alpha quadrant went to war. When they first encountered the Dominion they were told not to enter Dominion territory. Would Sisko accept that? No he wouldn't. Then when the Dominion aligned with the Cardasions and sent ships to the alpha quadrant sisko got butt hurt because he didn't want them there so he mined the wormhole. So in other words sisko wouldn't be told he couldn't go somewhere but was happy to tell others they couldn't come here so to speak

[@djmilkdudgbdad2669]

I think Kirk was a little low considering the amount of times he saved the Earth and ended the facilitated the ending of the war. While he violated Star Fleet regulations the means never outweighed the ends in those situations.

[@Sephiroth144]

Did he facilitate the ending of a war? Sure, he helped facilitate the Khitomer Accords (or at least prevented someone else from screwing them up), but the Klingons and Federation weren't at war (just unfriendly neighbors) at that point.

[@paulrasmussen8953]

And some of those temporal incidents were apporoved by starfleet so can't count

[@Sephiroth144]

@@paulrasmussen8953 Approved, or accepted? Like, did they give him a thumbs up or shrug because trying to change the changes can lead to further changes...? (Outside, perhaps, of the Humpback Whale rescue- though I have this feeling Scotty got a special talking to.)

[@paulrasmussen8953]

@@Sephiroth144 approved. The gary seven event was done by order of starfleet

[@Sephiroth144]

@@paulrasmussen8953 And that is mentioned where? (Let alone the 15 other (known) temporal violation "approvals"?) Seriously seems weird the Time Cops thought he was a menace if every( time )thing he did was given a Seal of Approval.

[@Pepitobenito]

Nice to see Archer get a little love, I feel he gets the short end of the stick from most folks that simply gave up on Enterprise too early.

[@Kooster69]

A lot of dislike for ST:Enterprise should go to Paramount. Paramount didn't trust the initial direction of the series, which was to spend a year on Earth, while the NX-01 was upgraded after the Kronos mission. I found it silly that Paramount mandated that the NX-01 go out into space...when the NX-01 wasn't fully equipped to handle what was out there in space. Paramount sending the NX-01 into space is even sillier than the joke about the Enterprise-B not equipped with a tractor beam.

[@Fitz_42]

Archer would have been my #1.

[@Tha_Trigga]

@@Fitz_42 I don't think he's the best but I believe he's the most important to the mythology of Star Trek

[@ApforThat]

Id love to see a list of all the non main captains we meet in star trek (Ransom, Maxwell...Riker...etc)

[@drewf41]

I'd like a series of Short Treks for them. Especially Bateson.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@drewf41 Master?

[@DMSProduktions]

Ransom was NOT a 'captain'!

[@justarandomgothamite5466]

​@@DMSProduktionsWhat? Rudy Ransom was the Captain of the USS Equinox.

[@drewf41]

@@DMSProduktions ??

[@terrencecomella4337]

I'm loving SNW's Pike. He's a brilliant, generous captain who's accepted his own tragic fate with astonishing aplomb. Once we get a few more seasons of his excellence he'll easily be in the top 3. Pike, Sisko and Picard are as tightly packed as a neutron star. But it's still Sisko #1 by a Planck length.

[@paulrasmussen8953]

Is only issue is the universe he is in

[@raptango_na6199]

Im not into Pike. He's more like a ship's counselor that a Captain

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

I wish Riker was included in this list. Hopefully in Star Trek Legacy will see the captaincy of Seven of Nine, so she'll be included in future list.

[@Fitz_42]

Worf was also promoted to the Rank of Captain, but he probably would have been low on the ranking since he lost the Enterprise E ( I know, It’s not his fault).

[@mikeneil798]

Captain James T Kirk was the James Bond of Star Trek. He saved the world countless times BUT still made time for all the Women. How he doesn't have like 10 kids of various species is mind blowing lol

[@TheHumbleWordsmith]

I joke with my friends that half the member-worlds of the Federation only joined because of the overly-complicated child-support laws and their princesses needing support from Kirk.

[@williamskatespeare9461]

There is a great fake law firm commercial going around where they are soliciting women for paternity suits against Kirk.

[@Kooster69]

There's really only one answer for that: Kirk got himself fixed before taking command of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

[@Blodhelm]

He probably did, there's nothing that says his only kid was the one from Wrath of Khan.

[@williamskatespeare9461]

@@Kooster69 The space-snip!

[@danielking5812]

Of all the Captains, the only one I’d want to serve under is Archer. Because if you got in a sticky situation, Archer would first save you, then have your back.

[@briantucker5322]

You are talking about "Decontamination Gel".. right?

[@dellytancyl524]

actually, I think Sisko and Rios would also come through much like Archer.

[@Steve-wo7gt]

Pike would be my choice. Too few bosses are like him.

[@francescosaporiti1431]

Given how Archer was forced to deal with most situation without the backing of a strong Federation on his back, forcing him to de-facto set the standard for everyone who came after him, even when he came to deal with the Xindi war...Archer is also defnitely my choice, the man wasn't the best, but it was perfect for his era, the man needed when push had to be taken and horizons to explore

[@TheHumbleWordsmith]

I mean, Pike and Archer are definitely better if you want to like your job. If you want your employment not to be fatal, Janeway 100%. Pike's Gorn episodes and possible future with the Romulans lost more than 7yrs with Janeway in the Delta Quadrant. Archer lost more crew in one season against the Xindi than Janeway did crossing dozens of hostile species' space (including the Borg and 8472).

[@davidsharp9166]

The top two captains also had Miles O'Brien, the most significant man in star fleet history to Aid them.

[@Blodhelm]

Damn straight, he invented a transporter that is also a time machine, got DS9 in front of the wormhole without ripping itself apart, oversaw the defense upgrades of DS9 and mined the wormhole, preventing Dominion reinforcements until Sisco could make a deal with the Prophets. A bigger contribution to history than even the Boimler Effect itself.

[@mattf9096]

So good to see Sisko get credit he deserves! He is my favorite captain.

[@Sephiroth144]

My answer to the old question, "Who's the better captain, Kirk or Picard?" I would always answer Sisko.

[@jaybeeeasy]

Sisko is my favorite as well.

[@emptyvoices31]

Same here. His storylines and episodes were awesome. And he is such a great actor. I looked him up to see if he got into anything else but the last twenty years have been scant. I keep hoping maybe he'll turn up on a future spin-off of Picard or maybe he's given some pivotal role in Discovery. He exists out of time so why not?

[@cogthegreat]

Hands down Sisko has and will always be the best of the trek captains!

[@Kooster69]

Sisko had the unique position, out of any other Starfleet captain, that he couldn't run away. Sisko couldn't say mission accomplished, beam up, and then go to another part of space. DS9 was a fixed point in the universe, where Sisko had to constantly hold his ground. Sisko also had the unique task, due to his mandate from Starfleet and being the Emissary, in always trying to do what was best for Bajor. One of the few times Picard was actually challenged to hold his ground was in "All Good Things...". Janeway, due to the uniqueness of Voyager, was always traveling to find a way home. Kirk could always retreat to the Enterprise. Archer had to hold his ground, kind of, with the Xindi that became some very good drama to watch.

[@Andrew-pr9xv]

Lorca is one of my favourite captains, though I preferred him when he was just a soldier suffering from survivor's guilt.

[@canis2020]

I agree. As captain he was just kinda there, as a tragic figure? Wonderful

[@--Animal--]

I keep hoping they'll bring him back as a villain, he's just too good and Jason Isaacs is a huge star trek fan.

[@DJARTiQ]

Agreed. Had they not done the whole evil counterpart imposter BS discovery would have been alot better

[@andyharris4048]

@@--Animal-- I hope they bring the Prime Lorca back in the Section 31 show. Yeoh and Isaacs on the same show was amazing.

[@GSBarlev]

Lorca was inspiring as a leader. He may have been manipulating the crew to his own selfish ends, but he brought out the best in Stamets, Saru, Tilly and especially Burnham, who had pretty much given up on doing anything productive with her life.

[@TheInselaffen]

I think we have seen more than enough of Captain Riker to add to this list.

[@Blodhelm]

Give me warp in the factor of 5, 6, 7, 8!

[@GSBarlev]

Where would you put him on this list? I feel like he combines the tactical brilliance, takes-no-💩 attitude and the loving father nature of The Sisko with the curiosity, diplomacy and wisdom of Picard, so I'd probably slot him in between the two of them.

[@canalesworks1247]

@@GSBarlev Given that we really only have Best of Both Worlds and his activities as a reactivated captain on Picard Season 3 to choose from there is not much in terms of time but many very fine achievements. This biggest flaw in TNG's writing continuity was in NOT giving him a command after he defeated the Borg cube that destroyed th fleet at Wolf 359. That achievement should have given him command of a Galaxy Class Starship. A better choice, one that was most likely limited by budget, would have been to boot Picard upstairs to admiral, give him a fleet to command, and keep Riker as Captain of the Enterpirse. New characters could have been added and the show could have been expanded. As fine as seasons 4 through 7 were Riker's character is unfairly punished by keeping him trapped as first officer. The dude loved Deanna too much for his own good, which was his greatest career flaw. I'd rank as at very least third on this list.

[@JTScottOfficial]

A shame we never saw more of Shaw, because he was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

[@mckayfan]

If I was in starfleet I would want to to serve under a captain who wants to keep their crew safe.

[@c.a.nixiii4650]

Perhaps a Shaw Prequel mini series? They did it with Pike so why not????

[@derekanderson1326]

Shaw is my fav. He is a good capt b/c he has made his decisions on what he has seen. Nobody questions Kirk's hatred for the Klingons.. but Shaw's hatred for the Borg and Locutus is worng.

[@derekanderson1326]

@@c.a.nixiii4650 Would love it!

[@willvgo2950]

despite the fact that he is indeed a dipshit from Chicago

[@rickl6099]

Thanks for the great video. I agree with most of your rankings, though I would rank Archer a few spots lower, I also strongly disagree with your comment that Sisko made a mistake in the Pale Moonlight. It was a brilliant move that probably saved the Federation from defeat.

[@antonnurwald5700]

I think the way he got carried away fighting the Maquis was the bigger problem.

[@dw7704]

Also, they are some missing captains that need to be addressed From TOS (both TV and movies): Especially Captains Spock, Sulu, Terrell, but even Captain Tracy And perhaps most importantly, Captain Dunsell

[@usernamunavailiable]

I just watched that episode the other day..

[@valdar1978]

Don't forget Captain Jellicoe from TNG (Chain of Command). Riker may not have liked him, but he was actually a very good captain. Nowhere near the top, but definitely higher than Burnham, Lorca, and Freeman.

[@dw7704]

@@valdar1978 well sure,if you are adding TNG.

[@adiuntesserande6893]

I would have to list Rachel Garret above any and all of these, and for much the same reason that Pike is ranked so highly. She led the Enterprise-C back into a battle *she knew* would get her killed to prevent the Federation from being darkened by war. She knew she would die, and she didn't even hesitate.

[@artembentsionov]

If going by the books, then Captain Harriman of the E-B is also pretty good. Sure, the only time we see him on screen, he’s inexperienced and commanding a ship that’s not yet ready for… well… anything until Tuesday. But in the books he’s already experienced and even has archenemies like the Romulan Admiral Vokar. He even leads a classified Starfleet Intelligence mission that turns the tide of negotiations and results in the Treaty of Algeron. At some point, he’s forced into retirement and hands command over to Demora Sulu

[@arroberson8796]

James Tiberius is way too fucking low. Trek Culture has truly disappointed me. Pike higher than Kirk. FOH

[@kekkomartin5848]

Technically, she didn't. She was killed before the C returned. It was her first officer who took the Enterprise C back, although he was basically following her final orders.

[@artembentsionov]

@@kekkomartin5848 well, he eats pieces of shit for breakfast, so…

[@cg1704]

YES! I literally watched this vid then put on yesterday's enterprise. Castillo just said "I mean, my enterprise".

[@cryofpaine]

It's a pretty good list. I agree with the bottom ones up through 6. 5) Archer - He doesn't really stand out when compared to the other captains on the list. 4) SIsko - The man attempted genocide to catch one single fugitive. He did a lot of good things, but he was also willing to go way too far. 3) Janeway - She was put into an impossible position, and while she did some things that weren't great, she was able to get her people home safely, with minimal violations of her Starfleet oaths. 2) Picard - I agree with this placement. 1) Pike - This is the captain I would want to serve under. He is the model of what a good captain should be - decisive, clever, smart, but also compassionate, empathetic, and someone who knows how to listen. And the fact that he knows his fate, willingly accepts it, and puts the good of everyone else over his own - that is true strength of character.

[@Donnagata1409]

I agree with this order, especially 3-2-1.

[@camyado]

Janeway technically has the highest survival rate. She needs to be higher on the list

[@Blodhelm]

She lost half her crew in the first episode.

[@TheTimeEngineer]

Sisko is kinda immortal now

[@scruball1375]

Great list, but I see few serious captain omissions - Worf, Beverly Crusher, William Riker, Nog

[@jimhayes2613]

You’re insane. While they were Captains there nothing we hardly know about them as Captains so how can you even rank them??

[@DStrormer]

Not available for consideration (apparently): Riker, Spock, April, Garrett, Harriman, Sulu, and literally every other significant captain in the franchise.

[@jhutfre4855]

Jericho

[@canalesworks1247]

@@jhutfre4855 Jellico was a horrible captain who was given a great crew. He alienated the best pilot on the ship, and then insulted him when he went to ask him to carry out his plan. If Riker were as poor an officer as Jellico and his fans accuse him of being he would have let the insult get in the way. Instead he cleared the air, gave as good as he got and carried out the mission anyway, thus serving starfleet, saving Picard, besting the Cardassians and showing up Jellico in the process.

[@jayfurness6455]

I would have thought Riker would have at least had a mention on this list.

[@JaredlS10]

Guess he's not considered a mainline Captain as he has only been shown onscreen as a Captain four or five times in universe counting BOBW's , ending of Nemesis and randomly popping up in Lower Decks.

[@michellegiacalone1079]

Or Sulu!

[@paulhuhtala4541]

DS9 is undoubtedly my favorite series. Cisco is an unrivaled badass and my FAVORITE captain. However, if you're looking for the BEST STARFLEET captain, you have to give the honor to Picard.

[@remirez2k3]

lets also not forget the only captian to actually go fisticuffs with Q

[@unexpectedbagel6164]

I thought for sure #1 and #2 would’ve been in opposite positions. Great list.

[@rafaelsays175]

Kirk at 7?? The Captain that defined all of Star Trek for decades at 7?? The Sisko, Picard and Kirk for joint first place!

[@mikeneil798]

My guy is SISKO. He Pimp slapped Q, one time and Q was never seen at DS9 since. Once the BORG heard what SISKO did THEY never went to DS9

[@artembentsionov]

They were too busy dealing with one annoying ship that kept stinging them and eventually blew up their shit

[@brookead]

So..... how is Riker not on this list? He was captain of the Titan, we saw him on Lower Decks and Picard. How can you include 2 cartoon characters on this list and not Will!

[@donoakes85]

I think it needs to be taken in to consideration that Janeway had probably the most inexperienced and junior crew, crew that didn’t even get out of Starfleet Academy and crew that had no training at all and it was her first captaincy. I think she did freaking amazingly.

[@batgurrl]

Karhryn Janeway deserves more credit - she NEVER had help from Starfleet (except a few episodes in the final season) had to deal with unknown species and unknown territory, phenomena. More first contacts. Some bad decisions but she rendered The Borg feckless in Endgame and she had to deal with Neelix every day☮️🖖

[@wahn10]

She deserves an extra medal just for not blowing Neelix out of an airlock. 🤣

[@Blodhelm]

Don't forget the Doctor's psychological issues and people second-guessing her every two steps.

[@batgurrl]

@@wahn10 so very true and quite witty

[@batgurrl]

@@Blodhelm that’s true about The Doctor, quite a weight on her shoulders😆😆

[@fancypenguin2092]

​@wahn10 seriously I would've airlocked the space rat sometime around season 2

[@grumpus_hominidae]

LOVE it! Sisko was my vote for best captain, too. Despite Picard's accolades and accomplishments, I agree that Sisko should be number one on this list.

[@michaelmitchell4989]

Way to go, Sean. You put Jonathan Archer high on the list and picked The Sisko as best! 🖖

[@artman2oo3]

What about Captain Rachel Garrett of the Enterprise C? I think she should have been mentioned.

[@bikedad7432]

Kirk is number one for me. He is severely underrated and is the template, sixties writing notwithstanding..

[@Kooster69]

I agree. Picard was deliberately anti-Kirk, at least while Roddenberry was still involved with ST:TNG. There were so many course corrections in Voyager that it's a miracle the show runners didn't ruin Janeway. ST:DS9 changed so much when Sisko was promoted, and when Worf joined. ST:Enterprise, thanks to Paramount, stagnated too much. While a lot of folks like Discovery, introducing Captain Pike great to see.

[@canalesworks1247]

@@Kooster69 Patrick Stewart pushed for Picard to be more physical. Evidently he complain that the problem with Picard early on is that "he doesn't f%^K and he doesn't fight." They fixed that in later seasons. In particular I love the fight he has with Duras' would be assassins. Tough little guy.

[@Kooster69]

@@canalesworks1247 They might have Patrick Stewart regret that, when he had to the Klingon coronation scene. I heard that the Klingon coated weight a ton, and Patrick had to do several takes of that scene.

[@M-E_123]

Kirk got better in the films. Picard got worse, before jumping off the cliff in his own spin off show.

[@ruanswanepoel9521]

I love Picard, Sisko and Janeway. That period of Star Trek was absolutely magical and I wish that modern shows could recapture this...

[@merlost1624]

The golden age of Berman era Trek

[@Mick359]

Lower Decks is doing a good job of it.

[@johnchedsey1306]

Have you not seen Strange New Worlds? Anson Mount is on his way to becoming one of the most beloved captains in all of Star Trek.

[@Linerunner99]

@@johnchedsey1306 This. Pike is amazing. Hell he was amazing right from his intro in Discovery but really shines in his own series.

[@Blodhelm]

@@johnchedsey1306 Agreed. That show is great.

[@pauld5185]

Nice list for the best captains after Jellico.

[@darthdadada]

And we all know that the best is not a captain, but a Commodore: decker 😌

[@canalesworks1247]

Jellico is more like the luckiest incompetent captain in starfleet history.

[@Psycho695]

Pretty spot on with how I feel about the Captains too.... The only exception, I think Burnham should have been lower on the list.

[@TheHumbleWordsmith]

Burnham should be right below Commodore Decker, who beamed his crew to a planet surface when fighting a planet-eating machine.

[@Blodhelm]

She probably shouldn't be on the list at all, considering how much of the time she didn't even need a ship or a crew to save all life and all existence, every season. The aliens from season 4 were BS as well, we're supposed to believe they somehow don't know destroying entire star systems and killing billions for small amounts of special ore was wrong until she told them, despite them be paranoid isolationists because they experienced a disaster on one of their planets in the past. Oof.

[@valdar1978]

I agree. I would rank Burnham higher than Lorca, but only barely higher, and lower than everyone else.

[@lknanml]

I would have loved to see a show centered around the Titan with Captain Shaw.. Missed opportunity right there.

[@KevinCrawfordus]

Justice for Shaw!

[@michaelknightmustdie]

Fantastic list! Well done! Very fair, and glad to see The Sisko getting his due. Hmmm, where's the Picard Medal for Diplomacy? Maybe we can see Shaw get the posthumous Sisko Medal for Reluctant Valor :)

[@cjt217]

11:25 yes, his faith of the heart was undeniable 😢😅

[@jenns8452]

While Picard is forever and always number one on my list, taking second to Sisko is the only alternative I'll accept as fair. Love the list!

[@canalesworks1247]

t's a tough choice between those two.

[@yougosquishnow]

I would have rejected this entire list if sisko wasnt number 1. I am glad you made the right choice.

[@infinitylantern2]

I agree with all of the entries on the list but the order is something I would argue. Great vid

[@jesstallfeather]

That was interesting to see, always entertaining to hear other Star Trek folks take on the ranking of Captains. You bring up some valid points on all your choices. For me, as an old school Trek fan, Kirk will and always shall be first on my list. I understand younger Trek fans may not find the appeal of Kirk's captaincy but as one ages and has to navigate real living among other humans in life, Kirk grows in appeal and relevancy. I do like Janeway alot, but she is a bit of a hot mess from the ptsd of her dilemma in the Delta quadrant. I understand your choice for Sisko as number one, but he does have a bit of an advantage as part demi god (maybe that's why he could take Q out in one punch and Q left him alone thereafter.) I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Picard, if that makes any sense LOL. Pike is really growing on me, right now he is my number two choice. Would have loved to see Shaw's captaincy expanded, gone too soon. Archer is admirable, glad he left the legacy he did for Starfleet. Never watched Discovery so can't comment on those choices. All in all, an interesting topic among Trek fans that never gets old :)

[@HalfShelli]

I'm a Gen Xer who watched all of the series, and I definitely agree with the choice of Sisko (and DS9 was my favorite of the series). Of course I idolized Kirk when I was 9, but some of his qualities didn't really age well.

[@canalesworks1247]

@@HalfShelli Kirk "bluffed" way too often.

[@Love-Sensibility]

​@@canalesworks1247 A gambler he is, you can't deny that ;) And I LOVE GAMBLERS~!

[@reecewadhams1855]

So happy to see Archer in the Top 3!

[@m.mcpartlin9316]

Damn straight about Sisko!! Solid list Sean.

[@simonupton-millard]

Missed a few out Captain Riker, Worf, Sulu and Spock spring to mind

[@evilcouchpotato6875]

I would KILL for a Lorca spinoff, with Prime Lorca surviving throughout the Mirror universe...with no promise of his return. Truly one of my favourite characters, and his good/prime character has so much potential! But I'm biased in the fanbase minority, in that I still love the ship design and color schemes of the Disco universe

[@sjprdude]

Picard #1. By the way you said all captains and there are a few that did show up in the shows missing. Garret and Riker at least should have been in this list! Garret was instrumental in creating peace with the Klingons and Riker did face Locutus head on, was the master planner of Picard’s rescue from the Borg (being praised by Picard himself afterwards), and saved the Cerritos.

[@AEFisch]

You left out possibly Sisko's most important accomplishment. Keeping the changelings and earth itself, from caving to fear and undoing the world that it had become.

[@Blodhelm]

His dad also helped with that, they came damn close to a military dictatorship which you know a changeling would exploit.

[@Logans3Run]

Janeway; The double feature episodes 'Week of Hell' and 'Dark Frontier', makes her Captaincy a standout and one that is worth repeat viewings.

[@bradcymru]

I realize there is no show without it, but god, you can't just sweep "Janeway stranded her crew on the other side of the galaxy" under the rug.

[@c.a.nixiii4650]

Michael Burnham was by far the best captain "streaming online" as in streaming tears on every ep. 🤔🤔🤷🏻‍♂🤷🏻‍♂🤦🏻‍♂🤦🏻‍♂🤣🤣😭😭

[@mikeneil798]

ABSOLUTELY and Questioning literally every freaking order 😂

[@timelesscoaching]

I have serious problems with this list like James T. Kirk at six (really) My question is, what about Seven? You gave some spots to cartoon characters. I have not watched them, but I can't imagine you didn't give Seven some type of mention. Granted, when she helped save the galaxy she was still only a commander. And then, C'mon man, everybody was jacked when she become captain of the Enterprise G. And then everyone was left wondering what catch phrase she used for her first order to go to warp. If we ever get Legacy (which I sadly doubt, due to things) Seven will kick ass. She'll take no prisoners and be a great mommy figure to the crew. If you can't tell, I'm still in love with her and I'm 56, which is her age as well.

[@M-E_123]

They also missed April, Spock, Sulu, Rachel Garrett, Jellicoe, and Riker - and Chakotay probably should get a mention as he captained the Marquis ship - which seems to be about as much as the cartoons did to get on this list. Probably more, these are just the missing ones off the top of my head.

[@jedewitz]

Ah, you zigged when I thought you'd zag. I agree with it. When I was younger, I'd have picked #2, but after growing up and learning about what the real world is, #1 all the way. Not even a question. A Captain's Captain.

[@Kooster69]

There are others who made sure the timeline didn't become corrupted. Captain Archer never revealed to Starfleet, I think, about the Enterprise-J and that the Temporal Cold War would still exist that far in the future. Sisko met Captain Kirk, but never revealed anything about the future to Kirk. Sisko also made sure Dax didn't corrupt the timeline by removing her, when they were several feet away from Kirk and Spock. You could say, however, Kirk damaged the timeline the most by not keeping the Guardian of Forever as a secret. Starfleet knew about the Guardian of Forever from his log entry. I think the Guardian of Forever was used by several factions in the Temporal Wars. After Kirk returned back to proper timeline, from The City on the Edge of Forever, Kirk should have told the Guardian of Forever to hide away where no one could find it.

[@Calvin.of.Martin.Street]

I have to say that Pike is swiftly becoming my favorite captain.

[@TheHumbleWordsmith]

I've told many friends that if SNW follows the trend of the first two seasons being rough and the rest being markedly better, SNW will become the best Trek.

[@Calvin.of.Martin.Street]

@@TheHumbleWordsmith I agree.

[@nickbutterworth6001]

Disappointing that Sulu wasn't on the list. Not expecting him to be number one but should have been included in the list.

[@claudearmstrong7377]

I agree with your list. Sisko is my favorite, a very complex Captain in a complex assignment. His engineering the Romulans into the Dominion War was dark, but a necessary evil, as the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few. Not his first rodeo, as he masterfully captured Edington, becoming the dark villian.

[@Blodhelm]

All if cost was a dead Romulan senator, a criminal and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer, a bargain.

[@user-cn9rf6jk7b]

Great video! But you missed Captain Ransom of the USS Equinox…

[@garygreenlee]

Either I am going insane, my hearing is going wonky, or Sean accidentally stated the Enterprise's registry number as "SCC-1701" in the James Kirk entry... Sadly, I can't tell which of the three options is most likely cause I do feel at times that I am going insane, I sometimes mishear what is said, and Sean is actually a human and can make the most simple of mistakes.

[@peteraffinass]

I heard FCC 😅

[@bbbabrock]

Did I miss them or did y'all miss Saru, Harimon, Decker, Decker, the one on the B (Ferris Bullets friend, I think),and Garret, April, Sulu, Spock, Worf, and Data. Hell ,all but three of those were Captains of the Enterprise, the fleets flagship.

[@TheHumbleWordsmith]

They only did main captains of series. Not one-offs. How would we rank the captains of the B and C? For all we know, they were COMPLETE jerks who started dozens of wars. Unlikely, but there's just not enough to go on.

[@artembentsionov]

@@TheHumbleWordsmitharriman was described in Lost Era books. He was pretty good, actually, beyond that one time we see him in Generations. He was actually instrumental in getting the Treaty of Algeron signed (if behind the scenes). He then handed command over to Demora Sulu. Garrett sacrificed her ship to preserve peace with Klingons

[@edwardrhoades6957]

I just noticed that Scotty was already wearing captain's rank insignia in STVI

[@Strongo5]

Janeway technically kept most of the crew alive, but they had about 20% casualties on the way home. And then she never even spoke of the dead after that. We never even found out the original CMO's name.

[@hankamania]

THANK YOU for rightly placing Saru as the best non-Pike captain of the Disco.

[@aschen]

Only Captain I'd rank higher is Pike. He really is becoming one of the best

[@oogaboogaman13]

The Enterprise Archer puns were gold!

[@narimenrhodes-zh7tr]

Liam shaw! DUDE i LOVED your role in: REVOLUTION, i was really looking forward to seeing how it all turned out. I'm so sorry for everyone involved in that project who gave a GRAND PERFORMANCE!! PERIOD. I don't know why they canceled it, but EVERYONE who followed that show absolutely TOTALLY loved it. Thank you sir, You are a great artist.😘.

[@thecunninlynguist]

Sisko! Salute. Gotta do my 7th rewatch of DS9 soon.

[@tec5x5]

i really miss the look and feel of DS9 as a series i might have to watch some eps myself

[@lupinbupin]

Damn Kirk not being in the top 5 times really are changing

[@Wi11i4mJM]

The Sisko and Jonathan Archer are my favourites. They are both no nonsense compared to the others.

[@stepheng7325]

Could you do Top 20 moral/ethical episods that get you thinking? One of my favs are Ethics from TNG, measure of a man, and Voys Author Author

[@bekindrewind3339]

Impressive list, but what about captains Spock and Sulu?

[@canalesworks1247]

Spock saves his crew and sacrifices his own life in the process. That's pretty stellar.

[@krizzer09]

I always agree with your list Trek culture but you have gone and done it this time! How can you put Sisko above Picard?!?! I’m outraged! I demand a recount

[@chrisblake4198]

Picard may have saved the Federation, but he also put it at serious risk. Sisko was never the inciting agent for the problems in front of him, and he saved several galactic civilizations in addition to the Federation. Also, he decked Q and didn't put up with his crap, a choice that proved far more effective for the good of the Federation than Picard's relationship with Q.

[@justinbeath5169]

​@@chrisblake4198the only time Q caused issues for the Federation was the first season. All of his actions afterwards were beneficial or neutral for the Federation

[@V1sualTut0rials]

im so glad you gave Cisco number 1. he is by far the most developed captain in all of star trek.

[@jshplock]

I gave up on this when I found out Liam Shaw was not ranked among the greatest captains Starfleet ever produced. The man was greatness personified

[@KevinCrawfordus]

This is a good list, well argued, with some bold choices. Was wondering where Kirk would wind up. I like where you have him. Wanted to see Pike higher. Could by recency bias, but I just love Anson Mount’s Pike. Here’s my personal arrangement: Lorca, Dal R'El, Freeman, Shaw, Rios, Saru, Burnham, Georgiou, Janeway, Kirk, Archer, Sisko, Picard, Pike

[@conniejoshua1]

One of my favourite channels❤

[@InexorableTash]

Better listicle suggestion: Best Captain To Serve Under Which captain would be the most fun? Which captain would be the least likely to get you offed as a red-shirt?

[@leticiagarcia9025]

I think captain Pike should’ve ranked higher than Janeway. Captain Sisko was awarded the captain Pike Medal of Honor. When he saw his future self disfigured and on a wheelchair, he proceeded to save the galaxy. Yes it hunts him but, his duty to the Federation comes first. This gives the Captain Pike medal real meaning in my opinion.

[@Andrew-pr9xv]

I'm sure this will be a very non-contentious list with absolutely no childish arguments in the comments. EDIT Huh, I pretty much agree with this entire list... that almost never happens! Awesome job, TrekCulture!

[@ashedarke]

You are absolutely wrong! So undeniably wrong that.......oh....

[@rickjohnston2667]

Yes. My grandad said never to discuss politics or religion. But I have to add one more subject to that list. Who is the best Star Trek (uh, Starfleet, sorry) Captain, and how do they all rank in comparison with each other.

[@Andrew-pr9xv]

@@rickjohnston2667 Your grandad is very wise. Though he probably would hate Star Trek, as that talks about politics and religion all the time 😁

[@TheRealWalkingDude]

I loved this channel before you put Kirk #6! I can’t even with that lol. He is definitely #1

[@StarWarrior91]

I thought Sisko would rank second only behind Picard for sure. Sisko made some pretty crazy choices. Picard would’ve dealt with Eddington in a much more starfleet-approved manner. Plus there would be no Federation for half these captains to serve in if Kirk hadn’t saved the galaxy multiple times over 🤷‍♂️

[@MeNoOther]

You could say Lorca was able to get the ship cause he instituted a new form of space travel that the Empress in the mirror universe had. Lorca brought the spore drive knowledge to the prime universe. And gathered the crew mirror counterparts

[@KnightRaymund]

Pike has become my favorite captain. Edged out Sisko. I haven't seen Discovery so it's just 15 episodes but what a great 15 episodes it's been. He's so nice, with a strong moral compass and properly interprets the Prime Directive! Archer was not good for too much of the first 2 seasons. But he did improve. Janeway has some issues with inconsistent writing and the opening premise of the show hurt since it was a bad way to handle it. Picard was too grumpy in the early seasons. Sisko and Pike have been the most consistently high. As long as Eddington isn't around....

[@Just-4-Friend]

Agree 100%!! I demand a recount! 😉

[@lucashamilton4674]

Have you seen the cage? He’s in that too. That’s the first episode of Star Trek.

[@QBCPerdition]

I wouldn't have put the top 6 in the same order, but the order as listed is incredibly valid. In fact, my order would probably be biased by my preference for certain shows over others, rather than the quality of the captains themselves.

[@canalesworks1247]

You left out Riker. In his first stint as captain of the Enterprise he defeated the Borg cube that wiped out Wolf 359. That is a gigantic achievement in an of itself. We're not exactly sure what his achievements were as captain of the Titan, but one would assume they were on par with his overall fine record as both a First officer and his stint as captain of the Enterpirse. You also left our Jellico, who I think is the worst captain but others think of as cold but effective.

[@kevlaw10]

I just got a random Idea for a Star Trek series. Captain Sisco from Deep space nine comes back from visiting the prophets, but he comes back younger and learning how to be human again because of being so long without a body. He is instantly deemed a messiah by the bijorans and Star fleet starts to see him as a threat. meanwhile all he wants to do is be human and re connect with his son and now grand children while coming to terms with some of his more “controversial” decisions as Captain. Star fleet wants to use him as a mouth piece as messiah for the bijorans but it goes against whats good for the people. At the same time he remembers hes back because of a new threat from a different galaxy.

[@MitchMitchellStories]

I can't go with Sisko over Picard. As much as I like Sisko overall, I can't forgive his dropping his ethics in allowing the Romulan leader to be killed to encourage them to fight in the war on Starfleet's side. Picard would have never done that, and he had many "opportunities" to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Touch call overall, but I have to stick with Picard.

[@lorip.1110]

I'd place Picard #1 and Sisko #2 if only because of In the Pale Moonlight. Otherwise, that's a solid ranking overall.

[@dellytancyl524]

you know I went back and forth about this but still chose Sisko in the end for one reason, SIsko was willing to admit he did something wrong, but Picard never took responsibility for allowing the drum head trials to go on aboard his ship which cost Crewman Tarses his job. having Romulan ancestry is not reason enough to cost a person their dream and lively hood all on the strength of telepathic evidence no less which should not have been admissible in the first place. sure he finally confronted Admiral Satie and put an end to the trials but he didn't fight for Tarses as hard as he fought for Data and that always annoyed me.

[@TheHumbleWordsmith]

I'd probably roll with Sisco at #1 if he didn't poison an entire planet to capture Michael Eddington. If you have any biology background, you know this was probably an extinction-level event on-par with the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.

[@lorip.1110]

@@TheHumbleWordsmith good point - heck of a way to call someone's bluff.

[@DarthSaggezza]

That’s a good list of captains. You forgot one captain. Captain Spock of the enterprise. Where were he rank on your list mark I know in Cannon. We don’t know a whole lot about his captaincy but he was still a captain of the enterprise. Along with Captain William Decker, Captain The enterprises refit. And don't we forget Captain William Riker of the enterprise for a while, and then Captain of The, USS, Titan. Captain Benjamin Cisco should be number one on this list and I agree with that but you forgot to mention his revenge factor when he went to capture Michael Eddington, and what he did to that marquee. Planet was terrible and uncalled for. Bad ass though, but uncalled for.

[@metacob]

Freeman had one great "captain" moment when she quickly determined that going to warp was not a good idea when that's what got the Solvang smeared across space. The rest of the time she's begrudgingly cleaning up her own messes.

[@edschultheis6767]

No problem with Sisko at #1, but Kirk at #6 is criminal.

[@modernrelic7092]

Yup. It kind of makes it hard to take the list seriously. I didn't expect Kirk to be at #1, but #6? That's just wrong.

[@jaybeeeasy]

He should be no less than top 3

[@modernrelic7092]

@@jaybeeeasy He'd be my number 1 pick. Especially if a battle was at stake. But I can also acknowledge that cases can be made for both Picard and Sisko. But 6th?!?! No way.

[@jaybeeeasy]

Sisko ,Kirk and Picard for me.

[@andrewcountis2531]

I admit I cheated and scrolled to near the end and when I saw Picard at two, I - foolishly- thought that meant Kirk would be number one. I’m too old for this list. 😀

[@tylerhudson3189]

I love this channel ❤

[@ahseaton8353]

"Sisko has a bit of an advantage" seeing as how he is basically a God or at least a son of a God.

[@alexmathiesen3814]

Funny how well this turned out to align with my own ranking, though by totally different criteria. Honestly mindblowing to me how you would rate them based on their relative "objective" fictional universe accomplishments. I mean, that's just a collection of what some screenwriters randomly came up with over time, influenced by ratings, finances, need for new plots etc. So that's just on another level of nerdery for me :) I just rank them based on the character (and most times that also means the actor and their performance). Were they compelling to watch? Entertaining? Interesting? Did they have the charisma? Did they properly carry the show (and the storylines) as the lead? Something like that. Kind of weird to have the premise that you could just drag someone in from the street and put in the role, because only the writing matters... oh well, I guess I'm just not nerdy enough (though having watched absolutely all Trek material in existence has to count for something, including an embarrassing amount of rewatches of NGT, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise and all the movies :D)

[@conniejoshua1]

Love star trek

[@Marcsharp82]

I know he's not on the list, but I'd include Captain Esteban as well. Starfleet trusted him enough to assign him to survey the Genesis planet, he listened to his crews opinions before making decisions and he was by the book...and him being by the book saved the Federation in the long term. With David Marcus and Saavik on Genesis he's just been told that Captain Spock has been resurrected and they are wanting to beam up, Most other Captains including Kirk would have done so. But because he was by the book he requested to speak to command first, it was then the Grissom was destroyed by the Klingons. If he'd have beamed them up straight away Spock would have been killed (again), No Spock means there's no defence against the probe, no peace treaty with the Klingons, no reunification movement with the Romulans etc etc. People judge him by saying that he didn't raise shields when the Bird of Prey attacked...and yeah that's true. But Kirk doesn't either, the only reason he knows something is out of the ordinary is that he and Sulu see the distortion in front of them, the Bird of Prey uncloaks and Kirk gets the first shot in. The shields aren't raised. So Esteban gets my vote 😊

[@GlorfindelIII]

Unusual but great point about the repercussions of him letting Spock be beamed aboard the Grissom!

[@jasonjimerson7046]

Should have at least had an honorable mention.

[@valdar1978]

I agree. Esteban should definitely be on the list, ranked above Lorca and Burnham.