Profiles in Leadership of Five Captains, Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway and Archer

80

By Daniel Greenfield

Star Trek Captains and Profiles in Leadership

The age old or rather decades old debate has raged over which is the superior Star Trek Captain, Captain James Tiberius Kirk or Captain Jean Luc Picard. But of course as the decades wore on, the debate wore thin and newer Captains came along on newer Star Trek spinoffs which developed their own appreciative viewerships and Star Trek themed fan clubs. None might be able to command the high esteem of Kirk or Picard but then each had their own distinctive qualities and perhaps as with the original rivalry of Kirk and Spock, perhaps this is what really commands our loyalties, the affinity toward the qualities displayed in each that we admire and respect. The qualities of leadership.

Let us now take a look at each Star Trek Starship Captain in turn and at their leadership and command modalities.

Captain James T. Kirk

With a middle name derived from a deceased Roman emperor (a family naming tradition) and a father who was a Starfleet officer, command is very nearly in Captain Kirk's blood. A strong leader, Kirk is charismatic and a commanding presence. While he possesses a sense of humor, he also is capable of the rigidity necessary to command and expect to be obeyed. Gene Roddenberry who himself had served as a pilot during and after World War II had stayed that he had modeled Captain Kirk on the sort of pilot he wished he was. And as an officer Captain Kirk is indeed a powerful presence who almost inspires hero worship.

However Captain James T. Kirk is also a lonely figure given to brooding and often disconnected from his rank and file crew. His close friendships with Commander Spock and Dr. McCoy allowed him to be tethered to the people under his command. While outwardly Captain Kirk seemed like a far more open and outgoing figure than the more austere, arrogant and standoffish Picard, in reality Kirk was nearly as isolated as Picard in his own way. The key difference lies in Captain Kirk's ability to project a warmer image and to interact naturally with crew members when he chooses. Unlike Captain Picard, Captain Kirk does not isolate himself from his men because of a dislike of the gregariousness of social fellowship but because the responsibilities of command that weigh on him force him to isolate himself from the men and women under him, who die regularly because of his decisions.

Furthermore James Kirk is by his very nature a loner, seeking adventure and meaning in exploration, half in love with the ship that gives him the freedom to travel around the stars. For all his people skills, James T. Kirk is ultimately very much alone by choice.

Captain Jean Luc Picard

A throwback to the naval captains of old, Captain Picard is in some regards a martinet, arrogant and intolerant and burdened with a dislike of social occasions, somehow the wild risk taking young man who fought over a game of Damjat and lost his heart became a seemingly grey figure. Yet within that grey figure lurks a spirit of adventure and romance. Like a closed box, Jean Luc Picard is a romantic inside and a hardened commander on the outside. Captain Picard is not ruthless in the way of a Kirk or a Sisko who would risk the lives of men and accept the cost and yet move on. Picard by contrast is far less willing to risk the lives of those under his command but he is also far less willing to show them his human side.

Growing up with a hostile and jealous older brother on a rural farm, Jean Luc Picard was an excellent student who escaped into Starfleet early and got as far away from the family vineyard as he could, embracing the technology and the future that his father and older brother would not. Yet their values, their disdain for the modern and for the gregariousness of human company has remained very much a part of his character. While Captain Picard may transverse the stars, a part of him is rooted in the earth of that vineyard, in the love of old fashioned ways and old fashioned things and the mores of a time gone by.

When Captain Jean Luc Picard confronts the rest of the universe he does so with a courtliness derived from generations of men who believed that the vineyards they toiled in were a noble calling and with the harshness of those who chose to shut themselves out from the modern world by clinging to the nobler ways of an unfallen world.

Captain Benjamin Sisko

Like Kirk and Picard, Captain Sisko is a man looking to escape but he is looking to escape his own past. A formerly capable officer, Captain Benjamin Sisko has become increasingly dispirited by the death of his wife. Choosing to embrace his assignment on Deep Space Nine as a means of dealing with his loss, Captain Sisko has bitterly and aggressively devoted himself to his mission but buried within him is a core of anger at the unfairness of the universe that often rises to the surface. Unlike Captain Kirk or Captain Picard, Captain Sisko does not really believe that exploration is worth the price. He is a man who would settle down but has a history that overshadows the possibility of living that kind of untroubled and peaceful life. Instead he grimly dedicates himself to keeping the peace, protecting others, including the hearthworlds of the Federation by maintaining the border watch at the door to the Gamma Quadrant.

Unlike the previous Captains, Sisko does not embrace the task before him. Occasionally he may find moments of enjoyment in it but the bitterness and anger he feels continue to color everything, eventually betraying him into a superstitious worship of the wormhole aliens in order to find meaning in the shattered ruins of his life.

Captain Kathryn Janeway

Captain Janeway is in many ways less an explorer than a bureaucrat, a supposed scientist, her interest lies far more in the management of people than the achievement of goals. Growing up as the elder daughter in a large family, Kathryn Janeway learned early on about the responsibilities of command in managing a large family. To her the crew of Voyager is her family and that emotional displacement creates problematic situations and creates difficulties in her command. Finding herself unable to trust others, Janeway often takes on excessive burdens and develops a martyr's complex as many overworked parents with responsibilities both at home and at work do.

Captain Jonathan Archer

Son of a brilliant scientist, Captain Archer is in many ways an explorer forced to become a soldier as he finds himself confronting a universe that is far less welcoming than the one his father's legacy was meant to open. Instead Captain Archer's frustration built up from watching his father's work overshadowed by the achievements of the Vulcans now finds itself spilling over on the galaxy that remains far too large for human grasp.

Captain Archer possesses natural command abilities and is respected by his men. However he tends to have a weakness for selecting officers he likes as male friends rather than the officers best suited for the job, a weakness that Kirk and Picard understood better than to fall prey to. His impulsiveness and rashness, unlike Kirk's is not managed by any experience or reason and as a result is often rash and destructive. Discipline over time transforms him into a true prototype of a Starship Captain.

Comments

dc64 profile image

dc64 4 years ago

Wow. I am honored to be the first to comment here. What an in-depth analysis. Well done. My fav is Picard, but I like all the captains in the Star Trek episodes. Thumbs up!

Joel Rice 4 years ago

good analysis with the eception that i think you were a bit harsh on Sisko.

rumitilda 3 years ago

interesting and in depth regarding kirk, picard, and sisko, but shallow analysis of janeway who actually "led" for 7 seasons! even archer got two paragraphs. hmm..is your sexism showing?

Daniel Greenfield profile image

Daniel Greenfield Hub Author 3 years ago

I was harshly critical of both male and female captains. Anyone can lead, but what's important is the style of leadership and the quality of the decisionmaking. Janeway's decision making was broken.

eugenius1 3 years ago

Interesting article Daniel, but I feel your analysis of the Star Trek captains shows a bias and favouritism towards Kirk. I say that because your analysis of him seems very multi-layered and even though you seem to critique elements of his style, you almost instantly justify the need for the negative trait.

Kirk was definitely the most charismatic, but Picard was the most commanding in voice, presence and leadership style. No mention was made of Picard's integrity, ethics, principles and morals which clearly distinguish him from all the other captains. I think the decision making process of each captain is what distinguishes them. Picard consistently made the most moralistic decisions throughout all the various Star Trek series. As for Janeway, I see her as anything but a bureaucrat. She was an explorer perhaps to a greater degree than all the other captains. She certainly stopped to explore any little anomaly more than I remember other captains did. She was perhaps, along with Kirk, an extremely quick decision maker, she had more innate intelligence than all the other captains given she was an accomplished scientist and engineer; no other captain possessed such specialised knowledge. Sisko was likely the greatest strategic decision maker out of all the captains as he was routinely made 'fleet commander' during the dominion war. He was resourceful, innovative and had responsibility to make decisions affecting hundreds of ships. In a sense, perhaps Sisko was the greatest captain because the decisions he made were more 'Fleet Admiral' in nature.

Thanks for the article though, it opens up some fascinating insights.

Dave 3 years ago

Awesome article, just what I was looking for.

Shany 3 years ago

I really love the Star Trek series. Captain Janeway is my favorite and is a personal hero. I'm writing a paper about why she is my hero at school. You were a bit harsh on her. You should have mentioned that because the Voyager crew is her family she does trust them, as the sereis progresses. You give her too little credit for being this captain of a ship millions of lightyears away from their home. You gotta give her credit for that. Positive things about this article is also that you described Archer very well and gave me new views about the captains. Thank You, :)

kenderso profile image

kenderso 3 years ago

Great article. It's funny how we grew up watching these shows, and even though it was several years ago, it is easy to relate what we know about leadership to the characters in the shows. We can learn in so many places!!

Welsh Liz 2 years ago

I enjoyed this article a lot - especially as I am a leadership consultant! I have thought about which leaders are the best, and their qualities, many, many times. I think that Archer is the best, much though I have had a romantic attachment to Kirk since the age of 15! but Archer always goes to extreme lengths not to sacrifice his men; he is the only leader who actually looks harassed and stressed by it, thus being more realistic, and has exceptional people skills and empathy. I would rather be led by Archer,than the others, because I would have a better chance of surviving. especially I would not want Janeway, as her decision-making is emotionally based and too frequently moralistically illogical. Archer is the only captain with a pet (don't know about Sisco, as I don't watch him) which is an interesting point, so he has a heart. but seriously, you have to put these leadership styles in context - there is a 40 year gap between some of kirk's episodes and the latest ones, during which leadership styles and acceptable behaviours have changed a lot. I like the Kirk of the later films - humorous and with more depth. but give me Archer, anytime. Shame the series was shelved - it would have been good to see how he developed. Picard would have been my favourite person for mentoring and coaching- great for an in-depth discussion about leadership!

Let's have more of this type of discussion!!

drej2522 profile image

drej2522 2 years ago

Good hub! Good topic!

Captain Picard is the best!!!

TrekFan1977 2 years ago

Greetings from Germany!

thanks for this really exciting article.

I'm glad to read that my favourite is still "the captain"

James T. Kirk (shatner is so great)

although I like the others too. of course ;o)

thanks again!!!

Mike Lickteig profile image

Mike Lickteig Level 3 Commenter 2 years ago

Kirk's charisma makes him the easy favorite, but I have a strong liking for Picard and the others, as well. I sometimes related most closely to Sisko because, as you mentioned, he seemed to feel the weight of being in an unwanted or undesirable situation most acutely (strange that Janeway wouldn't seem this way to me, given the nature of Voyager's predicament). I agree with Liz Welsh that Archer seemed the most sympathetic leader of them, and likely the captain one would most want to serve under.

Very good post. I noticed you spent more time analyzing Kird and Picard than the others as well, but suspected no underlying bias--I just thought you ran out of steam before the hub was finished. (I could be wrong, though...) Thanks for your hub, it was quite enjoyable.

Cheeky Girl profile image

Cheeky Girl Level 4 Commenter 2 years ago

I am a true trekkie. Recently wrote an article on Jolene Blalock from Star Trek Enterprise. My fave captain is Kirk, although I like em all! Janeway took me a while to warm up. She was a bit school marmish for me but I like her now, she mellowed out a bit as they progressed thru the delta quadrant. Seven of Nine was awesome as a chick in a cat suit! But that's just me! Great Hub!

Nerys Ghemor 2 years ago

Interesting analysis...however, I greatly disagree with the analysis of Captain Sisko. I feel like you've only considered his state at the very beginning--which yes, was certainly a broken man. However, of all of the Trek captains, he is the only one I would be pleased to serve under, the only one I would follow into battle. His religious beliefs, furthermore (and I do agree that they became religious beliefs, eventually), are not something I believe should be held against him, *especially* given that he manifested clear gifts from his relationship with the Prophets. Both in his time before he became a true believer and after, he demonstrated a clear decision-making process that I found worthy of admiration.

I do give credit to Kirk as the runner-up, in my book, but I feel that Kirk's attitude towards women is a major disqualifier, as is his rashness at times. I could not trust him as my commanding officer for either of these reasons, and as a woman, I would feel very uncomfortable about receiving an OPR (Officer Performance Report) from him: how would I trust I was being rated on objective criteria? (And I would not be happy about positive bias OR negative bias.)

With Picard...he was certainly an intellectual, but I felt that if anyone was a bureaucrat, it was him. His detachment was TOO much, and until later seasons, I did not see an ability to think beyond the letter of the law to the actual effects those rules were having on real people. Sometimes, what is legal and what is truly moral are not the same thing, and Picard often failed to recognize that. That is not a trait I respect in a leader.

Archer and Janeway, you generally have right, though I would add inconsistency as further demerits against them. They lacked a clear command philosophy and as such got themselves and their crews into a great deal of trouble.

James Lehman 20 months ago

I liked them all for various reasons. Kirk was the comrade you could have a drink with but, knew not to get out of line. Picard was the overbearing father that never showed enough interest even though he did care underneath it all.

Sisko was the broken brother finding his way. Janeway was the matronly mother figure that protected her young like a tiger but, when she let down her hair (bun intended) she was very free spirted and Kirk like.

I never watched Enterprise. I was hoping the ST shows would go more into the future so prequels didn't interest me at the time and still does not. The ST movie didn't interest me as I see Kirk's time as over and his chapters have been written. There is no way to improve upon perfection.

Mr.Spock profile image

Mr.Spock 20 months ago

Kirk and Picard are the best captains without a doubt.

General Dave 18 months ago

Wow. Really great article! It mirrors my thoughts almost exactly, lol.

Picard was the man...

ruffridyer Level 4 Commenter 10 months ago

Kirk was a cowboy during the early federation when a cowboy was needed. Picard was in charge when a more diplomatic hand was required Sisko was a troubled leader in a troubling time/place. Janeway was independant while her ship was cut off from federation suport or interferance. Archer was feeling his way while the federation was new and humanity was feeling its way. Each captain was uniqly qualified to handdle

their particular circumstance.

Amadus 4 months ago

Im with Ruffrider that the captains are a product of there circumstance and time. Given a choice I would love to be in a bar fight with Kirk but work for Picard.

Sheila 3 weeks ago

It is canon that Janeway has one sister growing up. That is not a large family. Please at least get your facts right!

Submit a Comment
Members and Guests

Sign in or sign up and post using a hubpages account.



    • No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked
    • Comments are not for promoting your Hubs or other sites

    working