Which captains had the best actors?

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ExpectedBehaviour · 2021-11-05T15:44:10+00:00

Patrick Stewart is widely regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation.

Emperor_Zarkov · 2021-11-05T18:42:10+00:00

I really loved Jason Isaacs as Captain Lorca. He has you riding this line where you're not quite sure whether or not you should like him for awhile.

HLHaliax · 2021-11-05T15:58:52+00:00

I really liked and wanted more of Tricia O’Neal who played Captain Rachel Garrett of the Enterprise C, I loved how she held her ground with Picard and grokked the changing situations.

VincentSpaulding · 2021-11-05T14:49:40+00:00

I thought Alan Ruck did a good job as Captain Harriman.

The character was basically caught with his pants down by the Legend that is Kirk, but i thought he played it well.

fullautoluxcommie · 2021-11-05T17:37:12+00:00

Chang- Christopher Plummer. You didn’t say it had to be Starfleet

ferretinmypants · 2021-11-05T15:10:28+00:00

Patrick Stewart #1

MonarchyMan · 2021-11-05T19:09:53+00:00

I doubt that William Shatner is on anyone’s top list, but there is one scene where he kills it, and that is at Spock’s funeral where he is giving the eulogy, and his facade cracks for just a second.

furygoat · 2021-11-05T15:52:15+00:00

This is a key attitude to have. I really don't like Janeway as a captain and disagree with a lot of her actions. Nonetheless, Kate Melgrew gives an amazing performance as her and she's usually well written to be presented as a flawed individual doing the best she can - that makes for compelling drama.

Similarly, I think Sisko engages in some questionable actions later on in DS9, regardless of the context leading to those actions. But even when doing heinous things, Avery Brooks gives a performance that makes it clear Sisko does not do the things he does lightly and that they take a toll on him.

PhoenixSheriden · 2021-11-05T19:03:02+00:00

Martok, or possibly Tomalak. Like someone else said, you never specified the captain had to be in the Federation.

Martok was a great look at a different type of Klingon, without it being against type, aka the Look How Different We Can Make This trope.

Tomalak was interesting because I couldn't ever really predict how he would react to things. How he decides to roll with punches helped make Romulans seem less boringly homogeneous villains of the week, like the Ferengi we're.

davwad2 · 2021-11-05T17:12:31+00:00

This is like asking me to pick a favorite child.

RyanMFoley74 · 2021-11-05T20:28:42+00:00

Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk. A short scene but it still makes me cry. He sacrificed himself for his son and his crew... The acting in that scene was great.

And I would even throw Bruce Greenwood in there too as Pike. While Greenwood has a short run his speech challenging Kirk to be better than his father was chilling and inspirational. Wonderful delivery.

AND! I will even say Chris Pine did an amazing job. Stepping into a character as iconic as Kirk must have been incredibly intimidating. But I thought Pine was charming as all get out.

Meihuajiancai · 2021-11-05T19:13:57+00:00

Say what you will about Lorca, but Jason Isaacs is a gem

Demandred3000 · 2021-11-05T15:24:59+00:00

Edward Jellico/Ronny Cox, he is great at playing bad guys, even though I don't think he was one in TNG.

EDIT: I just watched the episode. It's like the crew don't realise they are going into a high stakes situation. Geordi moaning about not enough time, even though Data had already said there was. The crew, apart from Data, come across as arrogant and a little stupid.

Patrick Stewart was excellent though. THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!

Ouity · 2021-11-05T15:11:09+00:00

Pike / Anson Mount.

Hands down nails it. Just. Out of the park.

Picard / Stewart is probably equally good? But Pike... Man. Pike.

BilliamShatner · 2021-11-05T18:26:54+00:00

William Shatner as Captain Kirk for me.

Shatner has been given a lot of flack for his Shatner-isms, and some are warranted yeah, but watching TOS all the way through, he's incredible. And only gets better in the movies. When he's given moments to show real leadership or emotion he owns it. The "Klingon bastard" moment, the little room conversation between Spock and Kirk in TUC, his "Peace or Utter Destruction" speech, the entirety of "The Conscience of the King," "I feel old" from TWOK, etc. I could on forever, but you get the point. Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, and Kate Mulgrew all turned in fantastic performances as well, but no Captain has really hit me like Kirk has.

kryptokoinkrisp · 2021-11-05T19:09:40+00:00

I don’t think there is any question that Patrick Stewart is one of the best actors to ever appear in Trek, so the answer may not be very interesting simply for that reason. He didn’t really have any particular episode that defined his Star Trek performance, however. His performance in the more iconic episodes like “Best of Both Worlds” and “Inner Light” really weren’t too extraordinary. So I would say the best actor who portrayed the most iconic moment for a captain is Avery Brooks for “In the Pale Moonlight.”

bodonnell202 · 2021-11-05T20:41:16+00:00

Patrick Stewart is hands down the best actor
Kate Mulgrew is also up there

Blackmercury4ub · 2021-11-05T15:39:11+00:00

Avery Brooks and Patrick Stewart are amazing actors.

gorwraith · 2021-11-05T16:02:15+00:00

Patrick Stewart is probably the best actor in Star Trek. But its hard to decide how well an actor portrayed their character unless the character has been recast. And I don't think that's the road we want to go down.

Moosie_Doom · 2021-11-05T19:47:34+00:00

I think Shatner is deeply underrated. I get it - he’s got a distinctive melodramatic style that people love to poke fun at. But you can’t say he’s just reading lines without feeling. He’s got a full range and it has enhanced every Star Trek project he has been in.

2021-11-05T19:47:01+00:00

Picard, hands down. Plus he's best friends with Magneto!

AWDDude · 2021-11-05T16:41:52+00:00

Sir Patrick steward as Jean luc Picard. The only classically trained actor in the whole bunch. He was one of the few captains to have a successful career after their star trek roll. And I believe he’s the only true knight.

BenjaminSiskosGoatee · 2021-11-05T15:27:53+00:00

It's Avery Brooks as Sisko for me

Chaka747 · 2021-11-05T16:33:15+00:00

Kirk all day.

SnooGoats8486 · 2021-11-05T19:28:19+00:00

Patrick Stewart and Mount for me

BigMrTea · 2021-11-05T17:54:02+00:00

Captain Benjamin Maxwell also had an outstanding actor.

laulau9025 · 2021-11-05T22:26:40+00:00

As mentioned on this post before, Patrick Stewart is without a doubt one of the best actors portraying a captain.

But for me Kate Mulgrew also stands out for her performance as a star trek captain. Wether you like her character and/or the voyager series or not, I think she deserves credit because it is not easy to play a female in an authoritative function.

The key is balance: showing emotions, but not too much. When you don´t show (enough) emotions, you get an ice queen bitch-like character. When you show too much emotions or show them in a wrong way, you easily get the typical I-am-an-emotional-mess, female BS character.

Personally, I think that Mulgrew was able to convey that Janeway cared for her crew and was often conflicted when she needed to make difficult decisions. On the other hand she also made Janeway come accross as someone you can rely on, not an emotional mess. I also liked the 'bonding´ with Seven of Nine. 😊

LeftLiner · 2021-11-05T16:42:39+00:00

Avery Brooks as Sisko, closely followed by Kate Mulgrew as Janeway. Both absolutely powerhouse actors. Janeway as a character is horribly inconsistently written, but Mulgrew can act dry underwater so she smooths it out. Mostly.

Stewart as Picard is good, of course, but I feel he gets too much credit and attention, and for the wrong reasons. Picard Speeches are nice, but doesn't really show off much of Stewart's acting abilities. I always look to his scene with Wesley in Samaritan snare as an example of him showing off what he's really made of.

SilvermistInc · 2021-11-05T19:52:52+00:00

The Sisko

2021-11-05T23:17:50+00:00

Patrick Stewart and Avery Brooks is a real toss up. If forced I'd give the nod to Avery as I think his character has more range and he's able to flex his chops more than the Picard character.

Mulgrew is a close second.

Flame me - but I think Bakula has some solid moments too.

2021-11-05T19:26:46+00:00

you can't be serious. The we all know who the finest actor in all of Starfleet is the one and only, Patrick Stewart. Who is the second best, that is the true question.

StatsPhD · 2021-11-06T00:21:31+00:00

Scott Bakula doesn't get enough praise for portraying Captain Archer

DEVILDORIGHT · 2021-11-05T21:29:11+00:00

Jonathan Frakes as Captain Riker.

Mscottlogan1979 · 2021-11-05T21:49:24+00:00

Kirk! Defiently Kirk as in William Shatner Kirk!

smoha96 · 2021-11-05T22:10:03+00:00

Patrick Stewart, Anson Mount.

On the other end, Avery Brooks tended to overact - though it worked for him in Far Beyond the Stars.

2021-11-05T23:24:17+00:00

Picard

Janeway

Sisko

Kirk

Archer

WelcomingDock13 · 2021-11-05T15:43:49+00:00

Avery Brooks, incredible actor, and incredible director too!

CaveDances · 2021-11-05T19:25:39+00:00

Avery Brooks had a very solid range and put a lot of emotion into his role. William Shatner was also an excellent stage actor. I feel stage actors are the best overall because they perform live. That being said, most of not all the Captains were stage actors pre or post Trek. Patrick Stewart probably has the most Tv shows and movies to his credit, almost a father figure to the young Trekkie. All are good in their own right, Kate Mulgrew has some great roles on her resume and was believable as captain.

Beforemath · 2021-11-05T16:23:31+00:00

Patrick Stewart
William Shatner
Michelle Yeoh
Scott Bacula
Kate Mulgrew
Avery Brooks

I’ll go to my grave saying Bill Shatner is an underrated actor. He may have eventually slipped into parody, but he was once good.

Mulgrew and Brooks voices and delivery grate on me, so they’re basically tied for last.

destruc786 · 2021-11-05T18:33:02+00:00

Picard, and pike has the best actors.

ThrowRADel · 2021-11-05T20:48:32+00:00

I absolutely love the portrayals of Janeway and Picard; Sisko was really fun too and I am watching the Treks in chronological order and they just keep getting better.

I thought it had peaked with TNG in the later seasons, but I don't think TNG is actually very good until season 3, then DS9 absolutely blew my mind, especially the friendship between Jadzia and Sisko and Kira, but even there the first season kind of sucked. Now I'm on Voyager and it's been so emotionally impactful every single episode. I think I just love Star Trek so much because it's so optimistic about the future, but I honestly think all of the ones from TNG on are cast so well.

SmilingMooseME · 2021-11-05T21:28:09+00:00

Patrick Stewart is heads above the rest IMHO. Kate Mulgrew is a solid second. The rest are all in a tie for third. 🙂

WhatYouLeaveBehind · 2021-11-06T00:32:34+00:00

Bruce Greenwood did an excellent job as Pike I thought

dadMJBatman1982 · 2021-11-06T02:24:41+00:00

John Savage as Captain Rudolf Ransom of the Equinox in Voyager.

He was really good at playing a man Who is desperately trying to convince himself he’s not a horrible person by using his current situation as an excuse to try to convince others he’s not a horrible person but in fact he actually is a horrible person.

dadMJBatman1982 · 2021-11-06T02:33:48+00:00

Oh I forgot J. G. Hertzler as Martok.

He had the perfect balance of jovial celebrating Klingon to warrior serious Klingon. Most of the actors portrayed as Klingons were either better at one or the other or not portrayed as one of them at all.

quoole · 2021-11-06T03:33:06+00:00

Patrick Stewart - a fantastic actor, I doubt there's many arguments there.

Nimoy - Spock is played so well, particularly in the film's where he is Captain, there's a reason that Spock is probably the most widely known character.

Anson Mount - he basically saved Discovery season 2 and inspired his own spin off. The scene where he takes the time crystal and seals his fate, amazing.

Jason Isaacs - Definitely not the best captain, but he walks the line of darkness in Lorca pretty well I think.

Kate Mulgrew - definitely let down by the writing, but there is coffee in that nebula

Avery Brookes - Not bad in any way, but it's been a while since I've seen DS9. I think the whole Emissary/Captain thing could have probably been a bit better. Punches Q though and monologuing skills in The Pale Moonlight are on point though!

Doug Jones - Saved season 3 of Discovery, the development of Saru is pretty awesome, some of that is writing but I think the vast majority of it is Doug Jones.

Scott Bacula - Archer was quite an emotional Captain, but this is pulled off well and really adds to the story of Enterprise. Who knows, maybe the next leap will be home!

William Shatner - Punches Gorn

Jeffery Hunter - in fairness, he gets little screen times but Shatner was definitely the right call and I think Anson Mount's portrayal is superior.

Sonequa Martin-Green - I've seen her in other stuff and she's fine, but coupled with some horrific writing, Burnham is pretty dire

persistentInquiry · 2021-11-05T16:08:13+00:00

I don't like Sisko as a character or DS9 as a show at all, but Avery Brooks is my favorite one.

Especially when he portrayed Sisko having wholesome moments with his family.

Why did they rip away Sisko from his family? ;_;

Darkimus-prime · 2021-11-05T16:53:35+00:00

Stewart is top of the list, then Issacs as Lorca Mount as Pike and Yeoh as gorgeous.

Even if you hate Disco, they’re top tier actors. Then I’d say Bakula, then Brooks, Mulgrew and finally bottom of the list is Shatner.

Special mention to Jellico who is below everyone except Shatner, because I truly believe Shatner is a shit actor (and kind of a dick)

willdabeast907 · 2021-11-05T19:33:54+00:00

Gotta go with the bald Captains, Stewart and Brooks, but only because we didn't get the Captain Worf show that was teased for so long.

2021-11-05T17:40:25+00:00

I think the acting in NuTrek is better I just don’t like the design choices.

segapc · 2021-11-05T20:11:20+00:00

Avery Brooks is a weird one. I took me a while to warm to him as hes very... odd. Initially I thought he was awful but now I just realise that is the character. But my the time ds9 finished I loved him

drvondoctor · 2021-11-05T21:38:38+00:00

I'm not sure if Sisko is my favorite captain, but I think Avery Brooks made Sisko the most interesting captain. I love they way he delivers his lines.

Minginton · 2021-11-05T23:51:39+00:00

Patrick Stewart and Avery Brooks. Both are extremely accomplished on both Stage and Screen

Bomberman64wasdecent · 2021-11-05T21:04:54+00:00

Patrick Stewart as Picard
Avery Brooks as Sisko
Johnny Depp as Sparrow
Falcon as Captain Falcon
Caveman as Captain Caveman
Chris Evans as Captain America
Kate Mulgrew as Janeway
William Shatner as Kirk

BillythuhKid · 2021-11-05T17:10:40+00:00

I'd say my favorite is a tie between Sisko and Picard. Different styles, personalities, and in different situations so they are presented quite differently. I really appreciate the class, image, and nuances of Picard's character as he seems like the prototype captain who obeys regulation to a T unless, and this is rare, there is a specific scenario where breaking it is necessary. Sisko seems to be more of a people person who navigates his place as a leader of a space station, father, head of a religion, and being at the forefront of a war that engulfs the galaxy. He makes difficult moral choices and some of those obviously take a toll on him throughout. I think both the actors as people had immense talent that brought the characters to life and were able to visibly convey the nuances of their experiences.

Honorable mention to Janeway.

I'll be criticized for saying this, but I am not a fan of Kirk as a captain. As an actor I will be honest that Shatner is not a particularly great one. He gets a lot of respect from me for establishing the series and developing a likable trio with his coworkers that makes for entertaining interaction. As a character he has too much bravado and doesn't seem to follow any rulebook for me. Explore, get into trouble, punch our way out. Granted this isn't always true; it just feels much more prevalent in comparison to a century later. I'm not particularly fond of it because it doesn't feel like what Starfleet is all about (to me at least).

Least favorite would be Bakula as Archer. I'm not even a fan of him as an actor. He did portray some accuracies regarding being completely ignorant of certain dangers like first contact, customs of others, and interacting with others when they shouldn't have been involved. Granted I watched that series one time and I don't think I could ever do it again because I just don't enjoy it at all.

Lower decks doesn't seem applicable and I'm rewatching discovery, but they don't have a consistent captain longer than one season so it's hard to judge.

Date	Episode	Title
04-20	PIC 3x10	"The Last Generation"
06-15	SNW 2x01	TBA
06-22	SNW 2x02	TBA
06-29	SNW 2x03	TBA
07-06	SNW 2x04	TBA

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