Star Trek’s 6 Most Controversial Captains (& Why)

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 4 – “No Winning Situations”

interstellar travel Often identified by their famous, moral captains, not every Starfleet commander is a typical hero. interstellar travelas creator Gene Roddenberry envisions, must be an idyllic future where humanity overcomes problems like poverty, disease, and prejudice. This idealistic vision of the future was first developed by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek: Original Seriesand probably the most effective Star Trek: The Next GenerationCaptain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Characters like Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Catherine Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) are somewhat complicated officers but still objectively good officers.

Although the captains of the USS Enterprise are often examples of virtue, not all of them are. interstellar travel captain. Some Starfleet commanders can be seen as arrogant, self-serving professionals, while others cross the line into the darker realms. interstellar travelA less morally complicated hero, demonstrating that although humanity has come a long way in the 24th century, those in power can still make mistakes and still need to be vigilant.

6 Liam Shaw

introduced in Interstellar Travel: Picard In the season 3 premiere of “The Next Generation,” Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) is in command of the USS Titan-A. Unlike some of the other controversial Star Trek captains, Shaw isn’t a criminal, a rule-breaker, or a bad guy — he’s just a little goofy. Audiences immediately begin to dislike him when he first appears, as he shows utter disdain for Admiral Picard and Captain William Rick (Jonathan Frakes), whom he’s considered a relic of recklessness. Shaw also refuses to call her second-in-command Seven of Nine (Jerry Ryan) by her preferred name, referring to her by her former human nickname, Annika Hansen.

Shaw’s brusqueness and general distaste for Picard is not without explanation. Picard In the episode “No Winning Situations” Season 3, Shaw reveals that he participated in Wolf Battle 359, where Borg used an assimilated Picard to destroy a fleet of 40 Starfleet ships. Shaw was randomly selected to board the escape hatch along with several other survivors, and he was one of the few officers to survive the battle. Shaw still harbors a deep grudge against Picard, and is still dealing with the overall trauma he suffered on that fateful day.

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5 Edward Jellicoe

Captain Jericho Looks Serious In 'Star Trek'

inside Star Trek: The Next Generation In episode 6 “Lines of Command”, Captain Picard is sent on a dangerous mission to investigate a potentially devastating new weapon developed by the Cardassians. Instead of handing over command of the USS Enterprise-D to Commander Rick, Starfleet hands the ship over to Captain Edward Jellicoe (Ronny Cox), a Cardassian with more experienced officers. Lacking Picard’s charisma and empathy, Jellicoe immediately annoys the crew in the wrong way, changing shifts and even asking Mentor Deanna Troy (Marina Thitis) to wear a matching Starfleet uniform when do the misson.

Jellico violently clashes with Riker, who resists Jellico’s shift on board and questions his strategy against the Cardassians. Jellicoe wasn’t a bad officer — he eventually defeated the Cardassian troops and regained the captured Picard — but he was a flawed leader who hid his insecurities after brave curtain afterwards. Jellicoe was eventually promoted to admiral, and he went on to have Vice Admiral Catherine Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1.

4 Gabriel Lorca

Captain Lorca is ready for action aboard Star Trek Discovery

Interstellar Travel: DiscoverCaptain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs), commander of the famous USS Discovery, is one of the show’s most prominent characters. Lorca initially appears as a man deeply affected by the horrors of the Confederacy-Klingon War, one of the world’s darker and more enigmatic captains. interstellar travel history. He essentially invites disgraced traitor Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) to the crew of Discovery because he thinks she’ll be useful, ostensibly to help her redeem herself.

It all turned out to be an elaborate ruse in the end. Loca turns out to be a refugee from the mirror universe, whose sole goal is to overthrow the Terran Emperor Philippa Georgiou (played by Michelle Yeoh). Lorca’s interest in Burnham also stems from his romance with Michael’s mirror figure. Lorca ends quickly as she attacks Giorgio and her troops. His betrayal will haunt the crew of Discovery, though Discovery’s interim commander, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), has restored their faith in season 2.

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3 Benjamin Maxwell

Benjamin Maxwell in Star Trek: The Next Generation

Captain Benjamin Maxwell (Bob Gunton) is one of Starfleet’s most famous officers for his actions during the Union-Cardassian War. Despite losing his wife and children to the war, Maxwell remained steadfast in his loyalty to his crew aboard the USS Rutledge, which included young Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney). Years after the war, Maxwell, as the captain of the Phoenix, began to attack the Cardassian outpost, but Starfleet disapproved of the operation because he believed that Cardassia was rearming in violation of the peace treaty with the Union. state.

The USS Enterprise-D was dispatched to intervene, with Captain Picard blaming Maxwell for his loss of insight and lamenting the loss of his family. O’Brien’s final intervention eventually stopped Maxwell’s rampage, and his career ended in disarray. There is one difference, however – Maxwell was right, the Cardassians were indeed rearming themselves, Picard speculated on this, but Picard’s mission was to keep the peace, not to start war. Ultimately, it set the stage for continued aggression between the Federation and the Cardassians, especially during the War of Domination.

2 ransom Rudolph

The Rudolph ransom in Star Trek: Travel

Captain Rudolph Ransom (John Savage) is the commander of the new star science ship Equinox. Just like the USS Cruise, Equinox was thrown into the dangerous Delta quadrant by the Caretaker entity. The Equinox is a much more limited ship than the Traveler, and Ransom’s crew had a much harder time in the Delta Quadrant than Janeway’s. Due to the extremely low energy levels, Ransom decides to harvest nuclear life forms for fuel, which is a serious violation of the Starfleet protocol and clearly a moral failure.

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After the clash with the Traveler, Ransom’s conscience rose and he attempted to surrender, but his lieutenant, Lieutenant Maxwell Burke (Titus Welliver), rebelled and attempted to destroy the Traveler. Raider and its crew. Ransom attempted to regain control of the Equinox, but the ship was eventually destroyed by nuclear lifeforms out of revenge. The ransom goes down with the ship, a man who has finally been pushed to the limits of his morality by extreme circumstances.

1 Michael Burnham

Michael Burnham Star Trek Discovery Watch

Michael Burnham is arguably the most controversial protagonist in all of the movies interstellar travelThe adopted sister of franchise icon Spock (Ethan Peck), she grew up in Vulcan and joined Starfleet after being rejected by the Vulcan Academy of Sciences. She eventually became a co-pilot of the USS Shenzhou under her guidance, Captain Phillipa Georgiou. During a critical encounter with the Klingon, Commander Burnham attacked Captain Georgiou when he disagreed on strategy, and he was arrogant and arrogant. This action culminated in the death of Georgiou, the escalation of the conflict with the Klingons, and Burnham’s military court for treason.

Burnham rebuilt his life and career aboard the aircraft carrier Discovery, eventually earning the trust of crew members including Ensign Sylvatieri (Mary Wiseman) and Lieutenant Colonel Saru (Doug Jones). Burnham still maintains a tendency to break the rules and make a personal code of ethics over orders with which she disagrees, but in the end she is often right, eventually being appointed captain of the team. Discovery. Burnham is still a polarizing figure interstellar travel legends like Detect Get ready for the start of the fifth and final season.

Interstellar Travel: Picard Season 3 airs every Thursday on Paramount+.

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