Who is your best Star Trek main character Captain?

[Brigonos Chomhgaill]

I thought that the first meeting between Picard and Sisko was hamstrung by the usually-excellent Stewart's bizarre way of playing Picard as seeming to be angry at Sisko for bringing up an embarrassing moment from the past, kind of like a senator would get angry if some of his frat buddies showed up at a Republican convention and told everyone he once kissed a dude for a bet. I could understand if Picard was at that point burnt out from meeting people whose family and friends Picard had killed at W359, but he isn't burnt out, he seems genuinely emotional and angry that Sisko dared to bring up that time Picard murdered his wife.

The characters tended to act differently on other Trek shows, all the same - I recall Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi was just bizarre when he appeared on TNG.

[Sansomon]

I really like the concept of Captain Benjamin Sisko the first Captain of Star Trek African-American, with attitude, the Star Trek series.

[C_Miller]

In fairness Sisko was kind of weak for the first couple of seasons. He had his moments like The Circle Trilogy, but he was more of an administrator that a commander or even a character. Once the Dominion came around, it seemed like they gave him something to do.

[Cyke]

funny you mention the shadow of picard, as I hated the first meeting of these two characters. sisko is in full anger mode and instantly throws locutus in too picard´s face.
i felt that this was horribly forced and poorly written. every body loves picard but not the sisko.
i don´t like it if a fairly new character is defined by his relation to other characters.
luckly this changed overtime and sisko became his own man.

That was arguably the point of his arc for the pilot. All that hate and anger was intentional on the writers' part to paint Sisko as unreasonable and one to hold a grudge; indeed, no one can really blame Picard for Locutus but Sisko was against the grain and made him unlikeable.

But the climax of the episode was when Sisko realized that it wasn't really about his connection to Picard or Starfleet, but that he was angry about his connection to the past and that he needed to let go if he were to move on, for the good of his son, his career, and for the Bajorans. Even if you removed Picard and the Borg and yet kept his wife dying, he'd be angry and would still hold a grudge, so his definition was beyond Picard, and part of the problem he had to bear.

And to me that's what made him likeable; it's not that Sisko was wrong, as he came to understand, but that he had to be wrong and then acknowledge it in order to grow as a person, that while the past may inform his present, tempering it for the future is a major step towards recovery.

It's probably best represented in Sisko and Picard's 2nd meeting. Picard was ready to throw down in his usual authoritative way like TNG and chew out Sisko; Sisko completely disarmed him by conceding that he was being unfair to Picard and was wrong to do it. Then he connected with Picard to restore his trust in Sisko, and then accepted the assignment.

[abulafia]

That was arguably the point of his arc for the pilot. All that hate and anger was intentional on the writers' part to paint Sisko as unreasonable and one to hold a grudge; indeed, no one can really blame Picard for Locutus but Sisko was against the grain and made him unlikeable.

But the climax of the episode was when Sisko realized that it wasn't really about his connection to Picard or Starfleet, but that he was angry about his connection to the past and that he needed to let go if he were to move on, for the good of his son, his career, and for the Bajorans. Even if you removed Picard and the Borg and yet kept his wife dying, he'd be angry and would still hold a grudge, so his definition was beyond Picard, and part of the problem he had to bear.

And to me that's what made him likeable; it's not that Sisko was wrong, as he came to understand, but that he had to be wrong and then acknowledge it in order to grow as a person, that while the past may inform his present, tempering it for the future is a major step towards recovery.

It's probably best represented in Sisko and Picard's 2nd meeting. Picard was ready to throw down in his usual authoritative way like TNG and chew out Sisko; Sisko completely disarmed him by conceding that he was being unfair to Picard and was wrong to do it. Then he connected with Picard to restore his trust in Sisko, and then accepted the assignment.

good points sir. i think i have to rewatch it soon as my comment was based on years old memories.
i got that sisko was a damaged person and grew beyond that, yet still i remember that it felt wooden and forced in the first episodes.
i liked him much better as the show developed over the following seasons

[Kyer]

i'm going with the sisko. dynamic and intimidating but emotional and very likable. and the first and only captain who was also a family man.

This. (I may have grown up with Kirk, but can't stand Shatner's acting.) Picard I found kind of dull. Sisko was very enjoyable to watch.

[Double 0]

Easily Sisko. He was the captain I grew up with. The one my mom got me into Star Trek with.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Archer was always to weak and trusting and all of that for me, always made me mad that every Star Trek group always seemed to have lost their common sense, it's like you meet a new people and they're all holding big guns and such and the captain and crew is shocked to learn that those people aren't nice...Janeway always seemed to be out to prove her ability to the point of putting the ship in danger to do it...Sisko was never my favorite character on DS9, that was always Bashir.

[mr_crisp]

Sisko. The man so awesome that he doesn't come up in the debates because he's just that awesome.

[klefmung]

funny you mention the shadow of picard, as I hated the first meeting of these two characters. sisko is in full anger mode and instantly throws locutus in too picard´s face.
i felt that this was horribly forced and poorly written. every body loves picard but not the sisko.
i don´t like it if a fairly new character is defined by his relation to other characters.
luckly this changed overtime and sisko became his own man.

picard, sisko, kirk for me

I didn't necessarily mean operating in his shadow from an in-universe standpoint. I meant more from the standpoint of the fanbase. Like, the character gained popularity despite Stewart's incredible legacy. That's what was impressive.

[abulafia]

I didn't necessarily mean operating in his shadow from an in-universe standpoint. I meant more from the standpoint of the fanbase. Like, the character gained popularity despite Stewart's incredible legacy. That's what was impressive.

oh, i am well aware of that out-of-universe shadow. that is part why i thought it was driven to put him against picard so heavyily in their first meeting. making a stance there.
but, as i wrote before, i felt it was poorly writen. pit him against picard to show how impressive he is. that is similar to the cliche that worf gets beaten up to show how badass a villian is

[Professor Moriarty]

Picard, he's the thinking man's captain.

[Deadxman]

Sisko.

Why? because you don't F*ck with the Sisko.

the Man Punches Q and he never bothers DS9 ever again

[mikelmcknight72]

I'm pretty fond of all of them, but I had to vote for Sisko. I don't think any of the others have received as much character development as Sisko. We saw him balance the responsibilities of fatherhood, being a captain, and being a religious figure. I don't think any of the other captains were as convincing at being intimidating as Sisko either.

[OpticDreams]