Who was the better Captain?

[Moose]

Wanna grab some Sorien brandy before you join the team?

-EarlJam

I'd rather get the Romulan Ale. Oh, that wonderful stuff!

- Moose

[alteran]

-Jason "make no mistake, Kirk was da bomb too... but Picard was a tiny bit better" Evans

We're pretty close on this, so the following is not really an attempt to change what I think is a pretty reasonable position. I'm really just mentioning it because I thought of it after my last post.

We've both used anecdotes where the style of one captain seems less able then the other to succeed. But I can think of one situation where Kirk and Picard faced substantially the same problem, and I think it's pretty telling.

In "A Taste of Armaggedon" and "Symbiosis," Kirk and Picard, respectively, wrestle with obeying the Prime Directive yet allowing great suffering, or violating the PD and alleviating the suffering. Predictably, Kirk violates the Prime Directive, while Picard does not.

Picard could actually have alleviated the suffering of an entire planet when he discovered that a required substance from one planet was not actually a treatment for all the inhabitants of another, but a non-fatally addictive drug fraudulently PEDDLED as a treatment-- for generations. All Picard had to do was say something. Picard chose an extremely narrow interpretation of the PD that didn't even allow him or his crew to intimate that a devastating lie was being perpetuated. The Prime Directive was followed, but an entire planet not only suffered, but in fact continued to toil relentlessly for the society perpetrating the fraud.

Kirk, on the other hand, was faced with two planets locked in perpetual war. They were able to have this war last indefinitely because they had negotiated a mutual agreement to wage war cleanly via a number of treaty-specified computers. The end result was that bombings occurred virtually, sparing crops and infrastructure and allowing the society to survive. The drawback was that people labeled as "war dead" in these virtual attacks were required to report to incineration chambers. Typical for Kirk, an extremely attractive and suspiciously underclad young hottie was involved. Kirk thought very briefly about the situation, pulled out both phasers and started blasting the incinerators. He destroyed the war computers on the gamble that when faced with the prospect of a REAL war, both sides would choose to wage peace.

The end results-- Picard allows an entire planet to wallow in suffering and virtual slavery but keeps his precious moral purity intact, whereas Kirk blows stuff up, stops the perpetual war, AND gets the space chick.

No contest.

--alt- "I have a good suggestion for who here should be Neelix-- he's affable but not good with numbers" -eran

[EarlJam]

The end results-- Picard allows an entire planet to wallow in suffering and virtual slavery but keeps his precious moral purity intact, whereas Kirk blows stuff up, stops the perpetual war, AND gets the space chick.

No contest.

--alt- "I have a good suggestion for who here should be Neelix-- he's affable but not good with numbers" -eran

Sing it brotha. Amen. Kirk forever.

-EarlJam

[YmoBeThere]

Wow...some of you guys are really into this.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Wow...some of you guys are really into this.

And I remember every episode they talk about. And since I usually work at home, I get my Star Trek fix 4 days a week with back to back TNGs and then back to back Voyagers from 2 till 6 on Spike network.

Interest thing about Voyager. Since I stopped watching it the last year or two it was on, some of these episodes are new to me! And they are not bad.

And I still vote for Kirk.

[alteran]

Wow...some of you guys are really into this.

Yeah, I guess I went a little overboard-- Star Trek just gives me an irresistible chance to "get my geek on."

--alteran

[Tommac]

The other day Denny Crane and I were just discussing this topic and Denny thought that Captain Kirk was the best captain of all the Star Trek shows.

[knights68]

15. Picard's doctor looks better than Kirk's and never said: "Darn" it Jean-Luc, I'm a doctor, not an escalator!"
14. Picard didn't have to cheat at the Kobayashi Maru Test.
13. Picard's engineer has X-Ray vision.
12. Picard decoded the last message of the Creators almost singlehandedly.
11. When Kirk was Picard's age, they made him retire
10. Picard's officers get promoted. Kirk's get court-martialed or dies.
9. When Picard's senior officers get killed, they *stay dead*.
8. Picard's nemesis: an omnipotent malevolent being. Kirk's nemesis: a beer-bellied liar
7. Picard never had problems finding dilithium.
5. Picard's picture is beside the word confidence in the dictionary.
4. Picard has the guts to stand among hundreds of Klingons and argue with them.
3. Kirk never knew Scotty lied to him about the status of the engines because he didn't understand the Enterprise didn't use gas.
2. Picard's science officer has a detachable head.
And here's for the real, ultimate, beating reason:
1. Picard LIVES!


15. Kirk can beat a Vulcan at Chess
14. Picard is a French man with an English accent.
13. Kirk can infiltrate Gangsters, Nazis, and even the Pentagon -- easily.
12. Kirk would date Beverly Crusher -- and darn the consequences!!
11. Diplomacy for Kirk is a phaser and a smirk.
10. Kirk can beat up a Klingon bare-handed.
9. Kirk is a leader, not a follower.
8. Kirk doesn't test the engines -- he just fires them up.
7. When Kirk says "Boldly Go," he MEANS it.
6. Three Words: Flying Leg Kick. 2 more words: Shoulder Roll!
5. Kirk was NEVER infiltrated by the Borg and used against the
Federation.
4. Kirk traveled through The Great Barrier, met God, and wasn't even impressed.
3. Kirk's bedroom is a passion pit with electric sheets.
2. Kirk would never let his Chief of Security wear a ponytail.
1. Kirk never drinks tea. Ever.

[EarlJam]

Another formidable captain...

Attachment 88

[EarlJam]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Attachment 89

[EarlJam]

Exciting.......and new.......

Attachment 90

[captmojo]

Kangaroo.

[YmoBeThere]

Yeah, I guess I went a little overboard-- Star Trek just gives me an irresistible chance to "get my geek on."

--alteran

I had always heard the stories, now I know they are true.