Ranking Every Star Trek First Officer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- They may all be Number One, but that doesn't mean they'll all get to be number one on my list. Which Star Trek first officer gets to the top of the list?
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Yeah... For Chakotay, a big part of the reason he feels so off as a native american character is because the character consultant they hired, jamake highwater, was a fake native American. He claimed ancestry he did not have and was hired as a consultant in "native American culture" for a lot of TV shows...
Gross! What a horrible thing for a person to do
Wow... that was a rabbit hole. I had no idea they hired a consultant at all. *ugh*
yeah he was explicitly anti native and chakotay was far worse than nothing, a walking talking stereotype who shows becky her spirit animal from his alien ancestors. beltran is not native either. hes native descendant. its not like you can just pretend to be a citizen of an indigenous nation or pretend to know our experiences or pretend to force this fake stereotype of a monolith. its disgusting. everything about him was horrible. the only thing he has going for him is not being kirk
Pretty sure the guy was a known fraud even at the time and the Voyager creators just didn’t do their research when hiring him
@@ongwehias7580 I think it would have served the character better to have him not know his heritage and - providing the producers did their research properly - discover it along the way.
Well, 1 is obviously gonna be Kira, duh.
But I think T'Pol is criminally underrated.
When you were talking about Chakotay, I was like "say amalgamation, say it..." and you did! Yay! It was like an itch getting scratched LOL
My list looks a lot like yours. However ...
I think you missed something in your examination of Kira: the masculinity of Nana Visitor's performance. I know that people tend to focus on how the production tried to doll her up, but Nana Visitor performed the character, particularly in terms of movement and stances, as a man. For instance, she never sits with her legs crossed, often spread apart; she walks sometimes with a looser gait; and she was committed to showing that her character was fighting on the level of the men around her. Indeed, this is how Visitor approached the character, using the awareness of how her body moves from her experiences of dancing in order to construct her physical performance.
I think she also played Kira with some "grit" and drive to her, even as she "matured" in the series - to Jessie's point she never lost her edge, but got better at using it.
To add onto your point, she established herself as equal to anyone of any rank/gender/species, and never backed down from that, showing that she had an authentic self and she was who she was.
Which is also why Intendant Kira is so much different from Major Kira. The way she moves, walks, sits, its all so incredibly different.
@GozerTheTraveller Butchness! Thank you, that's far more precise description. And yes, the contrast between the performance and Visitor's appearance emphasizes what she is trying to accomplish. I always think that she would have been typecast as a "flapper" from her look and voice, which suggests some types of gender inversions, but in other ways, femininity.
I guess its open to interpretation on what masculinity means. I saw her as very feminine and someone who takes charge.
I never even thought about it that way. I guess I just don't think of characters in those extremely constricting, culture-based ideas of "masculinity" and "femininity", not to that extent, at least.
Kira all the way! I cannot begin to tell you the influence that character had on me as a pre-teen/teen. She is singlehandedly responsible for me questioning EVERYTHING I was being told about society, about gender roles, about being yourself in spite of all the different directions the world can pull you. I admired her fierceness, her strength, her willingness to learn and be schooled, her compassion, wisdom, stubbornness, moral integrity, staunch spirituality that never interfered in her ability to give and earn respect...Oh man, I could go on and on. Her complexity showed me that it was okay to be more than, other than I was expected/told to be, that it was okay to be me. As for the rest of the list...when I look at the job and role of first officer, the ones I feel did it best (after Kira) is Chakotay, Riker, Saru, Spock and then T'Pol. I place Spock and T'Pol lower down because you rarely, if ever see them serve in all the roles a first officer plays. They're back-up command, advisor, and interface between crew and captain. I feel Chakotay is most clearly shown in all three capacities, and for the most part, he is very effective in all of them. T'Pol is mostly shown as an advisor, and never as one taking care of the crew. Riker is third because, like you said, he's had a lot more time to be shown in various capacities over Saru. Saru may well move up a spot in future seasons. Chakotay I feel is the stronger personality, though Riker is more likable. I know who I'd rather serve under, or have as my second, and it ain't Riker. :P Kira I'd trust implicitly as a second, and follow into hell itself as a commanding officer.
The writers were not afraid to portray Spock in surprising ways, even to the point of Spock's brilliant logic failing and Spock himself giving up and quitting.
In the Corbomite Maneuver, Spock's logic is trapped in the Chess metaphor.
Spock to Kirk: "In chess, when one is outmatched, the game is over--checkmate."
To which a pissed-off Kirk dismissively replies, "Is that your best recommendation?"
From there, Spock has nothing left, leaving it to Kirk to brilliantly reframe the chess metaphor into a poker metaphor leading to the Corbomite Maneuver--a genius bluff executed with skill and nerve.
One realizes that a Capt. Spock, for all his brilliance, would have lost the ship.
That is not a slam on the Spock character. Just a reminder that logic has its limitations as well as its strengths. And sometimes even very flawed humans are needed to save the day.
Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.
That's why humans were the prime movers of the Federation's creation, despite having been warp capable for less than 100 years.
I compiled my list by who actually did their jobs right:
1. Riker - literally the only man who actually did his job to stop his captain from going outside so much by going outside all the time himself so his captain can stay out of danger
2. T'Pol - while she was unable to stop Archer from going outside, at least she tried very hard and is literally the only reason humanity ever succeeded in surviving in deep space long enough to build a federation
3. Michael - much like Riker, she took on all the dangers of going outside so that her Captain didn't have to, the only reason she got knocked down the list was she didn't manage to stop Georgiou from going outside and dying, but I guess she couldn't commit mutiny a second time LOL
4. Saru - at least he tried ONCE to point out Pike shouldn't go outside, but we know he was secretly plotting for CAPTAIN SARU :P
5. Kira - she at least provided competent backup, though to be fair, I'm not sure anywhere they go can be considered outside since it's a space station LOL
6. Chakotay - was he even first officer? what did he do?
7. Spock - I'm sorry but Spock is the worst at this, stop letting Kirk go outside I'm literally getting anxiety
This is the best thing I have ever read 😂
I would completely agree BUT Kira wasn’t Starfleet so you can’t hold her to Starfleet expectations.
When I started watching TNG and Riker told Picard to stay on the ship and out of danger, I literally screamed at my screen, "Finally, _someone_ who does his job! Why did Mr. Logic never do this?"
The job as I see it isn't to keep the captain out of danger, it's to provide support. Riker did this by trying to keep Picard out of danger, but that's one man's solution.
Chakotay acted more like an XO, focussing on dealing with crew and upper level management in the longer term.
Kira had the toughest portfolio of any of the number one's. Second in charge of a space station, pretty much the chief defender of bajoran interests in star fleet outside of the emissary. She had a position that should have naturally clashed being resistance leader against the cardassians. The fact that she managed to help sisko hold it all together is amazing, and I would have definitely loved to see what happened after the final episodes.
I'd put Kira at the top no question, she's a great "lancer" style character, her bonds with the crew and Captain Sisko feel so genuine, her growing spirituality, her gay haircut...
I don't find Riker especially interesting aside from the delightfully bizarre way he sits on chairs; I don't care for Vulcans; haven't seen much of Voyager bc I don't like the trash monster; I do like the character of Saru, but I do not like to see his gross fingers lollll
So I guess my whole list would be Kira > Saru > everyone else
Or to put it another way:
Number One Number One: Spock
Number One Number Two: Kira
Number One Number Three: T'Pol
Number One Number Four: Riker
Number One Number Five: Saru
Number One Number Six: Chakotay
...but, where does Number One fit into this list?
@@DrTssha 😄 Number One (actress Majel Barrett) in the TOS pilot with Capt. Pike like Lt. Shelby didn't get enough screen time to be rated. Majel and fans lost out due to sexism of the time. She was relegated to unrequited love of Spock as Nurse Chapel and the voice of the computers. From Next Gen onward, Majel played the delicious role of Lwaxana Troi, mother of Deanna Tori.
It's a big tie between Kira and Spock for me. I have the life long connection to Spock but I find Kira has such a wonderful complexity.
Saru is my number three because I think he has interesting potential.
I hope Picard season 2 has more for Raffi to do as well.
Um.. unpopular opinion here but I think that Riker and Chakotay are tied for most likely to be mistaken for a cardboard cut out.
I dont feel comfortable ranking any character for enterprise because I don't recall ever staying awake for an episode.
Kira because I am utterly and completely biased :). Also when I first watched DS9 in my formative years Kira was the first portrayal that I had ever seen on any TV show that was even remotely a tomboy like me. And I have always loved how she's dealt with her faith in the Prophets (again with the personal identification in my practice of Christianity). If ever there was a character that was my Patronus its Kira
Kira first. Spock second. The rest remains in the same order.
I always said that Deep Space 9 was my favorite Star Trek show and the two top reasons for that was Major Kira and of course Garak.
With consideration to Riker, I completely agree. Ricker is a good XO to Picard but fails when paired with a different CO (Jellicho anyone?) He does however make a much better CO then an XO.
Just to clarify my terms CO is command officer and the most senior member of the crew and XO is executive officer, the second most senior officer. I use these terms because it applies to situations like early DS9 where we have a Commander and Major serving as CO and XO rather then Captain and Commander then on most other series.
Fabulous earrings!
Kira Nerys is best and no one can convince me otherwise.
IMO, she was a good character but the wrong actor. Just like Dr. Bashir, totally wrong actor for that character.
What Da Bleep what are you talking about? Nana Visitor was perfect for the role. I’ll admit she wasn’t the best in the first season (apart from Duet) but from season 2 onwards she was incredible. And Bashir was a great character after season 2, and the acting improved with that too. The Quickening is one of my favourite DS9 episodes.
Your opinion is wrong because it is contrary to mine
😋
I completely agree
She may have been second in command of the space station but she is no star fleet officer and had no place on the defiant other than being an observer for bajor interests
"Yeah Damar, what kind of people give those orders?"
Everyone knows the REAL number one Number One is, in fact, Number One!! We may not know much about her yet but she has such potential so hopefully they don’t ruin her in Brave New Worlds. Then again, Number One could also be tied with her just because he’s a good dog lol. But seriously, great video as always!! Also, would you ever consider doing a video on most underutilized Star Trek species? I’d love to hear your thoughts on that
My ranking:
1. Riker - the standard by which all first officers must be measured. Keeps small stuff away from the captain, does all the running and shooting stuff, and yes makes sexy pizza.
2. Kira - clearly more than capable, and seems to have good division of labour with Sisko.
3. Spock - I mark him down because while he is unquestionably a great character, he didn't seem to do much first officering. I mean, he'd take the bridge sometimes, but more often he's down on the planet getting his brain sucked out or running into the exact same problems Kirk was and thus leaving a leadership vacuum on the ship.
4. T'Pol - Liked her arc, and came into her own later, but too hidebound.
5. Saru - Really still too soon to tell
6. Chakotay - Well, he was there, that's really all you can say. It's a poor list if Voyager does not come out worst in it.
"Spock, you wanna know something? Everybody's human."
"I find that remark... insulting."
(Coincidentally, I believe Spock was joking when he said that, which makes it all the better.)
Spock actually had a pretty amazing, dead-pan sense of humour.
I agree w/you that Saru is the most interesting 'Discovery' character. And Doug Jones is one of the best 'Trek' actor that come on screen in the past few decades.
Our lists are almost identical, but I'd swap Spock and T'Pol around. I think that is partly to do with the fact that I prefer Enterprise as a series over TOS, but it was a really tough choice and it felt almost wrong putting him in third place. Those top 3 are really difficult to choose between and ask me on different day and my list might be different too, depending on my mood.
Oh, and yes, Shelby should have been first office of the Enterprise - D give me her over Riker any day. *Ducks from an entourage of rotten tomatoes*. Although I don't like Riker much in TNG, I liked him a lot more in Picard. I put him over Saru because although I find Saru a very interesting character, I don't really have any emotional attachment to him. I don't like Riker, but that is still an emotional attachment of sorts, and it can be fun loving to hate him.
As for Chakotay, like you said, so much wasted potential. They could have done so much with that character and he just ended up being a stick in the mud.
1. Kira
2. Spock
3. Saru
4. T'pol
5. Una
6. Ransom
7. Chakotay
8. Riker
HOnestly I did not like Ryker on TNG (my least favorite series), but adored him on PIC. T'Pol eventually became herself, but initially she was so obviously an attempt to fuse Spock with Seven of Nine...gah! That show did not serve their cast well (ditto VOY, and I"ve met Robert Beltrane; seemed like a nice, thoughtful guy). Kira was always more than angry. You could almost always see the pain underneath, most obviously in "Duet" during Season One.
What about Raffi? I see her as the equivalent of First Officer in PIC.
raffi was my pick too, tho' things seemed less formal on that bridge, but what riker did to that pizza was an atrocity. thank goodness it got a decent cremation
This is a tough list for sure. I think I would tend to go Riker at the top, just because he always felt the most like an Assistant Captain rather than just second in command (if that makes sense?), though Kira and Spock are also close, and I think Saru has shown potential depending on where the show goes. Great list! :-)
Finally! Someone that doesn't put kissass riker unnecessary high. And Voyager misused a lot of characters after 7-9 came. I really liker janeway❤ chakotay ship. Should have done something with that, i felt she was very lonely in some episodes. Great list, keep em coming👍🏿!
Did you ever read The Secret Logs of Mistress Janeway?
@GozerTheTraveller and they weren't even salamanders, were they?
Dwc, no where can i find these logs, just google or is part of star trek online?
@GozerTheTraveller i know right. I think they didnt give her a love intrest because, they wanted to show that it wasnt a cliche where she needed a man. I get it tho, first female lead captain and all that. But also that episode where they got stuck in the black void, with no stars, and she just locked herself in and talked to no one. She deserved a D at least once, since Mark also left her.
@GozerTheTraveller and hopefully at least one time from that hunk from counterpoint
I would have deleted all Chakotay/7, because that crap didn't work. I'd have had Janeway have a final meeting with Adm. Paris, where they discuss the Maquis' pardons, the Equinox's crew's coming Court martials, Tuvok's mind meld, lots of ensigns getting multi-rank promotions, and the Paris family's reconciliation. And afterward, she leaves the administration offices. Chakotay is waiting for her. He suggests dinner together, she agrees, and they walk off together. The viewer chooses what happens next. 🥰
Kira is one of my all time favorite characters ever in Trek. She is such a well written character. If you ever get a chance to listen to Gates McFadden's podcast (if you haven't listened yet), Gates interviews Nana Visitor. She's a very interesting person; very courageous too.
I would have to agree with your list, the best First Officer is definitely Spock, with Kira being a close second. When I read the title, I was thinking, it better be Spock, LOL.
Loving these ranking videos. Thanks Jessie!
As the first, first officer, Spock will always have a very special and important place in the franchise, but I'd be reluctant to say he was the "best". To me at least he was always chief science officer first and foremost, while his rank as second officer was more of an incidental technicality. It also didn't help that due to the format of most episodes, wherein both he and Kirk went together on almost every away mission left Spock feeling more like a sidekick than an actual second in command.
I wasn't the biggest DSN 9 fan because of the amount comedic characters, but Nana Visitor was a great actress and her character felt like a real Starfleet-like leader.
Thank the Goddesses, somebody isn't talking about Shane Dawsen & Jefree Star.
"No, I'm kidding, it's Decker"
The thing that annoyed me a bit about Riker was he was always about being ambitious, taking chances, wanting to become a good commanding officer, more or less putting off his relationship with Deanna for so long so he could concentrate on his career... And then kept on passing on promotions, passing on his own ship under the guise of "I want the Enterprise". Dude, you want a ship that statistically shouldn't exist as long as it did as it was about to be blown up every other episode!!
It took Deanna crashing the ship and Worf moving to DS9 for him to actually start to seriously take notice of her again!!
I always liked Pike's Number One, played by Majel Barrett, and I wish they'd had her return. -- While Spock will always be my favorite, I was so impressed with Major Kira Nerys, by Nana Visitor. She did such a great job with Kira's character. (I also really liked Michelle Forbes as Ens. Ro Laren.)
This list is just impossible for me to do. I don't know that I can choose a favorite; most of them are really good. I'd probably rank Riker higher as TNG was the first Trek show I watched as it aired; it holds a special place in my heart. I can't really argue against your choices, though.
Why isn't Michael Burnham at the bottom? I love the character but she was first officer for Georgiou got her killed and started a war !!
Your right - but the Captain didn’t just die on the away mission - she was eaten by Klingons!
That’s a whole other level of bad!!
That’s one of the reasons I think it’s so funny fanboys accuse Michael of being a ‘Mary Sue’ - she’s as far away from ‘perfect’ as we have ever had as a lead character on a Star Trek show
How would you like that on your resume?
As for why she wasn't listed, Jessie said only *main* first officers. Burnham was a first officer at one point but her role in the series was a specialist with Saru as first officer but that may change with season 3 and Saru's promotion to captain.
And faced a general court Marshall and was found guilty on all counts, stripped of rank and sentenced to imprisonment
Her rank got reinstated and she was pardoned and her record was expunged for good behavior and bravery and valor during the war and thereby redeeming herself
James Neal II
So I understand what you’re saying James
Are you saying she’s a Mary Sue?
Love me some appreciation for Ryker - I only got into Trek through Jonathan Frakes (I loved the Thunderbirds movie, which he directed, so I started watching Trek to see some more of his work and badda-bing, badda-boom, here we are). And as a heterosexual bloke (who accidentally typed 'metro' while writing this and am now laughing as to whether that was a Freudian Slip), I am in total agreement - he is crazy sexy! The beard, the voice the way he just meshes swagger and charm with actual sensitivity! :D
But I also love your rationale for so many of the other characters. Saru and T'Pol and wonderful, and Spock is legend. That said, I am most familiar with Zachary Quinto as 'First Officer' Spock, and more regard the immortal Leonard as 'Elder Statesman Spock' - the Ambassador, the wise mentor.
Haven't started but it should definitely be Kira Nerys.
I love Commander Shelby to!
Sometimes I feel like we needed a 4th TNG era show running to make use of all the random extra characters from TNG like the few DS9 managed to flesh out
I'd tend to agree but I think I'd put Kira at #1. My one criticism of Spock is that he has a lot of gimmicks. He's sort of a McGuffin at times, advancing the plot with random psychic powers/mind melds/'I was actually fine the whole time because of my superior Vulcan physiology', etc. Kira had her background as a fighter and that was it. I think the writer just did a better job using her without making her magical.
As a young girl watching Voyager, I had such a crush on Chakotay - still do if I'm being honest. I know he's a really flawed and problematic representation of Indigenous culture, but I think there is something to him salvageable in the way he portrayed masculinity, especially as the show was so female-character dominated.
I was already a lesbian when i started ds9, but kira really reconfirmed that
I was always disappointed she and Dax didn't have a fling.
Now that you got me to think about it, I realised how specific each first officer is to their show - the era, the setting, the mood. Riker works great on TNG, but could anyone imagine him on DS9? That really shows a lot about how the characters have to work with and in their environment.
(I mostly agree with your list, but Kira is definitely my favourite. Though, if I were her Captain I'd wish her as far away from my bridge as possible in the beginning!)
To be fair, I didn't care for Jellicoe's first first officer. He acted up and lashed out way too much for someone in that post.
I pretty much agree with all your choices. The characters on all the Star Trek shows were so fascinating, to use a Spock term. I really wish the show runners on Voyager had developed more of the possibilities available to them, but I still liked the show in spite of my disappointment. And Spock is definitely Number One, even if Kirk never called him that. 😄
T'pol's character development was really amazing throughout Enterprise. The bond she built with archer was amazing. Also I hope you're not talking shit on her romance with Trip, because that romance was awesome, the only thing wrong with it was that it was never fully committed to by the writers. My main issue throughout the series was that fucking catsuit.
You are preaching to the choir over here. 😁
I agree with your rankings, Jessie! I'm struggling with your placement of Chakotay a bit though. I thought he was really cool! But, I agree with your reasoning of his character. He was some kind of genetic Native American which kind of got on my nerves.Why didn't they at least give him an actual Tribal background? That was one of his flaws. Maybe I'd stick him in the middle or something.
1. Kira Nerys (also my #1 favorite Star Trek character ever)
2. Spock
3. Seru
4. T’Pol
5. Riker
6. Chakotay
kira is a total boss. period. she represents a unique cultural perspective in a legitimized way that isn't casually dismissed by the writing and also is extremely dynamic in her personal growth. i stan.
"I love all the first officers"
"Chakotay definitely F tier tho"
How would you rank "Number One", Captain Pike's first officer? Hopefully you could assess her once "Strange New World" premieres.
Tough call, but I would place Kira Nerys first, Spock second. Best female role model ever, I will add.
Indeed, I did really fight between who to put number one, but I had to give it to Spock personally, but it was a tough choice.
I want to point out in some ways comparisons are unfair because despite similar titles these first officers aren't always doing the same jobs. In Kirk's time ships tended to be smaller in size and in crew. So first officers did double duty with running a department. Spock was the first officer and science officer, his predecessor Number One was first officer and chief helmsman, and T'Pol I think also doubled as science officer. Spock spent most his time as a department head who took command of the ship when the captain was away. In fact in the first season he was only a lieutenant commander on par with the other department heads. Sort of a first among equals. By TNG ships and crews are much larger and Riker is first officer exclusively and shares command responsibilities with Picard. They have a almost a master/apprentice type relationship, which gets weird as we get midway into the show and Riker still hasn't moved on to his own command yet. Even worse by the time of the films. Sisco/Kira is interesting as it gives me a sort of Navy-Marine feel when there is mixed unit and the CO is from one branch and the XO another. Their rank structure even mimics that.
I also agree with your high placement of Kira and Spock.
I kind of think most of Trek (less true now) is told in relation to Spock, his parents, and the items that lead up.to.make him.
Interestingly, I was always fascinated by Thelin from the Animated episode "Yesteryear"
A great episode
I knew before this even started that Chakotay would be last, and I totally understand why even though I really love him lmao. he had so much unused potential and while i do think he is a good character, they definitely played down his Maquis history too much.
I thought the thumbnail read "WHO IS DUMBER" at first glance.
Really like T'Pol; once she joined Starfleet, I think that T'Pol should have started wearing the standard uniform.
You missed the original Number One during Pike's Enterprise. I know, both versions of the character have not had a lot of screen time so far, but not even a mention?
I wonder what happened to the character after her stint on the Enterprise.
With the go ahead for the Pike show we'll get to see! I really like her.
Hey! For the first time i'm the first here. I'm always happy to see there's a new Jessie Gender video. But i guess i'll disagree on this one. I'll be back to comment as soon as i finish watching it
🥇
I agree. Maybe Riker over T'pol, and certainly not the beard, but with the rest. I hope we get lots more Saru.
IMO Riker's thoughtful persona is ruined by his womanizing side. This 'Honest Trailer' characterizations says it all: "Will Riker - the horniest first officer in the fleet - whose never met a woman, hologram, co-worker, amnesia-stricken crew member, or genderless androgyneous alien he didn't want to bone."
My list:
1. Kira
2. T'Pol
3. Saru
4. Riker
5. Chakotay
Ah, yes. Spock. He is on another very special plane. 🖖💜
My list, from worst to best, is: Chakotay, Michael Burnham, Raffi, T'pol, Saru, Kira, Spock and Riker.
So all the people of color and women take the bottom half, and two white guys take the top two spots. Just sayin'
I got the impression that Raffi was Admiral Picard's aid-de-camp, not an executive officer.
I can't believe that everyone's missing the obvious answer:
WE are Number One.
**saxaphone intro**
I would have totally thought Riker would have been further up
Kelly Grayson is one of my all time favorite XO. Wait...the show she' s on is officially not "Star Trek" :)
What a great thumbnail title!! 👌❤
Riker really is sex appeal in a Starfleet uniform.
I was, at first, disappointed with Kira's ranking but realized you are correct. Spock for sure. I agree with your ranking but I have to admit a tiny uncertainty about Riker maybe too high and Saru being too low. Just the same, yeah so subjective but I have to agree.
5)T'Pol
4)Chakotay
3lSaru
2)Riker/Kira
1lSpock
@jessiegender as you can see we agree on about half the list. TBH I could go either way for Chakotay or T'Pol being bottom ranked. They both suffer from wasted potential. But I feel like the writers were so desperate for a love story that they forced one. By the end T'Pol's character was so fast outside the norm if Vulcan culture she's practically a Romulan. As for Kira and Riker, it's a tie. I can't choose between them, I love them both too much.
The best Kira 1st Officer moment for me is in the season 6 finale. They are on the Defiant, going into battle, when Dukat lets a Pah'wraith into the wormhole. Sisko feels that something is very wrong in the Celestial Temple and Kira immediately realizes that he is no longer able to command and takes over command of the ship. Even though she knows that her gods are in danger, she steps up to the plate to support Sisko and get the mission done.
William Riker is the perfect embodiment of positive (non-toxic) masculinity. he oozes sexuality, but not in a creepy way. when he's expressing sexual interest, or someone expresses interest in him, he's always respectful. he has healthy romantic and interpersonal relationships. he has his own interests and hobbies outside of his romantic relationships and allows his partners to have the same.
Riker loses serious points in my eyes for his total unwillingness to take all that he's learned from Picard and apply that knowledge and skill to his own ship. Yes, he eventually did, but it should have happened 13 years earlier, at the time of "Icarus Factor". Hell, by "Best of Both Worlds", even Picard was telling him it was time to take command.
You're right about Chakotay, but a big part of his issue was that the writers didn't want Janeway to seem weak or indecisive. So, his ability to be a strong foil for her was limited. And yes, dubious writing. The Voyager writers didn't even know that an ensign is supposed to make lieutenant after a few years, so it's amazing that the show was as good as it was.
I would put Riker above T'Pol, otherwise I agree. I love Kira, but Spock is my ultimate favourite and he is probably the most iconic Star Trek character, so I think he deserves to be number 1.
When it comes to T'Pol I must say that I watched very little of Enterprise, because I didn't like it, but everyone keeps saying it gets better, so I will give it another try.
initially t'pol was my fav enterprise character, bc of her unique position and perspective - but ultimately her writing made me the most angry, bc they couldn't stop defining her by her sexualization
I am *not* a believer in "pushing" diversity for its own sake, but have always loved (since watching TOS during its NBC run) that different races and ethnic groups in Star Trek have been seamlessly integrated into the show, which is how I (still) hope the future would be. So Chakotay's Native American inclusion, to me, was just a natural thing, and I didn't necessarily need his "Native Americaness" to be on display. *HOWEVER* you are absolutely right that it is borderline offensive that they thought they could just called him Native American without dropping a mention of his tribe (or tribes; many of my students belong to two). This to me is similar to the ignorant way today that people's demographic analysis of American includes the groups "Asians" and "Hispanics". Seriously? Japanese and Indians in a single group? And Cubans and Colombians in a single group? For Pete's sake, Spaniards and Moroccans have more in common than Koreans and Pakistanis. So yeah, Chakotay should have been given a tribe, and maybe, just maybe, that would have given Beltran something to work with.
I really hope that Kira Nerys is the Captain of the Enterprise F in Season Two of Picard
Riker was a better, more grounded officer than Kirk, surely. Better looking, both young and old, he was secure without being at all cocksure. He also hung with the crew! I also think his close friendship (and his dormant, then active romance with Troi) made him happier and more relatable.
Kira G-d Nerys is the best first officer ever... of all time. There is no one I would rather have working directly under me than Kira. All respect due to the others, but if I am hand picking my crew, she MUST be my Number One.
Riker and T'pol rank so closely for such different reasons. Maybe it's because I was a bigger follower of STTNG that I give Riker the edge, but the rest of the list is the same.
For me, Saru may be low on my favourite first officers list, but he is very high on my favourite captains list.
Now do Ops officers! (just kidding, but also maybe could be fun lol)
#1: Spock, #2: Kira, #3: everyone else.
I'd be very surprised if Chakotay was anyone's Number One.
I really hope Saru becomes captain. He not only deserves it, but when he was acting captain he made good choices, he cares for his crew, he is generally more cautious and more aware of the repercussions of certain actions.
9:18 Agreed. Mirror ('Intendant') Kira was so badass. My daydream now is to see her sharing a scene with Mirror Georgiou and see who will win in a battle of wits (and perhaps more)...
Georgiou. 100% Georgiou.
I know it won't be very easy to do... but could you rank the captains, please?
Kira, Spock, T'paul, Riker, Chakote, Saruu (can't put him higher until more seasons)
Kira always had a lot of layers and her character development was incredible. Her episodes were pretty much always amazing and heartbreaking. She really deserves to be number one. Spock barely breaks top three for me in terms of being a first officer. I love Spock and Spock is great but in terms of as a list of first officers yeah he did well but he was really more of a science officer.
Kira is my favorite character who was a first officer, but she isnt the best first officer. Thats probably either Riker or Spock, but I freaking love Kira.
For me, it's gonna have to be Kira, but Spock is also pretty great!
Kira is was my first fictional crush. Was... lol. Am still in love with her 😂
I don't know if I'm happy with my list, but I decided to make it anyway.
Kira
Spock
Riker
Gwyn
Saru
T'Pol
Ransom
Raffi
Una
Chakotay
Also, a small reservation for Micheal Burnham, as I haven't finish Discovery S3 & 4. And judging her from how she was in the beginning of Disco isn't exactly fair as far as I'm concerned.
Spock, Kira, Saru, Riker, T'Pol, Chakotay
Riker should have been higher. This list is fair and impressive but Riker should have been higher
I like your list even though I disagree. I'm gonna post mine because of course I am.
1. Riker. I just love him. Number 1 for a reason
2. Spock. He's probably actually the best but I like Riker better.
3. Saru. I love him, he's one of my favorite new characters, and he is one of those "embodies the franchise" characters to me
4. Kira. I knock her down for her having blind faith sometimes.
5. T'Pol. She's one of the main good things about Enterprise. I wish the writing had been as good as the character and the actor.
6. Chakotay. Basically agree with all the things you said.
7. Burnham. I love the character but in the Disco pilot she starts a war. By the time she has redeemed herself she is no longer first officer, so I gotta put her at the bottom, if she's included.
Except Michael never actually started the war. T'Kuvma did. It was made clear in the pilot that T'Kuvma was going to start a war no matter what.
Come on, you can't knock Kira down the list for that reason. SMH.
I disagree Beta, Michael's insurrection was the spark. Yes, T'Kuvma's isolationism and fear you have lead to an attack of some kind at some point, but Michael was the catalyst on the Federation side.
Panoptical, it's my list and I'll rank people however I like. If it wasn't for Nana, Kira would possibly be at the bottom of my list.
Would have led*
I wish the pit bull Number One had been on your list - or at least an honorable mention.
I'm pretty sure putting Riker so low is heresey :P