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Aug 04, 2017
Leadership
Which Star Trek Captain do you think demonstrates the greatest leadership qualities and why?
Jonathan Archer (Captained the very first experimental Enterprise NX-01 even before Kirk and was instrumental in the creation of Starfleet and the Federation of Planets)
James T. Kirk (Captained the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 and made first contact with more alien races than anyone in history)
Jean-Luc Picard (The next generation of Starfleet Captains who captained the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D and was the first to encounter the Borg)
Benjamin Sisko (Promoted to Captain whilst serving on Deep Space Nine and captained the USS Defiant NCC-75633)
Kathryn Janeway (Captained the USS Voyager NCC-74656 and was the first female Captain as a lead character and the first to traverse the delta quadrant)
Let’s take a look at each Captain then.
Jonathan Archer was not one for playing by the rules and would break them to prove a point, as he did when he stole a test ship to prove humans were ready to go into deep space and reverse a decision that the Vulcans had imposed on Earth saying humans were not ready. He took many decisions in the face of Vulcan opposition despite the Vulcans having much more experience with exploring the galaxy. He recognised their limitations and their differences as a species that made the Vulcans more cautious than humans and pushed on with his mission anyway.
Archer was not always as sure of himself as some of the other Captains liked to portray but he would not be bullied and stuck to his guns if he thought it was the right thing to do morally.
Archer proved himself a worthy Captain and was instrumental in the creation of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. Now that’s some leadership!
James T. Kirk, like Archer, was a risk taker. He was the youngest Captain ever to be given his own Starship and he didn’t play by the rules. Kirk would do whatever it took to get the job done and he was fearlessly loyal to his crew. He would not dessert them as was apparent when he stole the Enterprise to go back to the planet Genesis to retrieve Spock’s body. He also inspired his crews’ loyalty towards him as was shown when Sulu ignored Starfleet’s orders and left to rescue Kirk from the Klingons.
Kirk made first contact with more alien species than any other Captain. Let’s not forget, his was only a five year mission at the beginning so he achieved a great deal in that time.
Kirk had a jovial leadership style but always projected confidence and inspired his long-serving crew to want to do what was right, even if it meant disobeying orders from Starfleet.
He eventually lost his life saving the universe in the most heroic manner with the help of our next Captain, Jean-Luc Picard. Kirk certainly led from the front.
Jean-Luc Picard is a more philosophical and thoughtful leader compared to the previous two Captains. His main strengths as a leader include being an accomplished diplomat and as a cunning tactician. Picard showed early promise as a formidable leader whilst Captaining the Stargazer showing great tactical creativity by performing what later became known as the ‘Picard Manoeuvre’ to escape a Ferengi ship.
After Captaining the Stargazer he was awarded command of Starfleet’s flagship, the Enterprise. He handpicked his senior crew and other crew members, notably at least one crew member who had a troubled history with Starfleet in order that she received a fair chance to redeem herself.
Picard was fair-minded and not afraid to discuss his true feelings with Counsellor Troi or his friend/unofficial advisor Guinan however he was not comfortable around children and told his first officer that “since a captain needs an image of genealogy, you're to see that's what I project.”
Picard rarely showed his true feelings to his crew and always maintained a professional and steadfast, confident image appropriate for his position. Despite not showing the same cavalier tendencies as either Archer or Kirk there are a number of times that Picard breaks the Prime Directive, (Starfleet’s number one directive) when he felt it was morally right to do so and he also indicates on a number of occasions that he doesn’t expect his officers to blindly follow orders for the same reason.
Picard is the first Captain to meet the Borg and also Q and ultimately defeats both within different arenas. He inspires confidence and loyalty in his crew which they reciprocate when the entire bridge crew choose to ignore Starfleet’s orders and return to Earth to help fight the Borg.
Let’s not forget that Picard was also offered an Admiralty very early on in his captaincy but turned it down because he wanted to lead from the front, not from behind a desk.
Leadership by example at its best.
Benjamin Sisko always had lofty goals for himself in the beginning, however he became a widower having lost his wife on the USS Saratoga, where he was the First Officer, when it was destroyed. This hit him hard and when he was assigned to deep space nine, it was not an assignment he wanted and he tried to turn it down.
Sisko was not a Captain at this point but his command abilities were well thought of and his mission was clear; to help to rebuild Bajor after the Cardassian invasion and explore the gamma quadrant.
Sisko is asked to question his own character and beliefs on many occasions. After being promoted to Captain, this staunchly loyal leader has to risk his own beliefs to investigate everyone from Starfleet to Bajorans and he questions his own morality.
Ultimately Sisko is shown as a courageous leader and one that commands the respect of not only his own people but of other very different lifeforms such as the Prophets who are non-linear beings.
He can sometimes be quick to anger; “I wasn’t ’yelling.‘ I was just expressing my opinion loudly.”
A standout leader amongst the five Captains for having the most diverse set of conditions in which to operate and lead most effectively.
Kathryn Janeway was the first female Captain in a lead role on Star Trek and the first Captain to traverse the delta quadrant. She is an accomplished scientist and on her very first mission as Captain of the USS Voyager, she sacrifices her and her crew’s ability to return to Earth to ensure the protection of an alien species in the delta quadrant. “I'm not willing to trade the lives of the Ocampa for our convenience. We'll have to find another way home.”
It’s clear that Janeway has a very strict moral compass and this is demonstrated time and again throughout the series. You know what she stands for. It could be argued that her moral compass is somewhat idealistic and there are moments when Janeway herself reflects and questions the decisions she has made; something all good leaders should practice.
She is fair minded and cares about her crew but has also been known to sometimes ‘cross the line’ when she is provoked. This was noticeable when she was apparently willing to torture and let a crew member from the USS Equinox die at the hands of aliens because she was “damned angry. I'm going to hunt him [the Captain of the Equinox] down, no matter how long it takes, no matter what the cost.” This because the Equinox crew were committing mass murder of an alien species to get home from the delta quadrant.
Tuvok also calls Janeway “reckless” when she takes Voyager into a binary star system that could crush the ship to stop aliens from continuing to perform experiments on her and her crew. Janeway is a strong leader and “I don’t like bullies” she states.
Janeway can be unsentimental and will not take the easy route. She has more run ins with the Borg than any other Captain and eventually manages to destroy the Borg Queen as well as get her crew the 70,000 light years back home where she is promoted to Admiral, and all whilst staying true to her ideals and the principles of the Federation. “It's never easy. But if we turn our backs on our principles, we stop being human.” Achieving this goal against huge odds to her and her crew, Janeway succeeds in her mission.
That’s the ultimate point of leadership after all, isn’t it?
So who do you think demonstrates the greatest leadership qualities of the five Captains here and why?
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. Talk to you soon.
Regards
Glen
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