Star Trek Why Captain Pike Is The Best Enterprise Captain (& 5 Reasons Its Kirk)

Star Trek: Why Captain Pike Is The Best Enterprise Captain (& 5 Reasons It’s Kirk)

Christopher Pike was the original captain of the Enterprise and James Kirk is the most famous, but which is the best?

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Star Trek fans might have forgotten that prior to James Tiberius Kirk’s sterling captaincy of the Enterprise, Christopher Pike sat in the chair for many years. Having appeared in only a few flashback episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series until he became a more substantial character in the Star Trek reboot movie in 2009, most fans only knew him as a reserved commanding officer whose tragic accident cut short his Starfleet career.

Thanks to Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, in which Captain Pike made his triumphant return to the franchise, fans got the opportunity to really get to know why his name inspired one of Starfleet’s most prestigious medals. His character has become so popular that some fans believe he might just be the best captain the Enterprise has ever had, even better than the famous Captain Kirk!

10 Captain Pike: Understands His Limitations

In Star Trek: The Original Series, an unused pilot starring Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) as the captain of the Enterprise was filmed and later scrapped, but the footage was reworked into an episode of the first season. In it, Pike explained to the ship’s doctor that he was tired of feeling responsible for over 200 people and that his mental health was deteriorating.

Pike was honest about his mental health problems and his depression, a refreshing change from indefatigable captains who don’t seem to have any cracks in their facade. That attitude was maintained by Anson Mount when he joined Star Trek: Discovery, and he was known for being a pensive captain who understood his limits, and therefore needed his crew at their best.

9 Captain Kirk: Inspiring

Without a doubt, Kirk’s gallant sense of adventure and heroism have enamored him to fans around the world. As the first Star Trek captain in the franchise, he set the tone for everyone who sat in “the chair”, and his can-do attitude has always been considered special when compared to more by-the-book Starfleet officers.

The Enterprise’s five-year mission, “to boldly go where no one had gone before” presented all sorts of new encounters and situations, and Kirk’s particular style of captaincy ensured that it would be ready for whatever awaited it. Only a truly inspiring captain could get so many red shirts to follow him into the unknown.

8 Captain Pike: Very Egalitarian

One of the first things Captain Pike declares when he comes aboard the USS Discovery is, “ranks don’t really matter”. He views every member of the crew as an equal, and values their contributions to the success of the mission, instantly making him one of the most likable people on board.

He doesn’t pull rank if the situation doesn’t call for it, and is patient with everyone under his command until they give him a reason not to be. For example, when Commander Saru is insubordinate to him during one of their first interactions he gives him leeway, but when he repeats the offense in a combat situation, Pike orders him off the bridge.

7 Captain Kirk: Has A Good Relationship With His Crew

Captain Kirk has described the crew of the Enterprise as “a family”, implying that they’re more than just dedicated personnel filling a starship. To Kirk, the Enterprise was always full of living beings with hopes, dreams, and aspirations, and he always fostered them the best he could while maintaining decorum.

Throughout Star Trek: The Original Series and its subsequent films, Kirk can be seen deepening his personal bonds with Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Chevok, and several other crew members, showing a level of camaraderie rarely seen among Starfleet captains who eschew getting too personal.

6 Captain Pike: Celebrates And Acknowledges Others’ Successes

Captain Pike is not an egoist, as evidenced when an Admiral had to visibly talk him up when he arrived on the bridge of the USS Discovery. He knew upon arrival that the crew of the Discovery were war heroes of the Klingon War, a conflict he sat out. Even if it might have affected his personal confidence, he never let his thoughts on the matter negatively impact the crew, whom he deeply respected.

Though he was responsible for a crew that didn’t know him during the Red Angel investigation, he always celebrated their successes as though they were his own, and demonstrated great tact with Tilly and Burnham. Of his own crew, he always believed in Spock’s mental recovery, and completely trusted his Number One to have his back.

5 Captain Kirk: A Maverick In Starfleet

Kirk may have been the first Starfleet captain seen in the Star Trek franchise, but that alone doesn’t make him an anomaly. He has since been regarded as unlike any captain seen before or since. Though his reckless style might have made him an unlikely graduate of Starfleet Academy, his strategic abilities couldn’t be discounted.

Though the Enterprise is primarily a science vessel, Kirk proved that in battle, he could outsmart any opponent with a combination of critical thinking, analysis, and skill. These maverick tendencies might have also contributed to him butting heads with Spock and other officers, as well as being overly emotional, but they were acceptable traits when the chips were down.

4 Captain Pike: Sacrificed Himself For His Crew

Longtime Star Trek fans knew the fate of Captain Pike from Star Trek: The Original Series, and in Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery, Pike knew it too. When he held the time crystal and saw his own future, he chose to cast aside his trepidation and do what needed to be done for the success of the mission.

When he learned of his fate, it became a fixed moment in time, and the knowing robbed him of the chance to change it. Despite becoming a shell of a man and a hollow version of his former self, he still did what was best for the crew without thinking of himself. This sacrifice alone earned him celebration in the annals of Star Trek canon.

3 Captain Kirk: Runs A Tight Starship

Unlike Captain Pike, who after assuming command of the USS Discovery had a casual attitude about rank and command, Captain Kirk ran a tight ship. Rather than “go with the flow”, he assumed absolute authority, and though he trusted his bridge crew implicitly, understood that the large decisions would always fall to him.

He took full responsibility for any first contact encounters that went awry, lost ships that led to chaos, and even his own emotional failings with women that affected the safety or stability of the crew.

2 Captain Pike: Balance Between Rules And Regulations

Pike has proved to be a patient captain, though in some ways more unfiltered than Kirk. He has embraced the rules and regulations of Starfleet but supported them with an infrastructure of good old fashioned humanity and gut instinct.

This has made him highly adaptive to being a true diplomat as well as a man of action. He can be firm when the occasion calls for regulations, and he can be empathetic when the situation calls for giving avuncular advice. He is perfectly happy to give autonomy to junior officers and even ensigns, and they flourish because of his confidence in them.

1 Captain Kirk: Respected

Captain Kirk remains a hallowed name in Starfleet because of his bravery, his brazen maneuvers, and his unique approach to his captaincy, but what mattered most to him was to earn the respect of his crew.

Unlike Pike, who is often interrupted, talked down to, corrected, or outright ignored, Kirk is followed faithfully. He welcomes input from his crew but won’t tolerate being treated like a fool.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/star-trek-why-pike-best-enterprise-captain-reasons-kirk-better/

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