Imagine my shock upon discovering that the greatest debate of all time hadn't yet been given a home on TFP!
James Tiberius Kirk. What is there to say? The man is a space-god. After being one of the only survivors of the massacres of Tarsus IV, he served with distinction at Starfleet Academy, graduating at the top 5% of his class. Because of his exploratory work at Starfleet, he was promoted to a full Lieutenant, bypassing Ensign (which he has served on the USS Republic during his schooling).
He rose in the ranks quickly by showing incredible aptitude in leadership and ability, besting gas monsters (which would prepare him for future, shinier gas cloud monsters). At age 31, Kirk was the youngest captain in the history of Starfleet. At this point in his life, he had developed an awesomeness normally reserved for the likes of Church Norris facts or Johnny Depp.
I won't go into great detail about his work which was covered in the series or the movies, but leave us say that Kirk is one of the most memorable characters in TV, movie, or inappropriate homoerotic slash fanfic history.
Among his great strengths are his unconventional (yet highly effective) hand to hand combat fighting methods, his apparent racism towards Klingons, the ability to make people laugh with his
fuzzy balls, his incredible battle tactics, and his ability to rally his crew with an undeniable Kirk swagger. Also, women love him in a way only a writer could imagine.
Jean-Luc Picard. What do you get when you cross Aristotle, Dr. Henry Jones, Alexander the Great and Winston Churchill? Captain Jean-Luc Picard, that's who. Also roachboy, I suspect, but the amounts of each differ. Consult the recipe. Born of a great French lineage that included everything from explorers to wine makers, Picard apparently developed a British accent at a very young age. When he wasn't fighting with his older brother, Robert (no, it's pronounced ro-bear, like "row boat"), he was looking to the stars and dreaming of exploring the galaxy.
After one failed attempt, Picard applies to and is accepted to Starfleet Academy, where he earned very high marks and was considered one of the best cadets in his class. While he excelled at sports, particularly running, he also started to develop an appreciation for archeology which would develop into a life-long passion. While playing a rigged game of dom-jot with some friendly Nausicans(
), Picard was caught in a deadly fight and was stabbed through the chest. This was a pivotal moment in the life of Picard; a moment when he realized his own mortality, which caused him to mature and cast off some of his youthful pride and recklessness.
After graduating with distinction from Starfleet Academy, Picard demonstrated great leadership skills and judgment, causing him to be promoted quickly. His first command was on the Stargazer, a Constellation-class starship, where he served for 22 years. In those 22 years, Picard led the Stargazer on many adventures as he honed his uncanny leadership and captaining skills to near-perfection.
His assignment as capitain of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D was the opening of the series Star Trek: TNG.
Among his strengths are his ability to provide a worthy adversary to Q (who is for all intents and purposes a god), unmatched debating and negotiation skills, being an intergalactic sex symbol without embellishing the role (like some people...), a master tactician, and is the perfect delegater.
Okay, so let the debate begin...
I may be biased because I didn't experience TOS when it originally ran, but I believe Picard to be the superior captain. Captain Picard
chose to go back in time to 20th century Earth via the holodeck, wheras Kirk managed to find his way back there on accident nearly half the series.
You'd never have to clean Picard's semen out of the holodeck after he'd used it. Moreover, Picard demonstrated greater abilities in his delegation, negotiation, and exploration.
Thoughts?