In honor of the EMP’s new exhibit, our latest poll at HeraldNet.com wades into one of the galaxy’s never-ending debates: Who is the best “Star Trek” captain?
With apologies to Captains Sisko (“Deep Space Nine”), Janeway (“Voyager”) and Archer (that other one that nobody watched), this was always a two-horse race. Ninety-four percent of the vote went to either James T. Kirk of the original series or Jean-Luc Picard of “The Next Generation.” Let’s break down the matchup:
Looks: Kirk has those piercing eyes and fills out his Starfleet uniform with a beefy frame. Picard has that perfect, low-maintenance hairstyle and an ace up his sleeve – a British accent that women find irresistible. Righty-O, then. Advantage: Picard.
Leadership: While Kirk is always putting himself in harm’s way on away teams, Picard knows that a good manager delegates all the dirty work to his underlings. Advantage: Picard.
Romance: Kirk loved them and left them, with no less than 22 flings in just 70 episodes, not counting the cartoons or movies. Picard had only one true love – the Enterprise – but it was a love that lasted several years longer. Advantage: Picard.
Ability to hold on to phaser: That thing went flying every time Kirk got in a fistfight, which means it went flying every episode. Advantage: Picard.
Catchphrases: “Beam me up, Scotty” is credited to Kirk, although he never actually uttered those exact words. “Make it so,” “Engage,” and “Resistance is futile” all came from Picard, and all are useful in our daily lives. Kids won’t go to bed? Just tell them resistance is futile. Advantage: Picard.
Decisiveness: Kirk … would speak … haltingly, making him appear unsure; Picard never wavered in his conviction – he knew that whatever Lt. Worf suggested was absolutely wrong. Advantage: Picard.
Clearly, Picard is the right choice, but our voters gave Captain Kirk 64 percent of the vote. I’d keep arguing, but you know what they say about resistance.
— Doug Parry, parryracer@gmail.com; @parryracer
Next up, we’d like your opinion on funding for national parks.
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