Star Trek
As I wrote in a previous post, that I prefer Star Trek : TOS to Star Trek : TNG.
One of the primary reasons of course is the captain of the original Enterprise - Captain Kirk. I think Picard is too much of a “thinker” and depends way too much on his “Number one” and Data. Kirk actually got things done - by himself!
Of course, there are people with more time and resources. They have come up with a whole ton of reasons why Picard sucks and Kirk rocks. For those who need proof about this fact, please click here.
Here are some I liked :
Captain Sisko from DS9 was a god who was destined to join the Temple of the Prophets (the wormhole aliens). And even a god-like figure like him had a lot of hero worship for Kirk ( Trials and Tribble-ations). He also had a lot of contempt for Picard (Emissary). What more proof is needed than the judgement of a God.
Kirk’s era had higher standards of command. Spock said it best: the captain had no right to appear anything but perfect; otherwise, the crew lost faith, and he lost command (The Enemy Within). And Kirk worked hard to avoid displaying weakness in the eyes of his crew-forcing himself through the Psi-2000 virus by sheer willpower. Picard? His first stated concern was that the captain, “project an air of geniality” (Encounter at Farpoint). How standards have changed.
Kirk’s first order as captain of the Enterprise: “Take her out of the Galaxy, Mister Mitchell.” Picard’s first order as captain of the Enterprise: “We surrender.” (I just love this one!)
Even when faced with the new Romulan plasma-torpedo, Kirk didn’t run in order to “live another day” like Picard did.
Kirk could easily end a serious and dangerous adventure with a good, hearty laugh with his crew, therefore keeping up morale and creating a more friendly environment . Picard frequently would merely scowl a lot and have a crabby attitude, contributing no morale whatsoever.
Well, you get the drift…
Of course, if you *still* don’t believe me - here’s more proof [@ 1000 x 30 words/second]
Brings to my mind : This old man went rolling home 
And this is what would happen if Picard ever went head-to-head with Kirk
Until next time, “Boldly go where no man has gone before” 
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Two different styles, both of which are useful in their own way.
Kirk is more of a commando - which fits in perfectly with the environment that GR created. All episodes finally came down to Kirk, Spock, Roy and on occasion the engineer whose name I forget. His type of leadership suited the team he was given - a small compact specialised group. He was also charged with exploring the galaxy, a task that ought to be forwarded to small pioneering teams. Kirk corresponds to the ancient Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi, who could not conceive of defeat and in fact lost no fight in his 16 years of the sword.
In any event, Kirk was reprimanded on his return for his constant dereliction of duty. From what I read, he was never made admiral for this very reason.
Picard, on the other hand, is an office man. He is an administrator, tasked with maintaining peace in his currently assigned quadrant of the universe. He utilises diplomatic skills, choosing peaceful means over aggression. He leads a team of many memebers and while Riker, Beverly, Data and Troi are a regular part of his repertoire, he relies with considerable consistency on the work done by the lesser members of the Enterprise. He never risks his team, preferring to live to fight another day, when he may be better prepared. This kind of administration corresponds perfectly with the philosophies of Kautilya and Sun Tzu, both who preferred life over glory.
It will be recalled that Picard was offered admiralty for his service, and offer he turned down because he wished to keep exploring. This of course, was a ruse to keep a terrible series in continuation.
Comment by kapil kaisare — February 4, 2006 @ 11:32 am
Please do *some* research my friend :
” Following the return of the Enterprise from the five-year mission in 2271, Kirk accepted a promotion to admiral, while the Enterprise underwent an extensive refit. At the time, Kirk recommended Willard Decker to replace him as captain of the Enterprise, although Kirk accepted a grade reduction back to captain when he regained command of the ship to meet the V’Ger threat in 2274. After this incident, Kirk commanded the Enterprise on a historic second five-year mission.”
See - Kirk did make Admiral - and had the guts to take it up.
Unlike Baldy.
Comment by AC — February 4, 2006 @ 3:26 pm
Apologies for the error - I was indeed mistaken. My *research* came off a Star Trek game a long time ago - evidently they changed the storyline to meet their convinience.
Comment by kapil kaisare — February 4, 2006 @ 4:48 pm