Summary
- Star Trek Captains develop complex characters throughout their missions and duties.
- Each Captain has a standout episode showcasing their strengths, vulnerabilities, and leadership skills.
- The best episodes of Star Trek's Captains offer profound insights into their characters and their impact on the crew and the galaxy.
Star Trek’s rich, diverse, and enduring tapestry of shows spans an impressive multi-decade history, with no shortage of exceptional stories about the franchise's most famed Captains. Starfleet’s full fleet of progressive starships systematically explore and defend the galaxy, as a long line of inspirational and important commanding officers lead diverse and highly trained crew complements to boldly traverse among the stars. From 1966’s innovative Star Trek: The Original Series, to 1993’s thematically darker Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, all the way to 2021’s 3-D animated Star Trek: Prodigy, there’s a wealth of rich and exciting inter-stellar development to cater to and suit all tastes.
Spanning the length and breadth of Star Trek's multiverse timeline, the franchise’s shows all occupy a specific moment in space and time. With distinctive goals and characteristics, each Star Trek show’s Captain and related characters develop over the course of their duties and mission assignments. Starfleet Captains balance the weight of responsibility for the well-being of their ship and crew with the authority and command of a starship - a continuous potential for hostility or disaster countering the remarkable opportunity for good and positive growth. With a view to each Star Trek series and their associated Captains, here’s a look at every Star Trek Captain’s best episode.
How To Watch All Star Trek TV Shows In Timeline Order
The Star Trek TV franchise has existed for 57 years and consists of 12 shows (and counting). Here's how to watch them all in timeline order.
10 Captain James T. Kirk's Best Episode
Star Trek: The Original Series, season 1, episode 8 - "Balance of Terror"
Shatner's performance is powerful, emotionally mature, and multilayered.
Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) matches wits and engages in a battle of intellectual warfare with an attacking Romulan vessel. With the Federation on the brink of all-out war with the Romulan Empire, Kirk's USS Enterprise is tasked with defending Federation outposts along the Neutral Zone. Consistently matching and outmaneuvering the opposing Romulan Commander (Mark Lenard), Kirk's actions directly lead to a decisive resolution.
Kirk's masterful performance and tactical ingenuity are abundant here, significantly showcasing the Captain's greatest strengths, balancing the severity of war and death with themes of prejudice, inclusion, and equality. Shatner's performance is powerful, emotionally mature, and multilayered, providing a solid grounding for a tension-infused plot.
9 Captain Jean-Luc Picard's Best Episode
Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 5, episode 25 - "The Inner Light"
An encounter between the USS Enterprise-D and an alien probe leads Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) into an alternate life as Kamin, an inhabitant of Ressik on Kataan. Quickly learning the planet is stricken and unstable, Kamin lives a long, full life among its people. Later, after regaining consciousness on the Enterprise, Picard discovers that this life had occurred over mere minutes on board the ship, the people of Kataan long gone.
A heartbreaking and bittersweet standalone story, topping Captain Picard's best episodes, it's a profoundly artistic, emotionally intense, and somewhat circular but significant story of love, tragedy, and strength. Stewart's polished performance is consistently nuanced, understated, and convincing.
8 Captain Benjamin Sisko's Best Episode
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, season 6, episode 19 - "In The Pale Moonlight"
Providing an odd contrast between the Federation's ideological values and the horrors undertaken to maintain them, Sisko's darkest moment showcases a vital willingness to resort to moral ambiguity amid the bleak duality of war.
Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) explores the grittiest depths of character, probity, and war in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "In The Pale Moonlight." Desperate to ally with the Romulans, Sisko violates ethical boundaries and Starfleet regulation by manipulating the volatile race into participating in the Federation-Dominion War.
Sisko's belief that preventing the loss of many justifies the deliberate loss of a few and his willingness to commit crime allows dark insight into the Captain's integrity. Providing an odd contrast between the Federation's ideological values and the horrors undertaken to maintain them, Sisko's darkest moment showcases a vital willingness to resort to moral ambiguity amid the bleak duality of war.
7 Captain Kathryn Janeway's Best Episode
Star Trek: Voyager, season 4, episode 8 & 9 - "Year of Hell, Part I & II"
Spanning the breadth of two great Star Trek: Voyager episodes, "Year of Hell" provides genuine insight into the USS Voyager's Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). Psychologically informative, the episode is simultaneously a character study and a tale of obsession, loyalty, and temporal warfare. Heavily damaged by the Krenim Imperium's Annorax (Kurtwood Smith), Voyager embarks on a year-long battle for survival in a newly formed dark timeline.
With Annorax dedicated to restoring former glory and Captain Janeway determined to save her crew, it's an unbalanced yet evenly-matched battle of will, intellect, and endurance. Mulgrew's outstanding performance as Janeway at her limit is, at times, inspiring, haunting, and bold, highlighting Janeway's devotion, vulnerability, complexity, and considerable strength.
Star Trek: Voyager Cast & Character Guide
In its seven seasons, Star Trek: Voyager introduced many new faces to the Trek universe. Here is a breakdown of the show's main cast and characters.
6 Captain Jonathan Archer's Best Episode
Star Trek: Enterprise, season 3, episode 18 - "Azati Prime"
Bakula's performance here subtly demonstrates the Enterprise Captain's courage, commitment, and intelligence, balancing humor and raw authenticity to steer events.
Star Trek: Enterprise's Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) embarks on a one-way mission into Xindi territory as the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise close in on the Xindi weapon. A significant moment in season 3 of the prematurely canceled Star Trek: Enterprise, this important episode also highlights the subtleties of Captain Archer's transformative character. Quickly captured by Xindi forces, Archer is subjected to hostile interrogation.
Bakula's performance here subtly demonstrates the Enterprise Captain's courage, commitment, and intelligence, balancing humor and raw authenticity to steer events toward a potential diplomatic resolution. With other forces also creating waves, this episode intelligently brings Archer's complexity and loyal nobility (and recklessness) into stark regard.
5 Captain Christopher Pike's Best Episode
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 2, episode 10 - "Hegemony"
Disregarding specific Starfleet orders to withdraw from engagement with the Gorn, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) breaches a prohibited demarcation zone around Parnassus Beta and leads a landing party to find survivors in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 finale. With communications blocked, Pike learns that Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano), with whom he is romantically involved, is infected with Gorn eggs - a condition that previously resulted in the death of Lieutenant Hemmer (Bruce Horak). It's a riveting and tense study of Pike's dual instinctive and professionally measured nature. With the USS Enterprise and the survivors all under attack, Pike's decisive choices could spell life or death.
4 Captain Michael Burnham's Best Episode
Star Trek: Discovery, season 4, episode 8 - "All In"
The indomitable Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) stumbles upon a significant and consequential moment in her relationship with Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) when an attempt to find a powerful weapon leads to a high-stakes encounter at a casino where Booker, in a calculated move to gain possession of the isolynium, abruptly ends their romance.
Burnham and Book's game of chance is a challenging, emotionally impactful, and complex moment, made all the more stark by solid acting performances from Martin-Green and Ajala, and a previously established, genuine connection. Though Burnham and Booker later rekindle their relationship, this episode is pivotal in raising the stakes for Burnham and delivers a raw, meaningful insight into both characters.
3 Captain Saru's Best Episode
Star Trek: Discovery, season 3, episode 11 - "Su'Kal"
Captain Saru embarks on a deeply personal mission in this informative Star Trek: Discovery, season four episode. Leading an away mission to a crashed ship, the Khi'eth, located on a planet within the radioactive Verubin nebula, Saru encounters a sensitive, lone Kelpian survivor awaiting rescue - Su'Kal. As Saru gently coaxes and interacts with Su'Kal and learns about the origins of the Burn, this deeply personal and emotionally resonating story allows for significant insight into and development of his character. This episode subtly enhances the character's outlook and considerate nature by exposing Saru's innate comion, benevolence, and empathic abilities.
Who Is In The Cast Of Star Trek Discovery?
Star Trek: Discovery's cast is, appropriately, full of stars, but also includes many relative newcomers. How do they compare to Shatner and Stewart?
2 Captain Carol Freeman's Best Episode
Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 2, episode 10 - "First First "
When Captain Carol Freeman's (Dawnn Lewis) daughter, Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), overhears that Freeman is getting promoted in the Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2 finale, tensions and resentments rise among the ship's upper deckers as Freeman's senior officers take the news badly. With Freeman's professional (and personal) relationships cast into doubt, it's a vital episode for Captain Freeman - whose attention is unusually drawn to her own interactions and relationships with (and loyalty to) the crew. Coming full circle with a decision to reject the promotion at the end of the episode, Freeman is instead arrested for collaborating with Klingon extremists to destroy the Pakled Planet.
1 Dal R'El's Best Episode
Star Trek: Prodigy, season 1, episode 20 - "Supernova, Part 2"
In Star Trek: Prodigy's season 1 finale, young human-augment-hybrid Dal R'El (Brett Grey) overcomes significant challenges and emotional upheaval. First, volunteering to manually activate the USS Protostar's self-destruct to prevent further destruction of Starfleet's ships, Dal reveals his bravery and willingness to sacrifice for the good of others. Though his offer is quickly superseded, it's a critical moment, offering a small insight into Dal R'El's future command potential. The subsequent experience of a Starfleet tribunal on criminal charges and a tender goodbye with Gwyndala (Ella Purnell) also offer essential steps in external recognition and see Dal embark on a bold path in Starfleet as a warrant officer-in-training.
Star Trek's captains offer a glimpse at the best of Starfleet's finest, their daring adventures, noble character traits, and best episodes, highlighting the variety, relevance, and importance of their contributions to the Federation and the franchise's overall timeline. Navigating and circumventing the horrors of open warfare across timelines to intrepid rescues and difficult or momentous first s, these bold and comionate commanding officers balance life and death to maintain hope through overwhelming odds and adversity. With new series and episodes hot on the franchise's horizon, Starfleet's top officers will only continue to develop and achieve, adding to an already plentiful record of success for Star Trek's captains.
All Star Trek shows (except Star Trek: Prodigy) are available for streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Prodigy is available for streaming on Netflix.
