selenak

Via

x_los: a very civilised version of the Kirk versus Picard debate (with link to a Sisko-for-best manifesto, pace Sisko fans). (No one has written a Janeway manifesto yet - any takers?) It was fun to read, though occasionally I shook my head and muttered "which show did you watch?" at both participants. (I mean, Picard not having regrets about his life other than in Generations? WHAT? And "barely reacting" to his stint as Locutus? WHAT?!? Also methinks the guy utterly misses the point when he imagines how passionately Kirk would have responded. This kind of thing did not happen to Kirk (during TOS; the films are somewhat different, because of course there he gets confronted with aging, his best friend temporarily dying, and losing his barely known son, but they still would not have subjected him to the type of violation and permanent guilt trip that being Locutus presents for Picard) because his narrative would never have permitted it. This is why Family was such a revolutionary episode for Star Trek - because for the first time, we could see the effects of a major event on a regular (and the Captain, no less) in the next episode instead of the reset button being employed and everyone being fine and dandy again.

Otoh the debaters sound fannishly sound (meaning they express my own opinion *g*) when speculating how Kirk and Picard would have fared in other situations facd by the respective other guy (i.e. Picard with his diplomatic skills would have been great with the Klingons in situations such as Balance of Terror or ST VI, whereas Kirk and Q would have been an utter disaster. Though he would never had a problem with Vash visiting him on the Enterprise and would have faced situations such as Beverly dropping by for breakfast with aplomb. :)

Like one of the commenters to this article, I'm not sure I'd choose The Inner Light as the ultimate Picard episode. Maybe the ultimate Patrick Stewart's acting skills episode, but that's a different thing. I mean, I love it, but I probably would go for Darmok like said commenter for choice of an episode that showcases both what makes Jean-Luc Jean-Luc, and what makes TNG TNG. (As for the ultimate Kirk episode, hm, maybe The Corbomite Maneuvre over City at the Edge of Forever, but that I'm not really sure about.)

Anyway, it all comes down to personal taste, of course. As I've said on other occasions, to me Picard's stoicism is more appealing than Kirk's open emotionality because that stoicism and self discipline makes the rare occasions when they're shattered and Picard is radiating emotion all the more powerful. Back when the reboot Star Trek hit the big screen two years ago, some reviews wondered/wished it would have been an even more radical reboot where in the alternate universe created, either Pike stays Captain or Spock does and Kirk serves as first officer; and in a way, that was the basic idea when TNG was invented, have the Kirk type (i.e. Riker) as first officer and the restrained intellectual/older man as Captain. It's a much rarer combination in any genre, and I remain desperately fond of it.