I do
not consider myself a
Trekkie, a fan of Star Trek cultural franchise, rather have very mixed feelings and views about it. But as it is an
internationally well-known culture, it can be enlightening to use it for some
reflections on character and personality.
In this article, I will:
- rank the 5 ST (Star Trek) series that I've watched
- rank the main characters of each series
- show you my ideal ST crew cast compiled from all 5 series
First, here's my
ranking of the ST series that I've watched:
1. TNG (The Next Generation, 1987–1994, 178 episodes)
(watched in 🇩🇪 German, 🇺🇸 English, 🇮🇹 Italian,
🇲🇽 Spanish, 🇯🇵 Japanese, and 🇮🇩 Indonesian)
2. VOY (Voyager, 1995–2001, 172 episodes)
(watched in 🇺🇸 English, 🇩🇪 German, 🇮🇹 Italian,
🇫🇷 French, and 🇮🇩 Indonesian)
3. ENT (Enterprise, 2001–2005, 98 episodes)
(watched in 🇺🇸 English)
4. TOS (The Old Series, 1966–1969, 79 episodes)
(watched in 🇺🇸 English)
5. DS9 (Deep Space Nine, 1993–1999, 176 episodes)
(watched in 🇺🇸 English)
My
reasons:
TNG is the fulfillment of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's vision, and has very high cultural value and international merit as part of mankind's cultural heritage. It can be understood as a modern form of classical theater, and conveys many positive values and constructive visions for mankind and the future. That said, it is far from perfect, and has many bad elements, as do all Star Trek series, but for TNG, there is a clear dominance of positives.
VOY is a worthy successor to TNG, after Gene Roddenberry died before TNG was over. While it lacks much of what was great about TNG (especially cast-wise, both on screen and behind the scenes), it still has surprisingly many great episodes, despite the series' weaknesses. It also has some of the worst episodes of all five series, but the good ones absolutely dominate.
ENT was a pretty lousy attempt to tell the history of mankind's intergalactic endeavors before what is portrayed in the TOS series. Only one character truly stands out (see below), the rest remain utterly bland, and often even fully implausible in their crew roles. A ship full of people who are qualified neither professionally nor personally to be on board. And the producers took lots of bad decisions with the series, in a truly pathetic attempt to make it stand out no matter what.
TOS was (mostly) trash all the way: bad acting, bad scripts, bad costumes, bad makeup, bad production design, and so on — it had it all. The series took off though somewhere mid-season 1, was fairly ok, for the time, during season 2, but then became complete trash again in season 3, worse than ever, so that I do not understand people who do not understand why it was finally canceled after that.
DS9 is a propaganda show for the USA's global warmongering and other international (and domestic) crimes, all about war, violence, and religious and esoteric nonsense, completely kicking everything in the trash that Gene Roddenberry's vision entailed. A shameful production by disgruntled writers and other staff who wanted to do their infantile, brainless own show but ride on Roddenberry's success wave.
And now my
rankings of characters per series:
Main ranking badges:
🟢 like
🟡 indifference or mixed
🔴 dislike
Reasoning badges:
👍🏾 congenial / likeable
❤️ hot / attractive
💎 interesting
🛠️ competent
🗑️ bland / superfluous
⚠️ dangerous
🐌 dumb / appearing stupid
🩹 incompetent at job
💥 mentally unfit / unstable
🤡 silly / ridiculous
👹 ugly
🪳 unsympathetic / unlikeable
TNG (The Next Generation):
1. 🟢 ♀️ Tasha Yar 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎 🛠️
2. 🟢 ♂️ Wesley Crusher 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
3. 🟢 ♂️ Data 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
4. 🟢 ♂️ Geordi La Forge 👍🏾 💎
5. 🟢 ♀️ Deanna Troi 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
6. 🟡 ♂️ William T. Riker 🛠️
7. 🟡 ♂️ Jean-Luc Picard 💎 🛠️
8. 🟡 ♀️ Beverly Crusher 🗑️
9. 🟡 ♂️ Q 💎 🛠️ ⚠️ 💥
10. 🟡 ♀️ Ro Laren ❤️ 💎 ⚠️ 💥
11. 🔴 ♀️ Guinan 💎 🗑️ 🤡 👹 🪳
12. 🔴 ♂️ Worf ⚠️ 🐌 🩹 💥 🤡 👹 🪳
13. 🔴 ♀️ Katherine Pulaski 🐌 👹 🪳
VOY (Voyager):
1. 🟢 ♀️ Kes 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎
2. 🟢 ♀️ Seven of Nine 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎 🛠️ ⚠️
3. 🟢 ♂️ Tom Paris 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
4. 🟢 ♂️ Harry Kim 👍🏾
5. 🟡 ♂️ The Doctor 💎 🛠️ 💥
6. 🟡 ♂️ Q 💎 🛠️ ⚠️ 💥
7. 🟡 ♀️ B’Elanna Torres 💎 ⚠️ 💥
8. 🔴 ♂️ Neelix 💎 🤡 👹
9. 🔴 ♂️ Chakotay 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 🤡
10. 🔴 ♂️ Tuvok 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 🤡 👹 🪳
11. 🔴 ♀️ Kathryn Janeway ⚠️ 🐌 🩹 💥 🪳
ENT (Enterprise):
1. 🟢 ♀️ T’Pol ❤️ 💎 🛠️
2. 🟡 ♂️ Charles "Trip" Tucker 🗑️
3. 🟡 ♂️ Jonathan Archer 🗑️ 🩹
4. 🟡 ♀️ Hoshi Sato 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 💥
5. 🟡 ♂️ Travis Mayweather 🗑️
6. 🔴 ♂️ Malcolm Reed 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 💥 🤡 🪳
7. 🔴 ♂️ Phlox 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 💥 🤡 👹 🪳
TOS (The Old Series):
1. 🟢 ♂️ Spock 💎
2. 🟢 ♂️ James T. Kirk 👍🏾 🩹
3. 🟢 ♀️ Nyota Uhura 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎
4. 🔴 ♂️ Leonard McCoy 🗑️ 🐌
5. 🔴 ♂️ Montgomery Scott 🗑️ 🐌
6. 🔴 ♂️ Pavel Chekov 🗑️ 🐌 🤡
7. 🔴 ♂️ Hikaru Sulu 🗑️ 🐌 🤡 👹 🪳
DS9 (Deep Space Nine):
1. 🟢 ♂️ Julian Bashir 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
2. 🟢 ♀️ Kira Nerys 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎 ⚠️ 🩹
3. 🟢 ♂️ Jake Sisko 👍🏾
4. 🟡 ♀️ Jadzia Dax 👍🏾 💎 🗑️ 🤡
5. 🟡 ♀️ Ezri Dax 👍🏾 💎 🤡
6. 🔴 ♂️ Garak 🗑️ 👹 🪳
7. 🔴 ♂️ Odo 💎 🛠️ 👹 🪳
8. 🔴 ♂️ Benjamin Sisko 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 🪳
9. 🔴 ♂️ Miles O’Brien 🗑️ 🐌 🪳
10. 🔴 ♂️ Quark 🐌 🤡 👹 🪳
11. 🔴 ♂️ Worf 💎 ⚠️ 🐌 🩹 💥 🤡 👹 🪳
🟥 TNG (The Next Generation)
🟫 VOY (Voyager)
🟦 ENT (Enterprise)
🟨 TOS (The Old Series)
⬛ DS9 (Deep Space Nine)
Across all five series:
1. 🟥 🟢 ♀️ Tasha Yar 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎 🛠️
2. 🟫 🟢 ♀️ Kes 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎
3. 🟫 🟢 ♀️ Seven of Nine 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎 🛠️ ⚠️
4. 🟦 🟢 ♀️ T’Pol ❤️ 💎
5. 🟥 🟢 ♂️ Wesley Crusher 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
6. 🟥 🟢 ♂️ Data 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
7. 🟥 🟢 ♂️ Geordi La Forge 👍🏾 💎
8. 🟨 🟢 ♂️ Spock 💎
9. ⬛ 🟢 ♂️ Julian Bashir 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
10. 🟫 🟢 ♂️ Tom Paris 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
11. 🟫 🟢 ♂️ Harry Kim 👍🏾
12. 🟥 🟢 ♀️ Deanna Troi 👍🏾 💎 🛠️
13. ⬛ 🟢 ♀️ Kira Nerys 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎 ⚠️ 🩹
14. 🟨 🟢 ♂️ James T. Kirk 👍🏾 🩹
15. 🟨 🟢 ♀️ Nyota Uhura 👍🏾 ❤️ 💎
16. ⬛ 🟢 ♂️ Jake Sisko 👍🏾
17. ⬛ 🟡 ♀️ Jadzia Dax 👍🏾 💎 🗑️ 🤡
18. ⬛ 🟡 ♀️ Ezri Dax 👍🏾 💎 🤡
19. 🟥 🟡 ♂️ William T. Riker 🛠️
20. 🟥 🟡 ♂️ Jean-Luc Picard 💎 🛠️
21. 🟥 🟡 ♀️ Beverly Crusher 🗑️
22. 🟫 🟡 ♂️ The Doctor 💎 🛠️ 💥
23. 🟥 🟡 ♂️ Q 💎 🛠️ ⚠️ 💥
24. 🟥 🟡 ♀️ Ro Laren ❤️ 💎 ⚠️ 💥
25. 🟦 🟡 ♂️ Charles "Trip" Tucker 🗑️
26. 🟦 🟡 ♂️ Jonathan Archer 🗑️ 🩹
27. 🟦 🟡 ♀️ Hoshi Sato 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 💥
28. 🟦 🟡 ♂️ Travis Mayweather 🗑️
29. 🟫 🟡 ♀️ B’Elanna Torres 💎 ⚠️ 💥
30. 🟫 🔴 ♂️ Neelix 💎 🤡 👹
31. 🟥 🔴 ♀️ Guinan 💎 🗑️ 🤡 👹 🪳
32. 🟫 🔴 ♂️ Chakotay 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 🤡
33. 🟨 🔴 ♂️ Leonard McCoy 🗑️ 🐌
34. 🟨 🔴 ♂️ Montgomery Scott 🗑️ 🐌
35. ⬛ 🔴 ♂️ Garak 🗑️ 👹 🪳
36. ⬛ 🔴 ♂️ Odo 💎 🛠️ 👹 🪳
37. 🟨 🔴 ♂️ Pavel Chekov 🗑️ 🐌 🤡
38. 🟨 🔴 ♂️ Hikaru Sulu 🗑️ 🐌 🤡 👹 🪳
39. ⬛ 🔴 ♂️ Benjamin Sisko 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 🪳
40. ⬛ 🔴 ♂️ Miles O’Brien 🗑️ 🐌 🪳
41. 🟦 🔴 ♂️ Malcolm Reed 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 💥 🤡 🪳
42. ⬛ 🔴 ♂️ Quark 🐌 🤡 👹 🪳
43. 🟥 🔴 ♂️ Worf ⚠️ 🐌 🩹 💥 🤡 👹 🪳
44. 🟥 🔴 ♀️ Katherine Pulaski 🐌 👹 🪳
45. 🟫 🔴 ♂️ Tuvok 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 🤡 👹 🪳
46. 🟦 🔴 ♂️ Phlox 🗑️ 🐌 🩹 💥 🤡 👹 🪳
47. 🟫 🔴 ♀️ Kathryn Janeway ⚠️ 🐌 🩹 💥 🪳
My Ideal Star Trek Crew
If I had to assemble a crew for a starship,
from among the characters of the 5 series,
here is the main roster I'd suggest:
Captain:
🟥 ♂️ William T. Riker
Tactical Advisors to the Captain:
🟦 ♂️ Jonathan Archer (primary)
🟨 ♂️ James T. Kirk (secondary)
First Officer:
⬛ ♀️ Nerys Kira
Pilots:
🟫 ♂️ Tom Paris (main)
🟦 ♂️ Travis Mayweather (co-pilot)
🟥 ♂️ Data (backup/precision)
Engineering:
🟥 ♂️ Geordi La Forge (chief)
🟥 ♂️ Data
🟦 ♂️ Charles "Trip" Tucker
Navigation & Cartography:
🟫 ♀️ Annika Hansen (Seven of Nine) (chief)
🟫 ♂️ Harry Kim (assistant)
Communications:
🟨 ♀️ Nyota Uhura
Tactical Station:
⬛ ♀️ Jadzia Dax
Security:
🟥 ♀️ Tasha Yar (chief)
🟥 ♀️ Laren Ro (team leader)
Medical Staff:
⬛ ♂️ Julian Bashir (chief)
🟥 ♀️ Beverly Crusher (assistant)
🟫 ♂️ Joe Zimmermann (The Doctor) (backup/assistant)
🟫 ♀️ Kes (head nurse)
Counselors:
🟥 ♀️ Deanna Troi
⬛ ♂️ Jake Sisko
⬛ ♀️ Ezri Dax
General Science:
🟨 ♂️ Spock
🟦 ♀️ T’Pol
🟥 ♂️ Wesley Crusher
Linguistics & Ethnology:
🟦 ♀️ Hoshi Sato
Archeology & History:
🟥 ♂️ Jean-Luc Picard
Molaskes: Paving and Leading the Way
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