While the galaxy of Star Trek has always been massive and varied, humanity has always taken center stage, often being placed in high-ranking positions such as Captain, Admiral, or First Officer. The cult-classic sci-fi series has provided entertainment to fans for over half a century.
As one of the founding members of the Federation following a large-scale planetary nuclear war, Humans have proven their tenacity and have earned their place as one of the most influential races in the Alpha and Beta quadrants. A timeline that spreads across centuries, the Human characters of Star Trek have remarkable exploits whether they are shown in episodes, or as part of their fictional history.
10 Wesley Crusher Was A Genius Despite His Age
Wesley Crusher began his career in Starfleet as an ensign aboard the Starship Enterprise. However, as the son of a renowned doctor and a Starfleet officer, Wesley had a lot to live up to. His mother remarked how he was extremely intelligent in his younger years. After gaining his career aboard the Enterprise, Wesley’s keen mind only grew as he was on the frontlines solving engineering and astrophysics-related problems, often working alongside the ship’s Chief Engineer, Geordi La Forge, it was Wesley who would sometimes devise solutions even when encountering problems the Federation had never encountered before.
9 Scott Montgomery Was An Unequivocal Genius
Scott ‘Scotty’ Montgomery served aboard the USS-Enterprise during the 2260s and served under Captain Kirk. Scotty was an incredible engineer, authoring several technical manuals in his later career. Said to know every inch of the Enterprise by heart, Scotty could solve nearly any problem the ship encountered during their five-year mission. In the alternate timeline where the JJ Abrahms films take place, Scotty was still an incredible physicist. He discovered that he could beam a living being much further than was previously thought and was able to beam Kirk and himself back to the Enterprise while it was flying through space.
8 Geordi La Forge Was Indespensible Aboard Tne Enterprise
It’s easy to forget that Geordi is blind. As Chief Engineer of the Enterprise serving under Captain Picard, Geordi was equipped with a special visor that allowed him to not only see, but it gave him access to a range of different types of vision all across the spectrum, making him an invaluable member of the crew, as not only did he understand the inner workings of the ship, but he could see energy fluctuations and discharges in real-time.
Coming from a prestigious family, with a mother who was a Starfleet Captain, and a famous exozoologist father, Geordi was destined for greatness during his time in Starfleet.
7 Commander Riker Always Did The Right Thing
Commander William Riker served as First Officer under Captain Picard aboard the Enterprise and later served as Captain of the USS Titan. He was noted by his Captain to be an incredible and reliable Starfleet officer, Riker took his position as an officer very seriously, regardless of his rank. Whether he was an ensign aboard his first ship or a First Officer, or as a Captain himself, Riker understood the importance of how he should act as a representative of the Federation and wasn’t afraid to defy orders in order to do the right thing.
6 Captain Archer Led The First Starfleet Mission
Captain Jonathan Archer is a historic figure in Starfleet’s history, as the Captain of the first USS Enterprise in the Federation’s early days, Archer led the first Enterprise crew on a ground-breaking mission to explore the galaxy. Leading his crew through a wealth of new threats and dangers, Archer lacked many of the resources that later Starfleet Captains were privy to. Running a new and largely untested form of technology that was his Starship, Archer devoted much of his time to maintaining the ship and protecting his crew.
5 Michael Burnham Jr. Was One Of The Bleakest Characters In Star Trek
Michael Burnham is a unique character in Star Trek as she doesn’t have a very illustrious Starfleet career. She was given a court-martial as a First Officer aboard the USS Shenzhou, after attacking her Captain, Captain Georgiou, and firing unprompted on a Klingon vessel. She was freed from prison after being recruited aboard the USS Discovery. Burnham’s early life is equally as bleak as her present as following the death of her parents she was adopted by a Vulcan parent, their traditions with regard to subverting emotion conflicting with her Human heritage.
4 Captain Janeway Did What She Had To For Her Crew
Captain Janeway of the USS Voyager was a remarkably resourceful and pragmatic Captain. With her ship and crew isolated lightyears from any Federation outpost or any known civilization, she worked hard to ensure the safety of her crew. Often breaking Federation protocol in the name of survival, she and her crew fought across an unknown region of space and to make their way back home safely. While Janeway’s methods are a point of contention for many fans, others view it as a survivalist’s mentality and determination.
3 Captain Benjamin Sisko Fought The Dominion
Captain Benjamin Sisko commanded the space station Deep Space 9 for seven years and, to some, is credited with starting the Dominion War when he refused the Dominion’s ultimatum. Also credited as a great strategist, Sisko was paramount to the Federation’s victory in the war and was also known by the Bajorans as the Emissary of the Prophets after discovering the Bajoran wormhole.
Sisko’s approach to his position as Captain was different from others as he utilized intimidation in his discussions in the form of blackmail as well as other more political methods.
2 Captain Picard Is A Favorite For Many
Captain Jean-Luc Picard was a well-respected Captain in his career commanding both the USS Stargazer and the USS Enterprise and making first contact with a number of new species such as the Ferengi, the Q Continuum, and the cybernetic menace of the Borg. Although he was an expert strategist on the battlefield, performing the Picard Maneuver by using the ship’s warp drive to appear in two places at once, he was more inclined to always search for a more diplomatic approach, making sure to respect a race’s ideals and motivations while asserting the Federation’s place as a protector of the innocent. Picard would later retire from Starfleet, having cited it no longer believed in helping society.
1 James Kirk Is One Of The Most Decorated Officers In History
Captain James Tiberius Kirk is one of the most decorated Starfleet officers, despite his frequent disregard for Starfleet and Federation protocol. In his five-year mission, Kirk gained the record for the most amount of new species encountered as well as becoming a time traveler before becoming a Rear Admiral of the Federation. Kirk would meet his death after encountering the Genisis event where he met his spiritual successor Captain Jena-Luc Picard. Kirk is also the only individual to beat the Kobayashi Maru scenario in Starfleet academy, a training exercise designed to be unbeatable. On his third attempt, Kirk reprogrammed the exercise and received a commendation for his creative thinking.
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