In which we discuss Star Trek’s proud tradition of presenting its flag officers as complete tools.
I would like to suggest that Kirk, McCoy, and Janeway be eliminated from contention, on account of them all being mostly known for what they did in their non-flag-rank positions. Yes I’d like to suggest that, but I’m not gonna bother, because if the thread gets any legs at all, you guys will do whatever the fuck you feel like anyway. Hell, if we get past 25 posts, I fully expect somebody to come up with a circuitous rationale for nominating Neelix. I am not in the business of herding cats.
Anyway, I will open the bidding with Admiral Haftel, from the NextGen episode “The Offspring,” in which Data created an android daughter but managed to be much less creepier than the dad in Small Wonder. Complete wanker, Haftel was. His contempt for our favorite robot was obvious in every word, and I for one always blamed him for Lal dying. (Well, him and TNG’s determination to stick with the status quo at all times.) Every time I see that episode I want to shoot that creep in the kneecap.
But that’s just me. Which Trek admiral do you judge to be the biggest jerk?
Movie-verse Marcus’s attempt to foment war with the Klingons is hard to beat, even without what he did to Khan and the Augments.
From the Prime Universe, not an Admiral, but still a flag officer, Commodore Decker’s actions in The Doomsday Machine were irrational, irresponsible, and criminal…but he died, so I guess he paid his price…although Kirk whitewashed him in the log, so screw that…his atoms should be recovered and posthumously pummeled.
Other than Kirk, has there ever been an admiral that’s ever done anything besides either get in the way or turn out to be one of the bad guys? They’re there to generate conflict the captain can’t just ignore because he’s outranked.
Then he’s tied with Admiral Cartwright from Star Trek VI, though arguably Cartwright was, heh, wright to consider an opportunistic assault on the weakened Klingons. Black-flag assassinations were a tad over the top, though.
Admiral Aaron in the first season TNG episode Conspiracy was a #1 asshole, although he was possessed by an alien parasite and his head literally exploded, so maybe we should cut him some slack.
These are all good. Among those not mentioned so far: Admiral Pressman from “The Pegasus” (TNG). The guy who violated the Treaty of Algeron by using the phasing cloak and got the Pegasus’ crew killed for it.
All excellent choices. I always thought that it was a miracle that Starfleet was still in existence given the level of incompetence displayed at the High Command level; surely the Romulans or the Klingons could have defeated such lightweights…
Without a doubt, Janeaway. For being an incompetent captain and a weak & feeble woman overall during her entire seven year run. The worst thing about Star Trek: Nemesis was her cameo as an admiral. There’s no way she would have been promoted. There would have been celebration upon Voyager’s return, and she might have avoided being sanctioned or even demoted for her poor performance, but she would have been strongly ‘encouraged’ to take early retirement or maybe a ‘teaching’ position afterward…
It was a communicator, and McCoy left to t behind, not Jimmy, and anyway they probably turned around and beamed out it back. Of all the equipment to have to retrieve, a communicator would be by far the easiest.
Edith Keeler was portrayed by Joan Collins and so was obviously evil. Anyway,it was necessary to repair the timeline.
Admiral James T. Kirk. First, for snatching the Enterprise out from under her captain when he didn’t know what he was doing; most guys at that age just by a Corvette or something. Not Kirk. Second, for stealing it from himself to go search for Spock. I think Starfleet would give him an official schozz-punch for these things. All the other jerks, the Admirals and especially the Commodores, were doing their jerkish jobs.
And when it comes to punchworthy Commodores, Matt Decker takes the cake.
Perhaps Commodore Russo in TOS “Ultimate Computer”. Granted it is a runaway computer on Enterprise that kills everyone on one starship and 53 on another, but shouldn’t you be conducting these exercises with shields up, just in case?