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Star Trek top 5: My 5 favorite Starfleet captains

By Chad Porto

LONG BEACH, CA - MAY 11: Cosplayers dressed as Starfleet Officers attend the 2013 Long Beach Comic Con held at the Long Beach Convention Center on May 11, 2013 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
LONG BEACH, CA - MAY 11: Cosplayers dressed as Starfleet Officers attend the 2013 Long Beach Comic Con held at the Long Beach Convention Center on May 11, 2013 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 13: Actor Levar Burton gestures after attending Ubisoft news conference about the new video game “Star Trek: Bridge Crew VR” before the start of the E3 Gaming Conference on June 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 13: Actor Levar Burton gestures after attending Ubisoft news conference about the new video game “Star Trek: Bridge Crew VR” before the start of the E3 Gaming Conference on June 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Geordi La Forge

Boom, Geordi La Forge. Now, he might not count for some of you, but he counts for me. La Forge was someone who during the canonical timeline never ascended the ranks of captain. For the entirety of Star Trek: Next Generation, La Forge was the helmsman of the Enterprise-D. He would see several promotions, going from lieutenant junior grade to lieutenant commander, all while being promoted to chief engineer of the Enterprise-E.

Yet, La Forge’s actor LeVar Burton wouldn’t just be part of the Next Generation saga. Nope, he would also have a crossover or two. Burton found himself reprising his role of La Forge on Star Trek: Voyager in an alternate timeline of the show’s future. In it, the titular ship, Voyager, has been destroyed and most of the crew died as a result. Only Chakotay and Harry Kim survive. Fifteen years after the ship and crew expire, the two partner up with the Doctor and Chakotay’s girlfriend Tessa Omond. The four seek to avert a disaster that would save the crew of the Voyager and change the timeline.

Starfleet is aware of this and sends their best captain to get the rebel group; Captain Geordi La Forge. La Forge tracks the stolen Delta Flyer down and tries to reason with them. The tension, yet respect that La Forge and Chakotay had for one another at that moment was perfect. The acting between two fantastic actors gave the scene so much ambiance in such little time. That scene also showed the true talent of the writers to craft a scene so viable and manage to fit into such a tiny window.

Sure, La Forge was only an on-screen captain for mere minutes in a glorified cameo role, but it counts. Go watch Star Trek: Voyager’s episode Timeless (S5, E6) and see what I’m talking about.

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