What does it take to become a great Starfleet captain? And more importantly, what does it take to portray a great Starfleet captain? In the Star Trek canon of movies and TV series fans have speculated and ranked which Starfleet captains are the greatest. However, behind those captains are phenomenal performances by actors who can make viewers believe they are great by projecting confidence, intelligence, strength, charisma, compassion, and even defiance.
Gene Roddenberry was an incredible visionary and storyteller, and he often incorporated Shakespearean plots and themes within the episodes of TOS. For example, in TOS (S1, E10 called “Dagger of the Mind”), has a title that was inspired by the Shakespearean soliloquy in the play “Macbeth” in which Macbeth has a vision of a phantom dagger just before stabbing and killing King Duncan.
"Dagger of the Mind" deals with a similar moral dilemma in which a doctor in a penal colony on Tantalus V uses a "neural neutralizer" to mentally influence and brainwash inmates. In this case, the dagger is the “neural neutralizer”, and it is just as deadly and morally ambiguous as Macbeth’s choice to kill for advancement as the penal colony's doctor's choice to use the "neural neutralizer" to kill an inmate's memories and replace them with his own memories. As Macbeth's hunger for power lead to his tragic death, so too did the Tantalus doctor endure a tragic death by his own "neural neutralizer."
In this way, I believe it’s the foundation of Shakespearean themes and training that is also common in actors who portray the greatest captains in Starfleet. After all, if an actor can convincingly get through a 16th-century Elizabethan prose, then they can certainly convincingly command a Starship across the galaxy. Here's my list of greatest Starfleet captains portrayed by Shakespearean-trained actors.
Captain Kathyrn Janeway - The Compassionate
Portrayed by Kate Mulgrew, in the 24th Century, Captain Kathryn Janeway was in command of the USS Voyager (in Star Trek: Voyager) that was inextricably propelled (by the Caretaker) from the Alpha Quadrant to 70,000 light-years away in the Delta Quadrant. With a potential 75-year journey back home to the Alpha Quadrant, Captain Janeway had the impossible task of leading a motley crew of non-federation and Starfleet personnel through the unknown vastness of space across the other side of the galaxy.
Mulgrew was accepted to the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting in New York, which granted her extensive exposure to theatre, including various productions of Shakespearean plays. She’s also performed at the American Shakespeare Theatre. As evidenced by her Shakespearean training, Kate has mastered the Starfleet captain's authoritative voice, with a hint of compassion that has served her well aboard Voyager.
Starfleet captains are only as successful as their crew, and most understand to instill trust in the face of insurmountable odds for crews to believe in and follow their captain. Kate portrayed Captain Janeway as an earnest compassionate who would stop at nothing to get her crew home, up to and including time travel and Borg transwarp hub to do so.
Mulgrew's sympathetic yet strong and determined tone she expresses as Captain Janeway is apparent from her classical training to hold and capture an audience's attention. Her portrayal as Janeway is poignant and believable and exudes a quiet compassion that is nurturing and profound and stands unique among the Star Trek canon of its greatest Starfleet captains.
Captain Benjamin L. Sisko - The Father-figure
Captain Benjamin L. Sisko, portrayed by Avery Brooks, was in command of Starbase Deep Space 9 (in Star Trek: DS9) on the premise of an effort by the Federation to facilitate the peaceful return of control from the Cardassians to the Bajorans. DS9 is a strategic trade and military outpost near the edge of stable Bajoran Wormhole, that connects the Alpha Quadrant to the Gamma Quadrant.
Not only did Sisko raise his son aboard the DS9, but he also commanded the Starbase's crew with the understanding, leadership, strength, forgiveness, and patience – as a father would. Sisk is a leader and teacher his children - despite the ever-present danger of The Dominion from the Gamma Quadrant.
Brooks is a classically trained actor who became the first African American to receive a Master of Fine Arts from Rutgers University in 1976. He’s also performed many productions at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, including a role as Othello, as well as the title role of King Lear at Yale’s Repertory Theatre.
Avery’s classical training has earned him a throaty bellowed commanding tone to his voice that has an air of authority that cannot be denied. His portrayal of Sisko is fierce, determined, and gentle when needed – just as a father would be when his children (the crew of DS9) are threatened or in harm’s way. Avery's delivery and diction as Sisko is certainly reminiscent of any Othello or King Lear performance; not to mention both of these Shakespearean protagonists have immense responsibilities to their people - which is not much different from Sisko and his DS9 responsibilities.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard - The Diplomat
Classically trained English actor Sir Patrick Stewart, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010, portrayed Enterprise-D’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stewart performed in theatrical performances of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet. Stewart is also known for his American television performances in Shakespeare's King Henry II inspired The Lion in Winter.
Stewart's portrayal of Captain Picard is quite reserved, formal, and rule-driven with a sense of empathy for other species, cultures, and traditions. Picard wears the title of Diplomat-In-Chief as a badge of honor as he's arguably Starfleet's premier captain for First Contact missions.
Whether it's his English upbringing or his Shakespearean training, Stewart's Captain Picard has an air of being high-born, king-like, and just plain royal. His command of Enterprise-D's crew is conducted as if he were the ambassador of Starfleet, with a mission to mediate, resolve, and usher in peace, understanding, and tranquility. Stewart's portrayal of Captain Picard exudes a sense of unwavering earnest that no matter the situation or obstacle, there is a resolution to be found.
Captain James T. Kirk - The Humanist
Captain James T. Kirk, portrayed by William Shatner became the iconic prototype of a Starfleet captain in the 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series. The departure of Captain Pike from the original pilot as the Enterprise's first captain to William Shatner's Captain Kirk ushered in an era of Star Trek canon that will mark a 60-year milestone in 2026.
Willaim Shatner is a Canadian-born actor who has performed in the Mountain Playhouse in Montreal the Canadian National Repertory Theatre in Ottawa, and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario. Shatner even understudied as King Henry V, for veteran actor Christopher Plummer in Shakespeare's Henry V.
Shatner's theatre background and Shakespearean bravado likely influenced his take on Captain Kirk, up to and including his unique dramatic cadence. Shatner's portrayal of Kirk is reminiscent of James Dean as Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause, Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars, or Daniel Craig as James Bond in James Bond in Casino Royale, because like them, he's a rule-breaker.
Shatner's portrayal of Captain Kirk manifests the human element of the anti-hero who we cheer on because he bucks the establishment notion of what a buttoned-up Starfleet captain should be. Pushing boundaries and never giving up hope in the face of death are quintessential human qualities that are the foundation of Shatner's performance as Captain Kirk, which is as flawed, and epic as any Shakespearean tragedy.
Actors who portray Starfleet captains are not all necessarily cut from the same cloth; however, the greatest ones all seem to have a common background in theatre and Shakespeare. Despite its original intent in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, what is true for these Starfleet captains is… “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”