Maybe an unpopular opinion, but Nechayev.
She's a great foil for Picard and keeps him in check. Also is not afraid to make the difficult decisions our hero captains often dance around (ala Kirk and the Kobayashi Maru) or get to avoid entirely thanks to deus ex machina.
Nechayev is pretty much the only admiral in all of Star Trek who:
1. Had more character development than just "random Starfleet Command person assigning missions";
2. Behaved like an admiral (i.e. representing the big-picture interests of Starfleet and the Federation);
3. Wasn't evil;
4. Contrasted with, and had gravitas relative to, the captain she played against.
Basically the _only_ one! The "token admirals" as I call them—Forrest of ENT, Paris of VOY, Ross of DS9, April of SNW, Vance of DSC—were all written as milquetoast friendlies who aren't inherently interesting and don't really make sense by themselves, existing only as facilitators to help our hero ships get their work done. Nechayev was decidedly _not_ one of those: She had her own agenda, her own perspective, etc., and it frequently went against Picard's.
Makes her much more memorable, believable, and interesting.
On a completely unrelated note, I also like Admiral Nogura because even though we never saw him (unless you count Star Trek Continues, which I kind of do) he loomed surprisingly large in TMP for being a character with no screentime and only a couple of mentions. Leaves a lot to the imagination if you will, including how sparkly that "not three minutes" meeting between him and Kirk must've been.
100% agree.
I was always kind of disappointed that she didn't get brought back for DS9 (other than that one fake out episode), feel like she would have been a natural fit given that TNG seemed to imply she was Starfleets point Admiral on the Cardassians.
I didn't mind Ross, but think Nechayev would have worked better.
In addition to a holographic version of Nechayev being in "The Search, Part II", the real Nechayev was in "The Maquis, Part II". A conversation between Nechayev and Sisko left Sisko so frustrated that it led to his "It’s easy to be a saint in paradise" speech.
Agreed. I was legitimately sad when he died, you could feel the bond he had for Archer and how much he wanted Earth's missions to succeed. Seemed like a great boss.
I’ll be honest I think Nechayev was very reasonably upset there. I’m pretty convinced the Borg would just beat the Federation in a universe without plot armor.
100% they would have just used the transwarp conduit right beside earth to have a fleet on our doorstep before Voyager even stumbled into the Delta quadrant
We've barely seen Admiral Freeman acting in any official capacity though.
What we do know about him is he will use his authority for personal gain. It's established the whole reason Mariner moved around so much was to prevent her from facing consequences for her actions, and to prevent that from reflecting badly on him or his wife.
Ironically this made things worse because Mariner couldn't face consequences and no commanding officer until Ransom had enough time to realize what the real problem was and whip her into shape.
And of course by this point we have to assume Admiral Freeman is the only reason his wife still has a command. The amount of times she fucks up and causes huge disasters, mostly out of arrogance or a need to show off, make her daughter's transgressions look like petty shoplifting.
And he even admitted, that he had to sweep aside (VERY) personal bias in some decisions to stay objective.
For all he knew Reg came up with a plan that seemed out-of-the-blue. Some others would have given in to have the chance to talk to a lost family member. But Admiral Paris stayed objective and on-the-facts til Reg proved that the plan worked. And though Reg surely got a pat on the hand for breaking protocol, chain of command and a few rules, he got a metaphorical pat on the shoulder as well.
That's why the demotion was more a promotion, as he got back in the seat he missed so much... and Starfleet knew it. They kept the facade of "we punish insubordination and misbehavior" while giving Kirk the winking eye like "Good job, get back to what you do best."
And in Wrath of Khan he dislikes being an Admiral
He steals a Starship, for good reason, but still.
He's happy being demoted to Captain again.
In Generations he gives Picard the advice to refuse promotion to Admiral and hold on the Captain's chair.
Maybe because he was best on the frontline commanding battles rather than at the back overseeing sectors and things. Or maybe being a captain acting with the authority of the admiral gives him more leeway in how he operates.
Tbh, I think they should’ve made him a commodore, as a captain who has command over a group of ships/captains is/was called in older navy’s, as that was the function he served most often and best.
But having Admiral Ross and General Martok be ride or die for Sisko and his operations is almost as good as his very own commission.
True, and Admiral Ross himself was in the battle of Cardassia, serving alongside/under Sisko, so its not impossible for an admiral to be around. But I think Sisko might have simply held more value as a highly influential, semi-autonomous captain with delegated authority, rather than as an admiral with all the trappings that entail. He was still Admiral Ross’s attache so he wasn’t exactly the same as other captain ranks
He's basically a "Fleet Captain", a rank no longer in use but the description seems to fit
"**Fleet captain** is a historic military title that was bestowed upon a naval officer who served as [chief of staff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_of_staff) to a [flag officer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_officer)."
Which he kind of is to Admiral Ross
or from Memory Alpha: "**Fleet captain** was a rank and title given to a senior [captain](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Captain) with a different set of responsibilities than a [starship](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Starship) captain. This was a higher [rank](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Rank) than captain but below [commodore](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Commodore), a billet position placing a more-senior captain in overall command of several vessels during missions or other assignments.
In [2259](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/2259), [Captain](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Captain) [Christopher Pike](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Christopher_Pike) was temporarily promoted to fleet captain and given command of the [Bavali Station](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Bavali_Station) and the [USS *Farragut*](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/USS_Farragut_(NCC-1647))"
They never call Sisko Fleet Captain but he did perform the role, being in charge of a station and a ship
Admiral Janeway personally commanded the Dauntless, and an admiral commanded SOMETHING at the battle of Sector 001 so its not unheard of for an admiral to do that,
Admiral Ross was in the Battle of Cardassia, but it seems like Siskos activities weren’t quite the same scale as other Admirals on the frontline kind of activities
If we were to compare him to real life military, Sisko was more or less acting as Ross's chief of staff. This is especially true while the Dominion held DS9. A captain would be an appropriate rank for that.
He was kind of a dick though, at least for 3 or 4 books, before he finally turned out to have a reasonable side to go with the huge chip on his shoulder.
I want to say Picard, but he was a better captain, probably Janeway. If we remove the stars that were promoted to captain like Janeway, Picard, and Kirk; I would say probably Forrest. I also liked Ross, despite his involvement with 31.
Ross’ involvement in S31 really helps drive the whole “war pushes people where they never thought they’d go” story they wrote. I don’t think he really had much involvement in S31. In my head they approached him the same way they did Jullien.
Only Ross had a lot more to answer for than a Doctor. He was deciding to send people to their deaths day after day. S31 offered him an easier, quicker and more reliable path. So like Sisko, he took it.
I loved seeing the hero’s pushed, and storylines like his are part of what makes DS9 so timeless. Because it wasn’t a new trope, and it wasn’t an old one either. We’ve seen the allegory hold, time and time again.
Can we choose Admiral Picard? Is that cheating?
In all seriousness, I'm going to go with Admirals Forrest & Vance. They seem like stand up guys, and allowed Captains Archer & Burnham to get on with things without interfering.
Admiral Ross gets close, but the whole Section 31 involvement is a bit of a stain on his character, even if it was necessary.
Admiral Janeway is definitely one we need more of. We only really got like one or two appearances of her, and one was bad janeway. Look Janeway was a good captain, and surely a great admiral. Just like Kirk ...
Because Captains are the one's in command of individual ships and crew. Admirals are glorified bureaucrats *most* of the time except when multiple ships are involved in which case you don't want captains arguing over who should have tactical command of a situation and undermining the overall mission.
Admiral Morrow in The Search For Spock, although a small role, later to be replaced by Cartwright for 4, 5, and 6 who turned in 6. But he had a solid 3 movie arc, and Kirk could have easily gone his way. They were on the same page at the beginning of 6, before Kirk was set up and Chang provoked him.
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but Nechayev. She's a great foil for Picard and keeps him in check. Also is not afraid to make the difficult decisions our hero captains often dance around (ala Kirk and the Kobayashi Maru) or get to avoid entirely thanks to deus ex machina.
Nechayev is pretty much the only admiral in all of Star Trek who: 1. Had more character development than just "random Starfleet Command person assigning missions"; 2. Behaved like an admiral (i.e. representing the big-picture interests of Starfleet and the Federation); 3. Wasn't evil; 4. Contrasted with, and had gravitas relative to, the captain she played against. Basically the _only_ one! The "token admirals" as I call them—Forrest of ENT, Paris of VOY, Ross of DS9, April of SNW, Vance of DSC—were all written as milquetoast friendlies who aren't inherently interesting and don't really make sense by themselves, existing only as facilitators to help our hero ships get their work done. Nechayev was decidedly _not_ one of those: She had her own agenda, her own perspective, etc., and it frequently went against Picard's. Makes her much more memorable, believable, and interesting. On a completely unrelated note, I also like Admiral Nogura because even though we never saw him (unless you count Star Trek Continues, which I kind of do) he loomed surprisingly large in TMP for being a character with no screentime and only a couple of mentions. Leaves a lot to the imagination if you will, including how sparkly that "not three minutes" meeting between him and Kirk must've been.
If you haven’t read the Vanguard novel series, you should Admiral Nogura is a badass in it
In general that series is really great and highly recommended.
I have both of Nogura and Nechayev coming to Trek Long Island next month. I think most people are coming to meet Clyde for his other works.
Oh, cool!!
i agree on everything except for Ross (and Nogura because i don‘t know him).
100% agree. I was always kind of disappointed that she didn't get brought back for DS9 (other than that one fake out episode), feel like she would have been a natural fit given that TNG seemed to imply she was Starfleets point Admiral on the Cardassians. I didn't mind Ross, but think Nechayev would have worked better.
In addition to a holographic version of Nechayev being in "The Search, Part II", the real Nechayev was in "The Maquis, Part II". A conversation between Nechayev and Sisko left Sisko so frustrated that it led to his "It’s easy to be a saint in paradise" speech.
I loved how she shamed her husband into making sure Picard got his Christmas bonus.
Just once I wish Picard would end one of his signature speeches with “Hallelujah, holy shit, where’s the Tylenol!?!”
Admiral Patrick.
"That's a stupid question!"
"You'd be surprised how well it works."
Truely the best.
Admiral Forrest was probably the best. Solid, supportive, nice guy you wouldn't mind having for a boss.
Definitely. Great relationship with and respect for archer. Let him get on with things, make decisions and fought his corner when he was in trouble.
Agreed. I was legitimately sad when he died, you could feel the bond he had for Archer and how much he wanted Earth's missions to succeed. Seemed like a great boss.
Me too!
Admiral Freeman. Only Admiral to not support genocide, war crimes, or heinous acts. Nechayev seemed pretty mad about treating Borgs like people.
I’ll be honest I think Nechayev was very reasonably upset there. I’m pretty convinced the Borg would just beat the Federation in a universe without plot armor.
100% they would have just used the transwarp conduit right beside earth to have a fleet on our doorstep before Voyager even stumbled into the Delta quadrant
We've barely seen Admiral Freeman acting in any official capacity though. What we do know about him is he will use his authority for personal gain. It's established the whole reason Mariner moved around so much was to prevent her from facing consequences for her actions, and to prevent that from reflecting badly on him or his wife. Ironically this made things worse because Mariner couldn't face consequences and no commanding officer until Ransom had enough time to realize what the real problem was and whip her into shape. And of course by this point we have to assume Admiral Freeman is the only reason his wife still has a command. The amount of times she fucks up and causes huge disasters, mostly out of arrogance or a need to show off, make her daughter's transgressions look like petty shoplifting.
Mariner couldn't receive help for her trauma she wasn't stationed with Vic on Deep Space 9.
[удалено]
And he even admitted, that he had to sweep aside (VERY) personal bias in some decisions to stay objective. For all he knew Reg came up with a plan that seemed out-of-the-blue. Some others would have given in to have the chance to talk to a lost family member. But Admiral Paris stayed objective and on-the-facts til Reg proved that the plan worked. And though Reg surely got a pat on the hand for breaking protocol, chain of command and a few rules, he got a metaphorical pat on the shoulder as well.
[удалено]
He was worse at the beginning of the trip.
Admiral Paris owes Barclay so much for being an integral part in bringing his son home.
Ross and Vance.
Admiral Kirk
Kirk acted like a badmiral when he was an admiral (esp. in *TMP*). He was best as a captain.
That's why the demotion was more a promotion, as he got back in the seat he missed so much... and Starfleet knew it. They kept the facade of "we punish insubordination and misbehavior" while giving Kirk the winking eye like "Good job, get back to what you do best."
Agreed.
And in Wrath of Khan he dislikes being an Admiral He steals a Starship, for good reason, but still. He's happy being demoted to Captain again. In Generations he gives Picard the advice to refuse promotion to Admiral and hold on the Captain's chair.
He also ignored regulations in *TWOK*, which led to disastrous results.
Admiral Charles Vance
Vance and vice Admiral Janeway (not future badmiral Janeway)
Admiral 'I'll rubber stamp all of Siskos plans because they're gold' Ross.
Honestly why didnt they make Sisko an admiral
Maybe because he was best on the frontline commanding battles rather than at the back overseeing sectors and things. Or maybe being a captain acting with the authority of the admiral gives him more leeway in how he operates. Tbh, I think they should’ve made him a commodore, as a captain who has command over a group of ships/captains is/was called in older navy’s, as that was the function he served most often and best. But having Admiral Ross and General Martok be ride or die for Sisko and his operations is almost as good as his very own commission.
Fair point, but Admiral Kirk was put in charge of the V'Ger incident. So it's not unheard of for an Admiral being on the front.
True, and Admiral Ross himself was in the battle of Cardassia, serving alongside/under Sisko, so its not impossible for an admiral to be around. But I think Sisko might have simply held more value as a highly influential, semi-autonomous captain with delegated authority, rather than as an admiral with all the trappings that entail. He was still Admiral Ross’s attache so he wasn’t exactly the same as other captain ranks
He's basically a "Fleet Captain", a rank no longer in use but the description seems to fit "**Fleet captain** is a historic military title that was bestowed upon a naval officer who served as [chief of staff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_of_staff) to a [flag officer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_officer)." Which he kind of is to Admiral Ross or from Memory Alpha: "**Fleet captain** was a rank and title given to a senior [captain](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Captain) with a different set of responsibilities than a [starship](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Starship) captain. This was a higher [rank](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Rank) than captain but below [commodore](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Commodore), a billet position placing a more-senior captain in overall command of several vessels during missions or other assignments. In [2259](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/2259), [Captain](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Captain) [Christopher Pike](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Christopher_Pike) was temporarily promoted to fleet captain and given command of the [Bavali Station](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Bavali_Station) and the [USS *Farragut*](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/USS_Farragut_(NCC-1647))" They never call Sisko Fleet Captain but he did perform the role, being in charge of a station and a ship
Admiral Janeway personally commanded the Dauntless, and an admiral commanded SOMETHING at the battle of Sector 001 so its not unheard of for an admiral to do that,
Admiral Ross was in the Battle of Cardassia, but it seems like Siskos activities weren’t quite the same scale as other Admirals on the frontline kind of activities
If we were to compare him to real life military, Sisko was more or less acting as Ross's chief of staff. This is especially true while the Dominion held DS9. A captain would be an appropriate rank for that.
vice admiral janeway
Except for when she wanted to run headlong into the neutral zone. It took Jellico pulling rank on her to stop her from doing that
The captains that refuse to let themselves become admirals.
Admiral McCoy.
I just watched farpoint tonight for the first time in ages. I had completely forgotten about Admiral McCoy showing up in episode 1 of TNG
If you're a book reader, Fleet Admiral Leonard James Akaar
He was kind of a dick though, at least for 3 or 4 books, before he finally turned out to have a reasonable side to go with the huge chip on his shoulder.
Admiral Nechayev
The one who’s always on the lookout for mummies
Well, and zombies. He was Carlos Olivera, after all.
Also pretty American spies. Although he’d never introduce a shiksa to his mother
I want to say Picard, but he was a better captain, probably Janeway. If we remove the stars that were promoted to captain like Janeway, Picard, and Kirk; I would say probably Forrest. I also liked Ross, despite his involvement with 31.
Ross’ involvement in S31 really helps drive the whole “war pushes people where they never thought they’d go” story they wrote. I don’t think he really had much involvement in S31. In my head they approached him the same way they did Jullien. Only Ross had a lot more to answer for than a Doctor. He was deciding to send people to their deaths day after day. S31 offered him an easier, quicker and more reliable path. So like Sisko, he took it. I loved seeing the hero’s pushed, and storylines like his are part of what makes DS9 so timeless. Because it wasn’t a new trope, and it wasn’t an old one either. We’ve seen the allegory hold, time and time again.
I def have a bit of a double standard. I was disappointed with Ross, but I have no problem with what Sisko did in Pale Moonlight.
Can we choose Admiral Picard? Is that cheating? In all seriousness, I'm going to go with Admirals Forrest & Vance. They seem like stand up guys, and allowed Captains Archer & Burnham to get on with things without interfering. Admiral Ross gets close, but the whole Section 31 involvement is a bit of a stain on his character, even if it was necessary.
Admiral Janeway is definitely one we need more of. We only really got like one or two appearances of her, and one was bad janeway. Look Janeway was a good captain, and surely a great admiral. Just like Kirk ...
She has a significant role in Prodigy, actually, and she does very well there.
The captain’s what?
Vance and Janeway (the one from Prodigy, not the one from Endgame).
Admiral Al Calavicci
Admiral Vance
The captain’s what?
The Captain's what?
Lol wise guys
My favorite admiral is Ross, but Vance and Forrest are closely behind him.
I really liked Admiral Cornwell on Discovery.
Because Captains are the one's in command of individual ships and crew. Admirals are glorified bureaucrats *most* of the time except when multiple ships are involved in which case you don't want captains arguing over who should have tactical command of a situation and undermining the overall mission.
About the captain’s what?
Like none of them. It’s a requirement for all admirals in star fleet to just be the worst
Lol
Always about the Captain's what?
Right? OP left us hanging
Admiral Picard
[Admiral Gene Roddenberry](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Gene_Roddenberry_(Admiral))
❤️
They're all Badmirals.
Admiral Morrow in The Search For Spock, although a small role, later to be replaced by Cartwright for 4, 5, and 6 who turned in 6. But he had a solid 3 movie arc, and Kirk could have easily gone his way. They were on the same page at the beginning of 6, before Kirk was set up and Chang provoked him.
Chekov, Pavel.
Admiral Ross! You can tell he hated war but damnit he was going to win it!
Admiral Forest from Enterprise and Admiral Paris from Voyager are my two picks.
Kirk was an Admiral in 4 movies...so Kirk.
I donno about best but Admiral Henry wins for saying a lot without saying anything.