10 Greatest Sci-Fi Ship Captains Of All Time

One of the most popular tropes in sci-fi is that of the intergalactic ship captain, and with so many of these characters existing throughout the genre, it can be difficult to pick out the best. While these characters do not always explicitly hold the rank of captain in the military, across the board they are the ones in charge of a ship and the crew that operates it. These captains are often confident, able to make the tough decisions when situations begin to spiral out of control.

Because of their strong attitudes and general experience, they also tend to face off against some of the smartest sci-fi villains of all time. These incredible pairings, alongside some of the best writing in science fiction, have led to the production of captain characters that have captured the hearts of fans. Their stories are some of the best, crafting narratives that persist in the minds of viewers even years after their shows have ended.

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10

William Adama

Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009)

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First created for the original Battlestar Galactica series in 1978, Commander and later Admiral William Adama is a man known for his unwavering strength of character. Also known by his callsign “Husker,” in several instances throughout the series, Adama leads the rest of the cast against a race of robots known as Cylons. The Commander is even vital in the discovery of Earth, a focal point in Adama’s career.

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Battlestar Galactica

Release Date

2003 – 2002

Network

SyFy

Directors

Michael Rymer

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As opposed to being written as a leader with little else interesting about him save for his strength in leadership, Adama is a fully fleshed-out character with his own complicated web of relationships. He keeps himself distant from his crew, but it is clear he is devoted to them. This, paired with the strong parental bond he forms with the characters in the show, makes for one of the more heartwarming ship captains in science fiction.

9

John Sheridan

Babylon 5 (1993-1998)

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Commander of the titular space station Babylon 5, John Sheridan is an immovable idealist, characterized by how he holds onto his convictions even as the galaxy begins to crumble around him. Throughout the series he accomplishes many incredible feats. These include supposedly “coming back from the dead” and even becoming the President of the Interstellar Alliance by the end of the series.

Babylon 5 has been nominated for several different Emmy Awards, even winning one in 1993 for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Special Visual Effects.

Even in the face of his own death, Commander Sheridan holds fast to his goals and pushes to accomplish them at any cost. Though he has his moments of anger and impatience, these show that he is only human. He still has his flaws despite being this pinnacle of goodness in the galaxy, adding complexity to a character that so quickly became so beloved.

8

Benjamin Sisko

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

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The Star Trek franchise is one full of iconic captains, with the focus being on leading expeditions throughout the galaxy. However, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a bit different, as it is set on a space station rather than an exploratory vessel and focuses more on the potential threats that the area faces from groups such as the Dominion. This change in focus required a different sort of lead character than those who came before, and the character they created was Benjamin Sisko.

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Often considered to be one of the best Star Trek characters in general, Sisko is a man who wears his emotions on his sleeve. Not only is he a family man, more deeply connected to those around him than any of the other captains who came before, but he is a man who builds things from the ground up. Sisko sees things through to the end, whether that be in war or in his personal relationships.

7

Jet Black

Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)

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Cowboy Bebop is often hailed by fans as one of the best anime of all time, known best for its gripping storytelling and immediately recognizable science fiction setting. It stars the crew of the Bebop, a group of bounty hunters drifting throughout the galaxy. Though the iconic Spike Spiegel is the main character of the series, Jet Black is the underrated captain of the ship.

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Cowboy Bebop

Release Date

1998 – 1999

Network

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Adult Swim

Showrunner

Shinichirô Watanabe

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The toughest member of the crew both in strength and personality, Jet was once an investigator working with the Inter-Solar System Police. However, Jet was disgusted with the corruption in the police force, so he left their ranks to become a bounty hunter instead. This is a tribute to his incredible moral compass, a strength of his that is present throughout the series.

6

Ed Mercer

The Orville (2017-2022)

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Inspired by the Star Trek franchise, sci-fi comedy series The Orville begins with starship captain Ed Mercer as he struggles to pull his life back together. After divorcing his wife and falling into a depression and losing his previous job with the Planetary Union, Ed receives one last chance as the captain of the Orville. Essentially, his story is one of healing and redemption.

Though Ed is not the perfect captain, he is one that grows throughout the series. At first, he lets his problems get the best of him personally, but he never allows that pain to stand in the way of whatever mission is at hand. He is funny, easily excitable, and deeply human, making him more interesting to watch than so many of the moral paragons that are created for this sort of science fiction.

5

James Kirk

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)

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William Shatner’s James Kirk is one of the most recognizable ship captains of all time, serving as the first protagonist of Star Trek as the captain of the USS Enterprise. Though intelligent, Kirk is a rash and often arrogant man, rushing head-first into situations that his second in command, Spock, would prefer him to think through. This is not done out of any negative emotions, however, as more than anything, Kirk is a character full of heart.

There were six different movies released that featured the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series, beginning with Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979.

Willing to bend the rules put upon him by his superiors, Kirk’s dedication to doing the right thing is precisely what finds him in such over-the-top situations. He does what he thinks is best, no matter the consequences, always willing to risk everything if it means saving everyone. This temperament makes his interactions with characters such as Spock and the ship’s doctor, Bones, so interesting, adding to the dynamic of the series.

4

Malcolm Reynolds

Firefly (2002) And Serenity (2005)

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Protagonist of the beloved if short-lived series Firefly, Malcolm Reynolds is the captain of a ship called the Serenity. Once a sergeant in the military, Mal now makes his living smuggling and salvaging to get by. Despite the less-than-savory state of his new career, he is an honest man, preferring to speak truthfully and work things out peacefully with others.

The ramifications of the Unification War weigh heavily over the series as it continues, threatening the characters at every turn. Despite this, Mal makes it his duty to keep his crew safe. At the end of the day, the crew of Serenity are Mal’s family, something that only becomes more apparent as the series and later the feature film continue on.

3

Han Solo

The Star Wars Franchise

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Han Solo is a character with decades of history, first appearing in the first ever Star Wars film, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Known as the iconic pilot of the Millennium Falcon, Han is a man who isn’t known for playing well with others, nor would he be described as a great leader. In fact, at the beginning of his character arc, Han is really in it for himself, hoping to pay off his debt to Jabba the Hutt.

Star Wars

Created by

George Lucas

First Film

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

Originally, Han only cared about making sure that he and his right-hand man Chewbacca made it out of things alive. This changes as he sees the state of the galaxy suffering at the hands of the Empire and meets members of the Rebellion, even falling in love with Leia Organa. This causes him to change his allegiances, caring not only about himself, but about the fate of the rest of the galaxy.

2

Commander Shepard

The Mass Effect Franchise

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One of the best interstellar ship captains in all science fiction doesn’t come from a movie or television series, but rather an iconic trilogy of video games. Commander Shepard is a member of the Alliance Military, tasked with saving the galaxy from the existential threat of the Reapers. These Reapers aim to wipe out all intelligent life in the galaxy, but despite this horrible evil lingering over the galaxy, Shepard struggles to convince anyone in a place of galactic leadership to believe them.

One of the more interesting things about Shepard’s character is that they are completely customizable by the player, allowing the player to choose their gender, what they look like, who they recruit, and even the choices they make. Shepard is a reflection of the player and what they would do in any given life-or-death situation, making Shepard’s character immediately engaging. Regardless of the decisions made, Shepard is consistently the only one willing to do what is necessary to save the galaxy, but what is or isn’t necessary in these moments is up to the player.

1

Jean-Luc Picard

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

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Star Trek: The Next Generation is perhaps the most iconic Star Trek series of all time, once again following the crew of the USS Enterprise on their journey “to boldly go where no one has gone before.” The captain of the ship, Jean-Luc Picard, is a stoic man at first. Picard is incredibly intellectual, slow to show his emotions, and fundamentally different from the previous captain, James Kirk.

The story of Jean Luc Picard and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation has since continued in a modern continuation of the series titled Picard.

This intellect allows him to go head-to-head with some of the greatest threats Star Trek has ever seen, with the most notable being adversaries such as the god-like entity Q and the mechanical Borg. He is played to perfection by the iconic actor Patrick Stewart, who brings to life Picard’s love and fear in equal measure. More than anything, Picard keeps his cool when it matters the most with some of the best writing in Star Trek, making him the best sci-fi ship captain ever.

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