Star Trek Smackdown: Kirk vs. ...?
By David Bushman
To Machiavelli, a great leader should be feared more than loved.
To Patton, a great leader is one willing to make the tough decisions.
To Napoleon, a great leader is a “dealer in hope.”
To Groucho Marx, only one man in a thousand is a great leader of men—the other 999 follow women.
To us, a great leader can be defined by three holy words: James Tiberius Kirk. Yes, James T. Kirk of Star Trek, legendary starship captain, man among men (and women—lots of women, human women, alien women, android women, and on and on and on); modeled partly on C.S. Forester's heroic seafaring Admiral Horatio Hornblower and partly on Alexander the Great; limned by peerless Canadian thespian William Shatner (though only after Jack Lord demanded too much money); conqueror of the infamous "no-win" Kobayashi Maru test (though only after cheating by reprogramming the computer); hounded by a genetically engineered superman who in his spare time touted soft Corinthian leather; and, finally, master of the soft-focus close-up.
What better time to celebrate Kirk's towering achievements—and question his crown—than now, as we eagerly await the May 8 release of J.J. Abrams's new film, Star Trek, chronicling the early days of Kirk and his fellow crew mates from the Starship Enterprise.
Star Trek Smackdown: Kirk vs. ...? Continues...
Who Could Out-Lead Kirk?: A Paley Center Poll
Is Kirk really the über-commander, the greatest leader in the history of science fiction on television? We offered twelve alternatives to go up against Kirk in our May 12 discussion and debate with a panel of sci-fi experts, and the vocal and devoted online fan communities made this our most popular poll ever. Stargate SG-1's Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) was the decisive winner, so it's Kirk vs. O'Neill in a Star Trek Smackdown!
Full poll results:
Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson)
Stargate SG-1/Stargate Atlantis
55.3%
Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
37.7%
Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping)
Stargate SG-1/Stargate Atlantis
2.0%
William Adama (Edward James Olmos)
Battlestar Galactica
(reimagined series)
1.6%
Adama (Lorne Greene)
Battlestar Galactica
(original series)
1.6%
Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Less than one percent
Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion)
Firefly
Less than one percent
John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner)
Babylon 5
Less than one percent
John Crichton (Ben Browder)
Farscape
Less than one percent
Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew)
Star Trek: Voyager
Less than one percent
Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula)
Enterprise
Less than one percent
Dr. John Robinson (Guy Williams)
Lost in Space
Less than one percent
Immundboollok, January 17, 2012 at 11:47 pm
Hey, Alimoo, thanks for your post. Jack O'Neill was the hands-down winner of the poll, so whatever happened at the Smackdown can't take that away from him. For numerous reasons, O'Neill did not get much attention at the live event itself, as the discussion centered more on Kirk, Picard, and even Adama -- much to the chagrin of at least one of Jack's fans, I have since discovered. This was at least partly a result of the fact that the panelists were big-time Trekkies. However, I think it is safe to say that most of the audience members were as well -- we spent a lot of time on audience questions, and most people wanted to talk about Star Trek. It was nice to discover some Janeway, Sisko, and Archer fans in the crowd, but for the most part it was a Kirk love-fest. Most importantly, I think almost everyone had a ton of fun. We're sorry YOU couldn't make it, but keep checking back because we hope to have future events like this.
David, June 02, 2009 at 10:09 am
Hey what happen at the Star trek Smack down, who won?
Was it O'Neill or Kirk?
Us RDA fans want to know, it been ten days since the 12th, so come on we would like to know??
WHO WON????
Alimoo, May 23, 2009 at 2:37 am
Star Trek was really a good movie. Star Trek is an American science fiction show, and its stories usually depict the adventures of humans and aliens who serve in the Federation's Starfleet. These are the voyages of the Star Trek commercial enterprise. If the box office opening of the new Trek film is as big as anticipated, then there ought to be more voyages of the Enterprise in store. Die hard fans might need lots of money for opening night, because the buzz has been big. Original cast member Leonard Nimoy (the original Spock) has given the film his blessing.
Adam H, May 16, 2009 at 3:06 am
Woo hoo! O'Neill rocks!
JackFan, May 12, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Alright!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Jack O'Neill " Richard Dean Anderson" ROCKS!!!!!"
I knew He WouldWin!!!
Mom, May 12, 2009 at 5:33 pm
KIRK VS JACK O'NEILL :-)
STARGATE RULES :P
Alimoo, May 12, 2009 at 3:31 am
GO JACK GO!!! LOL
Alimoo, May 12, 2009 at 3:28 am
Han Solo is of course one cool dude, but, alas, a theatrical-film cool dude so therefore not eligible for our poll. Roj Blake, however, is a great suggestion from what I can tell, although I've never seen Blake's 7 and am unsure if it has ever been aired in the US. I'll have to track down some episodes.
David, May 08, 2009 at 9:59 am
iainjcoleman, May 08, 2009 at 8:51 am