Highest upvoted helmsman in this thread will be declared best helmsman in the fleet.
- Arotrios ( @Arotrios@kbin.social ) 42•1 year ago
I’m gonna rank them because Sulu
- Sulu - has a sword. The OG. No comparison. Completely outclasses the others, but he’s had the most development as a character over the years, so I don’t really think it’s a fair comparison
- Ortegas - I’ve been surprisingly impressed with the actress and she’s without a doubt the most likeable after Sulu. The recent season has made her really interesting, and I hope the writers keep expanding her character. She’s fantastic. “I fly the ship!”
- Tom Paris - best character development after Sulu, has consistently great moments throughout Voyager. I did feel his acting felt lackluster at times, which is why I gave Ortegas the spot above
- Mayweather - good solid performance, interesting character with a better background with Paris. I wish the writers had done more with the character.
- Detmer - again great potential in the character, but the writers never really let her shine. I wanted to find out more about her, but Discovery was so overshadowed by Michael’s character that Detmer felt disappointingly underused.
- Ro - solid acting, but not much character depth. Never really clicked for me as a “helmsman” - always seemed like she was doing things other than piloting. Never really clicked as part of the crew in the way the rest of the cast did.
- Cartoon Dude - I have no idea what this guy’s name is, but he’s not Wesley.
- Wesley - I have great sympathy for Wil Wheaton’s difficult experiences on set as child actor, but that simply cannot distill the loathing I have for this character. TNG was a near perfect Trek in almost every respect, save when Crusher was in the scene.
- Infynis ( @Infynis@midwest.social ) English4•1 year ago
Cartoon Dude is “Captain” Gavin, a civilian that got stuck on a replica Phoenix that was stolen by the Lower Decks crew, so they could use it to steal their own ship from dry dock.
When the Lower Decks crew made it aboard their ship, they left him to fly off in the Phoenix on his own for his “Trek amongst the stars!”
He was eventually rescued by Star Fleet, adrift near Jupiter
- Arotrios ( @Arotrios@kbin.social ) 5•1 year ago
Thanks - I’ve watched a bit of the 1st season of Lower Decks, but hadn’t gotten to that part yet.
Still better than Wesley.
- Horik ( @Horik@artemis.camp ) 2•1 year ago
You gave words to my exact thoughts and feels.
Congratulations, you get to be me today.
- Diplomjodler ( @Diplomjodler@feddit.de ) English1•1 year ago
I don’t even know a lot of those but yes, Wesley must go!
- peek_a_boo ( @peek_a_boo@startrek.website ) 33•1 year ago
My vote goes to Erica
- Zellith ( @Zellith@kbin.social ) 33•1 year ago
Sulu has a sword.
- Infynis ( @Infynis@midwest.social ) English12•1 year ago
But Captain Proton has a Destructor Beam!
- DrChaotica ( @DrChaotica@startrek.website ) English2•1 year ago
Overrated! 😡
- PochoHipster ( @PochoHipster@lemmy.ml ) English5•1 year ago
Ortegas has wielded a sword too. I’d like to see them both wield a bat’leth. For honor you know.
- jmcs ( @jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de ) English1•1 year ago
The Federation’s Helmsmen quality peaked in the 23rd century.
- Emperor_Cartagia ( @Emperor_Cartagia@startrek.website ) English32•1 year ago
Wesley, Ro, and Bozeman Tourist are eliminated immedietly, we never see them do anything fancy at all, they input courses and hit engage, that’s it.
Of those remaining, Sulu is what most people think when they think fancy starship flying, but, if you really look at it, his top moments are manually flying a shuttle into a shuttle bay, and skillfully pulling rather relaxed but precise maneuvers piloting the Enterprise in V’Ger, the Bounty, and a Huey helicopter. No high speed are rapid maneuvering. So while he gets points for skill and for being able to fly anything he gets into, he’s not the top pilot.
Detmer has shown some fancy flying, including combat maneuvers, but only on the Discovery. We don’t know if she’s as skilled if she’s put into a shuttle or an atmospheric craft.
Mayweather, for all the failure to utilize his character, has been put in the hot seat with high pressure, rapid and precise maneuvering. Romulan minefields, combat against the Xindi, high warp precision formation flying, he really is a great pilot.
Ortega is right up there too, she flew into the accretion disk of a black hole while fighting the Gorn, even with her memory severely hampered she piloted the Enterprise through an asteroid field. She flies the ship, top marks, but…
Tom motherfucking Paris. This guy can fly through asteroid fields, through torn up subspace, fluidic space, quantum slipstream tunnels, shuttles, shuttles he designed, shuttles underwater, terrestrial vehicles, high speed combat maneuvers, you name it he can do it. Tom Paris is in my mind the unquestioned #1.
- mosiacmango ( @mosiacmango@lemm.ee ) English3•1 year ago
Isnt Wesley effectivly a traveler? Being able to “blip” into any part of the galaxy on demand is a pretty hard to beat feat for a helmsman.
- DrChaotica ( @DrChaotica@startrek.website ) English1•1 year ago
Doesn’t count unless you’re actively commissioned/enlisted in Starfleet, though.
- mosiacmango ( @mosiacmango@lemm.ee ) English2•1 year ago
Doesnt that invalidate Tom then? He was given a battlefield reinstatement by Janeway, and most of his feats fell in that time period.
Whoes to say that ol “make it so” cant blip a commision on Traveler Crusher on demand?
- lagomorphlecture ( @lagomorphlecture@lemm.ee ) English3•1 year ago
Tom Paris is an amazing pilot but he’s the most bland bad boy ever. At least some of the others are interesting!
- Doug [he/him] ( @Doug@midwest.social ) English31•1 year ago
Tom. Gotta be Tom
- Shut_up_Wesley ( @Shut_up_Wesley@startrek.website ) English26•1 year ago
Tom Paris
My vote is for Ortegas.
- VladimirGrey ( @VladimirGrey@lemmy.ca ) English20•1 year ago
Sulu easy win
- Melllvar ( @charonn0@startrek.website ) English5•1 year ago
Target the other candidates and fire.
- Madison_rogue ( @Madison_rogue@kbin.social ) 15•1 year ago
Sulu all the way!
- milkisklim ( @milkisklim@lemm.ee ) English13•1 year ago
I will not stand for this Jadzia Dax erasure. Does any one else have TWO lifetimes of being shuttle pilots? No.
- Melllvar ( @charonn0@startrek.website ) English2•1 year ago
Didn’t the first Dax pilot die in a piloting accident, though?
- Infynis ( @Infynis@midwest.social ) English4•1 year ago
I don’t know if she ever said if it was pilot error or not though. He was a test pilot, so the accident may have been due to a flaw in the shuttle he was testing
- numbers ( @numbers@lemmy.sdf.org ) English3•1 year ago
How many other pilots survived dying in a crash? You can’t buy that kind of experience!
- Data's Cat Spot ( @Datas_Cat_Spot@startrek.website ) English12•1 year ago
If anyone says to vote out Sulu, I’m coming at you with a fencing saber.
- Xariphon ( @Xariphon@kbin.social ) 8•1 year ago
Ro and Paris team up to rogue their way through everybody else, expecting to betray each other at the last minute. Tom cooperates, Ro defects.
- PochoHipster ( @PochoHipster@lemmy.ml ) English8•1 year ago
The people demand Ortegas. She has the killer instinct.
- atlasraven31 ( @atlasraven31@lemm.ee ) English6•1 year ago
Are we considering their piloting skills or their personality off the bridge?
Yes.
- Tubulous ( @Tubulous@beehaw.org ) English4•1 year ago
Tom Paris, but I am admittedly going through Voyager right now. Sulu is the other on my list.