Battle of the Helmsmen will now commence. 8 pilots enter. 1 pilot leaves.

Comments

• Zellith@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Sulu has a sword.

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  • Infynis@midwest.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    But Captain Proton has a Destructor Beam!

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    • DrChaotica@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Pah, overrated! 😡

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  • UPGRAYEDD@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Its a battle of pilots… is it a hand to hand battle? And even so somehow sulu gets a sword, when they all had phasers? Seems conceptually backwards to me

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    • charonn0@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Piloting and fencing both require excellent hand-eye coordination. Therefore, it makes perfect sense; ergo Mr. Sulu is the best helmsman. QED

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• Coldgoron@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  I don’t care who wins as long as Wesley Crusher loses.

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  • worsedoughnut@lemdro.id ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Just load him into the pattern buffer and pull the plug.

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  • Arotrios@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    I've been waiting since TNG aired to upvote your comment.

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  • xusontha@ls.buckodr.ink ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    I was about to say the same thing lol

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• Arotrios@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  I'm gonna rank them because Sulu

  1. 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
  2. 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.
  3. 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 gave Ortegas the spot above
  4. Mayweather - good solid performance, interesting character with a better background with Paris. I wish the writers had done more with the character.
  5. Detmer - again great potential in the charcter, 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 her character felt disappointingly underused.
  6. 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.
  7. Cartoon Dude - I have no idea what this guy's name is, but he's not Wesley.
  8. 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.

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  • Infynis@midwest.social ⁨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

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    • Arotrios@kbin.social ⁨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.

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  • Horik@artemis.camp ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    You gave words to my exact thoughts and feels.

    Congratulations, you get to be me today.

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  • Diplomjodler@feddit.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    I don’t even know a lot of those but yes, Wesley must go!

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• Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Gotta go with Tom. Going from prison to full redemption, while at the same time growing into a loving father married to a hot badass half-Klingon is definitely life goals. Not to mention his affinity for history and classic cars.

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  • SulaymanF@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Dude designed and built his own shuttle, then had a breakthrough in warp field theory that let him exceed warp 10. In addition to scraping through multiple battles with Borg and other fleets of enemies. How is he not the clear winner?

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    • teft@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      He broke warp 10 before he designed the Delta Flyer. Season 2 for warp 10 and season 5 for Delta Flyer.

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    • Infynis@midwest.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      He loses points for the time spent as a lizard, I think

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    • Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Also that sweet transition from literally no attitude control straight into warp drive when they got shot by Species 8472. Dude’s got skills.

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  • Zorque@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Just as long as it's not time for his yearly mid-life crisis.

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  • Captain_Ender@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Yeah it's Paris and it's not even close. He was the first test pilot to break the trans-warp barrier. Smashin hot Klingon ass, and banged his captain when they were lizards. Mans a fuckin Starfleet legend.

    I'd say Lt Mayweather as runner up. Dude was a freighter pilot and they basically tossed him in our very first combat spaceship that can hop around the galaxy. And was like "I dunno figure it out as we go" lmao.

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• Emperor_Cartagia@startrek.website ⁨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 fact 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.

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  • EnsignRedshirt@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    I like this breakdown, particularly the contrast between Ortegas and Paris. I think Ortegas is a better overall character, and gets big points for having her skills and progress matter to her character development. Paris, though, was an elite pilot before he showed up on Voyager, and then he spent years doing the most insane piloting anyone in Starfleet has ever seen. Ortegas is sort of the ideal of a relatable, blue-collar pilot with a promising career ahead of her, whereas Paris was a savant when he left with Voyager and a legend when he got home. He’s a tier above everyone else on the list, you gotta hand it to him.

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  • lagomorphlecture@lemm.ee ⁨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!

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  • mosiacmango@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Isnt Wesley effectivly or literally a traveler? Being able to “blip” into any part of the galaxy on demand is a pretty hard tovbeat feat forca helmsman.

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    • DrChaotica@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Doesn’t count unless you’re actively commissioned/enlisted in Starfleet, though.

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• SeedOnTheWind@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  My vote is Sulu 100%

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• Doug@midwest.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Tom. Gotta be Tom

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  • TerminalEncounter@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Tom is such a good pilot he broke the warp barrier, turned into a lizard, made his XO turn into a lizard, had sex with her, and returned back to human form all in a 30 minute episode. Top that

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    • OkToBeTakei@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      his XO turn into a lizard

      *CO, ahem. if he managed to have lizard babies with Chakotay, perhaps the episode wouldn’t have been so stupid.

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    • jinarched@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      “What makes you think it was [his] idea?”

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• Shut_up_Wesley@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Tom Paris

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  • UPGRAYEDD@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Underrated best pilot for sure. The only pilot in the show who constantly just wanted to pilot things.

    Enters a space race, designs his shuttle to look like a hot rod and configures the controls for manual operation. Works on classic cars on the holodeck. He breaks the warp 10 barrier.

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    • dm_me_your_feet@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      dont forget he has children with Janeway (⁠☞ﾟ⁠ヮﾟ⁠)⁠☞

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    • AlolanYoda@mander.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      I’m not sure breaking the warp 10 barrier is such a positive, knowing how that episode ends…

      But I agree. Paris has my vote too.

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• VladimirGrey@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Sulu easy win

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  • charonn0@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Target the other candidates and fire.

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• teft@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  My vote is for Ortegas.

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  • OkToBeTakei@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Yeah, she sounds like a blast!

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  • zifnab25@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Based and hair piled. Nobody else has that cut.

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    • Flyberius@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Detmer has a pretty savage side cut.

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  • EndMilkInCrisps@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    The pilot seat is her realm.

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• peek_a_boo@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  My vote goes to Erica

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  • dmonzel@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Erica has to win. Being the pilot of the Enterprise is her only character trait, so it would be unfair to pick anyone else.

    Also, SNW writers, GIVE US MORE ERICA ORTEGAS. After the strike, of course.

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    • xusontha@ls.buckodr.ink ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      The pilot seat is her realm…

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    • Madison_rogue@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      I’m upvoting this even though my vote goes to Sulu. Erica “I FLY THE SHIP” Ortega needs her own fucking episode already.

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• milkisklim@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  I will not stand for this Jadzia Dax erasure. Does any one else have TWO lifetimes of being shuttle pilots? No.

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  • charonn0@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Didn’t the first Dax pilot die in a piloting accident, though?

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    • Infynis@midwest.social ⁨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

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    • numbers@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      How many other pilots survived dying in a crash? You can’t buy that kind of experience!

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• Madison_rogue@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Sulu all the way!

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  • IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    As far as I know he’s the only one with his own theme song.

    youtu.be/lFzRNWf7Gi0

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    • charonn0@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Also, youtu.be/3oe0yWRPaQs

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• Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  I think advances in special effects give Ortegas and Detmer a pretty solid advantage over the others, just because fancier flying is now within tv production values.

  But as far as I know, Sulu is the only one to make captain, get his own command, and have a ship named in his honor. Plus, he got to strut around in monster maroon.

  And Tom Paris is a dick.

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• Datas_Cat_Spot@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  If anyone says to vote out Sulu, I’m coming at you with a fencing saber.

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  • BodePlotHole@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Foil.

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    • Datas_Cat_Spot@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Yeah, he took the foil and left me with the saber.

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• Professorozone@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Sulu FTW!

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• Xariphon@kbin.social ⁨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.

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• TC_209@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  1701% Mr. Sulu

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• ralen_jor@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Sulu without a doubt

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• MossBear@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  I’m going with Mayweather, because of reasons that I couldn’t possibly explain in four seasons.

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  • Jerrimu2@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    He’s the best stick and rudder man of all time.

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• atlasraven31@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Are we considering their piloting skills or their personality off the bridge?

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  • OkToBeTakei@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    if so, Laren is off the list. Such a drag, always going on about starving in a Bajoran refugee camp while her people were being genocided. What do I need, a drinking problem?

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    • squib@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Jokes on you - I already have a drinking problem. It goes along with my Ensign Ro simping problem.

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  • teft@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Yes.

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• Tofu_Lewis@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Tom Paris literally broke spacetime and did direct action to save a water planet.

  Is there any question?

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• mowli@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Tom Paris!

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• eva_sieve@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  I question the inclusion of Gavin the Botanist as the Lower Decks entry–doesn’t Boimler at least man the helm when he’s on the bridge, including the season 1 and 3 finales?

  (While federation ships have some variation on which front console is main ops vs. helm, the Cerritos’ ops is stage left, mostly indicated by Ensign Barnes’ occasional presence there.).

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  • teft@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Gavin, the pilot, was really only included because I couldn’t think of an 8th pilot and I had just gotten done watching Lower Decks. But if I ever repost it I will include Boims for you.

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    • Infynis@midwest.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Rutherford probably would have been a good choice for Lower Decks. We know his past self was a champion sublight racer, and his current self beat him in a race piloting the Delta Flyer. He just doesn’t get much time behind the helm because he’s now an engineer first and foremost

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• GaiusGornicusCaesar@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  You mean 4? Detmer, Ro, Gavin, and Welsey don’t have anything to use against the other 4.

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• GreenMario@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Data on the last episode of PIC pretty much out flew everyone in that fat ass Galaxy Class Enterprise. Driving likes hes in Tokyo Drift 😂

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• Tubulous@beehaw.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Tom Paris, but I am admittedly going through Voyager right now. Sulu is the other on my list.

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• ThereRisesARedStar@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Ro, how is this even a question.

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