I’m a Captain Kirk Trekkie. I did enjoy the Next Generation, but Kirk is a far better captain than Picard.

I’m also far more Trekkie than Star Wars fan. Don’t get me wrong – I’ll gleefully plop down to watch the original trilogy in a heartbeat. I’ll watch the second trilogy if I’m in the right mood. And I love the Star Wars of my youth enough to never even consider watching the travesty that was the third trilogy. But I still have a softer spot for Kirk than for Luke – well, until Return of the Jedi when Luke really comes into his own.

Kirk and Skywalker are similar characters in one critical respect – both believe in doing the right thing. Not just when expected or convenient – both take enormous personal risks to do what’s right, even when others are saying not to.

It’s this quality that makes Kirk the superior captain. He’s sometimes a jerk, definitely overbearing, pig headed and has major issues with women – but if you’re in a bind, he’s the guy you can count on. He’s the one who will protect the weak, do the right thing, go out on a limb for those who need help but can’t further his career – he is the guy you want answering the call for help, even if dating him is probably ill advised.

Kirk has a love/hate relationship with the Prime Directive – he loves hating it. More precisely, he loves cheating it probably because on some level he recognizes the tremendous injustices that the Prime Directive routinely inflicts.

Yeah, yeah, generations of fans are in love with the thing – it’s still an incredibly moronic form of interplanetary – or international – policy. Literally judging the value and the capability of a culture on its technological prowess is beyond idiotic. Ancient Greece and it’s multitude of contributions to humanity – nah, we’re not going to ‘interfere’ when the morons are about to self destruct – they aren’t ‘advanced’ enough.

Sure, it’s great if you have to solve all problems in an hour – but the reality is people and cultures are messy. There is no simple test to prove which ones are worth saving and which worth ignoring. But rather than tackle the complexity of judging which elements are worthwhile and which are not and improving from there, we just insert the Prime Directive and only deal with cultures that can shoot back.

But Kirk brings that complex morality into the mix – he doesn’t accept the morally wrong (and the irony of his love life isn’t lost – he’s interesting because he’s imperfect). He acts, with some deliberation (not a moron), rather than just turn his back on those who are suffering under the Injustice of the Week. Kirk gives a damn about right and wrong – that’s what makes him great.

Picard philosophizes – but events tend to drive his reactions rather than his morals. Picard values the ideal of the Prime Directive – letting the weaker cultures come into their own – but he ends up with the patronizing version that pats the stupid child on the head and lets it poke its hand on the hot stove – or he would if something didn’t start shooting and force his hand. Picard cares about his crew and others. He’s a good captain. But doing what’s right isn’t his driving passion – and that’s why he isn’t great.

Picard is very much a product of late 20th century relativism. All cultures are of equal value – so who is to say what is right or wrong? Morality is relative to the culture and not to an external standard. It’s not for us to judge – which is in reality a false equivocation of good judgment with judgmentalism. It’s convenient – we don’t have to worry about those pesky morals anymore. Just do your own thing and let other people do theirs.

Which is great until the other guy’s thing is human vivisection and he plans to do it to you. Picard would be outraged – and if he were on Earth, he’d come to the rescue. But not if the other guy is emperor of Planet Podunk. No, mustn’t judge other cultures – besides, Podunk is wonderfully musically accomplished, if you don’t count the screams.

Kirk would arm phasers. First he saves you – then he worries about how to straighten out the diplomacy. Because right MATTERS to him – even if it’s gonna get him chewed out by a collection of admirals later.

And you probably still shouldn’t date him.