Why do people like Kirk so much?

[Monroe]

I'm sorry but he's my least favorite captain. If I had to be on a crew it'd go Archer>Sisko>Picard>Janeway>Kirk. If I had to rate people based on performance it'd be Picard>Archer>Sisko>Janeway>Kirk. Most capable crew Picard>Janeway>Archer>Sisko>Kirk. So what if he gets most women? He's never done anything to impress me except for the amount of crew he gets killed or punch someone in the back with two hands being held together.

[Deepcrush]

Because he was one of the worst actors in trek history and we still love him! Thats what makes him great!

[Reliant121]

I hated his guts! well the early version. He was good in the films. Just not in the original Series. then again, i despise the original series...oh well.

[stitch626]

I can't get past the fact that Shatner is an incredably terrable actor. I like Kirk a little bit, but not as much as any of the other captains.

[Thorin]

Because he's horrifically charismatic. Ability doesn't enter it!

[Monroe]

I hated his guts! well the early version. He was good in the films. Just not in the original Series. then again, i despise the original series...oh well.

Yeah he wasn't bad in the films. But I would still rate him behind the others.
There's got to be some reason? He wins nearly every Captain v Captain contest in other people's opinions.

[mwhittington]

Because he was the original "Space Cowboy"! He won every fist fight he was in, always got the girl, and in ST:VI, he "rode off into the sunset". He may not be the best actor, but neither is Chuck Norris, yet everyone loves his movies, too.

[Captain Seafort]

Yeah he wasn't bad in the films. But I would still rate him behind the others.
There's got to be some reason? He wins nearly every Captain v Captain contest in other people's opinions.

He wins the punchup contests because he's easilly the most experienced in them, he wins ship-to-ship battle contests on the evidence of bringing the E-nil through numerous battles intact ("Balance of Teror" and the corbomite episodes being good examples), and he wins the "nice guy" contests on his tendency to ignore regulations (particulary the PD) if they're likely to get people killed unnecessarilly. Plus there's TSFS - he disobeyed a direct order from the CinC of Starfleet, and threw away his career, to fulfill a dead friend's last request. That shows where his priorities lie.

[Teaos]

I agree I hate the guy. He just rubs me the wrong way. And he's not nearly as great as he's made out to be as a captain.

[Captain Seafort]

He's certainly no Cochrane, but compared to the competition, he's the best - he never condemed entire species to death to uphold the Prime Directive (or some faximile thereof), he never tried to commit genocide, and he never got stranded on the other side of the galaxy through his own stupidity.

[Teaos]

He never had the chance to do most of that stuff.

[Captain Seafort]

He never had the chance to do most of that stuff.

The Eminar-Vendikar War could have been stopped by GO24ing both planets, and handing out the cure in "Miri" probably violated the PD. True he never got stuck on the wrong side of the galaxy, but given his track record do you think the Caretaker's pleas would have been more important to him than getting his crew home?

[Teaos]

So being willing to screw the Ocampa over make him a better captain?

[Captain Seafort]

So being willing to screw the Ocampa over make him a better captain?

His first duty is to the interests of the Federation, after that his ship and his crew. If he could help the Ocampa without compromising those responsibilities, fair enough, if not, tough.

[Teaos]

Leaving that tech in the hands of a hostile race is not in the best intrests of the federation.