[MissionTrek08]

I'll buck the trend and pick Kirk, because he had the much tougher assignment as captain in a galaxy that was much less settled and explored, and doing so with less technology, less experience and fewer advantages.

Side note: I actually find it impractical to compare two characters from such different eras, anyway. Each served his own time (in the show and in their world) well. It's like comparing Washington and Eisenhower as generals-turned-presidents.

[Saquist]

That's a good point. I still feel Picard is the better Captain.
Kirk sort of broke the rules on several ocasions...like Janeway said he would have been thrown into the brig in the 24th century with all he did.

[NCC-73515]

Picard - the better diplomat and peacemaker

[MissionTrek08]

Originally Posted by Saquist

Kirk sort of broke the rules on several ocasions...like Janeway said he would have been thrown into the brig in the 24th century with all he did.

Exactly my point, S. Kirk was THE best captain for his time, but not for the next century.

Could Picard have negotiated his way out of the Romulan dogfight in "Balance of Terror"? No way, because the Romulans wanted to destroy the Enterprise, no questions asked, and return to their planet, period. To survive, Picard would have had to do exactly what Kirk already did.

Besides, Kirk was not a smooth diplomatist at all, but how many times did he negotiate truces and lay groundwork for an end to immediate hostilities? Example: in "By Any Other Name," making the Kelvins see the opportunity to colonize planets in Federation space vs. conquering the galaxy... in a simplistic way, very much the Borg predicament for Picard, but without all the weapons hardware. Kirk 'won' by recognizing and employing human psychology (with all its faults) as a 'weapon' against a vastly superior species whose technology was unbeatable.

Kirk was captured at first, but he never got assimilated into a hexagon of chalk.... so take that, Jean-Luc!

[sir num nums]

Originally Posted by NCC-73515

Picard - the better diplomat and peacemaker

Agreed...

[Oregon_Coast_Trekkie]

Originally Posted by Zardoz

Oregon-

And get his 900th case of Space VD!! LOL!

Nah, they've cured VD in the 23rd centruy

[Chris Fawkes]

I guess Kirk was the original Russel Crowe in a way.
He was great at negotiation though. I still remember how he negotiated with Kahn for an extra minute to send him the genesis project then sent a couple of photon torpedo's up his butt instead.
Not sure Picard could have handled that one. Imagine. Troi - "I sense great anger captain" Kaboom.

In reality i think people are honing in too much on Kirks macho side as if it is a choice between the macho and the brain. In fact Kirk was as much a diplomate as picard was plus he could use his fist when needed. Just watch the original series.

[Oregon_Coast_Trekkie]

Of course Kirk was as much of a diplomat, but he was more macho, therefore, making him superior.

[sir num nums]

And he also was going to let the Klingons just die off...

[Chris Fawkes]

True but that was because he had a personal conflict with the klingons.
Picard also suffered in his judgement re the Borg because of how he was personaly affected.
Picard snapped out of it when a woman told him to wake up to himself.
Kirk snapped out of it through digesting the external circumstances of what else was going on around him.
I think that put it all into perspective.