this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2023
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Risa

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Come on'n get your jamaharon on! There are no real rules—just don't break the weather control network.

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Highest upvoted helmsman in this thread will be declared best helmsman in the fleet.

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[–] Zellith@kbin.social 51 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] Infynis@midwest.social 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But Captain Proton has a Destructor Beam!

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[–] PochoHipster@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ortegas has wielded a sword too. I’d like to see them both wield a bat’leth. For honor you know.

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[–] UPGRAYEDD@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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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[–] Coldgoron@lemmy.world 50 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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

[–] worsedoughnut@lemdro.id 24 points 1 year ago

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

[–] Arotrios@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago

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

[–] xusontha@ls.buckodr.ink 4 points 1 year ago

I was about to say the same thing lol

[–] Arotrios@kbin.social 44 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

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. "I fly the ship!"
  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 I 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 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.
  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.
[–] Infynis@midwest.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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@kbin.social 4 points 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@artemis.camp 5 points 1 year ago

You gave words to my exact thoughts and feels.

Congratulations, you get to be me today.

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[–] Emperor_Cartagia@startrek.website 43 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

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.

[–] EnsignRedshirt@hexbear.net 6 points 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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[–] SeedOnTheWind@lemmy.world 40 points 1 year ago

My vote is Sulu 100%

[–] Shut_up_Wesley@startrek.website 38 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] UPGRAYEDD@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

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

Enters a space race, designs his own shuttle and makes it 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.

[–] dm_me_your_feet@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

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

[–] AlolanYoda@mander.xyz 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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.

[–] AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Is that the episode I've spent most of my adult life trying to forget?

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[–] peek_a_boo@startrek.website 35 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] dmonzel@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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.

[–] xusontha@ls.buckodr.ink 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The pilot seat is her realm...

[–] PochoHipster@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 year ago

She needs someplace to put all that nonconformist sex appeal.

[–] Madison_rogue@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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

[–] Doug@midwest.social 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] TerminalEncounter@hexbear.net 23 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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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[–] VladimirGrey@lemmy.ca 32 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] charonn0@startrek.website 8 points 1 year ago

Target the other candidates and fire.

[–] teft@startrek.website 30 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] zifnab25@hexbear.net 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Based and hair piled. Nobody else has that cut.

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[–] milkisklim@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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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[–] Madison_rogue@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 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.

EDIT: of course, there is a guy who wore monster maroon at one point, got his own command, and made admiral. But for some reason, the helmsman of the Stargazer isn't an option.

[–] TC_209@hexbear.net 14 points 1 year ago

1701% Mr. Sulu

[–] Datas_Cat_Spot@startrek.website 13 points 1 year ago

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

[–] MossBear@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

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[–] Xariphon@kbin.social 9 points 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@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago

The people demand Ortegas. She has the killer instinct.

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

How is Lt. Commander Data not here?

[–] atlasraven31@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

[–] ralen_jor@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago

Sulu without a doubt

[–] eva_sieve@startrek.website 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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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[–] GaiusGornicusCaesar@startrek.website 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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

EDIT: Detmer may have something against the other 4.

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