Ranking Favorite First Officers from Star Trek

On a random Friday morning, I decided to compile a list of my favorite first officers from the Star Trek universe. Here’s the ranking:

1. Major Kira

Major Kira stands out as the most nuanced and complex character with a clear arc throughout the seasons. She is the embodiment of the show's themes, recognizing the fundamental good of the Federation while acknowledging that its interests do not always align with those of Bajor. Her resistance fighter mentality provides a stark contrast to characters like Picard and Sisko, and she had some of the only romantic subplots that worked in Star Trek. Major Kira's character development and role make her a standout figure in the Star Trek universe.

2. Lieutenant Spock

This is a near-tie with Commander Riker, but Spock holds a special place in my heart. The trio of Spock, Kirk, and McCoy were great foils to one another, and I thought his character's value of the primacy of logic over emotion without fully rejecting the latter was brilliant. Spock remains an iconic character, and his iconic status is a testament to his enduring appeal. However, the many imitations of his character can make some aspects seem a bit tired to me.

3. Commander Riker

Commander Riker is the embodiment of what a first officer should be, especially on a more utopian and conflict-light show like Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG). He clearly differs from Picard in temperament and approach, always willing to speak up when disagreeing with his captain while remaining loyal and a team player. His character arc exploring whether he truly wanted to be a captain or remain first officer felt true to the character and really highlighted why he's ideal for the role. While he can be smarmy at times, these moments contribute to his complexity and engagement.

4. Michael Burnham

Discovery is the first Star Trek show where I think of characters by their names, not their ranks. There's a significant drop-off from the stellar top characters on this list, and I don't love her story arc or the way she's the focus of the show. Everyone's getting promoted or demoted on Discovery, so I'm not sure she should be the representative here over Saru. While the logic vs. emotion angle plays less effectively in this show, and her romantic arcs seem perfunctory, she is very well acted and given interesting things to do. The character had potential that wasn't fully realized.

5. Lieutenant T'Pol

Says something about Enterprise that I nearly left T'Pol off this list completely. While Michael Burnham is actively mediocre, T'Pol was actively bad, serving largely as a sex object for the audience without the quality writing that Seven of Nine received. Her character traits were mostly caricatures of Vulcan tropes, showing how Spock's half-human status was a brilliant stroke. I remember Captain Solok from the baseball episode of DS9 more than I remember T'Pol.

6. Commander Chakotay

Chakotay is dull by himself and actively sucked the air out of scenes he entered in Voyager. His strange pastiche of random Native American traits made him uninteresting, and the vague mysticism was even more offputting than the show's copious technobabble. The romantic arc with Seven of Nine was a botched attempt to introduce more interesting characters, but Chakotay remained a dead weight. He wasn't a good foil to Janeway, he had no personality beyond 'Native American stereotype,’ and the only thing I remember him doing was the terrible episode Tattoo.

This exercise was fun, and I almost want to do it for the doctors, engineers, security officers, helmsmen, comms officers, and evil admirals that form the core of Starfleet, with a special shout-out to the senior, why-are-you-even-here officer ranks of Troi and Neelix.

Enjoy this ranking, readers! Which first officer is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!