12 Genius Decisions By Star Trek Captains

12. John Harriman Decides To Let Kirk Do His Job

You may not remember the name, John Harriman. That’s because he only shows up for a few minutes in Star Trek: Generations. Harriman was the commander of the Enterprise 1701-B. He barely had the ship out of dry dock before a crisis struck.

The Enterprise receives a distress call from an El-Aurian refugee ship that is caught in some sort of energy ribbon. When the Enterprise arrives Harriman makes several suggestions to save the refugees. However, each of his plans fails. Lucky for Harriman, he has a secret weapon sitting right on his bridge- Captain James T. Kirk.

Kirk was onboard as a spectator for the ship’s maiden voyage, but, seeing as he’s arguably the greatest captain of his time, Harriman presses Kirk into service. Putting away his pride, Harriman asks Kirk for the correct course of action. Kirk saves the day, proving Harriman’s decision to hand over the reins to be a genius move.