Star Trek: How EVERY Captain Became Captain
6. Captain John Harriman
While on screen, Captain Harriman is only seen for a brief time while he commands the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B on her maiden voyage, John Jason Harriman II had a long and varied career, both before and after he came captain.
He was born aboard the USS Sea Of Tranquility, spending much of his childhood on board starships rather than on planets. In fact, once he entered the academy, he found himself prone to episodes of agoraphobia. He dealt with this by taking as many assignments off world as possible.
He was able to control this after a number of months and began to excel at his studies. He paid particular attention to the Romulan Star Empire at this time. His interest in this topic came from stories his father had told him, of a time when his grandfather had participated in the Earth-Romulan War.
Harriman was fast tracked through the academy, graduating in three years rather than the standard four years. Thanks to his family connections, he effectively 'bought' his way into command and in 2293, he assumed command of the Enterprise B.
However, this led to serious repercussions. The maiden voyage of the Enterprise was a disaster that resulted in the supposed death of Captain Kirk. Harriman's legacy could have remained as simply the captain of the vessel who got Kirk killed, but he would redeem himself later in his career by helping to orchestra the events that led to the Treaty of Algeron, ensuring peace for several decades with the Romulans.