The Shocking Truth Behind the Worst Star Trek Admiral Promotions
Starfleet's Promotion Blunders: Unveiling 10 Admirals Whose Incompetence Defied All Logic Prepare for jaw-dropping accounts of questionable command decisions and shocking failures that raise doubts about Starfleet's hiring process
Summary
Key Takeaways:
Numerous Starfleet Admirals in the Star Trek universe have succumbed to corruption or made dubious decisions, indicating a potential flaw in background screening processes or a deep-rooted corruption within Starfleet Command. Elevating officers to the esteemed rank of Admiral has been known to result in career stagnation and detrimental failures in sound judgment.
Prominent Admirals like Vice Admiral Leyton, Admiral Mark Jameson, and Vice Admiral Kennelly have all demonstrated questionable actions and manipulations in their respective roles, shedding light on the potential risks associated with promoting individuals who may abuse their authority.
The prevalence of malevolent Starfleet Admirals in Star Trek raises suspicion and implies that many of these promotions were grave errors. William Shatner's character, Captain James T. Kirk, once cautioned Patrick Stewart's character, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, against allowing Starfleet to confine him to a desk through a promotion. This advice proved insightful, given the extensive roster of corrupt Starfleet Admirals who may have lost touch with the reality beyond Starfleet Command. Some Admirals have resorted to extreme measures to safeguard both Starfleet and the Federation, potentially driven by their confinement to Earth-based positions.
10 Vice Admiral Leyton
While certain malevolent Star Trek Admirals gradually succumb to corruption, others cunningly ascend to their positions through dubious tactics from the very start. This disturbing trend indicates a fundamental flaw in the background check procedures carried out by Starfleet Command, or potentially, a pervasive level of corruption. Admirals such as Kirk and Picard, on the other hand, are ill-suited for the bureaucratic aspects of their roles, spending their days confined to desks and yearning for a return to the vast expanse of space. The honor of becoming a Starfleet Admiral can paradoxically transform into a poison chalice, as the additional responsibilities and resultant career stagnation may lead to severe lapses in judgement.
Vice Admiral Leyton (Robert Foxworth) had no prior record indicating his inclination towards the actions he took in season 4 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Surprisingly, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) had previously observed Leyton's ability to make tough decisions during their time together on the USS Okinawa. However, Leyton's promotion to Admiral proved disastrous as he orchestrated a military coup to seize control of Earth and enforce extreme security measures. Despite genuinely believing that he was acting in the best interest of countering the threat posed by the Changelings and the Dominion, Leyton's perspective was unfortunately narrow-minded.
9 Admiral Mark Jameson
In "Too Short a Season", an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Admiral Mark Jameson (Clayton Rohner) was exposed for violating Starfleet's Prime Directive in order to advance his own career. By arming both sides of a conflict on the planet Mordan IV, Jameson secured the release of hostages but inadvertently sparked a devastating 40-year civil war that resulted in widespread suffering for the planet's inhabitants. Despite the implications of his actions, Starfleet strangely failed to investigate the conflict or the resolution of the hostage crisis, blindly accepting Jameson's account and even promoting him.
8 Vice Admiral Kennelly
Vice Admiral Kennelly (Cliff Potts) was a flag officer who became involved in arms dealing in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the TNG episode "Ensign Ro", Kennelly fell victim to manipulation by the Cardassians. They coerced him into helping them justify the execution of a Bajoran terrorist leader, without facing any consequences. To make it seem like the Bajorans were arming themselves against the Cardassians, Kennelly went as far as selling weapons to them. Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) played the role of intermediary in this deceitful scheme. The fact that a Starfleet Admiral could be so easily manipulated by the notoriously deceptive Cardassians serves as evidence that his promotion was a significant error.
7 Vice Admiral Dougherty
6 Vice Admiral Les Buenamigo
Promoting someone who would manipulate Starfleet regulations for personal gain is always a mistake. This is exactly what Vice Admiral Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe) does in Star Trek: Insurrection, as he successfully persuades the Federation to authorize the forced transfer of the Ba'ku people. In essence, Dougherty violates the Prime Directive by interfering with a pre-warp civilization, although he employs an experimental holoship to avoid arousing suspicion. His ultimate goal is to exploit the Ba'ku's planet for its metaphasic particles, which possess the key to eternal youth. Dougherty serves as a prime example of how absolute power can corrupt an individual who has been promoted.
Similar to previous Starfleet Admirals, Les Buenamigo from Star Trek: Lower Decks, portrayed by Carlos Alazraqui, engaged in dubious undertakings prior to his promotion. Even while holding the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Buenamigo was involved in a hazardous project focused on producing automated starships. Regrettably, this top-secret and unsanctioned endeavor resulted in severe injuries to Cadet Sam Rutherford, played by Eugene Cordero. To conceal his involvement, Buenamigo implanted a cybernetic device to suppress Rutherford's memories. Despite these actions, Buenamigo continued to advance through the ranks, eventually ascending to the rank of Admiral. His automated, slightly unhinged Texas-class starships nearly caused the downfall of Starfleet.
5 Rear Admiral Erik Pressman
It is extremely disconcerting that Admiral Erik Pressman (Terry O'Quinn) received a promotion following the tragic events of the USS Pegasus disaster. Pressman was responsible for overseeing an illicit experiment involving a cloaking device on his vessel, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of numerous crew members. Furthermore, he misused his authority to enforce secrecy upon the surviving crew, including the then-Ensign William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Despite these transgressions, Pressman inexplicably climbed the ranks and embarked on a mission to locate the Pegasus in order to conceal his wrongdoings, thereby implicating Riker and the USS Enterprise in his illicit activities. Towards the conclusion of "Pegasus," Pressman boasted to Picard about his influential connections within Starfleet Command, which can be the only explanation for his promotion subsequent to such a grave cover-up.
4 Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus
Admiral Alexander Marcus's promotion rendered him nearly untouchable. As the head of Starfleet Command and Star Trek's Section 31, he operated without restraint. Exploiting this power, he embarked on a dangerous mission to militarize both Starfleet and the Federation, defying their core principles. Enlisting the help of the infamous tyrant, Khan Noonien-Singh, Marcus pursued the development of new weapons and aggressive starships. This belligerent approach not only contradicted the Federation's ideals but also provoked conflict with the Klingon Empire. Marcus's ascension to power stands as a troubling example of the lack of oversight within the Kelvin Timeline's iteration of Starfleet.
3 Fleet Admiral Cartwright
Given Admiral Cartwright's evident bias against the Klingon Empire, his promotion proved to be a potentially catastrophic error. Instead of moving forward from the Klingon War in Star Trek, Cartwright embarked on a treacherous conspiracy aimed at sabotaging the peace process and crippling the Empire. He maliciously framed Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy for murder, while orchestrating an assassination plot against the Federation President. Surely, Starfleet could not have desired such an individual in a position of authority during this crucial juncture in Federation history. This serves as yet another instance of a promotion granted without due consideration of personal history or biases.
2 Rear Admiral James T. Kirk
After his promotion to Rear Admiral and Chief of Starfleet Operations following the conclusion of Star Trek: The Original Series, James T. Kirk found himself in a perplexing situation. It was difficult to comprehend why Starfleet believed he would find fulfillment in a desk job on Earth, as Kirk's nature seemed far from suited to such a role. With an insatiable desire to command and a candid acknowledgment of his unease as an Admiral, Kirk wasted no opportunity to reclaim the center seat. His restlessness ultimately led him to sabotage his own advancement by stealing the USS Enterprise to retrieve Spock's newly reborn body from the Genesis planet. As a consequence, Kirk was demoted back to Captain, a chastisement he gratefully embraced as a promotion.
1 Admiral Jean-Luc Picard
Ignoring Captain Kirk's warning about the Admiralty, Jean-Luc Picard repeated his predecessor's mistake by being promoted to Admiral. Tasked with leading the Romulan evacuation efforts and coordinating the rescue armada, Picard faced tragedy when the armada was destroyed during the First Contact Day attack at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards. As a result, Starfleet had to abandon the evacuation operation. Despite threatening to resign in protest, Picard's supposed bargaining chip held little weight. His inability to navigate the political game with Starfleet's Senior Staff suggests that he should never have been promoted. Like Kirk, Picard excels when exploring the frontiers, rather than endlessly engaging in strategic debates in an office in San Francisco.
