Before J.J. Abrams' remake of "Star Trek", we're sure there are plenty of you non-Trekkies out there who sort of know who Captain James T. Kirk is. But he is not the only captain who has helmed the reigns of the famous Enterprise. Let us bring you through generations of captains who have boldly gone where no man has gone before, in chorological order. Captain James T. Kirk
The original Captain James T. Kirk is played by William Shatner. Much like the modern version of the captain, Spock (then played by Leonard Nimoy), was his First Officer and right hand man. However, his relationship with Spock in the original series is a closer one, with both of them portrayed as close friends rather than being at loggerheads most of the time as portrayed in the J.J. Abrams version. Although he is quite often shown as a ladies man, Kirk was always described as a person who when given the choice between choosing a woman and the Enterprise, his ship always won. Despite a short three seasons, the original series managed to spawn six feature films. Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Before Professor Charles Xavier, Patrick Stewart was best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", probably the most famous Star Trek captain after James T. Kirk. He captains the USS Enterprise 100 years after Kirk and spawned four feature films. Captain Picard managed to steer his ship for seven seasons on television in total. Picard has had the honour of fighting alongside Captain Kirk when he encounters the latter stuck in an energy ribbon known as the Nexus in "Star Trek Generations". In 2002's "Star Trek: Nemesis", a pre-Bane Tom Hardy played Picard's evil clone. Captain Benjamin Sisko
Unlike the other captains featured in the "Star Trek" universe, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) is the only one that does not captain a ship. Featured in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine", Sisko is instead assigned at a space station called Deep Space Nine that is not only a base for exploring the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole (to make sense of this sentence, please refer to Wikipedia) but also a hub for trade and travellers. The series is a spin-off from an episode in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", which also sees Sisko cross path with the Captain Jean-Luc Picard's crew on occasion. Captain Kathryn Janeway
The USS Enterprise takes a backseat when it comes to female power as Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) takes on the lead as the captain of the USS Voyager in "Star Trek: Voyager". If that is not impressive enough for you, she is also Captain Jean-Luc Picard's boss as seen in the film "Star Trek: Nemesis". Janeway is seen already in the ranks of Admiral as she gives Picard orders in a cameo role in the movie. Captain Jonathan Archer
Captain Jonathan Archer, played by Scott Bakula, is the very first captain of the USS Enterprise. Ironically, the maiden voyage of the famous space ship is also the last series in the franchise. Archer is the only captain in the "Star Trek" universe to not have the chance to cross paths with his peers, probably due to his early timeline. Archer has probably risen through the ranks subsequently as he was referenced in J.J. Abrams "Star Trek", when Scotty confesses to have experimented on an Admiral Archer's pet beagle, Porthos.