Despite following the brave leaders sitting in the Captains chair, or destined to take it, for decades the captains of Starfleet changed the face of the galaxy on a weekly basis. But even deep into the final frontier, you still have to answer to the boss…
Feared by many and loved by few, Starfleet’s Admiralty deal with the big galactic decisions, lead high profile operations and make sure the fleet stays strong while making sure their Captains are kept in line. With their flashy uniforms, many of them stay behind the lines with others lead in the wilderness.
After travelling to the 32nd century, Discovery found a new boss to answer to in Charles Vance; Admiral and Commander in Chief of a merged Starfleet and Federation. All too often Admirals are used as the bad guy in the story, from the treasonous Admiral Layton to the Kelvin Universe’s war monger Admiral Marcus.
Vance however joined a very exclusive club of Admirals we could find some faith in; the type who wasn’t just a foil for our bold crew or an antagonist of the week, but a leader who in spite of his shattered world, embodied the ideals of Starfleet.
Fighting against the “Badmirals” trope that had become so common over the years, we’re taking a look at the top five Admirals who were actually the good guys!
Serving as a senior leader during the Klingon War in the mid-23rd century, Cornwell had a different career path than most Admirals we’d seen in Star Trek having previously worked as a therapist in her early career. From ships counsellor to Admiral, Corwell had gained a long and successful career but made a big impact as a fighting leader within Starfleet.
Appearing in Discovery’s first and second season, Cornwell was a former partner of Gabriel Lorca before he was replaced by his Terran counterpart and was actively involved in fleet operations involving the ship. While she had more time for Lorca than other members of the Admiralty due to their past, she always felt suspicious of his changed personality. Though at the time had no reason to believe he was a replacement and was just suffering emotionally after the death of his crew on the Buran.
Cornwell planned to dismiss Lorca from command, however she was captured by Klingons and held captive by General Kol. It was there she met her supposed interrogator, L’Rell, and developed a quick respect for each other. Working together to escape Kol’s grasp, they build a foundation of trust that would lead to them working together again to help L’Rell ascend to the top of the Empire and carry out T’Kuvma’s will of unifying the Empire.
Using her talents as a counsellor Cornwell helped calm Ash Tyler from a panic attack due to PTSD, and later helped to guide Dr Culber to help resolve his resentments and identity crisis after being resurrected. However her key strengths always lay in being willing to fight when she needed to at one point boarding and taking command of Discovery after the revelation of Lorca’s true identity and again joining the crew to help lead some time later during the Control crisis.
Her strong will and likeable personality were key in Jayne Brooke’s portrayal. Unlike most Admirals on screen, she had a more extended life on screen having a rekindled, if brief, romance with Lorca, empathy for those under her command and was a leader willing to get into the heat of battle when she needed to be.
From both ending petty squabbles between Pike and Leland, to helping to support both Discovery and Enterprise in their battle with Control, Cornwall became one of the most likeable and fleshed out Admirals within the Star Trek franchise.
Unfortunately the final battle with control was her final battle too. Standing with Captain Pike on the bridge of the Enterprise, the ship was hit by a torpedo that wedged itself in the hull. Insisting that Pike’s role as Captain, and her belief that he was everything Starfleet should be, she insisted on disabling the torpedo herself. Sadly her bomb disabling skills weren’t as refined as her counselling abilities.
Her only way of saving the ship was to seal herself behind bl ast doors while the torpedo detonated to help control the explosion and minimise damage to the Enterprise. Cornwell’s sacrifice saved the ship, which was needed to win the battle and send Discovery into their next mission into the 32nd century.
…AND THE REST?
With maybe one or two surprises, the full article is available to SFCQ2 Members in our most recent edition of Comms as we pick out four more Admirals who made a lasting impression, from the Supportive Admiral Forrest to Deep Space Nine’s Admiral Ross.
And of course, we were far too tempted not to flip it all on it’s side and feature some of the baddies as well![/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]To find out who our top five were, check out our latrest edition of Comms as we have a Discovery Season 3 special in our biggest issue to date!
You can also check out past editions of A Fistul Of in our Comms archives exclusive to members of SFCQ2.com. Read the latest issue now, download past issues or enlist today for easy access!
About the author
[Q2&A] Unit Operations: The USS Proxima
Première unité depuis plus de vingt ans à s'installer dans la région, Proxima est basée à Metz, ville pittoresque du nord-est de la France. Proche des frontières de l'Allemagne, du Luxembourg et de la Belgique, Proxima a le potentiel d'aller loin, notamment grâce à son capitaine et à son équipe fondatrice qui visitent des événements dans la région. La capitaine de Proxima, Magali Kauffman, a été impressionnée par leur proposition d'exercer une influence positive et diplomatique sur la communauté des fans. Après une première impression positive, Proxima a rapidement obtenu l'approbation pour devenir le dernier membre du Quadrant 2. Depuis lors, Proxima a apporté un élément unique et perspicace à Q2 en portant le drapeau de tout ce que nous défendons dans une région souvent négligée en dépit de son incroyable et vibrante communauté. Le lancement de Proxima a été […]
[Retro Review] Scorpion; Voyager S3E26 & S4E01
There's not a Star Trek show that hasn't been put on a pedestal or picked as the definitive of the franchise for it's overall perfection. Though in reality, few few have been great from the word go. From the shaky grounds of the Next Generation's early years to awaiting Sisko finding his beard, most branches of the Star Trek tree have felt like an experiment until they find that one piece of the puzzle that was missing. For Voyager, that piece of the puzzle was Scorpion. Fresh off their reinvention in First Contact, the Borg are still known as one of the Federations biggest threats; a near unstoppable hive mind void of compassion or emotion as they adsorb entire cultures into their shared collective; a deadly cybernetic virus wiping out individuality to serve their single minded purpose of expansion. As […]
[Ships Of The Line] The NEw Orleans
One of the first multi purpose vessels built for the mid 24th century refresh of Starfleet, the New Orleans was the most adaptable model within the larger Galaxy family of starship design. With a trio of mission specific sensor pods, the ship was perfect for short term research missions as a primary objective whilst being able to swap out the pods for more specific purposes or even as defensive units. Smaller than the 'heads of the table' Galaxy and Nebula classes, the New Orleans was the more traditional design in the mid-scale models similar to the Cheyenne and Springfield Classes. Hosting a crew averaging 500, the ship was tightly packed with mixed crew quarters and multi-purpose research facilities to accommodate for the far-ranging tasks it would be assigned to, whether it was planetary defence or survey operations. With modernised nacelles […]
Tour The Galaxy with the USS Tesla!
Every quarter we'll be putting a division of Quadrant 2 under the spotlight as we Tour The Galaxy with the best and brightest of the fleet. And to start off on a high, we thought we'd begin with one of our fastest developing groups in the past decade; the USS Tesla! The first unit to launch following our mass fleet reorganisation a decade ago, the USS Tesla was first proposed as an idea in passing conversation and soon blossomed into one of the leading groups in both Q2 and in Scotland. Coming in with established roots in the sci fi community, founding members of Tesla were already well known in fan circles thanks to their association and membership with the UK Colonial Marines and diverse involvement at events in Scotland and beyond. Spearheaded by Fraser who stands as CO of […]
Across The Universe: Strange New World Premiere!
As we look over the months news and updates for the Star Trek Universe, there's only one topic that's on everyone's minds as the Star Trek Universe gets itself rteady for a return to the Enterprise and it's adventures to Strange New Worlds... Between writers strikes and production closures, the wait for Strange New Worlds' third season has felt as long as the five year mission itself. But the Enterprise is soon returning and we have a small idea of when Captain Pike and the crew will be back on Paramount Plus! The Tribeca Film Festival, running from June 4-15th, has announced that Strange New Worlds will become part of the line up with the premiere of season 3 being held at the festival in New York. Alongside a panel featuring Anson Mount, Celia Rose Gooding and more including producer […]
[Ships Of The Line] The Nova (& Rhode Island) Class
One of the more popular starship designs to come out of the mid-late 24th century, the Nova and it's sub class the Rhode Island, had an unusual history. Initially drafted as one of many designs conceptualised following early encounters with the Borg, it's origins lay in defensive planning before it was finalised for a more scientific role in favour of other defensive options for the fleet. Designed for combat initially, the Nova Class was one of many styles designed to be small, compact and manoeuvrable that could be built up in large numbers to bolster the fleeds defence in times of crisis. Like many starship designs proposed at the time, the ship's concept would be abandoned in favour of the Defiant Class project until a new idea was needed elsewhere. Revived by Starfleet for short term planetary research, the Nova […]
Related
A Fistful of SNW Episodes to Rewatch Before Season 3.
In just a matter of weeks we'll be off to venture more Strange New Worlds as Captain Pike and the Enterprise crew return for their third season. Last we left them, the crew were in the middle of a Gorn crisis as a personal mission that could risk all out war resulted in the crew being split in two with half safe and sound on the Enterprise with the others in enemy hands with Pike left to decide what happens next as all odds are against them. It's been a long wait since seeing Pikee staring into space trying to decide on the next move. Especially with writers strikes pushing back filming. But now we're almost there, we've picked out some key episodes to rewatch ahead of the launch! Hegemony (S2E10) May be an obvious one, but with Season 3 […]
A Fistful of Prodigy
Pitched as a gateway show to bring more young adults tot he Star Trek franchise, Star Trek Prodigy quickly became one of the most consistent and well rounded shows in the modern era of the franchise. Following the tale of a young group of aliens who stumble upon an abandoned starship, the random team became a crew as they fought for freedom and adventure under their mentor and guide, Kathryn Janeway – well, sort of... Over two seasons the crew and their goals were clearly established, with the second being set primarily aboard the Voyager-A as Admiral Janeway tested the chain of command while her protégé's completely ignored it to save Captain Chakotay, it all ended with wannabe Captain Dal realising his best place was supporting Gwyndala as leader as they set course for a full time training cruise on […]
A Fistful of Strange Old Faces.
Since it's inception, Strange New Worlds has reintroduced some old favourites back into the Star Trek Universe, from giving M'Benga a full featured role as ships doctor to ending season 2 by bringing a young Scotty into the conflict with the Gorn. The trend will continue in season three with Nurse Chapel's relationship with Roger Korby - a thread that began with original series episode What Are Little Girls Made Of - as well as continue to tell the story of James Kirk's first steps into command while dropping by the Enterprise while assigned as the Farragut's first officer. Revisiting old characters isn't a trend that Strange New Worlds began, but it's one that's been embraced and while we'd all prefer for Star Trek to keep true to the 'new' part of the title, there's still some fun to be […]
A Fistful of Vulcan Emotions
Being a key element in the Sstar Trek lore from the very beginning, Vulcan mythology can often seem distorted by simplicity. Seen as a stoney emotionless species, their society is built on logic and science in helping them understand and navigate through the complexities of the universe. Though when it comes to them being emotionless, nothing could be farther from the truth. Once a volatile and primitive species, the Vulcan culture came from the teaching of Surak who learned to repress his violent urges and find peace within logical thought. Surak's teachings would become the basis for Vulcan core values for centuries. When it came to the original series, Vulcans were introduced through Spock – a half Vulcan with a human mother who often wrestled with the cultural norm of repressing emotions alongside the human half's more emotional state. Over […]
A Fistful of Cadets!
Next year we'll be welcoming a new generation of the Star Trek Universe with the doors to Starfleet Academy set to reopen in 2026. Picking up from the post-Discovery era in the 32nd century, the Burn is over, the planets are beginning to align and it looks like even the Earth Defense Force will be lowering shields as the ancient campus reopens to train a new era of hopeful young cadets ready to explore the stars! Following the news that principal photography was all done for the new shows debut season, we thought we'd look back at the cadets of the past who made waves to inspire the generations to follow and who's name may still echo through the halls of the Academy... Saavik: The First Next Generation Long after the Enterprise was exploring strange new worlds, it was merely […]
A Fistful of Star Trek Online’s Best Bits!
This week marks fifteen years since the launch of whats become Star Trek's most consistent and longest reigning video game, Star Trek Online. Developed following the relaunch of a new movie franchise, STO told the other side of the story. While NEro went back in time and created the Kelvin Timeline offshoot, STO focused on the galactic politics following the collapse of the Hobus Star. Customising your player character, you begin at the Academy, get yourself a star ship and rank up as you balance exploration, politics and shooting a lot of things! Over the years the game has changed and developed with expansions, new additions, rotating Executive Producers - and now new owners! - using multiple guest appearances into the mix for story mission while allowing group events, developing annual traditions and generally letting us all play with cool […]
