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Look me over, I'm the Cap'm
You say it's such a joke
But I don't see you laughing — They Might Be Giants, "The Cap'm"
Wesley: He wants the impossible! Geordi Laforge: That's the short definition of "Captain" — Discussing their boss' job description in Star Trek The Next Generation.
A ship at sea is its own world. To be the captain of a ship is to be the unquestioned ruler of that world and requires all of the leadership skills of a prince or minister. — Col. Corazon Santiago, Leadership and the Sea
is in charge. It's good to be The Captain. Not just the one of the show's leads, but also the Commanding Officer of The Squad or the Command Roster. Whether they're the Mission Control or actually working in the field, they're clearly the one running things.
They will almost always hold said actual rank, even if their performance would allow them to move up the chain of command. This is sometimes confused by the naval convention that anyone in command of a given ship is referred to as "captain", regardless of their actual rank (for most vessels, they're Commanders) - and all other "captains" receive a promotion for the duration of their stay. Horatio Hornblower becomes a captain while still a Midshipman...
The trope is undoubtedly Truth In Television since under most modern and historical laws, the captain of a naval vessel is the Omnipotent Being on it when out in sea, since it is his personal responsibility to return to land with his crew complete and his ship in one piece. To accomplish this, he can Do What He Has To Do without getting labeled a Well Intentioned Extremist. And not even the God-Emperor of the Universe can give orders past him in this case. (Failure may inspire Bad Dreams.)
Any Cool Ship must have The Captain — no matter whether it's a Cool Boat, a Cool Starship, or a Cool Airship. And any Captain must have a Captains Log.
See also The Hero, The Good Captain. Compare The Aragorn and Colonel Badass. Do not confuse this with the Captain in Commedia Dell Arte, who's a Miles Gloriosus.
Examples:
Anime and Manga
- The Leijiverse gives us a whole space force worth of examples:
- Martian Successor Nadesico goes a long way in exploring... let's face it, deconstructing the function of a vessel's captain during its fifth episode. The conclusion reached by the Magical Computer is that the primary function, in an age of centralized command, is projecting an aura of confidence and collected calm, so that his subordinates can keep a cool head in critical situations. The analysis even notes that older, dignified captains (read: Captain Okita) have been increasingly replaced by young and attractive men and women who could motivate contemporary audiences...excuse me, crews. Of course, The Captain of the show, Yurika Misumaru, is a blatant and probably deliberate subversion of that analysis, since she is an actual tactical genius as well as a charismatic figurehead.
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS has Hayate as the commanding officer of Riot Force 6.
- Lelouch, of Code Geass, founded and rescued the Japanese resistance movement from near-inevitable defeat and obscurity by transforming them into "The Order of Black Knights" and using his abilities and natural strategic talent to enable daring and dramatic displays of resistance and victory over the oppressors (motivated at least in part by his personal desire for revenge, given that Lelouch is an Anti Hero).
- The Gundam saga, with its love for Cool Ships, has a large share of Captains.
- Captain Bright Noah from the original Mobile Suit Gundam survived so many of its sequels, he got dubbed "The Eternal Captain" by the fandom.
- Murrue Ramius is The Captain of the Cosmic Era, though Talia Gladys from Gundam SEED Destiny also makes a good showing (and indeed the two women have quite a bit in common). Ramius' gradual acceptance of her duties and responsibilities as The Captain is an important subplot of SEED.
- As is Talia's carrying hers out to the bitter end in Destiny.
- Sumeragi Lee Noriega in Gundam 00. Also, Kathy Mannequin.
- Jamil Neate in Gundam X
- The eponymous Irresponsible Captain Tylor is a subversion of this insofar as even his closest friends, subordinates and enemies cannot decide if he is an ungodly talented commander or a lazy bum with extraordinary luck. Sometimes he even manages to pull off the impression that he is both at the same time....
- Bleach, deciding THE captain wasn't good enough, has 13 of 'em.
- Count Penwood from Hellsing is revealed to strive for this ideal despite his admitted incompetence. And his staff acknowledges it.
- Henry Gloval in Robotech (Bruno J. Global in Macross). With his calm demeanor (and, in America, his Russian accent) he kept the Macross together and got them home before sacrificing his life at the very end. Humorously, his animation design is later used for Captain Nemo in Nadia The Secret Of Blue Water.
- Alex Row, the indomitable brain behind the Silvana (aka "Kill-em-all Silvana") in Last Exile. When Alex is captured, his XO Sophia Forrester also rises up to the challenge, competently skippering the ship during the final battle.
- Being about pirates, One Piece has a lot of them. Hero Captain Monkey D. Luffy deserves special mention for appearing to be a complete Idiot Hero and Leeroy Jenkins, but eventually shows that he is actually a talented and inspiring leader with a very firm grasp on whether or not he and his crew can win a battle. His authority over his team is also absolute, regardless of his bouts of idiocy - when you have a loyal swordsman like Roronoa Zoro to ensure that his authority is respected, well, it's a good thing The Power Of Friendship is the more prominent motivation.
- Hiruma Youichi. The Foul-mouthed, Gun-toting, Jerk Ass and genius Magnificent Bastard who can get practically anything he wants through his book of threats, his brains or Cerberus, his dog. Oh, and he leads the ultra rookie football team to winning the most important match of high school football in Japan within 6 months of assembling the players.
Films
Literature
- Tons of 'em in the Honorverse, including main character Honor Harrington. This is slightly subverted in that Harrington only commands "one ship" in the first book; afterwards, she acts as CO to task groups and fleets.
- Which would be roughly equivalent to Commodore.
- Jerry Pournelle's Co Dominium universe:
- Commander Blaine of the Imperial battlecruiser MacArthur in The Mote in God's Eye.
- Colonel John Christian Falkenberg in Falkenberg's Legion.
- Horatio Hornblower in C.S. Forester's novels.
- Captain Vimes before he's promoted to commander.
- "There's something so dashing about the rank of Captain."
- The captain in Rick Cook's Limbo System finds it disconcerting to deal with making first contact when he is completely out of touch with any superiors. Another character urges him to remember that he is the "master under God" of the ship, and suggests that he consider how captains of old acted with such authority.
- Captain Ahab of Moby Dick fame, distilled Captain essence.
- Going to an age Older Than Radio gives us one of the greatest in 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and its unforgettable Captain Nemo.
- Captain Azarcon from the Warchild Series is the captain of a naval carrier In Space.
- Although his official rank is Lt. Commander, Matthew Reddy is the commanding officer of the USS Walker in Taylor Anderson's Destroyermen series.
- Gerswin, protagonist of L.E. Modesitt's the Forever Hero, is widely known as 'the captain', and serves as a captain for a large portion of the first novel; He is later promoted, and eventually leaves service, but he is still referred to as 'the captain'.
- Captain John Brannigan, in the Revelation Space series by Alastair Reynolds. In addition to being over 700 years old, Captain Brannigan is a mostly cybernetic member of the Ultranauts, a cybernized interstellar spacefaring faction. Near the end of Revelation Space, Captain Brannigan, who has a variant of the Melding Plague (a virus that distorts nanotech machinery, and turns it malignant), is unfrozen, and his nanotech virus takes over the ship, rendering the Captain also his own Cool Ship. In Absolution Gap, he uses as a sort of avatar a 21st-century mechanical spacesuit, and kills invaders of himself by turning walls into spikes, and setting up similar traps.
- Captain Francis Crozier, captain of Terror, in Dan Simmons' The Terror. Captain Sir John Franklin is also present as a much less badass version of the trope.
Live Action TV
- James T. Kirk (Star Trek), promoted to Admiral in Star Trek The Motion Picture, is the real, true, one-and-only classic example of this trope in fictional media. However, the writers conspire to trap him in command of the Enterprise and its crew for the duration of that four-movie plot arc, and at the end of Star Trek IV The Voyage Home, he is permanently reduced in rank to Captain. This seems to satisfy him, as he feels his proper place in the world is in the Captain's chair; in Generations, he tells Picard never to let himself be promoted out of it.
- Spock would agree that Kirk belongs in the captain's chair.
"If I may be so bold, it was a mistake for you to accept promotion. Commanding a starship is your first, best destiny; anything else is a waste of material."
- Spock becomes a Captain sometime between The Motion Picture and The Wrath Of Khan.
- Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek The Next Generation)
- Will Riker would later move on and become The Captain of the Titan in a book series.
- Benjamin Sisko (Star Trek Deep Space Nine; though originally he was a Commander, he would get promoted.)
- Major Kira gets promoted to Colonel, and takes over when Sisko joins the Prophets. Elias Vaughn takes over her position as XO.
- Kathryn Janeway (Star Trek Voyager ; eventually promoted to vice-admiral.)
- Jonathan Archer (Star Trek Enterprise)
- Jeffrey Sinclair (Babylon 5, first season, a rare Commander instead of a Captain.)
- The fact that Sinclair holds a greater position than his rank would normally warrant becomes a major plot point, as we learn that he was specifically requested to command Babylon 5 by the Minbari. In "Eyes" we meet a higher-ranking officer who resents this fact and attempts a coup.
- John Sheridan (Babylon 5, second through fourth seasons - he has to resign at the end of the fourth season and becomes the President of the new Interstellar Alliance instead.)
- Jack O'Neill, Stargate SG-1. Though he started off as a Colonel and ended up a two-star General — Colonel is the closest rank in the Air Force to what people think of when they think "Captain" anyways.
- "Colonel" is the Army/Marines/Air Force direct rank equivalent to the Naval rank "Captain".
- In fact, in SG-1 and Atlantis, the Captains of most of the Air Force ships like the Prometheus or the Odyssey are ranked as Colonel. This is accurate, considering that in the U.S. Military, all aerospace operations (presumably including space fleets) are operated by the Air Force.
- John Sheppard of Stargate Atlantis, too. Although he started a Major and became a Lieutenant Colonel, he has remarked that "a lot of people never thought I'd make it past Captain"...
- In the Air Force/Army/Marines, "Captain" is the rank immediately before "Major," and has nothing to do with the nautical commanding officer of a ship. Carter started with the rank of Captain, but she wasn't The Captain of SG 1
- Commander Adama (Battlestar Galactica, commanding officer of the titular warship in both versions. The peculiarities of the Colonial rank system make him a Commander rather than a Captain. Later in the re-imagined series, after Admiral Cain's death, Roslin promotes him to Admiral.
- Also Admiral Cain and Lee Adama, neither of which held the rank of captrain, but both of whom filled this role when each was in charge of the Pegasus.
- Mal Reynolds (Firefly). In this case not a military rank, but the normal title of the Master of a merchant ship.
- Jack Harkness (Torchwood, but not Doctor Who; ironically, it's mostly in the latter that he's referred to as "Captain Jack".)
- Jack Harkness qualifies under this doubly by stealing his pseudonym and rank from an American military captain serving in the RAF, and having earned the title by being captain of his own (space)ship, and possibly holding the rank in the Time Agency.
- The Doctor is technically the captain of the TARDIS, though he's never referred to as such, and is usually also the entire crew.
- Nathan Hale Bridger (Sea Quest DSV, first through second seasons), though he left, and Oliver Hudson (seaQuest 2032).
- Although it's never mentioned on-screen, off-screen media has Jack Bauer as a former Captain in Delta Force.
- Adam Quark from Quark.
- The fictionalized version of Edward Pellew, Captain of the HMS Indefatigable (which he commanded for a time in real life) in the Horatio Hornblower novels and television miniseries (where he was played by Robert Lindsay).
- Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear since its 2002 revival. The show is his, and what he says goes.
- Given the above "Army Colonel = Navy Captain" equivalence, Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith of The A Team definitely belongs here.
Video Games
- Oogami Ichiro (Sakura Taisen; partial subversion: While a natural leader, was given command of an elite fighting team as his first assignment)
- Tact Mayers (Galaxy Angel Gameverse; refuses to take on a higher authority, and was even reluctant to become Captain of the Elsior, because he believes authority distances people and makes them more unfeeling)
- Falric better known as "The Captain" in Warcraft 3. He was Arthas's loyal sidekick, but when in Northrend he did not hesitate to temporarily take command and try to get the army back home against Arthas's wishes. Just a shame Arthas went and sunk his ship first, so the Captain's glory moment as a true Captain was short lived. In fact, he ended up making a Face Heel Turn alongside Arthas, and can be seen in the campaign's ending cinematic accompanying his master into the capital city, where he helps murder the aristocracy and watches Arthas kill his father. In effect, he became that which he hated most.
- Super Robot Wars, being a huge mecha crossover, naturally has a couple of their own, including:
- Lt. Colonel Daitetsu Minase. Cool Old Guy. Captain of the Hagane, which has a BFG attached to the front. Occasionally pilots the Kurogane, which has a [This Is A Drill DRILL] instead.
- Tetsuya. Starts as Daitetsu's sidekick, but eventually inherits the Kurogane and comes into his own after Daitetsu is killed.
- Lt. Lee Linjun. Jerk Ass. Turns on the heroes. Trys to ram the Kurogane, which as mentioned before, has a drill on the front; not his brightest moment.
- Lefina Enfield. Captain of the Hiryuu Custom and considered a Teen Genius (youngest person to ever pilot a battleship), and the only female captain. She and the Hiryuu Custom could be considered Shot Outs to Yurika Misumaru and the Nadesico.
- And sometimes, Elzam von Branstein takes this role and rides the Kurogane, after Tetsuya takes over Hagane.
- Blessfield Ardygun, patriarch of the Ardygun family and is succeeded by his daughter Shihomi after a certain incident the captains the transformable and combining battleship Valstork.
- Jacob Keyes in Halo, and later his daughter Miranda Keyes in Halo 2 and 3, though his daughter was actually a commander.
- Fleet Admiral Sir Terrance Hood in Halo 2 and 3 probably qualifies as well.
- The Captain in Crusader is a minor subversion of the trope. He's definitely the lead character, but he doesn't make any decisions except how to accomplish his mission. He uncomplainingly takes mission directives from his superiors and seems to be content in his given role "Dude Who Blasts the Shit Out of Entire Civilizations of Mooks."
- The player is The Captain in Mass Effect after getting promoted from Number Two, but retains the rank of Commander throughout.
- ... which is proper, as in most navies ships are normally skippered by a commander (the navy equivalent of a colonel) rather than an actual "captain".
- Just to be pedantic, Shepard actually holds the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
- None of the Pikmin were able to defend themselves from the various wildlife of their native planet were it not for the leadership of Captain Olimar.
- Touhou Project 12: Undefined Fantastic Object brings us Captain Murasa Minamitsu, who is best known for flinging giant anchors at you.
- Most Ivalice Games feature clans, and all clans has clan leaders, right? Montblanc seems to be the most known clan leader, which he leads Clan Nutsy from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Clan Centurio from the two other games.
Web Comics
Web Original
- Tech Infantry has several, from Erich Von Shrakenberg (until he gets promoted to Commodore and then Admiral) to James Welthammer (who technically is a rankless civilian, but commands a space freighter). Xinjao O'Reilly eventually gets his own ship to command as well.
- Though they might have fancy titles like "Pirate Lord", The Captain is your basic character class choice for Open Blue (unless you prefer to be a marine/crewman/Tyke Bomb (yes, it has them)), seeing as it's a pirate RP set in The Cavalier Years.
Western Animation
- Optimus Prime (or Primal), any Transformers series. In Generation 1, he was eventually replaced by Rodimus Prime, who passed the mantle onto Fortress Maximus in Headmasters.
- The Optimus Prime of Transformers Animated is more The Hero than The Captain. Technically, Ultra Magnus fills that role.
- Ultra Magnus commands the entire Autobot Defense Force, while Optimus Prime was captain of a Space Bridge repair force, and now commands a single unit of Autobots on Earth (which are the same 'bots really). The rank of Prime is thus equivalent to the rank of Captain, while the rank of Magnus better matches that of Admiral, or Grand Admiral.
- Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command is a Captain. Like he could be anything but.
- Goliath in Gargoyles, although his position as clan leader seems to be more one of responsibility than of privilege.
- Robin of Teen Titans qualifies.
- In Captain Scarlet, the main character is a captain, but The Captain is Colonel White.
- Captain Simian of Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys qualifies. Though he's very open to suggestions from his crew, he's always the team leader. He gets rebuked all the time by his second-in-command for jumping in headfirst without a plan, but it usually works out; his crew is confident in his ability to get them out of any situation.
- Much like Col. Jack O'Neill, Skipper from The Penguins Of Madagascar fits this role as the head of his
Five four man band. In one episode, he becomes a literal ship captain when they build the Penguin One spaceship.
Real Life
- Lieutenant John F Kennedy, commander of PT-109.
- You know all that stuff that Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey did in the movies? Captain Thomas Cochrane did it all first; and did it for real.
- John Paul Jones. Badass quotes include; when being asked by a British officer if he was ready to surrender, he responded, "I have not yet begun to fight." And upon being asked if he'd strike his colors for surrender, "I may sink. But I'll be ——— if I strike!"
- James A. Lovell, Flight Commander of Apollo13. As well as a real retired Naval Captain.
- Captain Michel Bacos of Air France flight 139. When it was hijacked by terrorists in June of 1976, they freed all non-Jewish passengers. Captain Bacos emphatically stated that all the passengers were his responsibility, including the Jews, and he flat-out refused to leave if they weren't going to either. His act of badass inspired the flight crew to follow suit. Whatever the French term for Badass Normal is, he's it.
- In case of airships (that is, anything that flies, from balloons and blimps to Space Shuttle), once an emergency happens, the commander of the airship (no matter of actual credentials, as long as he/she is not usurping the command without valid reason) is operating under "prevention of catastrophe" as the only law concerning him. Actually, while this troper hasn't done extensive research on this, it is said that the crew of the famous Concorde crash sacrificed themselves and their passengers in order not to crash into housing area, which would bring many more deaths. So when an aircraft makes an emergency landing on your property destroying it, expect a long talk with your insurance agent, as any court will send you packing in first hearing, probably with verbal whipping.
- You will find in just about every air emergency that the crew always considers where the plane might crash and will do what is necessary to avoid hitting a populated area.
- Likewise, the US Coast Guard/International Navigation Rules for seagoing vessels essentially state in the very second rule that any of the rules in the whole book can be broken if breaking them was necessary to avoid danger such as collision or grounding.
- Most US nuclear submarine commanders hold the actual rank of Commander. Most Soviet/Russian nuclear sub commanders are two ranks higher up the list.
- Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson, the first commanding officer of the first nuclear submarine the USS Nautilus.
- Commander William R. Anderson, who took the Nautilus on its famous voyage under the North Pole in 1958.
- Captain Chesley Sullenberger of US Airways Flight 1549, the plane that made a successful emergency landing in the Hudson River after its engines failed in early 2009. Everyone was safely evacuated off the plane. Badass.
- New York Yankees star shortstop, and team Captain, Derek Jeter.
- Captain Isaac Hull of the USS Constitution. During the War of 1812, the Constitution was confronted by the British ship HMS Gurriere. The Constitution warred the other ship to scraps, an action that served notice that Britains feared Navy now had a contender.
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