Star Trek has no lack of hotshot starship helmsmen across its various movies and TV series, but which pilot is Starfleet's true top gun? One of the most important Starfleet Officers serving on a starship's bridge is the helmsman, the person responsible for piloting the ship throughout deep space, in and out of warp speed, and even within a Federation starbase. Some of Star Trek's most beloved characters are the helmsmen of the USS Enterprise or the eponymous starships of Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Discovery.
For a generation, Star Trek's definitive helmsman was Mr. Sulu (George Takei), the legendary pilot of the Starship Enterprise commanded by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Interestingly, perhaps to avoid comparisons to Sulu, Star Trek: The Next Generation did not have a dedicated helmsman after season 1. In the first TNG season, Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) was the Enterprise's pilot, but he was made Chief Engineer in season 2. TNG's USS Enterprise-D and E rotated pilots, as did the USS Defiant on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It wasn't until Star Trek: Voyager introduced its pilot, Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), that being a starship helmsman gained cache once again. Here are Star Trek's top starship helmsmen who deserve the bragging rights of being the best of the best.
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8 Demora Sulu, USS Enterprise-B
Ensign Demora Sulu (Jacqueline Kim) was the daughter of Hikaru Sulu. Introduced in the prologue of Star Trek Generations, Demora was the helmsman of the USS Enterprise-B commanded by Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck). Demora's one known flight as pilot of the Enterprise-B was intended to be a routine hop around the solar system as a publicity stunt, but it ended in what was then believed to be the death of Captain Kirk in 2293. Still, Demora's quick thinking and deft piloting skills helped the Enterprise-B survive contact with the destructive space ribbon called the Nexus, and she no doubt made her father proud.
7 Hikaru Sulu, USS Enterprise Kelvin Timeline
In the alternate Kelvin Timeline of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, Cadet Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) replaced Lieutenant McKenna, who was sick with lungworm, as helmsman of the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Sulu earned the trust of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), who inherited the Enterprise's Captaincy from Pike, and Hikaru remained the Enterprise's pilot throughout Star Trek 2009, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond. Sulu flew the Enterprise against Romulans from the 24th century, the Dreadnought Class USS Vengeance, and Sulu also piloted the USS Franklin against Krall (Idris Elba) and his Swarm. Although his three movies equal the decades-long career of his Prime Universe counterpart, the Kelvin Timeline's Mr. Sulu never failed to be heroic as a helmsman.
6 Travis Mayweather, NX-01 Enterprise
Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) can forever lay claim to being the first helmsman of the first Starship Enterprise. A boomer who was raised in outer space aboard freighters, Mayweather became the pilot of Captain Jonathan Archer's (Scott Bakula) NX-01 Enterprise, the first human starship capable of Warp 5 speeds. Mayweather flew the Enterprise throughout the four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise and initiated First Contact between humans and numerous species. Mayweather likely remained the NX-01's helmsman for the decade his Enterprise was in service, and Travis can proudly boast he was among the first humans to go where no man has gone before.
5 Sidney La Forge, USS Titan-A/USS Enterprise-G
Ensign Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) was the helmsman of the USS Titan-A in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Sidney was infamous for crashing a couple of shuttles in Starfleet Academy, which garnered her the nickname "Crash La Forge," but that didn't stop her from being assigned a prime spot on the bridge of the Titan. The daughter of Commodore Geordi La Forge, Sidney bravely flew the Titan against the Shrike controlled by the Changeling Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer), and La Forge also skillfully piloted the Titan out of the Ryton Nebula. Sidney's valor and impressive skills as a helmsman earned her a promotion to Lieutenant and the coveted role of helmsman of the USS Enterprise-G. Sidney is potentially the finest pilot of her 25th-century generation, which she will hopefully prove if Picard's spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy, takes flight.
4 Erica Ortegas, USS Enterprise
Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) is the model of the cocksure 23rd-century pilot, and she is no less than the helmsman of the Federation flagship, the USS Enterprise, commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, Ortegas impressively piloted the Enterprise through a black hole's gravity well in a battle against the Gorn as well as multiple other alien encounters. All the while, Erica never lost her sense of humor and her ability to banter with Captain Pike. Ortegas' backstory will hopefully be told in Strange New Worlds season 2, and her sure-to-be impressive flying may rocket Erica further up the list before she's done.
3 Kayla Detmer, USS Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery's Lt. Kayla Detmer (Emily Coutts) was the helmsman of the USS Discovery in the 23rd century, and she remains the Disco's pilot as Commander Detmer in the 32nd century. Detmer may be the best helmsman of her two eras; Kayla not only flew Discovery through the Klingon War of 2256/2257 and in a devastating battle against the rogue A.I. called Control, but she piloted her starship through time into the distant future, which left Detmer traumatized. While Detmer has the unfair advantage of being able instantaneously jump Discovery thanks to its spore displacement hub drive, Kayla has also flown the Disco through the Galactic Barrier into another galaxy to make First Contact with Species 10-C. Virtually everything Kayla Detmer has done as helmsman of Discovery is historic, and she deserves her flowers as one of Star Trek's greatest pilots.
2 Tom Paris, USS Voyager
It was Lieutenant Tom Paris who made being a helmsman cool again on Star Trek: Voyager. Sprung from Starfleet prison and handpicked to pilot the USS Voyager by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Paris' skills as a pilot were truly tested after he and his starship ended up in the Delta Quadrant. For seven years, Paris flew Voyager through regions of space unknown to the Federation, and in battle against countless aliens, including the Kazon, the Borg, and Species 8472. Not content with just piloting Voyager, Paris also constructed the Delta Flyer during their seven-year journey back to Earth. Tom Paris is a pilot of galactic renown, and he undeniably redefined what it means to be a starship helmsman in the late 24th century.
1 Hikaru Sulu, USS Enterprise
Star Trek's Prime Universe Hikaru Sulu, affectionately known as Mr. Sulu, remains the standard by which all starship helmsmen are judged. Sulu piloted Captain Kirk's Starship Enterprise throughout its historic five-year mission. In the Star Trek movies, Sulu flew the Enterprise to encounter V'Ger, battled Khan (Ricardo Montalban) in the Mutara Nebula, and Sulu piloted a Klingon Bird-of-Prey dubbed the HMS Bounty to 1986 and back. Sulu is also the only Enterprise helmsman who flew his starship into the Galactic Barrier that borders the galaxy and through the Great Barrier at the center of the galaxy to find the mythical planet, Sha Ka Ree. Even after he rose to become Captain Sulu of the USS Excelsior, Hikaru's achievements as helmsman of the Enterprise are legendary. Mr. Sulu is Star Trek's true top gun and the franchise's all-time greatest helmsman.