Poll: Is Francis Carter a good captain?

 Posted: Sunday, June 12, 2011 Poll_Carter.jpgDuring his time as captain of Westward, Francis Carter has made quite a number of difficult—and probably unpopular—decisions, and has come out the other side of them quite haggard both emotionally and physically. Have his choices been sloppy and impulsive, or were they the best that could be done with the information at hand?
Is Francis Carter a good captain?
  • (7)
  • (6)
  • (12)

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  • June 18, 2011 From the Author: Video Trailer for Westward: Weight of Ages
  • June 12, 2011 Poll: Is Francis Carter a good captain?
  • January 01, 2011 From the Author: Video Trailer for Westward: Epiphany
  • December 25, 2010 From the Author: Westward: Year One
  • November 04, 2010 From the Author: Welcome to Westward
  • July 26, 2010 From the Author: Westward Discussion Forum
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  • July 05, 2010 Fan Art: Guest Artwork by Robert Lopez
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  • June 30, 2010 From the Author: Weight of Ages: Introduction
  • June 16, 2010 From the Author: Epiphany and Beyond
  • May 30, 2010 From the Author: Website Changes

    • 7 Comments:

    Meh.Aloe:
    I vote NO. :P He doesn't really seem like he belongs in command of humanity's first faster-than-light colonization ship... And IIRC, he is there mostly as a publicity stunt. He's certainly trying his best, and puts on a brave face, but inside he seems to be lost.
    Gillsing:
    I haven't really compared what he's done to what he should or could have done. And since I wouldn't know what to do in his situation, I certainly don't feel like I'm able to judge his performance. So I'm going to have to wait to make up my mind. But they're still alive, so I'm leaning towards him being a good captain who lets his experts use their expertise.
    Your Mom:
    He seems like a decent enough leader. It's too bad that some of of the people he's "stuck with" are self-absorbed dolts (e.g. Rosemary), who are largely insubordinate. But that's the lot of any leader. One simply has to know how to stick to the mission, despite the difficulties. As they say, work/church/whatever would be great, if it wasn't for the people. ;-)
    admin:
    "Your Mom?"

    Carter seemed to experience a brief period of being in his element on Epiphany, when he was in the caves rescuing Rosemary. You'll recall that this experience effected both of them pretty deeply. (http://westwardcomic.com/comic.php?itemid=416)
    Meh.Aloe:
    This experience AFFECTED both of them pretty deeply. XD

    It's true that they're still alive, and that the captain knows to get out of his experts' way when the time is right. I guess I hadn't considered that these things do make him a good leader. Still, it really does just feel like there's something wrong about him being in command. His premature decision to land on Epiphany, his grumbling at Lamont that he hopes posterity will forget their mistakes... It seems like there's a job out there in space that he'd be great at, but captain of a mission like Westward just doesn't seem to be it.

    I can't wait till we find out more about what really happened with him and Phobos on Mars. :)
    admin:
    Dude! What is it with me and that stupid word? I can't even manage to follow my own imaginary rules. :p

    The story of Carter's trips to Mars is something I'm greatly looking forward to as well.
    Anemone:
    I admit, I've been so caught up in the actions of Lamont and Rosemary and the hurtling consequences that I haven't thought about whether Carter was a good captain. I can't think of any specific actions to fault him for, so I'll just wait and see. It did come across strangely to me when he was talking about not recording things for posterity, but I consider that balanced out by his determination to rescue Rosemary.
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