January Meme: Leadership styles of Jean-Luc Picard and Emma Swan
Return of the January Meme, as best I can in a very rl exhausted state. A canon knowledge preamble: I stopped watching Once upon a Time in the later third of season 4, and am inclined to count solely seasons 1 - 3 as "my" canon, though I'm not iron set on this. Anyway, I don't have knowledge about Emma in season 5, and thus my comparisons can't be based on later canon.
So: Picard and Emma and their leadership styles. Well, the first thing that comes to mind, other than both of them being stoics with trouble of letting people get close, is that Picard actually wants to lead, and worked towards that end - it's part of his job as a Starship Captain. He doesn't have Starfleet ruling ambition (and it's worth noting that by tv canon, he's the only one of the Trek show captains who doesn't end up either an admiral or a god but an ambassador post Enterprise), but he definitely wanted to get as high as Captain and command his own ship, and is really not happy with the alternate life in which he never made it that far and never got into a position of responsibility.
Whereas Emma Swan never wanted to lead, or even work in teams. Not surprising, since her self definition for the longest time is "loner". Her chosen profession, once she's left her youthful criminal days behind, is that of bounty hunter. When she becomes a part of Storybrooke in season 1, it's against much inner resistance, and her becoming Sheriff is mostly due to her struggle with Regina, her feelings about Graham's death, and her need to make a point to Henry, not because she actually wants to become leader of the citizens of Storybrooke. It's worth noting that Emma in effect stops being the Sheriff with late season 2 (when most of her original motivation for taking it has been resolved), at which point the job is already, despite her token protest, a family enterprise, and basically David's (not by election or appointment but by him doing it). (Not that David as sheriff is the town leader, either. Actual town leading business in Storybrook and realm ruling in the Enchanted Forest during the non-curse interludes seems to be done by either Regina or Snow or both. )
The role of savior, which Emma does (also against much inner struggle) accept, isn't identical with "leader". The more I think about it, the more I am inclined to conclude there is just one scenario where Emma acts as leader in the usual sense of the word, and that's the Neverland arc in the first part of season 3. She explicitly (as in: it's even in the dialogue) takes the leader role there, and a big reason why is that Regina on the one hand and Snow and Charming on the other have only just ceased hostilities in order to save Henry and are bound to clash, to say nothing of (at this point) wild cards like Hook and Rumple. Emma seizes leadership then (and the rest of the group, including Regina, accepts it), but it is for a very specific goal, and carried by the clear realisation her leading the group is the most efficient way to achieve it. It's a big contrast to Emma's first time in a magical land, a season earlier, when she and Snow ended up in the Enchanted Forest. Emma was out of her depth there, knew it, and let Snow lead (getting to know her mother as Snow as opposed to Mary Margaret in the process). (Come to think of it, both of Emma's parents are more inclined to be proactive in taking community-shepherding and/or leading roles than she is, and more comfortable with them.)
Picard's Captaincy back when TNG was broadcast included something new in terms of Star Trek: the meetings in the Ready Room where Picard would consult the main staff of the Enterprise (and occassionally the expert of the day) before making his decisions. (Unless it was an emergency crisis, of course.) This was subsequently sometimes mocked as typical for TNG's tendency to be overly talky, but I always appreciated it - it was a far more democractic style of leadership than the military type shown by Jellico in Chain of Command. (It's also very TNG that those rare occasions where Picard explicitly goes against what his entire command crew thinks and doesn't want their input at all are meant to show him in the wrong, most blatantly of course First Contact.) However, it's also important that this approach of Picard's went hand in hand with a formality that suited his stoic persona. He shows he values the opinions of his crew, but he doesn't play buddies, so to speak. It's not until the show finale that he joins the command crew for the first time at their poker game. He shares some confidences with some of them - with Guinan, with Beverly Crusher - both of whom have known him for years before he became Captain - and with Deanna Troi in her capacity as Counsellor, but he still keeps a social, or maybe it's a private, distance in terms of day to day non duty interactions. When Vash, whom he shared an adventure and a brief affair with when on holiday, asks him why he never mentioned her to any of his crew, Picard explains (or tries to, he's on the defensive there) that this wouldn't fit with the role the Captain has to play. I.e. Picard's idea of how to be a good Captain definitely includes: do not share stories about your private life with your crew unless they absolutely need to know, be a figure of authority.
Meanwhile, Emma Swan is also very private (and understandably upset when someone pokes in her past), but not because she feels it necessary in order to be a good authority figure. She gets to know the people of Storybrooke in a non-authority position at first, and she doesn't often command them afterwards, but because OuaT works the way it does, most ensemble members know about her current love life and convoluted family history anyway. Emma's style of sharing confidences - with Mary Margaret in s1, with Hook, with Regina in the later seasons - is one to one and often involves drinks, but she does it usually as a mutual exchange, and more than once the other party is the one who at first doesn't want to talk. Which, thinking about it, fits her role as savior - her original saving act of Storybrooke involves love and a leap of faith, not facing down a big bad (though she does fight a dragon early in the s1 finale) or otherwise defeating an enemy. And through the first season, she basically wakes up a frozen in time town and helps bringing the people there back to their real emotions and thoughts.
Mind you: Emma's shown often enough (successfully) in fighting situations. But that's not what her role in the show is really about. Otoh: speak of a leap of faith: in the TNG show finale, Picard has to appeal not to rationality, but to the emotions of his crew in three different points of time in order to pull off the big McGuffin. He has to show his understanding of them emotionally, as people, and not in a private one to one situation, in order to win the day, and he does. If you think about it: not unlike Emma the loner sceptic being asked to believe in the impossible and become part of a community.
...I could totally see her taking out Picard for a drink (and not Earl Grey). But she wouldn't want his job.
The other days
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1140499.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
So: Picard and Emma and their leadership styles. Well, the first thing that comes to mind, other than both of them being stoics with trouble of letting people get close, is that Picard actually wants to lead, and worked towards that end - it's part of his job as a Starship Captain. He doesn't have Starfleet ruling ambition (and it's worth noting that by tv canon, he's the only one of the Trek show captains who doesn't end up either an admiral or a god but an ambassador post Enterprise), but he definitely wanted to get as high as Captain and command his own ship, and is really not happy with the alternate life in which he never made it that far and never got into a position of responsibility.
Whereas Emma Swan never wanted to lead, or even work in teams. Not surprising, since her self definition for the longest time is "loner". Her chosen profession, once she's left her youthful criminal days behind, is that of bounty hunter. When she becomes a part of Storybrooke in season 1, it's against much inner resistance, and her becoming Sheriff is mostly due to her struggle with Regina, her feelings about Graham's death, and her need to make a point to Henry, not because she actually wants to become leader of the citizens of Storybrooke. It's worth noting that Emma in effect stops being the Sheriff with late season 2 (when most of her original motivation for taking it has been resolved), at which point the job is already, despite her token protest, a family enterprise, and basically David's (not by election or appointment but by him doing it). (Not that David as sheriff is the town leader, either. Actual town leading business in Storybrook and realm ruling in the Enchanted Forest during the non-curse interludes seems to be done by either Regina or Snow or both. )
The role of savior, which Emma does (also against much inner struggle) accept, isn't identical with "leader". The more I think about it, the more I am inclined to conclude there is just one scenario where Emma acts as leader in the usual sense of the word, and that's the Neverland arc in the first part of season 3. She explicitly (as in: it's even in the dialogue) takes the leader role there, and a big reason why is that Regina on the one hand and Snow and Charming on the other have only just ceased hostilities in order to save Henry and are bound to clash, to say nothing of (at this point) wild cards like Hook and Rumple. Emma seizes leadership then (and the rest of the group, including Regina, accepts it), but it is for a very specific goal, and carried by the clear realisation her leading the group is the most efficient way to achieve it. It's a big contrast to Emma's first time in a magical land, a season earlier, when she and Snow ended up in the Enchanted Forest. Emma was out of her depth there, knew it, and let Snow lead (getting to know her mother as Snow as opposed to Mary Margaret in the process). (Come to think of it, both of Emma's parents are more inclined to be proactive in taking community-shepherding and/or leading roles than she is, and more comfortable with them.)
Picard's Captaincy back when TNG was broadcast included something new in terms of Star Trek: the meetings in the Ready Room where Picard would consult the main staff of the Enterprise (and occassionally the expert of the day) before making his decisions. (Unless it was an emergency crisis, of course.) This was subsequently sometimes mocked as typical for TNG's tendency to be overly talky, but I always appreciated it - it was a far more democractic style of leadership than the military type shown by Jellico in Chain of Command. (It's also very TNG that those rare occasions where Picard explicitly goes against what his entire command crew thinks and doesn't want their input at all are meant to show him in the wrong, most blatantly of course First Contact.) However, it's also important that this approach of Picard's went hand in hand with a formality that suited his stoic persona. He shows he values the opinions of his crew, but he doesn't play buddies, so to speak. It's not until the show finale that he joins the command crew for the first time at their poker game. He shares some confidences with some of them - with Guinan, with Beverly Crusher - both of whom have known him for years before he became Captain - and with Deanna Troi in her capacity as Counsellor, but he still keeps a social, or maybe it's a private, distance in terms of day to day non duty interactions. When Vash, whom he shared an adventure and a brief affair with when on holiday, asks him why he never mentioned her to any of his crew, Picard explains (or tries to, he's on the defensive there) that this wouldn't fit with the role the Captain has to play. I.e. Picard's idea of how to be a good Captain definitely includes: do not share stories about your private life with your crew unless they absolutely need to know, be a figure of authority.
Meanwhile, Emma Swan is also very private (and understandably upset when someone pokes in her past), but not because she feels it necessary in order to be a good authority figure. She gets to know the people of Storybrooke in a non-authority position at first, and she doesn't often command them afterwards, but because OuaT works the way it does, most ensemble members know about her current love life and convoluted family history anyway. Emma's style of sharing confidences - with Mary Margaret in s1, with Hook, with Regina in the later seasons - is one to one and often involves drinks, but she does it usually as a mutual exchange, and more than once the other party is the one who at first doesn't want to talk. Which, thinking about it, fits her role as savior - her original saving act of Storybrooke involves love and a leap of faith, not facing down a big bad (though she does fight a dragon early in the s1 finale) or otherwise defeating an enemy. And through the first season, she basically wakes up a frozen in time town and helps bringing the people there back to their real emotions and thoughts.
Mind you: Emma's shown often enough (successfully) in fighting situations. But that's not what her role in the show is really about. Otoh: speak of a leap of faith: in the TNG show finale, Picard has to appeal not to rationality, but to the emotions of his crew in three different points of time in order to pull off the big McGuffin. He has to show his understanding of them emotionally, as people, and not in a private one to one situation, in order to win the day, and he does. If you think about it: not unlike Emma the loner sceptic being asked to believe in the impossible and become part of a community.
...I could totally see her taking out Picard for a drink (and not Earl Grey). But she wouldn't want his job.
The other days
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1140499.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.