One of the most prominent positions a person can achieve in Starfleet is to become an admiral. Star Trek primarily focuses on those who hold the rank of captain since it follows their adventures in starships. However, admirals are just as instrumental in the running of this universe as captains are.
They hold great power in their hands, something that can lead to their corruption if they're not careful or downright evil. While there have been some evil admirals in Star Trek, the most iconic admirals belong among the good guys. Not everybody wants to become an admiral but those who do have a long and fascinating Starfleet career ahead of them.
5 Alexander Marcus
Even though Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan was the major villain in Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013), it turned out that admiral Marcus was just as bad, if not worse. Marcus manipulated Kirk into doing his dirty work for him, using Kirk's grief over losing his mentor, Christopher Pike, to drive him into killing Khan. What's worse, Marcus was willing to sacrifice the whole crew of the Enterprise to ensure he wouldn't be punished for his crimes. Kirk wasn't the only person Marcus had used for nefarious purposes.
He had previously used Khan to help him start a war with the Klingon Empire, even though he knew it would lead to the deaths of thousands of people. Marcus excelled at pulling the strings behind the scenes until Khan and Kirk temporarily united against him and Khan killed him in the end. His is an excellent example that sometimes the admirals who leave the strongest impression are also the worst people, morally wise. However, it's also difficult to overlook that Marcus's plan almost worked out, making him dangerously good at what he did... until he wasn't.
4 James T. Kirk
When ranking captains, James T. Kirk would have done much better. However, his time as an admiral isn't as known among Star Trek viewers. Primarily because Kirk wasn't suited for this type of work. While he didn't do any bad things, per se, and wasn't evil or corrupted like some other Star Trek admirals, Kirk disliked being confined behind the desk and working as a bureaucrat of sorts instead of an explorer.
He was much better suited for being a captain who would travel on the USS Enterprise and boldly go where no one has gone before, exploring space with his loyal crew. As a result, when Kirk finally rebelled and was demoted to captain from an admiral, it wasn't a true punishment for him, but a gift instead since he got to return to what he loved doing the most.
3 Katrina Cornwell
Even though male admirals and captains are still more common in Star Trek, the show Star Trek: Discovery gave the audience multiple female Starfleet officers with high ranks. One of the most intriguing characters was Katrina Cornwell who also worked as a therapist in the past. As a result, Cornwell was good at reading people, figuring out what made them tick and what was wrong with them.
She showed her strength when she was captured by the Klingons and fought for her survival. Cornwell faced a difficult situation as she had to navigate the developing war with the Klingons. Still, she showed she had strong morals since she refused to detonate a bomb that would destroy the Klingons' planet, opening the way to a more peaceful end to the war.
2 Jean-Luc Picard
Picard's career path in Starfleet closely mirrors those of the best, most iconic Star Trek captains. For example, just like Captain Archer, Picard also ended up with the rank of an admiral. However, unlike with Archer, the fans got to see Picard's admiral years thanks to Star Trek: Picard. Despite holding the rank of an admiral, Picard wasn't on good terms with Starfleet due to the destruction of Romulus and the way Starfleet handled (or, more precisely, didn't handle the crisis).
But even his advanced age and health scare as well as the danger it presented didn't stop him from going on a quest, proving that admiral Picard had just as much courage as captain Picard once did. Thanks to the emphasis put on Picard's strong conscience, he also presented a welcome alternative to more calculative, ruthless Starfleet admirals.
1 Maxwell Forrest
It seems that a lot of Starfleet admirals have nothing better to do than make the work and lives of captains exceedingly difficult. Sometimes it happens that they have good intentions but don't go about realizing them the right way. And other times, they're plainly corrupted. That's why it's refreshing to see an admiral who plays a bigger part in the franchise and is actually helpful to the captain, not an obstacle. Forrest was a good friend of Captain Jonathan Archer, and he supported Archer's effort to explore space even though the Vulcans stood in his way.
At the same time, Forrest managed to maintain good working relationships with the Vulcans and was respected by their ambassador Soval which is no easy task, considering how haughty the Vulcans acted toward humans sometimes in Star Trek: Enterprise. As such, Forrest embodied the best qualities a Star Trek admiral should have. He was intelligent, brave, loyal, and an excellent diplomat.