You know, of so many things in the show, it’s the way starfleet captains (from the show at least) constantly put themselves directly in danger that makes it difficult for me to suspend disbelief. Like beaming down into dangerous, battle-oriented situations. Maybe I just have a stronger sense of self-preservation, but I’d leave that up to my commander.
That said, they all seem to beam down to the surface themselves. And I gotta think Janeway’s the ballsiest (ah, ironic word use) of the bunch – “let me beam onto this borg cube to conduct negotiations.” I mean, seriously? That’s what comms are for! While Janeway’s depiction as a woman isn’t very progressive (save for the lone fact that she is, indeed, a woman), she’s just as bold as any of the captains. Most of Sisko’s dangerous solo missions were a result of his being a prophet, which wasn’t really his choice. And Picard had a tendency to get abducted. Janeway tends to, for better or worse, waltz into situations that spring up around her.