Edward Jellico Captain Edward Jellico was a 24th century Starfleet officer who served as the commanding officer of the Federation starship s and during the late 2360s . His voice authorization code as of stardate 46361 was " " Jellico - alpha - three - one " . " Early career . Jellico began his career as a shuttle pilot on the Jovian Run in the Sol system . By the mid - 2360s , Jellico held the rank of captain and had established a family for himself , having fathered at least one child , a son . In 2367 , Jellico was instrumental in establishing the armistice between the United Federation of Planets and the Cardassian Union . By 2369 , he was assigned to the USS " Cairo " as its commanding officer . ( ) Captain of the " Enterprise " - D . In 2369 , Vice Admiral Alynna Nechayev gave Jellico command of the " Enterprise " - D . Jellico ' s experience in dealing with the Cardassian s was thought to be invaluable , given the developing potential for conflict between the two powers . The " Enterprise " - D ' s previous commanding officer , Captain Jean - Luc Picard , was assigned to an undercover mission on Celtris III . As captain of the " Enterprise " - D , Jellico was a very stern and authoritarian officer , with a micro - management leadership style . For example , he was coldly dismissive of Counselor Troi ' s recommendations for a readjustment period . He abruptly made several changes to the operations of the " Enterprise " - D . He preferred a certain formality on the bridge , insisting that Deanna Troi wear a standard uniform and that his presence be announced whenever he entered . In contrast to the strict standards he expected on the bridge , he revealed a more personal side by putting up pictures drawn by his son in the " Enterprise " - D ' s ready room . However , he ordered the removal of Livingston the fish . Though his manner of command was connected with high efficiency , Jellico ran into numerous confrontations with " Enterprise " - D ' s first officer , Commander William T . Riker . The initial problems between them stemmed from Jellico ' s desire to see the " Enterprise " - D run on a four shift rotation when it had previously run on three . The change was difficult to implement , but Jellico refused to accept Riker ' s excuses for not having made the change . The friction between the two came to a head after a major disagreement on how to deal with Picard ' s abduction by the Cardassians on Celtris III culminated in Riker ' s open insubortination . Jellico relieved Riker and installed Lieutenant Commander Data as his new XO . In an attempt to gain an upper hand against the Cardassians , Jellico intended to plant mine s on the Cardassian ships hiding in the McAllister C - 5 Nebula . Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge was willing to take on the mission but recommended to Jellico that the most skilled pilot on board " Enterprise " - D was Riker . After a frank conversation in which both officers outlined what they felt were the flaws of the other , Riker accepted the mission , but only after he coaxed the captain into asking . Riker admitted that he saw Jellico as someone who was closed - minded and arrogant and who wound his crew up too tight , leaving them unable to perform their jobs well . With the anti - matter mine s in place , Jellico contacted the Cardassian fleet and demonstrated his ability to destroy it at will . From his position of strength , he demanded that the Cardassian fleet eject their primary phaser coil s , withdraw to the nearest Cardassian starbase , and immediately release Picard , who was being held prisoner by the Cardassians . The Cardassians complied completely . After Picard ' s release and subsequent reassignment to the " Enterprise " - D as CO , Jellico returned to command the " Cairo " . While leaving the bridge , his final words to the " Enterprise " - D crew were " " It ' s been an honor serving with you " . " ( ) Jellico had been succeeded as commander of the " Cairo " by Captain Leslie Wong in 2374 when the vessel disappeared – presumed destroyed by the Dominion – while patrolling the Romulan Neutral Zone . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Jellico was played by actor Ronny Cox . While never explicitly stated , " In the Pale Moonlight " suggests that Jellico may have been succeeded as captain of the " Cairo " by Leslie Wong . According to dialogue cut from " Chain of Command , Part I " , Jellico attended Starfleet Academy with future captain Zimbata ; they played together on the Academy ' s rugby team . Jellico recalled that Zimbata was awful at the game , but that Jellico himself was worse . The " " novel series , written by Peter David and published by Pocket Books , Jellico later goes on to become an admiral , initially assigned to Starbase Deep Space 5 and later working in Starfleet Command . He also appears in the novels " A Time to Heal " by David Mack , " " and " Before Dishonor " by Peter David " . At one point , Ronald D . Moore considered making Jellico the " Enterprise " - D captain in the alternate timeline seen in , rather than Thomas Halloway . ( " " ) In an alternate reality featured in the novel " Q & A " , Jellico served as the captain of the prior to 2380 , by which time he had been succeeded by Wesley Crusher .