Jellico’s reputation for being an ass goes beyond the hull of the Enterprise, hence Mariner’s comment about being assigned a “Jellico-type” captain. But every time I watch “Chain of Command,” sometimes it’s hard to tell of Geordi, Riker and Troi aren’t being a bunch of unprofessional softies.
Is Jellico too strict? Is Riker too casual? Is there room for both styles in Starfleet?
It’s Jellico. He’s the jerk.
How do we know this? Because he’s played by Ronny Cox: Professional Jerk.
I get the joke, but I honestly don’t think Jellico is a jerk. He’s a military man. He wants his ship run in a military manner. Captains like Picard, Kirk, Janeway, etc. are not especially interested in a ship being run that way despite being in the military. I am guessing they are more the exception than the rule. Maybe that explains their success, but Jellico was also a successful captain. He just had a different way of running a ship, a more traditional way.
See also: Shaw on Picard. I know he was portrayed as an asshole (until the end), but he was clearly a very good captain.
I will always remember him for his roles as Jelico and Senator Kinsey from SG1