Canon and My Favorite Character

In Star Trek and many other fandoms, adhering to canon has the benefit of creating a common framework for storytelling.  Without having to worry about many aspects of world-building and establishing backstory, writers are free to be more creative within the Universe that's already been established.  That being said, jumping off from canon offers creative opportunities, too.  One of my favorite things is when something that seems to be non-canon gets folded into the established story.  The difference in Klingon appearance after The Original Series is revealed in Star Trek: Enterprise to be the unintended result of experiments with genetic augmentation.  And we recently learned, on Star Trek; Discovery, that characters in that Universe are aware of the Kelvin Timeline from the most recent films.  And, of course, one of the most interesting things about non-canon story elements is the passionate debate they spark among fans!  

It's almost impossible for me to choose an ultimate favorite character (unless you count Porthos from Star Trek: Enterprise!).  I'm not even sure who my favorite captain is!  I love Picard, of course, but Janeway has a piece of my heart as the first woman and the captain of the first series I watched regularly.  I love Kes from Voyager for her curiosity and compassion, and felt connected to her during her entire run on the show.  I love Data from The Next Generation for his pursuit of humanity and how he reflected humanity back on those around him, as well as the comic relief he brought to the show.  The EMH from Voyager had a similar journey.  Worf also makes me laugh.  I guess if I have to choose one, it would be Data by dint of the sheer volume of episodes and films in which he's central to the action or storyline.