What is the name of the officer commanding the USS Excelsior in Star Trek III?

The officer commanding the USS Excelsior in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is Captain Styles.

Styles commands Starfleet’s experimental Excelsior, a much larger and more advanced vessel than the original Enterprise. The ship is testing a new transwarp drive, and Starfleet assigns Styles to pursue the Enterprise after Kirk steals it to search for Spock.

Captain Styles is played by James B. Sikking. The character is sometimes confused with Hikaru Sulu, who serves as the Excelsior’s helmsman during this mission but does not yet command the ship. Sulu eventually becomes the Excelsior’s captain in later Star Trek history.

The Excelsior’s transwarp experiment fails when Scotty secretly sabotages the ship’s engines, allowing the Enterprise to escape. Styles therefore remains associated with the prototype’s first major appearance and its unsuccessful attempt to capture Kirk.