James T. Kirk
| James T. Kirk | |
 William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk in the second Star Trek pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (1966) |
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| Species | Human |
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| Gender | Male |
| Date of death | 2293 (presumed) / 2371 (actual) (see below) |
| Home planet | Earth (Iowa) |
| Affiliation | Starfleet |
| Posting | USS Republic USS Farragut phaser station operator USS Enterprise commanding officer Starfleet chief of operations Starfleet Academy HMS Bounty, previously a Klingon Bird of Prey USS Enterprise-A commanding officer |
| Rank | Captain Admiral |
| Actor | William Shatner Chris Pine |
James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the fictional Star Trek television, movies and books. He was the principal lead character in the original Star Trek television series and most of the films based on the series. The character was initially portrayed by Canadian-born actor William Shatner who has reprised the role in the forty years since the character's inception. Other actors have portrayed the character in different mediums; James Cawley in web-based fan films[1][2] and by Chris Pine in the upcoming 2009 Star Trek film,[3]
The late series creator Gene Roddenberry is said to have based the character on C. S. Forester's fictional hero Horatio Hornblower.
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James T Kirk's middle initial was originally indicated to be an R in the episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before". It was indicated on a gravestone meant for the captain.[4]
The character James Kirk was raised in Iowa, the son of George Samuel and Winona Kirk. His brother and sister-in-law were introduced and killed off in the Star Trek episode "Operation: Annihilate!", leaving behind a son, Peter and, according to a subsequent episode ("What Are Little Girls Made Of?"), two other children as well.. The novel Final Frontier, was written by Diane Carey [5]as a "prequel" novel to the Original Series, telling of the space adventures of James Kirk's father, Commander George Samuel Kirk, Sr.
Although born on Earth, Kirk apparently lived, at least for a time, on Tarsus IV, where he was one of only nine surviving witnesses to the massacre of 4,000 colonists because of utilitarian extermination by Kodos the Executioner.
While Kirk apparently received help getting into Starfleet Academy Kirk's career as a cadet in Starfleet was notable, having been the first person to defeat the combat simulation, the Kobayashi Maru. Despite the simulator's overriding dictate that the cadet lose (The Wrath of Khan), Kirk rewrote the program to allow him to rescue the Kobayashi Maru's crew. For this, he received a commendation for original thinking.
While still a student at the Academy, he was granted a field commission as an Ensign and posted to advanced training aboard the USS Republic in 2251. While there, young Ensign Kirk accused Ensign Ben Finney of carelessly leaving a switch to the atomic matter piles open which would have blown up the ship in a matter of minutes. This later would come back to haunt Kirk in the episode "Court Martial". Kirk was promoted to Lieutenant junior grade in 2253 and returned to Starfleet Academy as a student instructor. In classes he would teach teach as a lieutenant, one of his students remarked that one could either "think or sink" ("Where No Man Has Gone Before").
Upon graduation in the top 5 percent of his class, Kirk was promoted to a full Lieutenant and served aboard the USS Farragut. During his time there, he commanded his first planet survey and survived a deadly attack by a gas cloud alien in the episode "Obsession," in which a large portion of the Farragut's crew, including Captain Garrovick, were killed.
Having risen rapidly through the ranks after leaving the Academy, he went on to receive his first command (the equivalent of a destroyer-class spaceship) while still quite young.[6] This ship, while referenced in "The Making of Star Trek," co-authored by Gene Roddenberry, and alluded to in the second pilot episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before," remains unnamed however.
Kirk then became the youngest Captain in Starfleet to that date at 31, when he received command of the USS Enterprise, following the Captaincies of Robert April, who predated Christopher Pike as Captain of the vessel.
Kirk's notable relationships amongst his crew in the television series consisted of his First Officer, the Human/Vulcan Spock, who also doubled as the Enterprise's science officer (Spock would grow to be Kirk's closest friend), alongside Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.
During the original series (dubbed 'TOS' by fans), Kirk commanded the Enterprise for a five-year mission (though the series barely lasted three years in real-time, with 80 episodes produced over three full seasons). In the 1979 first feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it is determined that after that mission, he was promoted to Rear Admiral, and was assigned as Chief of Starfleet Operations. In the Star Trek novel Star Trek: The Lost Years by J.M. Dillard, it is stated that during this time period, he was a diplomatic trouble-shooter for Starfleet, but Kirk felt unfulfilled in his administrative role. Spock later noted to his friend in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan that "commanding a starship is your first, best destiny...anything else is a waste of material."
During the first feature film, Admiral Kirk temporarily took command of the Enterprise from Captain Willard Decker, who objected, noting that Kirk, as the ship's former commander, was not as familiar with the Enterprise following its extensive refit while in dry dock. Kirk noted the objection and re-assigned Decker as First Officer to advise him. After the incident with V'ger is resolved, Kirk retires from Starfleet, but returns shortly thereafter to oversee Starfleet Academy training.
In Star Trek II, Admiral Kirk again takes command of the Enterprise from newly promoted Captain Spock in order to pursue his old enemy, Khan Noonien Singh. He was later demoted to Captain after stealing and scuttling the Enterprise, and sabotaging the USS Excelsior that same year in order to revive Spock, who died in the mission to stop Khan. Kirk was then given command of the USS Enterprise-A, and commanded the ship for several years until the vessel's decommissioning.
Kirk is a widower, having been married once before to Mirimanee ("The Paradise Syndrome"), who died tragically a short time later while also pregnant. With Dr. Carol Marcus, Kirk fathered a son, David Marcus, who was killed by Klingons in 2285. The death of his son enraged Kirk for years to come. While he had always been distrustful and wary of the Klingons, following his son's murder, he held them all collectively responsible. When Spock, on behalf of his father Sarek, opened negotiations with the Klingon Empire after the Praxis incident and 'volunteered' Kirk to lead the mission, Kirk was furious. When Spock pointed out that the Klingons were dying as a race as a result of the incident, Kirk responded with anger by saying, "Let them die!" It was only when the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, on his deathbed, pleaded, "Don't let it end this way," that Kirk started to relent and realize that not all Klingons were alike.
In Star Trek VI, a Klingon court convicted him of murdering Gorkon in 2293; he was sentenced to a life term in the prison mines of Rura Penthe, but was subsequently rescued and cleared of guilt.
In the film Star Trek Generations, Kirk was lost and presumed dead when the USS Enterprise-B was damaged by The Nexus, which he entered. In this alternate existence, he was persuaded by Jean-Luc Picard from the year 2371 to return to Veridian III and stop Tolian Soran from sacrificing 230 million lives in order for him to re-enter the Nexus. During the climax, Kirk was able to retrieve and de-activate a cloaking control device from a damaged construction span, enabling Picard to sabotage Soran's plans. However, the span collapsed, causing Kirk to fall. Picard managed to get to Kirk as he lay dying underneath the wreckage, and subsequently buried the man on the plateau.
"Generations" conflicts with the TNG episode "Relics," where it is seemingly implied that Kirk was alive when the Scotty character became trapped in a transporter buffer until the TNG timeframe. However, the line uttered by Scotty just after his rematerializing, the source of the conflict, where he mentions Kirk by name, is attributed to his being disoriented, according to the Official Star Trek Web Site, StarTrek.com. [7]
In the original script of Generations, Soran killed Kirk by shooting him in the back. This ending was filmed but later changed after negative reactions from test audiences.[8]
In books written by William Shatner, beginning with Star Trek: The Return, Kirk is returned to life by the Romulans and the Borg. The upcoming J.J Abrams feature film, titled simply "Star Trek," detailing the early adventures of Kirk and the Enterprise crew, while also including an extended special cameo appearance by Leonard Nimoy as the elder Spock, does not change Kirk's ultimate fate however, as William Shatner is not included in the picture.
The debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation brought with it comparisons of Kirk's and Picard's leadership styles. Kirk is deemed to be very able to find ways "through unanticipated problems to reach [his] goals" and his leadership style is most "appropriate in a tight, geographically identical team with a culture of strong leadership."[9]
The town of Riverside, Iowa, petitioned Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures in 1985 for permission to "adopt" Kirk as their town's "Future Son".[10] Paramount Pictures wanted $40,000 for a license to reproduce a bust of Kirk, but the city passed on that option, instead using the plaque and the building of a replica of the Enterprise (renamed the "USS Riverside") and The Riverside Area Community Club holds an annual "Trek Fest" in anticipation of Kirk's birth.[11]
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Chris Pine Drops Out Of 'White Jazz' For Kirk Role", TrekToday, 2007-10-15, http://www.trektoday.com/news/151007_01.shtml, retrieved on 16 October 2007
- ^ http://captkozmo.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=startrek&action=display&thread=3903&page=1
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Final-Frontier-Star-Diane-Carey/dp/0671647520/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209071093&sr=1-2
- ^ [Source: "The Making of Star Trek" by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry]
- ^ "Character Biography of Montgomery Scott". StarTrek.com (© 2007 CBS Studios Inc.). Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
- ^ Brett Anderson. "'Star Trek: Generations-Special Edition' DVD Review". DVDActive.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
- ^ Kimmerly, Paul; David R. Webb (10 2006). "Leadership, The Final Frontier: Lessons From the Captains of Star Trek". CrossTalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering.
- ^ Kirby, Doug; Ken Smith and Mike Wilkins. ""Future Birthplace of James T. Kirk"". Roadside America. Retrieved on 2008-09-09.
- ^ Beyette, Beverly (2005-05-15), ""A happy future birthplace hooks up with Capt. Kirk"", The Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-gun1l2ebd.21may15,0,6903055.story, retrieved on 9 September 2008
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Star Trek: The Original Series |
- StarTrek.com: James T. Kirk
- Riverside Iowa's annual "Trekfest" for its "future son", James T. Kirk
- James T. Kirk article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
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