| Revision as of 15:14, 9 September 2008 editEEMIV (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers51,051 edits →Depiction← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:16, 9 September 2008 edit undo82.44.82.115 (talk) Novels, comics, etc are not considered by Paramount as part of the "real" Star Trek universe. The events they describe are considered unofficial and often are contradicted by later episodes and filmsNext edit → | ||
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| ==Depiction== | ==Depiction== | ||
| Kirk was born and raised in ], the son of George Samuel Kirk, Sr. and Winona Kirk. His brother and sister-in-law, George Samuel Kirk, Jr. and Aurelan Kirk, are introduced and killed in the original series episode "]", leaving behind a son, Peter, and, according to "]", two other children |
Kirk was born and raised in ], the son of George Samuel Kirk, Sr. and Winona Kirk. His brother and sister-in-law, George Samuel Kirk, Jr. and Aurelan Kirk, are introduced and killed in the original series episode "]", leaving behind a son, Peter, and, according to "]", two other children. According to dialog in "]", Kirk lived for a time on ], where he was one of nine surviving witnesses to the massacre of 4,000 colonists by Governor Kodos. | ||
| While at ], Kirk became the first person to beat the '']'' simulation by ] to make it possible to survive the "no-win" scenario. He received a field commission as an ensign and posted to the USS ''Republic'', then was promoted to lieutenant junior grade and returned to Starfleet Academy as a student instructor. Gary Mitchell, then one of Kirk's students, remarks in "]" that one could either "think or sink" in Kirk's course. Upon graduation in the top five percent of his class, Kirk was promoted to lieutenant and served aboard the USS ''Farragut''. | While at ], Kirk became the first person to beat the '']'' simulation by ] to make it possible to survive the "no-win" scenario. He received a field commission as an ensign and posted to the USS ''Republic'', then was promoted to lieutenant junior grade and returned to Starfleet Academy as a student instructor. Gary Mitchell, then one of Kirk's students, remarks in "]" that one could either "think or sink" in Kirk's course. Upon graduation in the top five percent of his class, Kirk was promoted to lieutenant and served aboard the USS ''Farragut''. | ||
Revision as of 15:16, 9 September 2008
Template:Otheruses2 Template:Star Trek character
James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. He is the lead character in the original Star Trek television series and most of the films based on the series. Canadian actor William Shatner portrayed the character in the forty years since its inception. Producer J. J. Abrams announced that Chris Pine had been cast in the role of Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek film, marking the first time that an actor other than Shatner will portray the character in an official production.
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry based the character on C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower, noting in 1991 that "Captain Kirk is Capt. Hornblower of the sailing ships. was a great hero, and Hemingway said is the most exciting adventure fiction in the human language."
Depiction
Kirk was born and raised in Riverside, Iowa, the son of George Samuel Kirk, Sr. and Winona Kirk. His brother and sister-in-law, George Samuel Kirk, Jr. and Aurelan Kirk, are introduced and killed in the original series episode "Operation: Annihilate!", leaving behind a son, Peter, and, according to "What Are Little Girls Made Of?", two other children. According to dialog in "The Conscience of the King", Kirk lived for a time on Tarsus IV, where he was one of nine surviving witnesses to the massacre of 4,000 colonists by Governor Kodos.
While at Starfleet Academy, Kirk became the first person to beat the Kobayashi Maru simulation by rewriting the program to make it possible to survive the "no-win" scenario. He received a field commission as an ensign and posted to the USS Republic, then was promoted to lieutenant junior grade and returned to Starfleet Academy as a student instructor. Gary Mitchell, then one of Kirk's students, remarks in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" that one could either "think or sink" in Kirk's course. Upon graduation in the top five percent of his class, Kirk was promoted to lieutenant and served aboard the USS Farragut.
Having risen rapidly through the ranks after leaving the Academy, Kirk went on to receive his first command (the equivalent of a destroyer-type starship) while still quite young. At the age of 31, Kirk received command of the USS Enterprise, following the captaincies of Robert April and Christopher Pike. During the original series, Kirk commands 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). Kirk's notable relationships among his crew in the television series are with first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and chief medical officer Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley).
In the first feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it is determined that after Kirk's five-year mission, he was promoted to rear admiral and assigned to the position of Chief of Starfleet Operations. However, Kirk felt unfulfilled in his administrative role, and Spock notes to Kirk in The Wrath of Khan that commanding a starship is Kirk's "first, best destiny".
During Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Admiral Kirk takes command of the Enterprise from Captain Willard Decker (Stephen Collins), who objects, noting that Kirk is not familiar with the extensively refit ship. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Kirk takes command of the Enterprise from Spock and pursues his old enemy, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). In that movie, Spock dies saving the Enterprise; in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Kirk and his officers steal and scuttle the Enterprise and sabotage the USS Excelsior in an attempt to resurrect Spock. Kirk in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is demoted to captain for these actions, but also receives command of the USS Enterprise-A. Kirk commands this ship in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Kirk is a widower, having been married to Miramanee in "The Paradise Syndrome" who dies carrying his child. Star Trek II reveals that Kirk fathered a son, David Marcus, with Dr. Carol Marcus. Klingons kill David on the Genesis Planet in Star Trek III. Kirk says in Star Trek VI that David's murder affected his ability to trust Klingons; he held them collectively responsible for David's death, but sets aside this prejudice at the movie's conclusion.
Death
In Star Trek Generations, Kirk is lost and presumed dead when the USS Enterprise-B is damaged. Instead, however, he is transported to the timless Nexus. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) finds Kirk here and convinces him to leave the Nexus to help him stop Tolian Soran's (Malcolm MacDowell) attempt to destroy a star. Kirk enables Picard to sabotage Soran's plans, but plummets with a collapsing bridge span. He dies shortly thereafter. In the original script of Generations, Soran killed Kirk by shooting him in the back. This filmed ending was changed after negative reactions from test audiences.
Kirk's apparent disappearance at the beginning of Generations conflicts with dialogue in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", in which Scotty (James Doohan) suggests Kirk had come to rescue him. Paramount's in-universe explanation for the discrepancy is that Scotty was disoriented after spending decades in a transporter buffer.
"Shatnerverse"
In books written by William Shatner, beginning with Star Trek: The Return, Kirk is returned to life by the Romulans and the Borg, and goes on to have further adventures.
Reception
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 goals" and his leadership style is most "appropriate in a tight, geographically identical team with a culture of strong leadership."
Riverside petitioned Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures in 1985 for permission to "adopt" Kirk as their town's "Future Son". Though reportedly Paramount Pictures never officially replied, Roddenberry sent an "official" response on his Norway Productions stationery, giving his blessing to their endeavor. The Riverside Area Community Club holds an annual "Trek Fest" in anticipation of Kirk's birth.
References
- "Chris Pine Drops Out Of 'White Jazz' For Kirk Role". TrekToday. 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Tom Knapp (2004-07-31). "C.S. Forester, Hornblower & the Hotspur". Rambles, a cultural arts review magazine. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - "DVD Verdict Review - Horatio Hornblower: The New Adventures".
- Quote of the Week
- Brett Anderson. "'Star Trek: Generations-Special Edition' DVD Review". DVDActive.com. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
{{cite web}}: Text "Pub. Date: November 20, 2004" ignored (help) - "Character Biography of Montgomery Scott". StarTrek.com. © 2007 CBS Studios Inc. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Kimmerly, Paul (2006). "Leadership, The Final Frontier: Lessons From the Captains of Star Trek". CrossTalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)
External links
- StarTrek.com: James T. Kirk
- BBC: Star Trek film names Kirk actor
- Riverside Iowa's annual "Trekfest" for it's "future son", James T. Kirk
- James T. Kirk at Memory Alpha
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