Who Was Captain James T. Kirk?

Captain James T. Kirk was a fictional character in the all-time favorite American science fiction media franchise Star Trek. William Shatner portrayed the role from 1966 till 1994, and Chris Pine from 2009 till 2016. The character was first seen in The Man Trap, 1966, and made its last appearance in Star Trek Beyond, 2016. 

Captain James T. Kirk was a Human Starfleet officer living in the 23rd century (Yes, he is a future guy). He was one of the most popular and highly decorated starship captains throughout the history of Starfleet. Kirk served as the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise-A and the Constitution-class starships USS Enterprise for the United Federation of Planets. He also served as a time traveler, soldier, explorer, and diplomat.

Captain James Tiberius Kirk: Biography 

 

Early Life and Family

Captain James Tiberius Kirk was born to Winona and George Kirk, on 22nd March 2233, in Riverside, Lowa. He also had an older brother named George Samuel Kirk. Although Kirk was born on Earth, Kirk spent a part of his life on Tarsus IV, where he became one of the few survivors of the massacre of 4000 colonists by Governor Kodos. 

In 2246, when Kirk was a resident on Tarsus IV, there was a great food crisis, and the whole colony of eight thousand people was starving. To save a part of this colony, the unaware Governor Kodos massacred four thousand people. Only if Kodos knew that supply ships were on their way, four thousand people could’ve lived, and Kirk wouldn’t have to be one of the nine witnesses of the massacre. 

Academy Years and Career 

Kirk was intelligent enough to become the only student of Starfleet Academy to pass the Koyabashi Maru test by reprogramming the computer and making the no-win scenario winnable. He was then granted a field commission and was posted for advanced training aboard the USS Republic. 

After this, Kirk got a promotion and became a lieutenant junior grade, and went back to Starfleet Academy as a student instructor. He was known as “a stack of books with legs.” 

After graduating in the top 5%, Kirk got another promotion and became a lieutenant. After becoming a lieutenant, Kirk was assigned aboard the USS Farragut. During this posting, Kirk started his first planetary survey; however, Farragut faced a deadly attack in which a large part of the Farragut’s crew died. Kirk became a survivor once again but lost his commanding officer, Captain Garrovick. 

Kirk became the youngest Starfleet starship captain after being assigned at the USS Enterprise for five years. 

As a cadet, he took part in a peace mission to Axanar and received a Palm Leaf of Axanar Peace Mission from Starfleet Command. While during his midshipman time, Kirk became friends with Lieutenant Benjamin Finney, who was also his instructor. The friendship was too important for both of them, and Finney later named his daughter after Kirk. 

Some other notable events from Kirk’s career are an early mission (Vulcanian expedition) that he accomplished with his former classmate Timothy and the visit to Alpha Majoris I, where he got to see a native Mellitus (a non-sentient being from alpha Majoris I). 

Moreover, quite early in his career, Kirk became familiar with Dr. Tristan Adams’ work, and he even visited the penal colonies that Adams had revolutionized. 

At the USS Enterprise 

Who Was Captain James T. Kirk

Kirk started his first captaincy at the age of 32, in 2265. He replaced Christopher Pike and took over the command of the Constitution-class USS Enterprise. Along with this commandment, he also acquired Spock, the science officer of Christopher Pike. Moreover, he requested for Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell to accompany him while his former instructor Finney was also under his command. The five years of his commandment at the Enterprise are as follows:

Years at the Enterprise

Kirk was assigned to explore new worlds and investigate quasars and quasar-like phenomena during the first year at the USS Enterprise. Moreover, he also participated in missions with Mitchell, including the mission to Dimorus and Deneb IV. 

However, Mitchell started developing psychic powers during the same year after being deleteriously affected during a telepathic. These powers progressed rapidly, and Mitchell kept losing his humanity. Kirk was only able to stop and kill Mitchell on the surface of Delta Vega, with the help of another officer going through the same effects. 

After this tragedy, Kirk changed and shuffled the whole command crew at the Enterprise. Everyone except Commander Spock changed positions and held on to new commandments. 

Kirk’s first direct contact with First Federation was made during the second year of his captaincy; this was because the Enterprise was detained by a spaceship under Commander Balok’s orders. Kirk also became the first to repel a Romulan incursion into the Federation space in over 100 years. 

In the same year, Kirk also traced Kodos (the man who massacred 4000 people on Tarsus IV) and his mad daughter, who was responsible for the recent killings and was trying to save her father. 

The third was also legendary, as Kirk became the first starship captain who faced a court-martial, as he was accused of killing Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Finney. However, Kirk was set free after Finney was found alive. 

In the same year, Commander Spoke’s crimes were also revealed. However, Starfleet declined to prosecute this matter. 

During the fourth year, the Enterprise left for Deep Space Station K-7, Federation bureaucrats, Klingons, and myriads; all these things were enough to test Kirk’s patience. Kirk also found the contaminated 1920s Chicago gang culture-based society named Sigma lotia II. The gang culture was quite confusing for Kirk at first. However, he soon figured out that the world’s gangs had joined hands under the rule of the Lotians and had become a Federation protectorate. The Enterprise also discovered the new planet named Amerind, where an ancient race, “Preservers,” had preserved elements that had been endangered or vanished for centuries. 

During the fifth and last year of the captaincy, Kirk and his crew face a deadly plague that affects the Enterprise’s crew. To find a cure to this plague, Kirk meets Flint (an almost immortal human). While the end of Kirk’s captaincy is near, he orders the Enterprise to return to the Earth. 

Death of Captain James T. Kirk 

In 2371, Captain Kirk had entered the Nexus, while he was unaware of how much time had already passed (78 years) due to the non-linear time in the Nexus. In the end, Kirk sacrificed his life to save the Veridian IV’s inhabitants and the crew of the Enterprise-D. His last words were, “It was… fun. Oh my…”

After Kirk’s death, Captain Picard buried him on the Veridian III Mountain under a simple stone cairn. 

Conclusion 

Captain James T. Kirk was a ‘human,’ but his adventures were not ‘humane.’ He was a genius and a savior for many, and even his death was meant to save many others. In the history of Star Trek, Kirk was maybe the most famous and heroic character. According to our calendars, he is yet to be born, and who knows, he might actually appear someday? We can just wait and watch.