how old is kirk in star trek 2009

Star Trek (2009)

Jimmy bennett: young james t. kirk, photos .

Quotes 

[Kirk drives his stepfather's Corvette toward a cliff. As he skids sideways, he jumps out before the Corvette falls off while he hangs on the edge of the cliff. The Iowa cop chasing him steps off his bike as Kirk climbs off the cliff] 

Young Kirk : Is there a problem, officer?

Iowa Cop : Citizen, what is your name?

Young Kirk : My name is James Tiberius Kirk!

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Star Trek 2009 Cast & Character Guide

• Star Trek (2009) relaunched the franchise with a diverse cast and explored an alternate timeline split from the main timeline.
• Chris Pine played James T. Kirk, who goes from cadet to captain of the USS Enterprise and saves Earth from destruction.
• The cast also includes Zachary Quinto as Spock, Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, and Zoe Saldana as Uhura.

Star Trek (2009) helped relaunch the Star Trek franchise in the modern era and re-imagined the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise with a diverse cast of new faces. Directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Trek (2009) was the first franchise project produced after the cancelation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005, and the 11th Star Trek movie overall . Star Trek (2009) was followed by two sequels, 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016's Star Trek Beyond , with a third sequel still in the works despite experiencing multiple delays and setbacks.

Star Trek (2009) explored an alternate history for Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Starship Enterprise's crew from Star Trek: The Original Series , set in an alternate reality, known as the Kelvin timeline , split off from Star Trek 's main timeline . The split, which took place on the day of James T. Kirk's birth in 2233, was initiated by the film's Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana) when he accidentally crossed from one reality to another, causing the destruction of the USS Kelvin and the death of Kirk's father. The movie then explored Kirk's entry into Starfleet Academy and his first mission with the Enterprise crew as a cadet during Nero's attack on Vulcan. Here is the full cast and character guide for Star Trek (2009).

Star Trek 2009 Ending Explained

Chris pine as james t. kirk, kirk goes from starfleet academy cadet to captain of the enterprise.

Chris Pine plays James T. Kirk, a younger and even brasher version of the role originated by William Shatner in Star Trek: T he Original Series . Enlisting in Starfleet to honor his late father, Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), Pine's James heroically rises from nearly expelled Starfleet Cadet to Captain of the Enterprise and saves Earth from destruction at the hands of Nero. Before Star Trek (2009), Chris Pine starred in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and has since become most well known for his roles in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Wonder Woman, Outlaw King , and Don't Worry Darling .

Zachary Quinto As Spock

Half-vulcan first officer and science officer of the uss enterprise.

The John Lennon to Kirk's Paul McCartney , Zachary Quinto portrays Spock, Kirk's half-human, half-Vulcan First Officer who begins the film as a Commander while Kirk is still a cadet. Star Trek (2009) mostly explores Spock's struggle with his dual identity , framed around his initially antagonistic relationship with Kirk and the loss of his home planet of Vulcan after Nero's attack. Besides Star Trek , Zachary Quinto is best known for his roles in Heroes and American Horror Story .

Leonard Nimoy As Spock Prime

The original spock from star trek's prime timeline.

Leonard Nimoy returned in Star Trek (2009) to portray Ambassador Spock AKA Spock Prime. In the film, it is revealed that Nimoy's Spock jumped universes through the same time portal as Nero after a failed attempt to save Romulus from a supernova. Nero held Spock responsible for Romulus's destruction, leading him to take revenge by destroying Vulcan. While playing Spock in the Star Trek franchise was Nimoy's most well-known role, the legendary actor and director had numerous other credits including Mission: Impossible and Fringe , as well as directing Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Three Men and a Baby before passing away in 2015 at the age of 83.

Karl Urban As Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Chief medical officer of the uss enterprise.

Completing the iconic Star Trek: The Original Series trio, Karl Urban plays Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in Star Trek (2009). Urban's McCoy evoked the spirit of DeForest Kelley's portrayal while still allowing him to put his own spin on the character. I n Star Trek (2009), McCoy meets and becomes friends with James T. Kirk at Starfleet Academy, and reluctantly smuggles Kirk onboard the Enterprise so that he can participate in the fight against Nero. Urban is best known for his roles in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dredd , Thor: Ragnarok , and The Boys .

Chris Pine's Star Trek Movies Explained

Zoe saldana as nyota uhura, uss enterprise's communications officer.

Zoe Saldana plays Nyota Uhura, the Starship Enterprise's communications officer who starts the film out as a cadet alongside Kirk and McCoy. Saldana's version of the character in Star Trek (2009) was the first time that Uhura's first name , Nyota , was established on screen, having never been stated during Nichelle Nichols' run in TOS . Uhura and Spock are also in a romantic relationship in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek . Besides Star Trek , Saldana is best known for her starring roles in some of the biggest franchises in modern film, including the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame , and James Cameron's Avatar movies.

Simon Pegg as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

Uss enterprise's chief engineer.

Originated by the late James Doohan, the role of Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott is played by Simon Pegg in Star Trek (2009). Kirk and Spock Prime are aided by Scotty in their attempt to return Kirk to the Enterprise, after finding the engineer posted at a remote Starfleet outpost on Delta Vega. Scotty quickly becomes the top engineer on the Enterprise. Pegg's most well-known roles outside of Star Trek are on the British sitcom Spaced and the Three Flavours Cornetto movie trilogy.

Simon Pegg, along with Dave Jung, co-wrote Star Trek Beyond in 2016.

John Cho As Hikaru Sulu

Helmsman of the uss enterprise.

John Cho plays Hikaru Sulu, taking over the role originated by George Takei in Star Trek: The Original Series . While the character took on more of a supporting role in the main storylines in Star Trek (2009), Cho's portrayal once again evoked the spirit of Takei and included a few TOS Easter eggs such as Sulu's skill with a sword . Cho has also starred in Ugly Betty and the Harold & Kumar film franchise.

Anton Yelchin As Pavel Chekov

Uss enterprise's navigator.

Anton Yelchin's Pavel Chekov and his Russian accent added humor to Star Trek (2009) . The youngest Enterprise crew member, Chekov also acted in a mostly supporting role to the film's main storyline, while still providing the chance for some callbacks to Walter Koenig's Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series . Yelchin is also known for Green Room, Hearts in Atlantis, and Huff before his untimely death in 2016 at the age of 27.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 honored Anton Yelchin and Walter Koenig's Chekov with the voice cameo of Koenig as Pavel's descendant, Federation President Anton Chekov.

Chris Pines Star Trek Movies Ranked Worst To Best

Eric bana as nero, star trek 2009's time-traveling romulan villain.

Eric Bana portrays Star Trek (2009)'s villain Nero , a 24th-century Romulan bent on revenge for the destruction of his home planet. Nero is one of only a handful of original characters created for the movie, and like Spock Prime, is from Star Trek 's Prime Universe timeline rather than the film's alternate universe. Bana's most well-known roles were mainly in Australian cinema, but the actor gained wider recognition when he starred in Hulk (2003).

Clifton Collins Jr. As Ayel

Nero's romulan first officer.

Clifton Collins Jr. plays Ayel, Nero's first officer who does much of the talking for his captain early on. Ayel also has a dramatic death scene and some good dialogue with Kirk toward the end of Star Trek (2009) when Kirk and Spock infiltrate Nero's ship during their plan to stop the Romulans. Collins Jr.'s other credits include The Last Castle , Capote , Pacific Rim , and Thief .

Bruce Greenwood As Christopher Pike

The first captain of the enterprise and james t. kirk's mentor.

The first actor to play Captain Christopher Pike since Jeffrey Hunter in Star Trek 's unaired 1965 pilot, "The Cage," Bruce Greenwood takes on the role of Captain Pike in Star Trek (2009). Pike begins the film as the Captain of the Enterprise and acts as a mentor to Kirk throughout the film. Greenwood is best known for his roles in Thirteen Days , Capote , St. Elsewhere , and Mad Men .

Chris Hemsworth As George Kirk

First officer of the uss kelvin and james t. kirk's father.

Star Trek (2009) saw Chris Hemsworth make his feature film debut as J ames T. Kirk's father, Lt. George Kirk . Before Star Trek , Hemsworth was mostly known for his work in Australian TV, having not yet branched out into Hollywood. Since Star Trek (2009), Hemsworth has gone on to worldwide fame for his portrayal of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as starring roles in Ghostbusters , Men in Black: International , and Extraction .

An aborted plan for a fourth Star Trek movie produced by J.J. Abrams would have seen Chris Pine's Captain Kirk somehow meet and team up with his father, Lt. George Kirk.

Winona Ryder As Amanda Grayson

Spock's human mother.

Winona Ryder portrays Spock's mother Amanda Grayson in Star Trek (2009). The character had previously appeared in one episode of Star Trek: The Original Series , played by Jane Wyatt. While Amanda's presence in the film is minimal, she is greatly important to Spock's story arc. Ryder is best known for her roles in Beetlejuice , Heathers , Edward Scissorhands , and Stranger Things .

Mia Kirshner plays Amanda Grayson, mother of Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck), on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Ben Cross As Sarek

Spock's vulcan father.

Originated by Mark Lenard in Star Trek: The Original Series , the role of Ambassador Sarek is portrayed by Ben Cross in Star Trek (2009). Like Amanda, Sarek's presence in the film is minimal, and almost entirely revolves around Spock's storyline. Ben Cross is best known for his role in Chariots of Fire and his work in numerous stage productions in London's West End.

Star Trek (2009) Supporting Cast & Characters

Other familiar faces pop up in j.j. abrams' 2009 star trek movie.

Jennifer Morrison as Winona Kirk : Kirk's mother and George Kirk's widow. Morrison's other credits include House , Once Upon a Time , and How I Met Your Mother .

Faran Tahir as Captain Richard Robau : Captain of the USS Kelvin who is killed by Nero, causing George Kirk to take command. Tahir is best known for The Jungle Book (1994), Iron Man , and Elysium .

Tyler Perry as Admiral Richard Barnett : Tyler Perry's Admiral Barnett is the head of Starfleet Academy and part of Kirk's board of examiners when he cheats on the Kobayashi Maru test. Perry is known for his Madea character, as well as his work on Tyler Perry's House of Payne .

Deep Roy as Keenser : Scotty's assistant on Delta Vega and an alien of unknown origin. Roy has played many diminutive characters on shows and movies such as The X-Files , Doctor Who , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Star Wars , and The Neverending Story.

William Morgan Sheppard as the head of the Vulcan Science Council : the unnamed examiner whose comment about Spock's human heritage causes him to reject the Vulcan Science Academy for Starfleet. Before Star Trek (2009) , Sheppard appeared in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager as well as the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Besides Star Trek , he appeared in Gettysburg , Babylon 5 , and Doctor Who .

Will Star Trek's 2009 Cast Return For Star Trek 4?

"the final chapter" of chris pine's starship enterprise is reportedly being developed.

A fourth Star Trek movie produced by J.J. Abrams has been in development hell since Star Trek Beyond' s theatrical release in 2016. Filmmakers like S.J. Clarkson, Noah Hawley, Matt Shakman, and Quentin Tarantino were attached to Star Trek 4 but left the project due to creative differences, and a December 22, 2023 release date set by Paramount Pictures came and went with no Star Trek 4 . A recent report indicates that Star Trek 4 is still on the studio's development slate, primed to be the "final chapter" of Chris Pine's cast of USS Enterprise heroes. Time will tell if Star Trek 4 will finally beam into theaters, but Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and the other actors have indicated their desire to resume their Star Trek roles one more time.

Star Trek (2009) is available to stream on Paramount+.

Director J.J. Abrams

Rating PG-13

Runtime 127 Minutes

Studio(s) Paramount Pictures

Sequel(s) Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond

Franchise(s) Star Trek

• August 28, 2024 | Interview: Nicholas Meyer On Why ‘The Wrath Of Khan’ Endures, And His “Toxic” Memos With Gene Roddenberry
• August 27, 2024 | Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery – The Final Season’ On Blu-ray Comes To A Satisfying Conclusion
• August 27, 2024 | See Spock Imprisoned By Sela In Preview Of ‘Star Trek: Defiant’ #18
• August 26, 2024 | Edgar Bronfman Drops 11th-Hour Bid For Paramount; Skydance Merger Set To Complete In Early 2025
• August 26, 2024 | Production Begins For ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’

Chris Pine Wonders How ‘Star Trek 4’ Will Deal With Kirk Now That He Is “A Lot Older”

| July 3, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 66 comments so far

We are just a few weeks away from the 8th anniversary of the release of Star Trek Beyond , the third entry in the Kelvin timeline Star Trek movies staring Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. Paramount continues to say they are committed to a follow up movie, and now the star is starting to wonder how it will deal with how he isn’t getting any younger.

Pine curious about Star Trek 4

For the last couple of years, since he has recommitted to return as James T. Kirk for a fourth Star Trek movie, actor Chris Pine has often expressed his enthusiasm for the return, but also some frustrations. His latest comments from from a recent appearance at ACE Superhero Comic in San Antonio, TX. Pine acknowledged the well-reported ups and downs the Beyond sequel has gone through over the past decade (via PopVerse ), saying “In terms of the next phase of [Star Trek], obviously you’re all fans, so I’m sure you’ve read it.”

Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek Beyond

The actor then talked about how he and his fellow cast are ready to get back to the Enterprise, but he wonders how the movie will deal with how he is getting older, saying:

“We all like one another a lot. I’m good friends with everybody I’ve worked with. We have a great time doing it. I’m a lot older now, so I would be curious where that next story lands us in terms of what it would be and what we’ve said in the press.”

Pine, now 43, was 29 when he first appeared as James T. Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek movie. Last year the actor talked about how he was hoping to do “many more” movies as Kirk, saying it would be “super cool” to play the same character through the course of his career. Original Kirk actor William Shatner was 35 when the Star Trek television show premiered and 63 when he last appeared as the character in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations . Pine is still younger than Shatner when he played Admiral Kirk in Star Trek: The Motion Picture  in 1979. In Star Trek Beyond , Kirk turned down a promotion to admiral and was set to head out on a new USS Enterprise (NCC 1701-A). If the next movie were set a decade later, Kirk and his crew could have already completed two 5-year missions.

Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) looking up at new Enterprise in Star Trek Beyond

Various follow-ups to Beyond have been in the works over the last 8 years. In March of this year, it was reported that Paramount and producer J.J. Abrams had brought on yet another screenwriter to take a crack at what the studio is now calling the final movie for the Kelvin crew. Pine later expressed some frustration with this move, telling Business Insider “I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it’s always been with ‘Trek,’ I just wait and see.”

Even now entering middle age, Pine is still keeping it sharp. He recently shaved off his beard (but kept the ‘stache) as can be seen from an appearance at a fashion event in Milan in mid-June…

Chris Pine turned Father’s Day into a weeklong holiday by repeatedly serving Daddy in Milan during Men’s fashion week (click for more): https://t.co/d4559OI35P — Tom and Lorenzo (@tomandlorenzo) June 19, 2024

The next Star Trek feature film expected to come out of Paramount is the “ Untitled Star Trek Origin Story ” which Paramount recently confirmed as part of its 2025/2026 slate. This movie would have a new cast. Earlier this year, Paramount and producer J.J. Abrams had tapped Andor ‘s Toby Haynes to direct, based on a script from Seth Grahame-Smith ( The Lego Batman Movie ). Paramount is also reportedly talking to producer Simon Kinberg about shepherding the film franchise , starting with that origin movie. This next Star Trek movie was mentioned during the Paramount Global shareholder meeting in June with co-CEO Brian Robbins saying it is “coming soon,” and touting Trek as one of the company’s “billion dollar brands.”

Find more news and analysis on  upcoming Star Trek feature films .

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This is the longest five-year mission in history…

Just because the TOS timeline had 5-yr.missions, there is no reason the Kelvin timeline would.

They mention it’s a five year mission in one of the movies.

But Into Darkness established that they did, and Beyond confirmed that they were halfway through one.

It certainly is. Eight years since Beyond, wow.

It’s been so long since the last Star Trek movie set in the Kelvin timeline, that by the time they finally make another one none of the crew of the Enterprise will still serve on that ship.

They’ll all have moved on to other assignments, pretty much like the original cast did in The Motion Picture.

I mean I don’t think they can just pick up where they left off in Beyond , so yeah the next one (if it happens) will hopefully skip ahead a decade or so.

At this point, what was it all for? The Kelvin movies did nothing for Star Trek. It was Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, SNW, etc that saved it. The Kelvin movies contributed nothing.

While certainly not my favorite Trek, I would like to see it get a final outing. Of course, as long as that final outing doesn’t come at the expense of other Trek.

Star Trek did not need saving and Discovery has done the franchise no favours.

‘Beyond’ flopped and stalled the movie series. Disc at least has led to multi spin off shows and ST first TVM.

During the moments that worked (not saying there were a ton of them), BEYOND felt a lot more like STAR TREK than anything else I’ve seen this whole century.

didn’t help the film series though.

That seemed to a big reason the movie underperformed!, JJs films seemed to hit that sweet spot of appealing to moviegoers who wouldn’t been seen dead watching ST and the hardcore trekkies (ok maybe not ID for some fans lol), but Beyond missed the target .. Ironically Orci’s ST3 was apparently canned for being ‘too star trek’ yet sounded much more appealing for movie audiences (dealing with time travel/timelines and Shatner) whereas what they eventually did in Beyond sounded/looked so ‘star trek’ it turned off the average Joe moviegoers! plus there was that Fast and Furious action teaser trailer turning off the fans, a double whammy!

That is a flaming photon torpedo of truth. Beyond is generally well liked and appreciated by Trek fans, but I was surprised to find most non-fans I’ve heard from found it, quote, “boring and dull”. I could quite believe that take, but it’s definitely better received by fans than the public. Into Darkness was the reverse.

The biggest mistake was the handling of the villain, hiding Mr Elba under make up but also another of J J style ‘mystery box’ about his identity and motive.

Yup, exactly. Totally agree. What a waste of Mr. Elba’s talent, imo.

Discovery also divided the fan base, destroyed cannon, has the lowest episode scores of any Trek show, and was Cancelled!

Not the same, Disc came to a natural end but didn’t inhibit more ST TV from being made.

I think it’s probably too late to make this movie starting where they left off on the Enterprise. They really would need to write a story where they have to reconnect for one final mission, which might be worth doing. That being said, an aging crew is nothing new for Star Trek.

Bust him back to cadet.

Hey MIchael, I was just googling “Harlan Ellison Nicholas Meyer” and it actually took me to a trekmovie thread from 2017 which we participated in. You mention that you are going to have to buy RETURN TO TOMORROW book at some point. Did you?

I bought the digital edition. Roddenberry says in it that TMP cost 45 million due to them adding on all the costs of the previous scripts, sets etc. For 1979 that was super expensive.

Dee Kelley’s poem was interesting I never knew he was a writer. Also interesting was hearing from George Takei about the making of the movie. Some stuff I already knew like the studio not wanting Shatner back if it was going to be a series, and the difficulty in getting Leonard to sign on when it became a movie.

The stuff about who got to be credited in the movie I never once heard about the disputes with the effects people. A lot of the guy who wrote it hating the movie and being negative Harold I think. You could tell he thought it was a turkey. Also, the director had such a bad experience, and the movie was rushed I never knew that.

Or was it Jon Povill my memory these days is crap. I know whoever the person was hated the finished movie.

i imagine the writers/abrams etc are trying to figure out to do a standalone thing with the cast like Beyond (i.e. their TMP and TUC in one movie) or buy into the multiverse stuff going around and have them interact with their primeverse counterparts (via CG/AI ) or the TNG cast etc for a big anniversary movie ..

maybe they’ll go with the 1st option (Kelvin standalone/finale) and do a primeverse only ST Legacy movie for Paramount+ (various actors from TNG/DS9/VOY maybe ENT and SNW) – both aimimg for 2026

I mean you have a 40 something year old playing a 25 year old Kirk on Strange New Worlds and he looks older than Pine!

The casting decision there continues to baffle me. And yeah I agree, Pine does look younger than Wesley.

Now, Wesley has grown on me a bit, but it does still baffle me as well. He reminds me more of Crawley’s Kirk (fan film) than Shatner’s Kirk, and that’s not a good thing.

Yikes, you just hit the nail on the head there.

Ummm…..

Admiral deciding he’s sick of being in a desk job…kinda like last time?

In ’09, the snark was to call this Trek/Muppet Babies in Space. The then producers wanted a cast that could last for several movies without getting too old. AND… that might have worked if the studio(S!) hadn’t delayed so many of these films. Frankly, we should have five or six, not three. Thank god, the suits all got their bonuses and golden parachutes (several deployed btw) and important stuff like that.

We’ve seen how the Prime Kirk ages from young captain to admiral to old captain. It would be interesting to see Kelvin Kirk take a different pathway. Maybe he has a family. Maybe he is stuck in a Klingon prison. Maybe he is riding through the desert with a picnic lunch.

If JJ was available and Skydance ends up buying Paramount, they should get him to direct part 4. Make it an event movie, no more nonsense about spinoffs or low budget this or that. Disney Star Wars is dead. Capitalize on that.

Should have gone all in after Into Darkness, instead they played it safe with Beyond a tired old formula. Should have been new worlds, new twists if we had to have characters from Prime, do something different with them in Kelvin now that they were done with Khan, but no they had to make insipid Beyond. Guardians of the Furious.

I think you’re right. Go all out and make a final, great film for the Kelvinverse characters.

As to where they go with it, I don’t know. The simplest thing is to just have them on the ship, maybe coming home from their mission and then they get a call about an emergency. One last adventure. Maybe someone has to die, for drama. Maybe somehow, someway, via the Nexus or Q or the Guardian of Forever, Pine meets Shatner’s Kirk. Yeah, that probably will not happen but that would certainly help the film if they could find some way to make it an important part of the film.

Anyway, I’m all in for another Kelvin film. I loved all three of them, even though I had quibbles with some of JJ’s choices in Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness and thought making Sulu gay in Beyond was a complete and embarrassing fail.

Sulu being gay in ‘beyond’ a minor issue compared to the film’s real faults

Good point about SW its cooked atm, no movies being made anytime soon , that Rey movie not even the hard core wants and the Dawn of the Force movie from Mangold (whose Indiana Jones movie tanked to tune of a 100m loss), and the other film based on the Zahn novels like an Episode 6.5 (probably with not quite there CGI deaged Han Luke Leia) , any of those probably as likely to happen anytime soon as the Beyond sequel after 2016, (a loong wait with lots of faux announcements). so really you got similar scenario as that late 00s/early 10s era with ST09/ID filling in for SW for space action.

And yeah they messed up on Beyond , letting Orci go when he had the obvious way to go for the 3rd film/anniversary – Shatner returning, battle for the timelines stuff.

The last SW film to feature rey made a billion so there is still an audience waiting for a new one. But I bet rey will not be the central character this time.

Reading between the lines here……”a lot older” suggests he knows another movie is still years, maybe even decades away.

I think Pine’s just resigned to whatever happens will happen. He’s not getting his hopes up.

I think the 4th film should be titled, Star Trek: Kirk.

I wish they can adapt William Shatner’s first Star Trek story, Ashes of Eden.

Kelvin cast sequel is the ONLY viable movie worth making at this stage. Anything else will bomb hard.

I remember watching “Beyond” in the theater. No way that was 8 years ago already… wow.

Time flies. I also watched Beyond in the theater, and out of the three Kelvin-verse films it felt the most Trekkian to me. I can remember the smell of the popcorn and the twizzlers from that day.

The age of the crew or the actors is not the biggest problem with previous or upcoming films.

If it another ‘mad man with a grudge and a galactic WMD….’

If it is that, then I’m out. I blame TNG movies for first getting stuck on that, but it seems to be the only thing Hollywood screenwriters think a Star Trek film could ever possibly be about.

We need another ‘voyage home’, classic ST problem solving and not ‘pew pew boom’ again

They should adapt the Prime Directive novel for the next film. I would go see it. I doubt any of these writers know the book exists.

Would be wasted on the Kelvin cast. Great book, but it’s absolutely Shatner’s Kirk here, not anybody else’s. A book that makes so much out of ‘let me help’ doesn’t have the right callback, since Pine doesn’t have an Edith Keeler … it would be like the bizarre consideration Eon had for LIVE & LET DIE, when they considered bringing Ursula Andress back, even though it was featuring a new (utterly lame) guy playing Bond, so, you know, the face is not familiar.

Thats the first I’ve heard of bringing back Ursula Andress for LALD,(not impossible as the son of Quarrel from Dr No was in it) i had heard that producers wanted Barbara Bach to come back for A View to A Kill in a cameo as the Russian agent but obviously didn’t happen

And Roger Moore was the best Bond btw (imo :)

Meh. Some of the original cast members of Star Trek found about a hundred ways to keep on showing up despite being decades older. It’s sci-fi! All ya gotta do to explain stuff away is wave your hands around in the air and say stuff like, “quantum singularity!” or “it’s The Borg! The Borg did a thing!”. Inexplicable aging and time-space continuum inconsistancies are basically all one 8-second mumbo-jumbo explanation away with that franchise. It’ah be fiiiiiiine. lol

In general, I prefer a story with more “seasoned” characters, so it’s not a bad place to pick up for me. Showing the characters more matured is one of the major draws of a sequel.

It’s simple Chris – it’s time to put on the Monster Maroons! He’ll look as old as Shat from TWOK, TSFS, TVH

Also dark rinse with perm

Star trek 4 need a title like New horizon coming summer 2026 and the New starship enterprise a on a mission to explore strange New worlds and New villian of This epic final chapter of the kelvin timeline im a Star trek fan long live trekkies live long and prosper

Star Trek Wayyyy Beyond

Pull the plug on the Kelvin timeline and crew.

At some point Vger should be showing up to destroy Earth in the alternate universe that diverged with the Kelvin incident. I don’t want to see The Motion Picture remade but there might be a story there to tell somewhere …..

Use elements from Ellison’s intro to his movie pitch (which also had a huge threat to earth, but from time travelling lizards), with a cloaked figure going round kidnapping members of the old crew from wherever they are now and you finally realize it is Kirk who is doing it. Then do a variation on TMP, maybe with less of a police-procedural feel, one where we get to see how tough it is to match speeds and fly alongside something at warp 7+ from 1500 away .

Willl never happen

Whatever the next movie is, Giacchino’s going to have to write a new score, this time called “Enterprising Old Men “.

It will be a hit, and there will be a sequel.

It worked in Star Trek II…

I’d like to see throwback to Star Trek IV, where the Kelvin crew visit the world(s) that sent the alien probe to locate humpback whales.

They can maybe use stock footage from Lynch’s DUNE, since, like TVH, it also featured giant Tootsie-roll lookin’ space vessels.

A while ago I posted the idea of ST4 having the whale probe attacking kelvin earth a’la TVH and the JJ crew go back to San Fran 1986 for some whales but have to avoid running into their primeverse counterparts (TOS cast via cgi deaging and footage from TVH like Trials&Tribulations, BTTF2, Avengers Endgame etc), along the way they encounter/team up with Eddie Murphy’s UFO believing college professor called ‘Gene’ and kirk meets/romances an 80s aerobics instructor (Gal Gadot , but now maybe Dua Lipa whod also do the 80s inspired official song a’la Rhianna/Beyond ) who helps them out, plus thered be Lt Saavik (some new hot young actress) along for the ride replacing Chekov

I just get the feeling something fun and trippy and nostalgic like that would probably hit big at the box office (and avoid the usual super angry madman villain with space WMD who wants revenge on the Federation trope thats been done for the past 5? movies)

‘Star Trek’: Every Actor Who Played Captain James Kirk, From Shatner to Chris Pine (Photos)

Several. Different. James Kirks. Have. Sat. In. That. Chair.

With yet another actor cast to play James Tiberius Kirk on a “Star Trek” project (“Vampire Diaries” star Paul Wesley in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”), it’s time to talk about everyone who has boldly gone before him. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.)

William Shatner — “Star Trek: The Original Series” The one, the only, THE Captain. Shatner originated the character in 1966 and since then his every line as Kirk — and his unique style of line reading — is embedded in our consciousness as if placed there by a Vulcan mind meld. Admit it, you’re reading this like. Williamshatner. Is. speak. ingit. out. loud.

Sandra Smith — “Star Trek: The Original Series” Season 3, Episode 24, “Turnabout Intruder” Smith deserves special mention for a brilliant performance in a very problematic episode. Janice Lester (Smith), is a Starfleet officer and former lover of Kirk who forcibly switches bodies with Kirk in order to become a captain. She spends the entire episode trying to kill her own body (and Kirk’s mind) but is of course thwarted. Her performance as Kirk-in-Lester is extremely fun. The sexist premise not so much.

Chris Pine — “Star Trek” (2009) became the second most famous version of Captain Kirk in JJ Abram’s 2009 reboot, “Star Trek,” which takes place in an alternate universe created by a time traveling Romulan. As a result, Kirk becomes Enterprise captain a decade early — and also is revealed to be a classical music fan (the Beastie Boys are classical music to people in the future).

Jimmy Bennett — “Star Trek” (2009)  Bennett plays Kirk as a child during an early scene in the film, when we learn that in the new timeline, Kirk is something of a delinquent. In his one scene, he steals his stepdad’s car and blasts “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys at top volume. 

Paul Wesley — “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” We know next to nothing about Wesley’s take on Kirk, as he won’t debut in the role until the second season of “Strange New Worlds” in 2023. What we do know is it’ll take place close to a decade before the events of “The Original Series,” which means he won’t yet be a Starfleet captain. Likely we’ll encounter him as a lieutenant on the U.S.S. Farragut, the ship Kirk served on before being promoted to Captain and given command of The Enterprise. Unless of course, the show does something stupid with continuity like “Discovery” did with the awful Klingon redesign. Please don’t, guys.

HONORABLE MENTION: James Cawley/Brian Goss — “Star Trek: New Voyages” This 2008-2013 web series attempted to imagine what if the original “Star Trek” had continued past Season 3. Originally titled “Star Trek: Phase II,” Cawley played Kirk for the first 8 episodes, with Goss stepping in for the last 2.

HONORABLE MENTION: Vic Mignogna — “Star Trek Continues” Another fan production that attempted to emulate the look and feel of the original series, and key to pulling that off was Mignogna as Kirk. While not doing a parody, he did manage to nail Shatner’s weird swagger. 

• Starfleet command personnel
• USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel (alternate reality)
• USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) personnel (alternate reality)

James T. Kirk (alternate reality)

James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk was a 23rd century Human Starfleet officer . As a Starfleet cadet , he was instrumental in the defeat and death of Nero , a Romulan bent on the obliteration of the entire United Federation of Planets . As a result, he was commissioned directly to the rank of captain and appointed as commanding officer of the service's flagship , the USS Enterprise . ( Star Trek )

A year later in 2259 , Kirk faced Khan , an enhanced Human from the late 20th century with superior strength and intellect. However, the crew of the Enterprise managed to stop him, following the sacrifice of Kirk. Spock managed to capture Khan with the help of Uhura and Dr. McCoy managed to revive Kirk. Afterwards in 2260 , the Enterprise set out on the first five-year mission . ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

In 2263 , during its five-year mission, the Enterprise was destroyed by Swarm ships , led by Krall , stranding the crew on Altamid . The crew and Jaylah , who was also stranded by Krall, later managed to leave the planet after repairing the USS Franklin , a ship commanded by Balthazar M. Edison that went missing in 2164 . Kirk and his crew traveled to Starbase Yorktown and stopped revenge plans put into motion by Krall, who was revealed to be Edison. Afterwards, Kirk was given command of the USS Enterprise -A and continued his five-year mission. ( Star Trek Beyond )

• 1 Early history
• 2.1.1 Stowaway
• 2.1.2 First officer
• 2.1.3 Marooned on Delta Vega
• 2.1.4 Acting captain
• 2.2.1 Year One
• 2.2.2.1 Demotion
• 2.2.2.2 Pursuing "John Harrison"
• 2.2.2.3 Qo'noS
• 2.2.2.4 Uncovering a conspiracy
• 2.2.2.5 Death and resurrection
• 2.2.3.1 In the vastness of space
• 2.2.3.2 Loss of the Enterprise
• 2.2.3.3 Altamid
• 2.2.3.4 Saving Yorktown
• 2.3.1 Continuing the five-year mission
• 3.1.1 Spock
• 3.1.2 Leonard McCoy
• 3.1.3 Nyota Uhura
• 3.1.4 Christopher Pike
• 3.1.5 Montgomery Scott
• 3.1.6 Hikaru Sulu
• 3.1.7 Pavel Chekov
• 3.2.2 Khan Noonien Singh
• 3.2.3 Alexander Marcus
• 3.2.4 Krall
• 3.3.1 Gaila
• 3.3.2 Christine Chapel
• 3.3.3 Caitian twins
• 3.3.4 Carol Marcus
• 4 Awards and honors
• 5 Key dates
• 6.1 Catch phrases
• 7.1 Appearances
• 7.2 Background information
• 7.3 Apocrypha
• 7.4 External links

Early history [ ]

Kirk moments after his birth

James Tiberius ("Jim") Kirk was the descendant of pioneers of the American frontier during the late 19th century . ( TOS : " Spectre of the Gun ") He was also the youngest brother of George Samuel Kirk . ( SNW : " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ")

The second son of Starfleet officer George Kirk – first officer of the USS Kelvin – and his wife Winona Kirk , he was born on January 4th , 2233 aboard the Kelvin 's medical shuttle no. 37 , in the midst of an unprovoked attack on the Kelvin by the Narada , a 24th century Romulan mining vessel commanded by Nero .

As his prime universe counterpart was born on March 22nd, this means the attack may have caused him to be born more than 2 1/2 months premature.

Winona had been evacuated from the severely crippled Kelvin , along with the rest of the crew, and gave birth to James while George Kirk died piloting the Kelvin into the Narada in a kamikaze attack . The young Kirk was named James Tiberius after Winona's father and George's father , respectively.

James T. Kirk as a child

Jim was raised in Iowa , in Midwestern North America , on Earth . His mother remarried. As a young boy, Jim had a somewhat rebellious streak in him as he once, for example, stole his stepfather 's 1965 Chevy Corvette convertible, drove it recklessly, got into a high speed chase with local police, then nearly died when he barely managed to jump out, as he drove the car into a quarry . As he grew up, he had little sense of purpose and by 2255 , he was an aimless rebel who had found himself on the wrong side of the law on more than one occasion. ( Star Trek )

When Kirk was a boy, Winona told James that George had owned a PX70 motorcycle . According to Winona, George often put Winona on the back of the vehicle and it drove her nuts. ( Star Trek Beyond )

In a scene that was cut from the film Star Trek , rather than Winona Kirk remarrying, James T. Kirk and his brother, George Kirk, Jr. , were depicted as having been left to be cared for by her brother (or brother-in-law) Frank , who was verbally abusive to them whenever she was off-world. Jim always did as he was told but was saddened when his brother, due to the abuse, ran away from home. Jim was likewise angered by the abuse and, in the deleted scene, that was why he stole the antique car, which his brother revealed had belonged to their father even though Frank treated it as if it was his own. ( Star Trek  (Special Edition) DVD / Star Trek  (Three disc Blu-ray) / Star Trek: The Compendium Blu-ray special features)

Uhura actress Zoë Saldana once noted, " Kirk didn't really have a father figure around him, and always felt that he was meant for better, but went through so much neglect when he was growing up. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , p. 37)

In the film's script, Kirk was referred to as being eleven years old at the time of his joyride, suggesting it took place in 2244 , and a scene description at the end of that scene stated, " Damn if that kid doesn't have a swagger. It's like the first time he's ever stood in his life. " [1]

Kirk after the bar fight

While visiting a bar near the Riverside Shipyard in 2255 , an inebriated Jim met and began flirting with a Starfleet cadet named Nyota Uhura . Although annoyed by Jim's advances, Uhura was surprised that Jim knew what was involved in the study of xenolinguistics . Moments later, the twenty-two year-old Jim Kirk engaged in a bar fight with three male cadets, including Hendorff , who were irritated at his cocky attitude and the attention he was giving Uhura.

He was ultimately overwhelmed by the cadets until Captain Christopher Pike broke up the fight. Pike, who had written his dissertation on the USS Kelvin and was familiar with Jim's story, pushed the young man to challenge himself and reach the greater potential he was capable of achieving, calling him "the only genius-level repeat offender in the Midwest".

Pike tried to persuade him to join Starfleet , firmly believing he could do more with himself than get into bar fights and break all the laws in the state of Iowa. Kirk laughed at the idea of joining Starfleet, but Pike reassured him that, with his "off-the-chart" aptitude, he could make captain and have his own ship in only eight years. He reminded him that his father had saved eight-hundred lives, including Jim's and his mother's, and dared young Kirk to do better.

Kirk on his bike – just before enlisting in Starfleet

Soon after their conversation, and to the surprise of Pike, Jim decided to enlist with the intent of completing the Academy training in three years. He rode onto the shipyard, gave his bike to a construction worker , and boarded a shuttle for new recruits heading to Starfleet Academy . It was on his trip to the Academy where he first met and befriended Doctor Leonard McCoy .

Regarding Kirk's personality, the screenplay of Star Trek commented, " At 22, he's charming, witty, dangerous, rebellious. " The script also characterized the twenty-two year-old Kirk as "unformed, raw". In ultimately omitted dialogue from the same script, Kirk responded to Pike's appeal for him to join Starfleet by admitting Pike was right: he did want to feel special. However, he sarcastically added he therefore planned to start a book club . [2]

Starfleet career [ ]

Starfleet academy [ ].

During his time at the academy, Kirk would learn of Captain Balthazar Edison and the USS Franklin , the first ship capable of Warp 4. ( Star Trek Beyond )

Kirk in Cadet's dress uniform in 2258

Kirk and McCoy became close friends at the Academy, though Kirk frequently exasperated McCoy with his maverick nature. Kirk had an eye for attractive female cadets and he once ended up in the dormitory of an Orion female cadet named Gaila . He was caught and hid under the bed when her roommate, Cadet Uhura, arrived unexpectedly. On discovering him, she angrily threw him out.

It was at the Academy that Kirk also met Commander Spock . Kirk had failed the Kobayashi Maru examination twice but decided to take it a third time, being sure that he would succeed. He eventually managed to cheat the test and won. Spock, who programmed the "no-win scenario", later investigated the matter.

While discussing his cheating ways with head of the Starfleet Academy Board Admiral Richard Barnett , Kirk argued that the test itself was a cheat, and stated that he didn't believe in the no-win scenario. Kirk asked to face his accuser, and Spock stepped up. This was the first time the two met, and they clashed over their differences.

James T. Kirk at the Academy board inquiry regarding his recent conduct

Kirk and Spock continued to engage in a heated argument (the accused becoming particularly agitated when Spock suggested that, "of all people", George Kirk's son should recognize the no-win scenario), until the hearing was suddenly interrupted after Starfleet received a distress call from Vulcan .

According to his dossier at the official Star Trek movie website, as a Starfleet Academy cadet, Kirk was top of his class in survival strategies and tactical analysis and the assistant instructor in advanced hand-to-hand combat. He was also Treasurer of Starfleet Academy's xenolinguistics club.

Writer Roberto Orci felt Kirk served a semester on the USS Farragut , which his prime counterpart also did between 2255 and 2258. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 171 )

According to the films' iTunes app, Kirk spent two academic quarters onboard the Farragut under Captain Stephen Garrovick ( β ), and was awarded the Palm Leaf of Axanar Peace Mission of valor in 2256, just like his prime reality counterpart.

Stowaway [ ]

Kirk warns Pike and Spock of what awaits the Enterprise

Many of the cadets were called into action after the news but Kirk – who had been suspended because of his recent academic dishonesty charges – was not allowed to join. McCoy, however, was able to get him aboard the Enterprise by injecting him with a vaccine that temporarily rendered him sick so he could be transferred to the ship on medical grounds.

Kirk tried telling Captain Pike and Spock about Nero's attack and his trap, and with the help of McCoy and Uhura, he was able to convince Pike about the trap. Pike raised the Enterprise 's shields as they entered the Vulcan system, only to find a massive debris field of destroyed Federation starships having been attacked by Nero.

As Pike was en route to a shuttlecraft to negotiate with Nero, he appointed Kirk as acting first officer under acting captain Spock and volunteered Kirk to disable the Narada 's drill platform .

First officer [ ]

Kirk space-jumps onto the Narada 's drill platform

Along with Chief Engineer Olson and Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu , Kirk skydived onto the platform. Olson was vaporized by the drill, leaving only Kirk and Sulu to disable it. Facing off against two of Nero's crew, Kirk and Sulu eventually killed both of their adversaries before destroying the platform, but not in time to prevent Nero from successfully completing his plan to destroy the planet Vulcan.

Before returning to the Enterprise , Sulu fell off the drill platform and began plummeting toward the surface of Vulcan. Kirk jumped off the platform to save him. After intercepting Sulu, Kirk had the helmsman pull his parachute, but it was knocked off, leaving them both in freefall. However, Ensign Pavel Chekov managed to compensate for Vulcan's gravitational pull and beamed both of them on board.

Kirk attempted to dissuade Commander Spock from a rendezvous with the rest of Starfleet at the Laurentian system . He urged him to go after the Narada as the ship left for Earth, rather than waste time trying to gather additional forces in the opposite direction, but Spock was relentless. When Kirk became more and more heated in his objections, Spock finally ordered Kirk's removal from the bridge , knocked him out and threw him off the ship in an escape pod .

In the script of Star Trek , Kirk tackled not only Spock but also Sulu and Chekov in that same scene. However, they were evidently replaced by a pair of unnamed redshirts for the final edit of the film. [3]

Kirk's rank

Marooned on Delta Vega [ ]

Kirk marooned on Delta Vega

Kirk landed on Delta Vega , some fourteen kilometers away from a Starfleet outpost. Despite an inhospitable environment, he left his escape pod and soon was chased by an indigenous animal which was dispatched by an even larger predatory creature . When Kirk fled into a nearby cave, the creature was scared away by an elderly Vulcan man, who revealed himself to be Spock from a future timeline .

Though Kirk initially dismissed this as "bullshit", he changed his mind when the old man demonstrated his knowledge of Nero. The elderly Spock revealed to Kirk through a mind meld Nero's intentions, also telling him that in his timeline, Kirk was the captain of the USS Enterprise . Understanding that their only hope was to have the Enterprise pursue the Narada instead of returning to the fleet, they realized that they had to get the other Spock to step down from command.

Spock mind-melds with Kirk

Fortunately, while the Enterprise had long since left the system, Spock was aware that one of the officers at the nearby outpost was Montgomery Scott , who, in his universe , had devised a way to beam onto a ship at warp speeds . After Spock gave Scott his own equations a century ahead of schedule, Kirk was advised by Spock, before Kirk and Scott were beamed onto the Enterprise , that he needed to elicit an emotional reaction from the young Spock so that everyone could see that he was emotionally compromised and unfit for command; according to the elderly Spock, the only way to defeat Nero was for Jim to take command of the ship himself.

Acting captain [ ]

Kirk takes command of the Enterprise

Following the advice of Ambassador Spock, Kirk goaded Spock with assertions that Spock cared nothing for what had happened to Vulcan or the death of his mother , whom he accused Spock of never having loved. The last remark did the job and Spock violently attacked Kirk, nearly to the point of killing him, before Sarek stepped in and stopped him. Following Spock immediately relinquishing command. Kirk, as acting first officer, took command and ordered pursuit course of the Narada to Earth.

Kirk later beamed onto the Narada with Spock, who deferred to Kirk as captain. After an intense firefight in which they killed several Romulans, they made it to the elder Spock's ship . Upon being identified as its pilot, Spock quickly realized exactly who Kirk's unknown benefactor had been. Leaving Spock to secure the ship, Kirk went to retrieve Captain Pike.

Kirk leaps away from Romulans aboard the Narada

In searching for the captain, he encountered Nero and his first officer, Ayel . Kirk was quickly overpowered by the pair of Romulans, but when Nero, after boasting that he would kill Kirk just like he had with his father, discovered that Spock had destroyed the drill, he furiously returned to the bridge.

Initially, Kirk was no match for Ayel either, but the Romulan was overconfident and was too busy mocking his "weak" victim to notice the theft of his disruptor . Offered the chance to speak, Kirk's "last words" were " I got your gun! " and Kirk shot the Romulan Ayel point-blank in the chest. Kirk then retrieved Pike, who repaid his savior by grabbing the stolen disruptor and gunning down two Romulans walking in on the escape.

In the script of Star Trek (as of 5 November 2007 ), Kirk encountered neither Nero nor Ayel (who was already dead) aboard the Narada and his rescue of Pike was comparatively straightforward. In fact, whereas Kirk shoots numerous Romulans in the final version of the sequence, he instead managed to knock only one Romulan unconscious in the script, with Spock defeating the others. However, he did, at one stage thereafter, order Spock to brutalize an already defeated Romulan using Suus Mahna , a Vulcan martial art, in order to gain information from the Romulan, even though Spock was reluctant to do so, as the Romulan had already been beaten. [5]

Against Spock's advice once again, Kirk decided to give Nero and his remaining crew a chance to beam to the Enterprise and surrender. After Nero strongly declined, Kirk decided to fire all weapons, and the Narada was finally destroyed in a massive black hole created by red matter it was carrying. The Enterprise was nearly destroyed as well, but Kirk had Scott eject the ship's multiple warp cores and detonate them, creating a blast wave strong enough to push the Enterprise out of danger.

Commanding the USS Enterprise [ ]

Year one [ ].

Kirk takes the Enterprise out as her new captain

Upon his return to Earth, Kirk was commissioned as an officer in the United Federation of Planets Starfleet with the serial number SC937-0176CEC . ( Star Trek Beyond ) He was commended and officially appointed as captain of the Enterprise by Admiral Barnett for his actions, which demonstrated his ability as an extremely able commanding officer fully capable of leading a Federation starship crew in the most dire of situations.

In the script of Star Trek , Kirk, during this ceremony, was described as "composed, focused, a man ." It was also made clear in the script that a medal Kirk is awarded at the ceremony was intended to be a "commendation for original thinking," specifically for his "unique solution to the Kobayashi Maru ." [6] In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Kirk's prime-universe counterpart talks about having received such an award. However, the on-screen dialogue in the film Star Trek is edited in such a way as to make it seem as though the award is for the younger Kirk's "inspirational valour and supreme dedication to [his] comrades."

Dressed in his new captain's uniform, Kirk took command of the Enterprise . Commander Spock arrived and requested the permanent post as Kirk's first officer, which Kirk was honored to accept. He sat down in his chair and, officially as captain of the Enterprise , led his crew and ship to another adventure. ( Star Trek )

The script of Star Trek commented that seeing Kirk in his "iconic" gold-colored captain's uniform would be "to every fan's delight." [7]

Year Two [ ]

Demotion [ ].

" Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass you are? "

A year later , Kirk violated the Prime Directive on Nibiru , saving Spock's life from a cold fusion device detonation inside a volcano . During the rescue, the Enterprise was exposed to the primitive Nibirans , who began worshiping the ship as a god. Returning to Earth, Pike informed Kirk the Admiralty headed by Alexander Marcus would be sending him back to the Academy, and that perhaps he had been promoted too soon. That night, Kirk drowned his sorrows in a bar, when Pike appeared to reveal he had convinced Marcus to let him appoint Kirk his first officer, because he still had faith in the young man. As a result, however, Kirk was demoted to the rank of commander rather than captain.

Pursuing "John Harrison" [ ]

The two then attended a summit, in the Daystrom Conference Room at Starfleet Headquarters , regarding the bombing of the Kelvin Memorial Archive in London . Marcus ordered a manhunt for the perpetrator, a rogue commander named John Harrison . Kirk analyzed surveillance of Harrison at the debris site, and questioned why Harrison bombed an archive for the information he needed. Kirk then realized Harrison would be aware protocol dictated such an attack would precipitate meetings like these: Harrison then showed up in a jumpship and opened fire.

Kirk firing a phaser rifle

Kirk wrapped a fire hose around a rifle and threw it into the jumpship 's engine, causing it to crash. Before it did, Kirk saw Harrison glaring at him and then beaming himself away. Kirk returned to the conference room to find Spock with Pike, who had died of a chest wound, and mourned his friend's death.

The next morning, Kirk was notified by Scott that Harrison had used a portable transwarp beaming device to escape to Qo'noS , the homeworld of the Klingon Empire . Kirk informed Marcus, who explained the Archive had actually been a Section 31 facility, which Harrison had needed to steal the beaming device from. Marcus reinstated Kirk's command and rank as captain, giving him permission to hunt down and execute Harrison, and allowed him to reinstate Spock as his first officer.

To execute Harrison, Marcus gave the Enterprise seventy-two advanced long-range torpedoes to bombard Harrison's location from orbit, and assigned weapons expert Carol Wallace to the Enterprise . At a hangar, McCoy expressed his belief that Harrison was out of Kirk's league, while Spock protested executing Harrison without trial was immoral. Aboard the Enterprise , Scott protested about not being allowed to examine the torpedoes, and not having time to examine the ship's warp core, which was new but faulty. Kirk accepted Scott and Keenser's resignation, and appointed Chekov to replace Scott. Dejected, Kirk decided to listen to Spock and Scott's advice, and announced they would find Harrison and bring him back for a tribunal.

Kirk pilots the confiscated K'normian ship at Kronos

Before reaching Qo'noS, the Enterprise 's warp core broke down, so Kirk took an away team with Spock, Uhura, and Hendorff, disguised as K'normian arms dealers, to find Harrison in a K'normian trading ship .

Shortly after acting captain Sulu sent a targeted comm burst from the Enterprise to Harrison's location, Kirk's ship was attacked by a Klingon patrol, and despite maneuvering it through a narrowing gate, the away team found themselves surrounded. Kirk allowed Uhura to exit the ship and negotiate with the Klingons in their native language , but they refused to listen and tried to kill her. Before Kirk and Spock could come out firing phasers, Harrison appeared and single-handedly killed all the Klingons. Kirk accepted Harrison's surrender, but spitefully punched him, only to find his continuous blows had no effect on him.

Uncovering a conspiracy [ ]

Kirk and Spock confront a captured John Harrison in 2259

In the ship's brig , Kirk and Spock interrogated Harrison while Bones took a blood sample, which he studied by injecting into a dead tribble . Harrison only responded by giving Kirk a set of coordinates, and advised the captain to open one of the torpedoes. Spock informed Kirk that Wallace could examine the torpedoes, and also told the captain that he had learned she was actually Admiral Marcus' daughter, a fact Spock had chosen to reveal at that precise point because he felt the information had just become relevant. Kirk also called Scott via a communicator and asked him to investigate the coordinates.

McCoy and Carol Marcus took a shuttle to a meteor to examine a torpedo, but McCoy accidentally activated the countdown and trapped his hand in the device. Kirk ordered to beam them up, but was warned by Spock that beaming up McCoy would also beam up an exploding torpedo. Fortunately, Kirk avoided losing his friend when Carol deactivated the device with less than three seconds to spare. The torpedo finally opened up, and the two officers found it contained a man in cryogenic stasis .

Admiral Marcus dresses down Kirk over the viewscreen

Kirk interrogated Harrison again, who explained he had placed people in torpedoes to smuggle them before he was caught. He revealed he was actually the infamous Khan Noonien Singh, recruited by Admiral Marcus under a new identity to design weaponry and ships for war against the Klingons, and that the frozen people were his fellow Augments , whom the admiral had held hostage. Marcus suddenly showed up in a Dreadnought -class ship, the USS Vengeance , demanding Kirk hand over Harrison. Kirk revealed he knew the truth, and defied the admiral by having Sulu warp the Enterprise back to Earth, where Khan would stand trial and expose the conspiracy. However, the Vengeance was capable of catching up with the Enterprise in subspace and fired on the ship, halting it as it arrived near Earth and the planet's moon .

After Carol tried to bargain with her father but was simply beamed by him over to his ship, Kirk tried to hand himself over to protect his own crew, but Marcus explained he had no intention of letting anyone in on the plot survive. Before the Vengeance could finish off the Enterprise , its weaponry suddenly deactivated. Scott called Kirk, explaining he had stowed away aboard the Vengeance at the coordinates given by Khan, buying them some time. Kirk, realizing Khan had designed the ship, allied himself with him, and the two donned thruster suits to fly over and commandeer the vessel. Khan's formidable strength was an asset in dispatching any guards they encountered, but Kirk was suspicious of Khan's motives and ordered Scott to shoot him unconscious later.

Kirk, Scotty, and Khan run through the corridors of the Vengeance

When they reached the bridge, Kirk confronted Marcus over his betrayal of Starfleet's ideals. However, Scott's attempt to stun Khan did not affect him, and the Augment tackled Scott and Kirk before proceeding to kill Marcus and take the command chair . Khan ordered Spock to hand over the torpedoes, which he complied with, and in return he beamed Kirk, Scott, and Carol into the Enterprise brig .

Khan then turned on Spock, bombarding the Enterprise once more. Spock, who had the cryopods removed from the torpedoes, ordered them to be detonated, severely crippling the Vengeance ; the shockwave caused both ships to be pulled by Earth's gravity. Kirk and Scott ran to the warp core, trying to avoid falling to their deaths due to the Enterprise 's failing artificial gravity .

Death and resurrection [ ]

The death of James Kirk

Once they reached the Enterprise 's warp core, Scott warned entering it would flood the chamber with radiation, but as there was no time to put on a containment suit, Kirk knocked out Scott and secured him with a seat belt before entering the warp core. Kirk knocked the central component back in place, restoring power to the engines and preventing the Enterprise from crashing.

Meanwhile, Khan crashed the Vengeance into Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco . Scott woke up and called Spock to come to the area outside the warp core chamber, where Spock saw Jim dying from radiation poisoning . Jim bid goodbye to his friend, displaying the Vulcan salute with his hand on a glass door, then died. He heard the voices of his father, mother and Pike as he neared death.

Following decontamination, Kirk was taken to the Enterprise 's medbay, where McCoy and others silently mourned the loss of their captain. McCoy noticed the tribble he had injected with Khan's blood had come back to life, and realizing how to save Kirk's life, ordered his body be placed in a cryotube to preserve his brain functions. Spock and Uhura beamed down and apprehended Khan, enabling McCoy to create a serum from Khan's blood, which resurrected Kirk. However, the effects of the serum left Kirk unconscious for two weeks, after which he awoke in Starfleet Medical and was greeted by McCoy and Spock.

The five-year mission [ ]

Kirk giving his speech

Nearly a year after his death and resurrection, Kirk presided over the rechristening ceremony of the Enterprise and a memorial service to those who lost their lives in terrorist acts committed by Khan, before setting off on Starfleet's first five-year mission . ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

In the vastness of space [ ]

Three years later , Kirk was helping to negotiate peace between the Teenaxi Delegation and the Fibonan Republic , working as a neutral representative by presenting the Teenaxi with a dismantled weapon as a token of peace. Suspicious of the Fibonans, the Teenaxi attacked Kirk – though due to their diminutive stature, Kirk was mostly unharmed and was quickly beamed back to the Enterprise by Scotty.

Kirk and McCoy remember George Kirk in 2263

In his captain's log following the mission, Kirk expressed his frustrations with life aboard the Enterprise this far into its mission, stating he felt as though life had become "episodic." Near his thirtieth birthday , Kirk confided in McCoy over a drink, divulging that he now questioned his own motives for having joined Starfleet, as he had done so on Pike's dare, rather than because of a strong belief in the organization on his own behalf. Kirk was further upset by the fact that he would be turning one year older than George had been at the time of his death.

Due to these frustrations, Kirk applied for a promotion , seeking the position of vice admiral at Starbase Yorktown , when the Enterprise docked there for resupply.

Loss of the Enterprise [ ]

Kirk commands the Enterprise in battle at Altamid

After Kalara arrived at Yorktown and claimed her ship had crashed on planet Altamid in the Necro Cloud , Kirk volunteered the Enterprise for a mission to rescue the survivors. Once the craft traversed the unstable nebula, a massive cluster of unidentified ships was detected, approaching the Enterprise . Kirk quickly realized something was amiss and raised the shields before the oncoming Swarm ships began to dismantle the Enterprise , causing multiple hull breaches and severing the nacelles.

Kirk discovered the enemy was seeking the weapon he had tried to present to the Teenaxi, so he gave the artifact to Ensign Syl before the leader of the Swarm , Krall , could steal it. Realizing the ship's destruction was imminent, Kirk ordered the Enterprise crew to abandon ship. Kirk then attempted to execute a saucer separation , so the saucer section could safely land on the surface of Altamid. Kirk, however, ran into Krall and the two fought, but Uhura finally managed to sever the saucer section, sending Kirk to the surface of the nearby planet.

Altamid [ ]

Witnessing the crash of the Enterprise on Altamid

On the planet's surface, Kirk landed near where Chekov and Kalara also landed. Furious, Kirk confronted Kalara, realizing she had known the Enterprise would be attacked. She revealed Krall had kidnapped her crew and threatened to kill those personnel, unless she helped. Realizing they needed to locate the rest of the survivors from the Enterprise , the three went to the site where the vessel's saucer section had crashed, and they scanned for crewmembers there.

Kirk went to where he claimed to have left the weapon but was attacked by Kalara, who revealed she had been working for Krall all along and proceeded to contact him to let him know she had the weapon. Kirk, however, deceived her, having Chekov trace her communication to Krall. They were both attacked by his troops but escaped by activating the Enterprise thrusters, causing an explosion which in turn killed Kalara and thrust Kirk and Chekov through the air as they made their getaway.

Kirk actor Chris Pine was thrilled by the filming of the Enterprise 's saucer section exploding – for which he and Chekov actor Anton Yelchin were fastened to a harness and a rig, then hauled about twenty-five feet in the air. " That was pretty cool. It was like being on a rollercoaster, " said Pine. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 20)

The next morning, Kirk and Chekov walked into one of multiple traps prepared by Jaylah , a scavenger who was living on the planet, but they were freed after Scotty told her they were friends of his. Jaylah revealed she had made the wreckage of a 22nd century Federation starship – the USS Franklin – her home and, using the scanners, Kirk was able to locate Spock and McCoy, and beam them to the ship before Krall's drones were able to kill them.

Kirk helped treat an injured Spock, while he revealed that the weapon had come from Altamid. Using the trace from Kalara's communication and pinpointing it with a Vulcan amulet Spock had given Uhura, Kirk's team was able to learn the exact location of their former shipmates and formulate a plan to not only rescue them but also stop Krall before he attacked Yorktown.

Kirk saves the Enterprise crew on one of the Franklin 's motorcycles

Using a motorcycle from the Franklin and holographic technology from Jaylah, Kirk managed to distract Krall so that Spock and Jaylah were able to escape with the rest of the surviving Starfleet officers. Once they were all aboard the Franklin , Kirk, at the last second, managed to rescue Jaylah and get her back to the ship. While Krall left for Yorktown, Kirk and the crew followed on the Franklin .

Chris Pine found that filming Kirk's motorbike scene in Star Trek Beyond was difficult. " There were definitely [scary] moments, riding over scree and gravel, going pretty fast on a bike that I didn't know all that well, without a helmet, " he related. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 20)

Saving Yorktown [ ]

Kirk and the rest of the senior staff from the Enterprise , onboard the Franklin

When they arrived at Yorktown, Krall had nearly penetrated the base's defenses. Spock and Scotty realized they had to disrupt the communications between the drones in order to prevent the attack. As a result, Kirk ordered McCoy and Spock to transport onto one of the ships, in order to hack into the Swarm's frequency using a music player from the Franklin . They sent out a classical song over the frequency, rendering the drones unable to cooperate with each other and causing the destruction of all but three of the ships, one of which was being flown by Krall.

The Franklin pursued his ship into the base and was able to block Krall's attack, causing him to crash into the Franklin , presumably killing him. Kirk searched the ship with Uhura, for confirmation, but during the search, Uhura discovered a recording of the original Franklin crew and deduced from the footage that the captain of the ship, Balthazar Edison, was Krall. By looking at his file, they discovered he had been a soldier who fought during the Xindi and the Romulan Wars , after which he had been given command of the Franklin . He had slowly started to despise the Federation's views and had slowly gone insane in the century after the ship went missing.

" I think you're underestimating Humanity. "

Scotty and Jaylah realized that Edison was going to release the weapon in the base's ventilation system, killing the base's inhabitants. Confronting the now-disfigured Edison in the ventilation hub, Kirk revealed to him that he knew who he was. Kirk also tried to persuade Edison that he was underestimating Humanity and that the Federation was a cause of good.

While the hub lost gravity, Kirk fought Edison, seized the bioweapon from him, and attempted to eject it into space by opening an airlock . Kirk was attempting to open it when Edison regained his strength; he continued to fight Kirk but was ultimately ejected into space with the weapon, which then killed him. Kirk was nearly sucked out as well but was spared by the timely rescue of Spock and McCoy. Kirk and Commodore Paris then closed files on the Franklin 's late crew.

Commanding the USS Enterprise -A [ ]

Continuing the five-year mission [ ].

Kirk, McCoy and Spock watch the Enterprise -A under construction

Having gained a new insight into himself and his motives in the confrontation with Krall, Kirk declined the promotion to vice admiral and decided to remain the commanding officer of the Enterprise . Some time later, while the crew was on shore leave at Yorktown, the crew surprised Kirk with a birthday celebration at which he and his crew looked out onto the construction of the brand new USS Enterprise -A . After its completion, Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise -A resumed their five-year mission. ( Star Trek Beyond )

Relationships [ ]

Friendships [ ].

Kirk and Spock on the bridge of the Enterprise

Kirk initially had a largely antagonistic relationship with Spock , mainly due to their vastly different philosophies and approaches to command. The frictions began first at Starfleet Academy, when Kirk cheated on the Kobayashi Maru test Spock had designed.

In the script of Star Trek , the moment when Kirk and Spock meet eyes for the first time was described as "clock-stopping". Kirk also initially got Spock's name wrong in the script, calling him "Spork", though this doesn't happen in the final version of the film. [8]

The discord between Kirk and Spock continued when the disparate pair worked side by side on the USS Enterprise and Kirk was put in charge as second in command by Captain Pike. Tensions between the two culminated in Spock throwing Kirk off the ship altogether.

In another ultimately unused but scripted line of dialogue, Kirk – shortly following his dismissal from the Enterprise – said Spock's "only form of expression's apparently limited to his left damn eyebrow ." [9]

However, their attitudes towards each other softened after Kirk had an encounter with an older version of Spock from an alternate future, who revealed that in fact the two had shared a great friendship in his timeline. Upon returning to the Enterprise , Kirk goaded Spock into revealing his emotional instability. Kirk, as a result, was nearly killed by a raging Spock before the latter did exactly as Kirk wanted and stepped down, putting Kirk in charge of the ship. Once Spock had regained emotional equilibrium, Kirk insisted on teaming up with Spock on an away mission to the Narada and Spock deferred to Kirk's command.

After Kirk and Spock arrange to collaborate on the away mission, the script referred to their relationship as "a burgeoning friendship." The script later described them standing side-by-side on the Enterprise 's transporter platform, ready for the mission, as the first time they had faced the same direction as each other and "an iconic image." [10]

Kirk and Spock in the cockpit of the Jellyfish

From then on, the two worked as a team to stop Nero and rescue Pike, with Spock trusting Kirk to watch his back and even calling him "Jim" at one point. After Spock learned how important their friendship was from Spock Prime, Kirk happily accepted an offer from Spock to serve as the Enterprise 's first officer. ( Star Trek )

In the script of Star Trek , Kirk nearly laughed at Spock offering to provide "character references." The screenplay stated about the moment Kirk welcomes Spock onto the ship, " Something passes between them... it carries acceptance, and trust... " [11]

Kirk and Spock share a moment of friendship before Kirk's apparent death

A year later , Kirk fell out with Spock because Spock filed the mission report that caused Kirk's demotion, although Kirk's actions leading to this decision had been done to save Spock's life; Spock was more concerned with fulfilling Starfleet regulations than with sentimental notions, though he was relieved that Kirk was just demoted and not more severely punished. When split up, Kirk told Spock he'd miss him but this left Spock speechless, which somewhat annoyed Kirk.

However, Kirk wanted Spock reinstated as his first officer after Pike's death. Kirk later explained to Spock that the reason he had saved Spock's life was that he had come to see Spock as a friend (The real reason Kirk covered up his violation was most likely to protect Spock from the consequences). By this point, Spock had come to return the sentiment and was so upset by Kirk's impending death that he lost his temper and nearly killed Khan in revenge, until he learned that Khan's blood would save Kirk. Kirk and Spock also realized they each had handled the situation in the way the other would: Kirk sacrificed himself for the greater good, whereas Spock used unorthodox tactics to defeat the enemy. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

One influence on which screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman based Kirk and Spock's relationship was the friendship between Paul McCartney and John Lennon , two very different musicians who bonded early in life, partly because they both suffered through the loss of a parent (in Kirk's case, his father, and in Spock's, his mother). [12]

Nine hundred and sixty-six days into their five-year mission, both Kirk and Spock wished to leave the Enterprise – Kirk because he believed he needed stability to figure out who he truly was, and Spock because he wanted to leave Starfleet altogether and move to New Vulcan to help his species. After Spock saved Kirk's life, though, Kirk questioned what he himself would do without Spock as an ally, Kirk coming to the realization that he needed Spock.

Whereas Spock chose to remain in Starfleet, Kirk took back his application to vice admiral on Starbase Yorktown in order to remain on the Enterprise . The two were also shown to retain an amicable relationship and understanding of each other. Notably, while Kirk didn't want Spock on the away team to rescue the Enterprise crewmembers as he was injured, Spock requested to go as Uhura was amongst those trapped. While telling Kirk this, Spock once more called him "Jim" and Kirk agreed to let him go. ( Star Trek Beyond )

Leonard McCoy [ ]

Bones and Kirk as Starfleet cadets

Kirk and McCoy met on the transport shuttle Bardeen , which was headed to Starfleet Academy. The pair found themselves in adjacent seats where a slightly neurotic McCoy instantly opened up to the rebellious and somewhat incredulous Kirk. The two remained good friends throughout their time together at the Academy. Kirk began calling McCoy the nickname of " Bones " as the doctor had informed him when they first met that his ex-wife took everything in their divorce ; all he had left was his bones.

When the time came, McCoy always had Kirk's back, such as helping him get aboard the Enterprise after his suspension and berating Spock for throwing Kirk off the ship and marooning him on Delta Vega . Despite this, McCoy berated him for forcing Spock to resign command and responded with "you gotta be kidding me!" when he learned Kirk was first officer and thus the one to take command. ( Star Trek )

A year later, McCoy accompanied Kirk to Nibiru and they both ran away from the planet's angry natives when Kirk stole their sacred scroll. They both jumped off of a cliff into the ocean during the pursuit and swam to the Enterprise , much to McCoy's chagrin. Later, after Kirk was caught in John's Harrison's attack on Starfleet Headquarters, McCoy tried many times to scan Kirk for injuries, but Kirk ignored him, even when McCoy told him his vital signs were way off.

When the Enterprise arrived at Qo'noS to apprehend Harrison, McCoy inundated Kirk with metaphors – when the Enterprise 's warp core malfunctioned, " you don't rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat tire ", or when Sulu took command, " you just sat that man down at a high-stakes poker game with no cards and told him to bluff. " Kirk asked McCoy to dispense with the metaphors, calling it an order. Following this, Kirk was killed while sacrificing himself repairing the warp core to save his crew. McCoy was saddened at the death of his friend but noticed that the dead tribble he injected with Khan's blood was alive again. McCoy had Kirk put in stasis and later performed a blood transfusion, which saved Kirk's life. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Three years into the five-year mission, McCoy and Kirk shared a drink to commemorate Kirk's birthday. ( Star Trek Beyond )

Kirk's friendship with McCoy delighted Leonard Nimoy , who commented, " The two of them work so well together: they were just so wonderful to watch. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , p. 57)

The scene between Kirk and McCoy in Star Trek Beyond was inspired by the interaction between Captain Pike and Dr. Boyce in a particular scene from TOS : " The Cage ", one of Beyond Director Justin Lin 's three favorite installments of TOS. ( SFX , issue 276, p. 47)

Nyota Uhura [ ]

Kirk vents his frustrations for Spock to Uhura

Kirk first met Nyota Uhura at a bar in Iowa in 2255 , audaciously flirting with her while intoxicated, angering some other Starfleet cadet patrons of the bar, resulting in a fight. He met her again when the two studied at Starfleet Academy, although she preferred to keep a distance from him – not even ever telling him her first name – as she saw him as brash and uncouth. Trying to learn Uhura's first name became almost a mission for him.

The pair ended up serving together aboard the Enterprise , but she continued to maintain her distance from him. It was Kirk and his need for a xenolinguist that got her stationed on the bridge. Over the course of the mission, she gained some respect for him though was not pleased with his tactic of forcing Spock to relinquish command. Uhura was the first to call Kirk Captain, though it was sarcastically done. When Kirk was granted permanent command of the Enterprise , he chose Uhura as one of his senior officers. He also appeared stunned that her first name was Nyota. ( Star Trek )

Over time, her discomfort vanished and she began to show unwavering loyalty to her new captain. The two developed a friendship to the point that Uhura confided in him her relationship troubles with Spock. When Pike was killed, Uhura sincerely offered her condolences and concern for the captain. When Kirk died, Uhura cried and helped Spock bring Khan down while preventing him from killing him so they could save Kirk. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Over the next few years, the two maintained a close friendship and Uhura was shown to have a great loyalty to Kirk. During the Battle of Altamid , Uhura rushed to Kirk's aid when she realized he was in danger, risking her life to aid him in performing a saucer separation . In the face of Krall , Uhura showed absolute confidence Kirk would come for them and wouldn't leave his crew behind. ( Star Trek Beyond )

Christopher Pike [ ]

Kirk and Pike share a drink at a San Francisco dive

Christopher Pike and James T. Kirk developed a father-son relationship. Pike was the one who convinced Kirk to enlist in Starfleet and to make something of himself. He had once written a dissertation on the loss of the USS Kelvin , which Kirk had read at some point. ( Star Trek )

Even after Pike had to demote Kirk for contravening regulations, Pike wanted Kirk as his own first officer and did his best to encourage Kirk despite this setback. Kirk was later informed that Pike had done a lot to speak in Kirk's favor during the aforementioned disciplinary hearing.

When Khan Noonien Singh attacked the meeting of Starfleet brass in San Francisco , Pike was killed, and Kirk was distraught, weeping at the loss of his mentor and becoming consumed with vengeance. However, Kirk later recalled Pike having made him swear to the Captain's Oath , and how it called him to be an explorer, not an executioner. He later let go of his vengeance and arrested Khan instead in honor of Pike. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Nearly four years after Pike's death, Kirk reflected on his decision to join Starfleet on Pike's "dare" and considered giving up his command for a position at Starbase Yorktown , though he ultimately chose to remain and command the USS Enterprise -A . ( Star Trek Beyond )

Montgomery Scott [ ]

Kirk's relationship with Montgomery Scott began after he met the future Enterprise chief engineer on the planet Delta Vega . While marooned on Delta Vega, Kirk unwittingly sought, with the help of the future Spock , the Scotsman's help to return to the USS Enterprise while it was still warping to rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian system . He quickly learned that Scott was wiser than he lead on, after first impressions belied the fact that he had begun to postulate the theory of transwarp beaming while still on active duty (misplacing Admiral Archer 's beagle Porthos in the process, earning his isolation to Delta Vega).

Kirk and Scotty in the engine room of the Enterprise in 2259

With the aid of his transwarp beaming theory (and the future Spock) Kirk, along with Scott, managed to beam aboard the Enterprise , which was mid warp flight. Once on board the Enterprise , Scott had been inadvertently beamed straight into the ship's internal water recycling system. Following quick work by Kirk, Scott was freed, and they both tried to make their way out of engineering, only to be captured by security officers, sent by Spock, who was on the bridge.

Once on the bridge of the Enterprise , Scott was witness to Kirk's field promotion to captain, and was then instrumental in the efforts to sneak up on the war criminal Nero's ship, by helping to increase warp speed to factor 4 and to beam both Kirk and the newly-reinstated Spock onto the Narada while in the moon Titan's upper atmosphere. ( Star Trek )

A year later , Scott and Kirk had somewhat of a falling out over what to do with the torpedoes that were given to the Enterprise by Admiral Marcus . But following the defeat of Khan and the death of Admiral Marcus, Scott returned to his post as chief engineer on the Enterprise . ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Hikaru Sulu [ ]

Kirk and Sulu safe after free falling on Vulcan

Kirk seemed to have been surprised at Hikaru Sulu 's special training in close-hand combat, specializing in fencing . Kirk committed a selfless act when he dove off the drill platform to save Hikaru Sulu from death on Vulcan. When Kirk appointed himself as acting captain, Sulu reminded everyone that he was already first officer and therefore was able to take over the Captain's position on the Enterprise . Following the defeat of Nero, Sulu was assigned to the Enterprise as Helmsman under Kirk's command. ( Star Trek )

A year later , Kirk showed confidence in Sulu's leadership skills and left him in command of the Enterprise while Kirk led an away team to apprehend John Harrison. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Three years into the five-year mission, Kirk once again put Sulu briefly in command when the Enterprise engaged in battle with Krall's forces. Kirk and Sulu were among the last officers to leave the bridge when the destruction of the Enterprise was imminent. ( Star Trek Beyond )

Pavel Chekov [ ]

Kirk first met Pavel Chekov in 2258 when he smuggled on board the USS Enterprise . When Kirk took command of the ship after Spock stepped down due to his being emotionally compromised, he took young Chekov's suggestion that the Enterprise beam crewmembers aboard the Narada from the ship, using the magnetic distortion from Saturn 's rings to hide it from the enemy's sensors. ( Star Trek )

A year later , after Scott to resigned his duties over objections to the John Harrison manhunt, Kirk had enough confidence in Chekov to make him acting chief engineer . When the Enterprise was severely damaged, Chekov saved Kirk and Scott from falling to their deaths. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Kirk and Chekov on Altamid

Several years later, following the destruction of the Enterprise at Atlamid, Kirk and Chekov banded together on the planet's surface. Suspicious of the alien called Kalara, Kirk had Chekov track her transmission, ultimately leading to the discovery of Krall's base of operations. Barely escaping the wreck of the Enterprise , Kirk and Chekov made their way through the forests of Altamid together before becoming caught in Jaylah's booby traps set outside the wreck of the USS Franklin . ( Star Trek Beyond )

During production on Star Trek Beyond , Kirk actor Chris Pine thoroughly enjoyed filming Kirk's scenes with Chekov, in collaboration with Chekov actor Anton Yelchin . " I hadn't really gotten a chance in the previous two films to do that much with him, " Pine said, " and the energies of the two guys are definitely good fodder for comedy. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 20)

Enemies [ ]

Chris Pine once observed that Nero, Khan and Krall were all angry characters whose anger was a reflection of Kirk's own anger. Pine was additionally of the belief that Kirk saw "a lot of his own anger" in both Khan and Krall. ( SFX , issue 276, p. 55)

Nero killed Kirk's father George in 2233 . Despite this, Kirk was willing to offer assistance to his father's killer when his ship was caught in between a black hole created by the remaining red matter. However, the Romulan refused his assistance and stated that he'd "rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times" and "die in agony". Kirk obliged him by completing the destruction of the Narada as it was consumed by the black hole. ( Star Trek )

Khan Noonien Singh [ ]

"The enemy of my enemy" - Kirk strikes a deal with Khan

Under the identity of John Harrison, Khan killed Christopher Pike and other members of Starfleet in 2259 , causing Kirk to seek revenge. Eventually capturing Khan, Kirk soon learned of his true identity and the fact that he had aided Admiral Marcus in the building of Starfleet weapons.

Kirk decided to team up with Khan to stop Marcus, though Khan eventually betrayed Kirk to overtake the USS Vengeance . After Khan killed Marcus and attacked the Enterprise , Kirk sacrificed himself to save the crew. Khan was eventually captured, due to efforts by Spock and Uhura, and put back into suspended animation. Kirk was soon revived using Khan's blood, which was administered to Kirk by McCoy. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

In an interview, Chris Pine once contemplated how Kirk was deeply affected by Khan. Primarily referring to the former character, Pine said, " This arrogant man at the beginning of the film, who thinks he can do anything, quickly realizes that he can't. He realizes he's not the smartest, not the fastest, not the ballsiest, not the strongest, and he finds himself on his knees, very, very scared. I think Harrison's ability to laser in on Kirk's insecurities, and magnify them, and then mirror them back at him, is terribly frightening for Kirk, as he finds himself in the middle of this storm. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 23)

Alexander Marcus [ ]

Despite Marcus's demotion of Kirk, in their early meetings the two had what could have been described as grandfather-grandson relationship. However, after Khan confessed his role in the Admiral's plot to wage war with the Klingons, Kirk began to doubt the Admiral and viewed him as a war criminal. Marcus himself did not have an antagonistic relationship with Kirk until the Captain lied and tried to warp Khan and the Enterprise to Earth, though he later outright admitted that he was going to kill him and the Enterprise's crew from the start of the mission he assigned them to.

To cover up the conspiracy, Marcus branded Kirk as "having gone rogue" when he attempted to warn Starfleet. Their last meeting occurred when Kirk tried to arrest him for high treason, with the Admiral openly mocking Kirk's naivete. The relationship ended when Khan crushed Marcus' skull in revenge for treating him like a slave. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Kirk fights Krall at Yorktown

In 2263 , Balthazar M. Edison , once the commanding officer of the USS Franklin and later known as Krall, attacked the Enterprise , destroying it with the help of his Swarm ships and stranding the crew on Altamid . Krall had been stranded on the planet after his ship went missing in the 2160s and had planned revenge by attacking Starbase Yorktown . Kirk and his crew, with the help of Jaylah , managed to find and repair the Franklin , traveling to Starbase Yorktown and putting a stop to Krall's plans to destroy it. ( Star Trek Beyond )

Romances [ ]

Kirk seduces fellow cadet Gaila

Kirk had a relationship with Gaila , Uhura's Orion roommate at the Academy. However, when she professed her love for him in bed, he responded it was "weird". ( Star Trek )

Christine Chapel [ ]

Kirk also had a relationship with Christine Chapel , a Human nurse. After it ended, she moved from the Enterprise to nurse on the outer frontier. When Carol Marcus brought her up in a conversation, he did not seem to remember her. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Caitian twins [ ]

On his return to Earth in 2259 , Kirk slept with Caitian twin sisters in his apartment . ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Carol Marcus [ ]

Kirk talking to Carol Marcus

Kirk had an obvious and mutual attraction to Carol Marcus upon their first meeting and personally, and somewhat awkwardly, welcomed her aboard when she was permanently assigned to the Enterprise for the first five-year mission a year later . ( Star Trek Into Darkness ) However, she was no longer serving onboard the ship three years later . ( Star Trek Beyond )

Awards and honors [ ]

For his role in saving Earth from Nero's attack, Kirk was awarded a medal and assigned to the USS Enterprise as Pike's relief. ( Star Trek )

Key dates [ ]

• 2233 : Born on Medical shuttle 37 that was attached to the late USS Kelvin
• 2233 – 2255 : Raised in Iowa
• 2255– 2258 : Cadet / lieutenant at Starfleet Academy
• Appointed acting first officer of the USS Enterprise
• Elevated to acting captain of the USS Enterprise
• Appointed captain of the USS Enterprise
• Demoted to first officer of the Enterprise
• Demoted to commander
• Reinstated to captain to hunt John Harrison, revealed to be Khan Noonien Singh
• Poisoned saving the Enterprise and crew, but revived with Khan's blood
• Attends the re- christening ceremony of the Enterprise
• Sets off on first five-year mission
• Applies for promotion as vice admiral
• Attacked by Krall and the Swarm, leaving the Enterprise destroyed
• Takes command of the USS Franklin and defeats the Swarm
• Fights Krall on Starbase Yorktown and manages to defeat him
• Declines promotion to vice admiral and decides to continue five-year mission aboard the USS Enterprise -A

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Citizen, what is your name? " " My name is James Tiberius Kirk! "

" If you don't give me a name, I'm gonna have to make one up. " " It's Uhura. " " Uhura? No way! That's the name I was gonna make up for you! "

" I'm impressed. For a moment there, I thought you were just a dumb hick who only had sex with farm animals. " " Well, not only... "

" Do you like being the only genius-level repeat offender in the Midwest? " " Maybe I love it. "

" Four years ? I'll do it in three . "

" Two Klingon vessels have entered the neutral zone and are locking weapons on us. " " That's ok. " " That's ok?! " " Yeah, don't worry about it."

" I don't believe in no-win scenarios . "

" Who was that pointy-eared bastard anyway? " " I don't know. But I like him. "

" I am Spock. " (Pause) " Bullshit. "

" You gotta be kidding! " " Thanks for the support. "

" Attention crew of the Enterprise , this is James Kirk. Mr. Spock has resigned commission and advanced me to acting captain . I know you are all expecting to regroup with the fleet, but I'm ordering a pursuit course of the enemy ship to Earth. I want all departments at battle stations and ready in ten minutes. Either we're going down... or they are. Kirk out. "

" Your species is even weaker than I expected... You can't even speak ... What? " " I got your gun! "

" What're you doin' here? " " Just following orders. "

" I would rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times. I would rather die in agony, than accept assistance from you. " " You got it. Arm phasers, fire everything we've got. "

" Bones... buckle up! "

" If Spock were here, and I were there, what would he do? " " He'd let you die. "

" I gave you my ship because I saw a greatness in you. And now, I see you haven't got an ounce of humility. "

" That's your problem, you think you're infallible! You think you can't make a mistake. It's a pattern with you! The rules are for other people! " " Some should be. " " And what's worse is you using blind luck to justify your playing god! "

" I said if anyone deserves a second chance, it's Jim Kirk. " " I don't know what to say. " " That is a first.... It's gonna be okay, son. "

" Where I come from, if someone saves your life, you don't stab them in the back."

" CLEAR THE ROOM! "

" On behalf of Christopher Pike – my friend – I accept your surrender. "

" Let me explain what's happening here. You are a criminal . I watched you murder innocent men and women. I was authorized to end you...and the only reason why you are still alive, is because I am allowing it. So SHUT... YOUR... MOUTH! "

" Sir, My crew was just... was just following my orders. I take... I take full responsibility for my actions. But they were mine and they were mine alone. If I transmit Khan's location to you now, all that I ask is that you spare them. Please, sir. I'll do anything you want. Just let them live. "

" I'm sorry. "

" You're right! What I'm about to do, it doesn't make sense, it's not logical, it is a gut feeling! I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I only know what I can do. The Enterprise and her crew needs someone in that chair who knows what he's doing. And it's not me. It's you, Spock. "

" I'm scared, Spock. Help me not be. "

" There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them, we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us. But that's not who we are. We are here today to rechristen to USS Enterprise, and to honor those who lost their lives... nearly one year ago. When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship, he had me recite the Captain's Oath. Words I didn't appreciate at the time. But now I see them as a call for us to remember who we once were and who we must be again. And those words... "

" Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise . Her five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before. "

" Where shall we go? " " As a mission of this duration has never been attempted – I defer to your good judgment, captain. "

" Just another day in the 'Fleet. "

" Do you believe every sad story you hear? " " Not every. "

" What did Krall want with this thing? " " To save you...from yourselves. "

" Mr. Sulu. You can... you know... fly this thing, right? " " You kidding me, sir? "

" Let's make some noise "

" That's a good choice "

" I think you underestimate Humanity. " " I fought for Humanity! Lost millions to the Xindi and Romulan wars. And for what? For the Federation?! To sit me in a Captain's chair and break bread with the enemy! " " We change. We have to. Or we spend the rest of our lives fighting the same battles. ".

" You lost. There's no way for you to make it back there! Give up! " " What, like you did? I read your ship's log Captain James T. Kirk. At least I know what I am! I'm a soldier! " " You won the war, Edison. You gave us peace! " " Peace...is not what I was born into. "

" You...can't stop it. You will die. " " Better to die saving lives, than to live with taking them. That's what I was born into. "

" Vice Admirals don't fly, do they? " " No. They don't. " " Well, no offense, ma'am, but where's the fun in that? "

" To the Enterprise ... and to absent friends. "

Catch phrases [ ]

" Take us out."

" Attention, crew of the Enterprise . "

" You have the conn. "

" My name is James Tiberius Kirk. "

" Lieutenant Uhura, open a ship-wide channel. "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• Star Trek (First appearance)
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Star Trek Beyond

Background information [ ]

Joshua Greene as Kirk

James T. Kirk was portrayed by Chris Pine . Young Kirk was portrayed by Jimmy Bennett . Newborn Kirk was portrayed by a silicone puppet. [13] For the scene in which Kirk runs into a cave on Delta Vega, child actor Joshua Greene served as body double for Pine, with the producers arranging for Greene to momentarily play Kirk so the entrance of the cave would look bigger.

Chris Pine repeatedly auditioned for the role of the alternate reality Kirk, not caring much if he got the assignment to play him. " I auditioned for it in spring 2007 , just bombed the audition, and didn't think twice about it, " Pine remembered. " I knew it was for Star Trek , but I didn't have much interest in it [....] Just like many auditions, you go in, you bomb it, you move on and that's life. Then about five months later, I come back from doing a couple of small movies back to back, and my agent asked me if I wanted to come in. Again I didn't have much interest in doing it, [...] [but] I went in and auditioned. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 141 ) Pine, after describing himself as "just not a sci-fi guy," continued, " I didn't want to talk about phasers and thrusters and all that kind of stuff! " ( SFX , issue 276, p. 54)

Before making his on-screen debut as Kirk, Pine consulted the originator of the part, William Shatner . " I wrote him a letter when I originally got the role, in which I just basically said that I wasn't trying to take over his role , " Pine explained. " I understood the big shoes I was stepping into, and that I would never want to offend him by doing the character an injustice [....] I just wanted to do as good a job as he'd done. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 141 ) Shatner replied, hopeful Pine would be successful in the forthcoming movie. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 141 ; Star Trek Magazine  issue 140 )

Pine has said in the past that he was influenced in part by Harrison Ford's acting in " Star Wars " and " Indiana Jones ", as well as Tom Cruise's acting in "Top Gun" . [14] [15]

While Chris Pine was beginning to play Kirk, J.J. Abrams helped him with the part, allowing Pine a great deal of free reign in portraying the character. " It made me feel a little bit safer, " admitted the actor, " that I wasn't originating the role; I was merely taking it over for a little bit to see what I could do with it. Ironically, there is some safety in that. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 141 ) On the other hand, Pine also related that he actually never felt as though he was borrowing the role, but that he always felt he owned it. ( SFX , issue 276, p. 55) " Whatever issues I might have had about stepping into such an iconic role, into a piece that has already been done, and done well, by many others, " he went on, " was laid to rest by this man [Abrams], who at the get go told me that he wanted to create something new [....] I was not to worry about trying to mimic Mr. Shatner, but to create something new and different and unique. That was really exciting and really fun to be around. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 141 ) Indeed, being permitted such a degree of freedom with the character prevented Pine from ever feeling an overbearing sense of responsibility. " I hope I brought everything that I could to the role [....] I certainly felt a responsibility to do justice to what Mr. Shatner did, but I never felt like I had to in some way impersonate the Kirk that he embodied. Really, at the end of the day, I think I would have been doing an injustice to the story, and to my fellow actors, if I was trying to figure out some genius way of impersonating William Shatner, because then it would become an impersonation, not an original incarnation, " Pine reckoned. " My version of the character people would have been taking apart to see how I was trying to achieve that perfect mimicry, whereas it shouldn't be like that. It should be about the story, so I had to throw caution to the wind and say, 'Screw it, here it is, here's my version of it.' I understand that it's a lose-lose situation in many ways, because I know some people are going to want to see a younger version of Mr. Shatner. I am not that, because I am simply not William Shatner. I'm my own person. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , p. 11) Despite decidedly not impersonating Shatner's take on Kirk, Pine noted, " I thought it was necessary to pay tribute to that. " As such, he actually infused his own version of the character with some of Shatner's performance attributes, especially his humor from Star Trek: The Original Series . ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 20) " It was fun in the first one to throw in little peppers of Shatner, " Pine reminisced, " because he's so fun. That makes people smile. But J.J. never wanted that. He told me specifically not to do that. " ( SFX , issue 276, p. 55)

What Pine has based his portrayal of Kirk on more are the scripted depictions of him. Thus, the actor explained, " I think of Kirk as less of an iconic character and more as a character given to me on the written page. I used my script as my 'bible', and tried to make sense from that. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 20) He later recalled about how he was able to adopt such a well-established role, " I just had to look at the script and say, 'If this script was attached to no other iconography or mythology, how would I do it?' I'd just have to create the character that I was given. The guy that I was given was a real maverick, kind of a pain in the ass, a lot of fun… He's the classic rogue. He had no attachment in my mind to any other character named Jim Kirk. He was just the guy in that particular script – which gave me a lot of freedom to do whatever I wanted. " ( SFX , issue 276, p. 55)

When adopting the part, it was important to Pine that Kirk be depicted as a relatable Human. " Kirk's interesting because he is the Everyman presented with an unbelievably epic, daunting task, an opportunity, a challenge, and he has a very difficult choice to make. It just happens it's one of the big ones, like 'try to save planet Earth' kind of thing. I think what's great about it is he's insecure, he's damaged, he's cocky, he is brash. He is all these things at once, and he's a hero, but a very Human hero, " the actor commented. " Anyone looking at it can see themselves in James T. Kirk. That's what was great about it. It wasn't far from myself, and I don't think the character is far from anybody. When presented with a great challenge, it's your choice to either step up to it, and try to take it on head first, or not. You try to do the best you can. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 141 )

Regarding how Kirk is presented in the film Star Trek , Chris Pine believed that, rather than be suddenly given a direction for his life, Kirk changes gradually. " I think there are stages in the progression of his becoming that mature leader. We're not reinventing the wheel here. It's Joseph Campbell 's reluctant hero's journey. It's a version of a story that's been told since the beginning of time in every single culture on the planet. " One motivation Kirk has, at least in Pine's opinion, is the challenge to improve himself that Pike gives him. " Kirk takes it head on. That doesn't mean that right at the get-go, right when he accepts that challenge, he becomes a reasoned, mature leader. There's an arc to that journey. " Pine also "certainly" found that, by the end of the film, Kirk is "getting there." The actor continued, " What it shows is all that passion, that drive, that impulsiveness and arrogance can be molded and shaped into something a little bit more functional in a team setting. But it's exactly those qualities that make James Kirk a great man. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , p. 10)

Chris Pine approved of the many different emotions he was able to play while portraying Kirk in the initial movie. " I think what was great about Kirk is that I get to really run the gamut of emotions, and I get to run the gamut of every single genre within this character. I get to be a comedian, an action hero, a take-charge leader. I get to be my own version of Jason Bourne – I have all these different qualities that I get to bring to life. I don't think I'd be doing anyone any favors by saying which was the most satisfying [....] It's like any boy's dream. Playing pretend on that multimillion dollar Bridge was like playing cops and robbers with real horses and real robbers! " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , p. 11)

There were, however, particular moments in the initial depiction of the alternate reality Kirk which appealed to Chris Pine. " There was a lot of humour and a lot of action [to] it, but what really got me about the role were two pivotal scenes at the beginning of the movie that lays out James T. Kirk to a T. Those were the most exciting scenes, and the ones I was most looking forward to taking on. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 141 ) The two scenes Pine was drawn to were the scene in which Kirk tries to flirt with Uhura upon first meeting her but gets into a bar fight with a group of Starfleet cadets, and the next scene, in which he talks with Christopher Pike while still in the bar. A year after making the previous statement, Pine elaborated about that pair of scenes, " Not that it's 'Kirk to a T,' but it certainly explains much of who he is and I guess why he has so much anger and such a passionate dislike of Starfleet before he changes his mind. I also think in those two scenes you get a chance to see [...] Kirk's sense of humor. J.J. really wanted to make sure [...] that Kirk is that wisecracking, smart but kind of directionless young man. " Pine additionally remarked that he " loved the bar scene because I get to be that kind of bad ass hero that I grew up watching. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , pp. 10 & 11)

In the stage directions for his bar fight, the script characterized Kirk as a "spirited" fighter. [16] His fighting style was purposely designed to suit the character's personality. Regarding how this is shown in the film Star Trek , Pine observed, " The kind of baser, more brutal instincts of Kirk [compared to Spock] are seen in that bar fight at the beginning... And the fight with Ayel, and the fight with Nero! " Sulu actor John Cho agreed, " Chris Pine had more of a barroom brawler type of training. " For the same film, Pine trained for three or four hours a day, over a stretch of two months. He found the training was "intense" but "a lot of fun." ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , pp. 12, 41 & 13)

Screenwriter Roberto Orci joked, in a message board post, that the radiation from Kirk's premature birth in space caused his eyes to go blue, considering that the prime Kirk has hazel eyes. [17]

Chris Pine approved of the maverick, wildcard side of Kirk's personality being shown. " I think it was very important, especially for the first film, to have that version of the character, " the actor remarked. " There were fans that were dismayed that he had so much bravado – but there's no place for the character to go if you don't start somewhere. " ( SFX , issue 276, p. 54) As such, inspired by the portrayal of an evil Kirk in TOS : " The Enemy Within ", Pine proposed to J.J. Abrams that, in Star Trek Into Darkness , the alternate reality Kirk might undergo a similar transformation. " I wanted [him] to go dark and rogue, " noted Pine, though his request wasn't granted. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 20; SFX , issue 276, p. 54)

Kirk's demotion at the start of Star Trek Into Darkness was prompted by fan criticism that the character had been promoted too quickly at the end of Star Trek . [18] Orci and Kurtzman described the second film as being about Kirk earning the captain's chair, and proving that by sacrificing himself. [19]

After J.J. Abrams gave the script for Star Trek Into Darkness to the cast members, Kirk's character arc made sense to Chris Pine, as did Abrams' advice. " Really, what he kept stressing in the second one was the fact that Kirk might have gotten the Captain's chair in the first one, but in the second one he has to earn the Captain's chair, " Pine recollected. " What does it mean to be a leader? In the first one, he became one very quickly and accidentally. In the second one, he finds himself growing up very fast, becoming an adult very fast. The bravado he does so well in the first film, in the second maybe isn't the best quality or color with which to lead these men and women into battle. It's really about humility, and maturity, and growing up in a couple of hours [....] The fact that Kirk is the Captain of this ship, and is going through a major existential crisis, does not bode well for where the crew and the Enterprise find themselves in the middle of this picture [....] This Kirk is still trying to figure the best way to lead, and who his consigliores are, and who it's wisest to trust [....] I think it makes for an interesting story. " Pine found returning to play Kirk, however, was more nerve-wracking than when he introduced the character in the previous film. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , pp. 21 & 23)

The script of Star Trek , upon describing Kirk's reaction to the death of Amanda Grayson , stated, " There's no cheating death, " though that is precisely what Kirk himself does in Star Trek Into Darkness . [20]

Chris Pine appreciated the reasons behind Kirk's actions in the movies Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness . " [Those films] were, for Kirk, a lot about dealing with the loss of his father, looking up to his second father [ Bruce Greenwood 's Captain Pike], and taking guidance from him while living in the shadow of the legacy of this father that he never got to meet; the anger he feels at having not met him and known him, " Pine mused. " Those are all wonderful motivators for Kirk – to try to get noticed, to do a good job, to be the best. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 18)

Chris Pine working with Star Trek Beyond Director Justin Lin

During the development of Star Trek Beyond , the film's writing team were somewhat uncertain how to forward the character of Kirk, but did decide to set the film a couple of years after the previous movie. The director of Star Trek Beyond , Justin Lin , stated, " Especially coming after Into Darkness , where Kirk actually sacrificed himself for everybody already, how do you go on? The time jump was important, because what happens after that? When Kirk thinks about life, what does that mean? How does that reflect on him, and those more subtle, existential issues? With the time we were allowed to have, it helps Kirk in this instance. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 8) Simon Pegg , as he was co-writing the film, consulted Chris Pine about any character requests he had, to which Pine asked for the humor from earlier in the series to be preserved and protected in the forthcoming movie, a desire which influenced the writing of Kirk's scenes with Chekov in the film. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 20)

Chris Pine's portrayal of Kirk inspired the costumes which were designed for Pine to wear in the film. " Because he's such a gorgeous guy, I saw him as almost like a space cowboy, " admitted Costume Designer Sanja Hays . " So, for me personally, I just wanted to do justice to him, and make him look as good as possible, because he's such a charismatic man. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 42)

The notion of presenting a maturer Kirk in Star Trek Beyond was welcomed by Chris Pine, who said, " What I really enjoy about this part of Kirk's arc is that he's relieved of all the onus of trying to live up to his father and the anger of never having met his father, all the stuff that drove the first couple of films. " Pine was aware too that, in Beyond , Kirk is nonetheless still partly as he was in the film Star Trek , retaining a sense of being an "iconoclast that is beholden to his own sense of morality and not anybody else's rules and regulations." Pine also pointed out that his hairstyle in Star Trek Beyond is one of several stylistic "nods" to TOS in the movie, commenting, " My haircut in the film is a bit '60s Kirkian! " Conversely, Pine thought it was still important that he not impersonate Shatner's Kirk in the film, adding, " My role is to disappear, [...] so I've got to blend into the background enough to let [Krall actor] Idris [Elba] do his stuff. " ( SFX , issue 276, pp. 54 & 55) While working on Star Trek Beyond , Pine felt an increased sense of personal ownership regarding the role of Kirk. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 20)

Chris Pine has admitted that his portrayal of Kirk has been influenced by his own real life experiences, and speculated about how Kirk would cope with a promotional tour, the likes of which he and his castmates undertook to promote Star Trek Beyond . " I think he'd probably be a big fan of the hanging out with friends, and not so big a fan of answering questions, " Pine reckoned. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 20)

When asked (shortly after the making of Star Trek Beyond ) if he could imagine playing an older and retiring Kirk in a few decades, Chris Pine answered, " That's too far in the future for me to say, but at this point, I'd be very interested, sure. " Pine also acknowledged that he loves the character of Kirk and expressed an interest in continuing to return in the role, despite being unsure of precisely how his version of Kirk will develop in the future. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 22)

McCoy actor Karl Urban once stated about his co-star Chris Pine, " He is absolutely spot on as Kirk. " With a laugh, Zoë Saldana agreed, " His approach to the character, the kind of Kirk that he and J.J. created, is so much fun. He's so sexy, so entertaining, and at the same time such a leader. This Kirk is no different than the original one: definitely a flirt, and the cockiness is overbearing at times, but it makes him who he is [....] And there's an intriguing sensitivity about him. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , pp. 22 & 35) Khan actor Benedict Cumberbatch raved, " I think Chris [Pine] is one of the best leading men there is. He's extraordinary in the performance he gives. He's really smart, he varies his game, he's constantly grinding away at the script, the story arcs. He's always paying attention to where his character is, and Kirk's story in the overall scheme of things. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 172 , p. 27) Jonathan Frakes concurred, " Pine is perfect as Kirk. " ( SFX , issue 270, p. 63)

The 2013 virtual collectible card battle game Star Trek: Rivals uses screenshots for card #36, Recruit James T. Kirk, card #56, Cadet James T. Kirk, card #84, Acting First Officer James T. Kirk, and card #101, Captain James T. Kirk.

Pine's Kirk was considered for an appearance on Star Trek: Prodigy . Aaron Waltke recalled, " At one point, I think we had discussed the possibility of what other universes can we explore? And I think at one point, we talked about trying to bring in even the Kelvin universe, but we just simply didn't have time in the “Cracked Mirror” episode, where they're going into all the different universes. And we were like, ‘Oh, what if we brought in that Captain Kirk, and he had to help them for a couple of episodes?’ It was a cool idea, but it was just a little bit too many sauces in the stew kind of a thing. I think it would have been fun. But I think it would have diverted from the story we were telling. It would have been the Captain Kirk show for a couple of episodes. Maybe that's season three, we'll find out. " [21]

Apocrypha [ ]

His female counterpart

The novelization of Star Trek by Alan Dean Foster states that Winona Kirk was given an inhibitor that would help slow the birth of James until the Kelvin 's return to Earth. However, the impacts to the ship by the Narada 's attack cause her to go into early labor. The novelization also merges the conflicting abusive-adult characters, making "Frank" the boys' step-father, and revealing that he wanted the car washed because he planned to sell it behind Winona's back, which is what truly drives Jim to steal it.

Kirk is one of the playable characters in the 2013 Star Trek video game. Prior to leaving the bridge for his trip to Helios Station ( β ), Sulu and Kirk briefly discuss friendly sparring matches they'd had in the past. According to Sulu, Kirk was improving, as he almost made contact the last time.

According to the comic book I, Enterprise! Part 2 (Issue #32 of the Star Trek: Ongoing comic series), Kirk's identification number is 0001.

In comic book two-parter " Parallel Lives, Part 1 and 2 ", Kirk has an equally reckless female counterpart named Jane Tiberia Kirk.

In the first issue of Star Trek: Boldly Go , Kirk, along with Dr. Leonard McCoy and Pavel Chekov were assigned to the USS Endeavour .

External links [ ]

• James T. Kirk (Kelvin timeline) at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• James T. Kirk at Wikipedia
• 1 Bell Riots
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

• More to Explore
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Published May 17, 2022

Strange New Worlds 101: The Kirk Family

Let’s talk about one of Trek’s most famous families.

StarTrek.com

Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode two to follow!

Welcome back to Strange New Worlds 101! Last week, we explored the history of the Prime Directive (or, as Pike calls it, General Order 1), and this week we’re diving into one of the most famous families in all of Star Trek : the Kirk family. While fans are definitely familiar with one James Tiberius Kirk, Strange New Worlds is shifting the spotlight over to Samuel Kirk, Jim’s older brother.

Audiences first met Samuel Kirk in a way, in the TOS episode “Operation — Annihilate!” Samuel unfortunately was a victim of the strange parasitic creatures that had overtaken the colony he lived on, though his wife and child survived. Sam is also mentioned in the TOS episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”, where Kirk mentions his brother was there to send him off on his five year mission, along with his sister-in-law and nephews.

In the Kelvin universe, Samuel makes a brief appearance in Star Trek (2009) as his brother speeds past him in a stolen car. However, in the final cut of the film, Sam’s appearance is changed to “Johnny,” who is presumably a friend of young Jim Kirk; Sam’s other scenes were cut from the theatrical version.

Samuel’s full name is George Samuel Kirk; he’s named after his father, George. George Kirk’s most famous appearance in the Star Trek canon comes in the Kelvin universe. In the opening of Star Trek (2009) , George is put in command of the U.S.S. Kelvin when the Romulan mining vessel manned by Nero appears through a wormhole. After the Kelvin’s captain is killed, George orders the evacuation of all personnel and saves 800 lives, including that of his wife and his newly born son, James. However, in order to insure the escape of the Kelvin’s crew, George sacrifices himself and is killed when the Kelvin collides with Nero’s ship.

In Strange New Worlds , Samuel Kirk is a charming lieutenant onboard the Enterprise , serving under Chief Science Officer Spock. Of course, fans know that Spock’s relationship with Samuel’s younger brother Jim is one of the most important dynamics of the Star Trek franchise, so it’s a fun nod to that future by having Samuel serve onboard the Enterprise alongside Spock. We even get to see Samuel and Spock go on an away mission together in “Children of the Comet,” where Samuel displays his brother’s usual devil-may-care attitude. However, Samuel ends up unconscious for most of the mission, due to being a bit careless as he approached part of M’Hanit.

Episode Preview | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Ghosts of Illyria

We know that James Kirk will make an appearance in season two of Strange New Worlds . It would be a delight to see him interact with his brother, as the pair haven’t shared much screen time in either universe. Are two Kirk brothers more prone to shenanigans than just one? We’ll have to wait to see if we’ll see them have an adventure together.

Relive your favorite moments from “Children of the Comet” with our official recap, and share your theories and thoughts with us @StarTrek on social!

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

The Star Trek Kelvin Timeline Explained

In 2009, Paramount Pictures released Star Trek , the first film in what would become a new action-oriented trilogy to reinvigorate the franchise at the worldwide box office. Directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana, Star Trek introduced the world to new versions of classic characters like Kirk, Spock, and Uhura, and it took us back to their earlier days in Starfleet. This wasn't just another reboot, though. Thanks to the heavy sci-fi influence of the original series, this version of Star Trek was actually presented in the form of an alternate timeline, with its roots in events of the original universe and one of the franchise's original characters.

Later dubbed "the Kelvin timeline" because of its connection to a destroyed Federation starship called the U.S.S.  Kelvin , this alternate reality set the stage for three different Star Trek feature films, all of which remixed original series continuity in some form or another. Plus, in recent years, the inciting incident for this reality has become a jumping-off point for more stories in the Prime Star Trek reality, making it a major influence in two different universes. From its explosive origins to its broader implications, this is Star Trek 's Kelvin timeline, explained

The real-world origins of the Kelvin timeline

In the late 2000s, Star Trek was in need of a re-invigoration. The last feature film in the franchise, Nemesis , came out in 2002, and the prequel TV series,  Star Trek: Enterprise , went off the air in 2005, leaving the legendary sci-fi property without a major live-action media presence for the first time in years. Ultimately, Paramount Pictures decided the way to bring Trek back was a prequel film ... but not just a typical prequel. The film that would become 2009's Star Trek fell into the hands of screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who decided to use time travel to create an alternate reality that would both raise the stakes for their "prequel" concept of a younger Kirk and Spock and also allow them to take some creative liberties with the well-worn characters.

Speaking with Sci Fi Wire in 2009 , Kurtzman explained, "Yeah, the biggest thing I think we all hiccuped on, just conceptually, when Trek was presented to us was, 'Well, we know how they all died. We know what happened to them.' And when you know that, it's very difficult to put them in jeopardy in a way that feels fresh or original. How do you ever have real stakes to your characters?" Well, the answer was the introduction of an alternate reality that would link the new Star Trek film series to past canon, while also allowing filmmakers to go their own way.

The Kelvin timeline has its roots in tragedy

The story of Star Trek 's Kelvin timeline began in the Prime Star Trek universe in the 2380s , when it became clear that the Romulan sun presented a major danger not just to the Romulan Star Empire but to a whole quadrant of the galaxy. The sun was nearing the end of its life and would soon go supernova, which would in turn destroy Romulus and other nearby worlds. Desperate to save their people, the Romulans asked the United Federation of Planets for help.

When evacuation efforts failed, Spock — now an ambassador from his homeworld of Vulcan — intervened in 2387 with his own attempt to halt the supernova through the use of red matter. Spock was able to stop the supernova's expansion but not before Romulus was destroyed, something he'd promised he could prevent. Enraged, a Romulan mining ship captain named Nero sought vengeance, and he attacked Spock's one-man vessel with his own ship, the Narada . During the pursuit, both ships were pulled through the black hole left in the wake of the supernova, which sent them back in time.

The fate of the U.S.S. Kelvin

Unbeknownst to Nero, when the Narada was drawn into the black hole, the Romulan ship was sent back to 2233, more than 150 years in the past. But the dude was still very angry. Nero's rage then focused on the first Federation vessel he found, the U.S.S. Kelvin . As the Romulan vessel attacked, First Officer George Kirk took command of the Kelvin after the death of his captain, and he sacrificed the ship to protect the escape shuttles fleeing the area, including the one carrying his wife and newborn son, James Kirk. The Kelvin was destroyed, and Nero's reign of terror continued in what was now an alternate reality. 

As you've probably guessed, the Kelvin Ttmeline is so named because the destruction of the Kelvin is the event triggering the alternate reality. In the Kelvin timeline, life unfolds in a way that's quite recognizable for longtime Star Trek fans but with many differences interspersed throughout the universe. The starships look similar, for example, but the designs are altered in many ways, and the same is true of things like phasers, communicators, and Starfleet uniforms.

A different Kirk

In the Prime Star Trek timeline, James T. Kirk's path to captaining the U.S.S. Enterprise is noteworthy but very conventional. Kirk entered Starfleet in part because of his father, but George Kirk was still very much alive when he signed up, and once Kirk was a part of Starfleet, he spent quite a bit of time doing other things before joining the Enterprise , including a stint as an Academy instructor and serving on the U.S.S. Farragut .

In the Kelvin timeline, though, the absence of Kirk's father sent him off on a very different path, one with much less conviction and certainty early on. This version of James T. Kirk was a rebellious young man, joyriding in stolen cars as a teenager and getting into bar fights in his 20s. His Starfleet journey actually began when one of these fights was broken up by Captain Christopher Pike, a Starfleet officer familiar with Kirk's history and his father's heroism. Pike — who was also Kirk's predecessor as captain of the Enterprise in the Prime timeline, under very different circumstances — urged young James to do something with his life because his father sacrificed himself to make sure Kirk would live and accomplish something meaningful. Spurred on by Pike, Kirk joined Starfleet and eventually tricked his way onto the newly launched Enterprise  after cadets in the Academy were called into service to help battle Nero.

Now, there are two Spocks

While Nero arrived in the Kelvin timeline in 2233, Spock didn't actually emerge from the black hole until 25 years later, and he found the vengeful Romulan waiting for him. Nero captured Spock's ship, the Jellyfish , and left the Vulcan stranded on the icy planet Delta Vega, with the intention of making Spock watch his own homeworld perish just as Nero had to watch Romulus fall. Nero achieved this by drilling into Vulcan's core with his ship's machinery, then shooting red matter into it. Vulcan collapsed as the Kelvin timeline version of Spock attempted to evacuate as many of his people as he could. He was able to save his father but not his human mother, who fell just as they were preparing to beam back up to the Enterprise .

A short time later, Kirk was also marooned on Delta Vega by an irate Spock, who was acting captain of the Enterprise and had already discerned Nero was a time traveler. Here, Kirk met the Prime timeline version of Spock, who used a Vulcan mind meld to reveal to him the explanation for Nero's presence, including the destruction of Romulus and the black hole he journeyed through. Eventually, both Spocks met each other and attempted to rebuild Vulcan culture through their shared knowledge and experience. With Spock Prime's help — including the introduction of transwarp beaming to the Kelvin timeline — Kirk and Spock were able to make amends and defeat Nero before he could destroy Earth, cementing the dynamic of the Enterprise crew.

A warlike Federation

The sudden destruction of Vulcan and the losses in the Federation fleet during the battle with Nero, coupled with the growing hostility of the Klingons, spurred certain factions within Starfleet to seek a more militaristic approach to dealing with the future of the galaxy. In 2258 and 2259, Admiral Alexander Marcus went to great lengths to pursue this more warlike approach in secret, and he began exploring the galaxy for various resources to use for the defense of Starfleet. Marcus' search eventually led to the discovery of Botany Bay and a group of enhanced superhumans in cryogenic stasis.

Desperate to advance his cause, Marcus roused the leader of the group, Khan Noonien Singh, and held the rest of Khan's people hostage while Khan himself was forced to develop advanced weapons for the Federation under the secretive Section 31. This included the development of the Vengeance , a powerful new Federation warship, and a new advanced torpedo design that Marcus hoped to use against the Klingons.

Khan tried to smuggle his people out of Marcus' care by hiding them, still in stasis, in the torpedoes, but Marcus discovered this plan. Certain that the admiral had already killed his people, Khan set out to become a one-man vengeance machine and destroy the Federation from the inside.

The wrath of Khan

Operating under the name John Harrison, Khan staged successful attacks on Starfleet facilities that resulted in the death of Admiral Christopher Pike. After this attack, Marcus saw a path to killing his former hostage and covering up his military conspiracy at the same time. He dispatched Kirk and the Enterprise to capture "Harrison" on the Klingon world Kronos, believing Kirk would simply kill the terrorist as an act of revenge. This set Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise crew on a new, alternate trajectory to a confrontation with their old Prime universe foe.

At fist, Harrison/Khan tried to present himself as an ally to Kirk and Spock before finally turning on them when he felt he could safely extract his still-living crewmates from their torpedoes. The resulting confrontation led to Kelvin timeline Spock seeking the advice of Spock Prime, who recalled the deadly consequences of battling Khan. In the Prime timeline, it was Spock who paid with his life before being revived. In the Kelvin timeline, though, it was Kirk who sacrificed his life in the battle with Khan. Fortunately, Spock was able to defeat Khan through some clever deception, and Dr. Leonard McCoy was able to use Khan's blood, which had strange restorative properties, to revive Kirk.

The clash with Krall in the Kelvin timeline

After the battle with Khan, the Enterprise crew in the Kelvin timeline set out for their own version of the five-year mission we saw in Star Trek: The Original Series , and three years into that mission, they encountered something interesting (particularly from our perspective as observers), something with a backstory that extended far back into the timeline, before the universes diverged.

In Star Trek Beyond , the Enterprise crew discovers the buried U.S.S. Franklin , a Federation starship that was lost decades earlier, in an era before the Kelvin incident diverged the timelines. That means that, since the alternate reality doesn't really split until 2233, the loss of the Franklin is something we can consider to exist in both timelines. What happens after that — including the Enterprise 's encounter with Krall, the mutated former captain of the Franklin  — is part of the Kelvin timeline only, which means another version of Starfleet could encounter the Franklin in the Prime universe and theoretically have a different outcome. It's an intriguing idea spinning out of the fun sci-fi adventure story that  Beyond offers.

Star Trek Beyond also offers another intriguing detail regarding the Kelvin timeline's Spock. Early in the film, he's considering leaving Starfleet to have a more direct role in redeveloping Vulcan culture. After learning that Spock Prime has died, though, he chooses to honor his alternate self's memory by remaining in Starfleet, as it's what Spock Prime was doing at the same age.

How the Kelvin timeline has impacted the Prime timeline

The Kelvin timeline of Star Trek is fascinating for a number of reasons, including the fact that it didn't have to exist this way at all. The writers of 2009's Trek film could have simply said, "We're starting over, but the other films and shows are all still there for you to watch." They didn't do that, instead leaning into the science fiction of it all. That means we have an inciting incident for the Kelvin timeline that also exists as a major, galaxy-altering event in the Prime timeline, and that means there are consequences for both realities.

For a long time, those consequences weren't directly explored in Star Trek live-action storytelling, but that changed with the 2020 series Star Trek: Picard . Set in the decades following Star Trek: The Next Generation , the series follows the latter-day adventures of Jean-Luc Picard , and it reveals that his departure from Starfleet was directly tied to the Romulan sun disaster. Though many in the Federation opposed it, Picard spearheaded a massive evacuation effort to get as many people off Romulus as possible in the years before the supernova, only to have his rescue fleet destroyed by a surprise attack from a group of rogue synths. Starfleet dropped the rescue effort entirely in the aftermath, and Picard resigned.

Star Trek (2009)

It was the classic “Star Trek” episode “Mirror, Mirror” that first introduced the idea of an alternate reality, like the world we know in many respects, but with key differences. In that episode, it was certainly the Enterprise transporter deck in which Kirk and his team materialized during that fateful ion storm — but one look at Mr. Spock in that goatee, cruelly torturing the transporter operator for his unsatisfactory performance, and it was obvious that this Enterprise wasn’t our Enterprise.

Artistic/Entertainment Value

Moral/spiritual value, age appropriateness, mpaa rating, caveat spectator.

The “mirror universe” was in many respects pretty antithetical to “our” world, but later chapters in “Star Trek” continuity explored a wider and more subtle range of alternate realities. The “Star Trek” universe was revealed to be a multiverse of interrelated, ever-diverging infinite possibilities — some indistinguishable from one another but for the smallest of details (the flavor of a birthday cake), others nightmarishly distant (the Federation on the brink of destruction).

For too many years, the continuity of that one particularly well-documented universe that has hosted six “Trek” TV series and ten feature films has been so exhaustively explored and mapped out that there was essentially nowhere else to go with it. It had become so mythology-bound that it was all but incapable of surprising us.

Which raises the head-smackingly obvious yet revolutionary question: Why stick to that universe?

And so, for the first time in forever, we have Star Trek really and truly boldly going where we haven’t been before — taking Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu and Checkov on a brand-new adventure for the very first time. Before you know it, you’re getting to know old friends in an entirely new light. It’s like what Alan Moore said about Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns : “Everything is exactly the same, except for the fact that it’s all completely different.”

You can call the new film, from director J. J. Abrams and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (the creative team behind Mission: Impossible III ), a reboot, and it effectively is. At the same time, it begins with an onscreen, plot-level mechanism diverting this continuity from the one we know all too well. It’s a bold, startling opening, an introduction to James Tiberius Kirk I wasn’t expecting, and it opens the movie with a wallop both narratively and emotionally.

The energy of the opening carries right into the next scene, and the one after that, blending action, character development and humor with remarkable deftness. In fact, the film’s mercurial vitality seems almost to flow from its youthful protagonist, the young James T. Kirk, brilliantly played by Chris Pine.

Kirk’s jaunty forwardness and impulsive audacity are accentuated here by growing up fatherless in Iowa farm country. The Kirk played by Shatner, who knew his father, evidently absorbed similar traits from the old man, but perhaps channeled them more responsibly and maturely. This Kirk, reckless and immature, has a way to go, though old Captain Pike (an authoritative Bruce Greenwood) can see that the boy is his father’s son and has what it takes, if he cares to extend himself.

Whether Spock (uncanny Zachary Quinto, 24 ) has also somehow had a different upbringing in this timeline is impossible to say, but Abrams and company explore sides of his identity crisis growing up I haven’t seen before, including Vulcan bullying (something that Peter Chattaway reminds us was previously alluded to but never seen).

Spock’s conflicted meta-emotions, his desire to distance himself from his human side without distancing himself from his human mother, and his delightfully ironic embrace of a most Vulcan gesture as a way of expressing solidarity with his mother, offer a persuasive and satisfying take on a character that may be the franchise’s most compelling — one that holds up admirably even when the one and only Leonard Nimoy shows up as Spock “Prime,” the Spock of the familiar universe.

It’s entirely logical that when this Kirk and Spock meet at Starfleet Academy, they should have nothing but contempt for one another — particularly when Kirk pulls his famous Kobayashi Maru stunt, beating the unbeatable test as described in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . (The Kobayashi Maru scene itself is one of the movie’s few miscalculations, though, since Kirk’s jokey frat-boy insouciance in that scene makes it a juvenile prank rather than a subversively idealistic denial of “no-win scenarios.”)

Kirk’s well-known womanizing gets some comeuppance as he repeatedly hits on Uhura (assured Zoe Saldana, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl ), who refuses give him her full name, and there’s a brief, abortive bedroom scene that — a bit like a similar scene in Iron Man — is more about the hero’s foibles and shortcomings than his way with women.

As the story swings into action, we meet an already irascible Bones (Karl Urban, shedding Éomer to channel DeForest Kelley), Sulu (John Cho of Harold and Kumar ), Checkov (Anton Yelchin) and finally Scotty (hilarious Simon Pegg from Shaun of the Dead ). Humor runs high among the supporting cast, though Kirk gets his share of the fun, notably in a sequence of jaw-dropping physical humor as Bones tries to finagle a seat on the Enterprise for the grounded cadet Kirk and in a moment of unexpected absurdity when Scotty’s first minutes on the Enterprise almost become his last.

There’s also plenty of action, from starship dogfights to an exhilarating spacedive with retractable parachutes and perilous hand-to-hand combat on a narrow ledge of a space drill high in the stratosphere above Vulcan. Eric Bana plays a rather generic alien menace, a tattooed Romulan named Nero, and at some point the story begins to falter as coincidences pile up and certain points don’t quite jibe.

By the time Kirk meets old Spock (following a priceless subversion of the “bigger fish” cliché) on an ice planet, it’s clear that, as reboots go, Star Trek isn’t in the same league as Batman Begins or Casino Royale . As brilliantly as Abrams and company have reimagined the world of “Star Trek,” they haven’t crafted a story within that world with the thematic resonance of The Wrath of Khan , The Search for Spock or even The Voyage Home .

And yet compared to any but the most brilliant origin stories — compared to the modest pleasures of Iron Man , say — Star Trek delivers superbly, while opening the door to the possibility of better things yet to come. Where a typical franchise prequel like last week’s Wolverine merely hits the expected numbers, Star Trek surprises and delights. That’s something “Star Trek” hasn’t done in a couple of decades or so. I’ll take it.

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

It’s not saying much, but Star Trek Beyond is probably this summer’s most entertaining popcorn film to date.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Star Trek Into Darkness outdoes its predecessor in most respects, except creative ambition.

RE: Star Trek

My wife and I saw the movie Star Trek . Unmarried people carried on in their underwear. Brief though it was, it contradicts God’s laws concerning sex and modesty. What was equally troubling was the fact that there was a group of about three dozen teenagers from a local church that were present. It is not that they haven’t seen these things before, but that it was unnecessary for this sci-fi film to include a scene which treats unmarried sex and immodesty as expected or normal behaviour having no moral relevance. But even worse was the taking of God’s name in vain. Again, the remarks above apply here with even greater weight, since it is our Lord whose name is being abused. In your review, you simply said “a few coarse references.” Taking God’s name in vain is much more serious than a few coarse references. It would be a great service to those who look to your reviews for some guidance to let your readers know when there are profanities of this type. Had I known of the profanity above, I would not have taken my wife to see this movie.

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How Chris Hemsworth Landed The Role Of Captain Kirk's Father In J.J. Abrams' Star Trek

J.J. Abrams' " Star Trek " reboot has one of the best opening sequences of all time. As the Federation starship USS Kelvin is investigating a mysterious lightning storm in space, they're suddenly bombarded by a Romulan ship emerging from the storm, and a massive space battle begins. Kelvin's Captain Robau (Faran Tahir) attempts to negotiate a truce in order to avoid the demise of his ship and its crew, but during the tense discussion with Romulan leader Nero (Eric Bana), a new wrinkle emerges in this confrontation: Nero and his ship are from another place in time. Frustrated by the discussion going nowhere, Nero kills Captain Robau, leaving the USS Kelvin in the hands of Chris Hemsworth as first officer George Kirk, who will become the father of future USS Enterprise Captain James T. Kirk, a newborn baby about to arrive in the middle of the chaos.

Back in 2009, almost no one knew Chris Hemsworth was. He was an up-and-coming Australian actor who hadn't yet picked up Mjolnir as Marvel's Thor. But in this opening sequence, which packs as much emotional punch and action as the conclusion of a feature film, Hemsworth showed impressive command, not just of the USS Kelvin but of the big screen. This guy was clearly going to be a star. But funnily enough, Hemsworth only got this role at the last minute, and this was after he failed to land the role of James T. Kirk.

'I didn't know how big this production was going to be'

For Vanity Fair , Chris Hemsworth broke down some of the key roles in his career so far, which included this breakthrough turn in "Star Trek." The actor revealed that he'd been called back into J.J. Abrams' office at Bad Robot after he auditioned to play James T. Kirk, a role he obviously missed out on and ended up going to Chris Pine. Hemsworth recalled how he was surprisingly and suddenly brought back into the "Star Trek" fold while speaking with TrekMovie.com :

"[J.J. Abrams] tracked me down and asked me to come in and read the scene. I came in and he hands me the pages and says, 'I loved your audition from six months ago. I just re-watched it. Can you read this scene for me?' This was right at his desk. So I did the scene. I was reading, and he was reading, and he said, 'OK, stop. You got the part. See you on Monday." And I was like "What?' I was excited, but I had no idea what it was going to be. I hadn't grown up on 'Star Trek.' I didn't know how big this production was going to be. And that was a good thing, because when I got on set I was kind of pretty casual and loose with it. If I'd have known it was this $150 million thing, and J.J. Abrams was who he was, it probably would have scared the hell out of me."

Hemsworth read for the role on a Friday and was shooting on set the following Monday, cementing him in the history of one of the biggest sci-fi franchises of all time. However, that job didn't exactly make him a star overnight, and "Star Trek" wouldn't be the last time an audition didn't get him a big lead role (at least at first).

'I had about eight or nine months where I couldn't get a job'

Hemsworth may have landed a pivotal role as George Kirk, but as the actor recalled, "I shot 'Star Trek,' and then I had about eight or nine months where I couldn't get a job." Thankfully, that changed when the film came out, and if you've seen "Star Trek," then you know exactly why. Hemsworth has such confidence and subtle swagger as George Kirk, giving us the perfect basis for the cocky yet charismatic character that would be Chris Pine's interpretation of James T. Kirk. With an assist from Michael Giacchino's incredible score and a brief supporting turn by Jennifer Morrison, Hemsworth makes you care for this character in a surprisingly short amount of time.

However, even though "Star Trek" gave him some momentum, Hemsworth's original audition to take the lead in Marvel's "Thor" didn't go very well. The actor even went so far to say that his audition "sucked." In fact, his brother Liam Hemsworth actually went further in the audition process before Marvel went back to the drawing board for the casting of the God of Thunder. But just as J.J. Abrams came back to cast Hemsworth as George Kirk, Marvel Studios and director Kenneth Branagh circled back around and found the Asgardian they were looking for. 

It's a shame we only got to see Hemsworth as George Kirk in those opening moments of "Star Trek," especially knowing that a time traveling sequel was once in the works that would have found Chris Pine's James T. Kirk meeting his father and embarking on a mission alongside him. Sadly, that project has fallen by the wayside. Reports pegged salary negotiations as the crux of the hold-up, but Hemsworth also thought the script wasn't in the best shape at the time . So for now, it sounds like that "Star Trek" story may never see the light of day, even though the cast of Abrams' franchise may still return . But we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth get a chance to revisit the final frontier.

Screen Rant

Kirk calls doctor mccoy “bones” in star trek - but why.

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Every Time Star Trek's Dr. McCoy Said “I’m A Doctor, Not A…”

Star trek 2009 cast & character guide, i’m glad voyager’s tom and b’elanna are no longer star trek's only successful romance.

• Captain Kirk affectionately calls Doctor McCoy "Bones" to highlight their close friendship and rapport.
• The nickname "Bones" originally derived from the history of medicine and the term "sawbones", highlighting McCoy's profession.
• J.J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek movie changed the origin of the "Bones" nickname to a less meaningful reason related to McCoy's divorce.

No matter which Star Trek universe they're in, Captain Kirk always refers to Doctor McCoy by the affectionate nickname "Bones", but where does the nickname come from? Memorably played by DeForest Kelley in Star Trek: The Original Series , Doctor McCoy's acerbic wit was the perfect counterpoint to both William Shatner's charismatic Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy's deadpan Spock. So iconic were this trio and the rest of the Star Trek: TOS cast , that they were recast as part of J.J. Abrams' major Hollywood reboot in 2009. Of this recast ensemble, Karl Urban's Doctor McCoy truly stood out from the crowd.

Kirk and McCoy were close friends, and the affectionate Bones nickname emphasizes their easy rapport with each other. The personal history of Kirk's nickname for Doctor "Bones" McCoy was given an alternate telling in the 2009 Star Trek movie, which depicted Chris Pine's Kirk and Karl Urban's McCoy meeting each other for the first time. The prime Star Trek timeline is yet to depict this historic meeting, but there may be a chance to show Paul Wesley's James T. Kirk dubbing a young Leonard McCoy " Bones " in a future episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

A look at every time the distinguished and much-loved Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy used his famous "I'm a doctor, not a ..." catchphrase in Star Trek.

Why Captain Kirk Calls Dr. McCoy “Bones” In Star Trek

The reason that Captain Kirk calls Doctor McCoy " Bones " in Star Trek: The Original Series can be traced back to Gene Roddenberry's original vision for the show. Star Trek was pitched as " Wagon Train to the stars ", in reference to the popular 1950s TV show set in the Wild West. Wagon Train was set soon after the end of the American Civil War, at a time when physicians, specifically surgeons, were referred to as " sawbones " . This nickname derived from the grisly work that was required of civil war surgeons, who often had to remove wounded and diseased limbs with saws.

Future Spock actor Leonard Nimoy guest starred in four episodes of Wagon Train , playing four different characters.

Civil War sawbones had to work in settings that were a far cry from the sterile environment of the starship Enterprise's sickbay, hence the irony of McCoy's nickname. Kirk's shortening of sawbones Bones is likely a reflection of his interest in military history. However, it's worth pointing out the term had been used to describe surgeons for decades before the Civil War. As Kirk is also a bit of a book nerd, he would know that Charles Dickens is the first author believed to have used the term, in his 1836 novel, The Pickwick Papers .

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Changed Why McCoy Called “Bones”

J.J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek movie gave a far less evocative and interesting reason why Chris Pine's Captain Kirk called Karl Urban's Doctor McCoy " Bones ". Where William Shatner's Captain Kirk was revealed to have a reputation as a bookworm at Starfleet Academy, Chris Pine's version was too busy flirting and getting into fights. Perhaps this is why the " Bones " nickname in Star Trek doesn't derive from the history of medicine and instead refers to Doctor McCoy's ugly divorce, as he explains that his ex-wife:

"...took the whole damn planet in the divorce, [...] all I have left are my bones."

This was one of the first things that McCoy says to Kirk when they meet en-route to Starfleet Academy, and the nickname was solidified during their three years of study together. It's a half-decent joke, but it doesn't have the deeper meaning and recognizable history that the Bones nickname had in Star Trek: The Original Series . Thankfully, Karl Urban's performance as Bones in all three of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies were so good that you forget the facile origins of the nickname.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek relaunched the movie franchise and reintroduced audiences to Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise.

Will Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Explain Why McCoy Is Called “Bones”?

It's hoped that Doctor McCoy may appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , shedding light on his friendship with a young Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). Nothing has been officially announced, but fans have their own list of actors to play Bones in Strange New Worlds , and his debut does feel inevitable. Whether SNW will retain the idea that Kirk and McCoy have been friends since the Academy or take a different tack remains to be seen. However, Doctor McCoy's Strange New Worlds debut may officially reveal why Kirk calls his old friend Bones.

The connection between McCoy's profession and the Bones nickname was never explicitly made on-screen, as Star Trek audiences would be well versed in the sawbones archetype from countless cowboy shows and the history of the American Civil War. Decades later, Paul Wesley's Kirk may make this connection between Doctor McCoy and the civil war sawbones more overt, as the 2020s audience may be less aware of the history. If they do explain it, we can only hope that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds retains the evocative reasoning that links the starship Enterprise's chief medical officer with the history of medicine.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Not available

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star trek (2009).