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:- '''James T. Kirk''' to Christopher Pike ({{film|11}}) |
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− | '''James Tiberius Kirk''' was a [[Human]] [[Starfleet]] [[ |
+ | '''James Tiberius Kirk''' was a [[23rd century]] [[Human]] [[Federation Starfleet]] [[officer]]. As a Starfleet [[cadet]], he was instrumental in the defeat and destruction of [[Nero]], a [[Romulan]] bent on the obliteration of the [[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 {{alt|USS Enterprise}}. ({{film|11}}) |
==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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− | [[File:Winona Kirk and newborn son, James.jpg|thumb|left|Kirk |
+ | [[File:Winona Kirk and newborn son, James.jpg|thumb|left|Kirk moments after his birth]] |
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+ | James T. Kirk was the son of Starfleet officers [[Winona Kirk]] and her husband [[George Kirk]], [[First Officer]] of the {{USS|Kelvin}}. He was born aboard the Kelvin’s [[Medical Shuttle 37|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. Winona had been evacuated from the severely-crippled Kelvin along with the rest of the crew and gave birth to James while George Kirk sacrificed himself piloting the Kelvin into the Narada in a [[kamikaze|kamikaze attack]]. He was named James Tiberius after Winona’s father and George’s father respectively. |
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− | James T. Kirk was born in [[2233]], on ''[[Medical Shuttle 37]]'' of the {{USS|Kelvin}}, to [[Winona Kirk]] and {{alt|George Kirk}} in the [[alternate reality]] that was created by [[Nero]]'s incursion. James' birth occured while his father piloted the ''Kelvin'' towards the ''Narada''. George was able to hear his son's first cries over the comm system. James was named after his mother's father, [[James (Winona Kirk's father)|Jim]], and his father's father, [[Tiberius Kirk|Tiberius]], shortly before George Kirk died in the collision with the ''[[Narada]]''. |
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− | ===Early |
+ | ===Early Life=== |
+ | Kirk was raised in [[Iowa]], in midwestern [[North America]], on [[Earth]]. His mother remarried. As a young boy, Kirk once stole [[Unnamed_Humans_(23rd_century)#James_T._Kirk.27s_Stepdad|his stepfather’s]] vintage 1969 [[Chevrolet]] [[Corvette]] convertible [[automobile]] and went joyriding. After a chase by a police officer, the vehicle plunged into a deep quarry. Kirk just managed to throw himself out and grab the edge of the precipice before the car went over. When asked his name by the police officer, he provided it boldly. |
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− | Kirk was raised in [[Iowa]] by his mother and had a somewhat rebellious streak in him when growing up, once taking [[Unnamed Humans (23rd century)#James T. Kirk's Stepdad|his stepfather]]'s [[Corvette|car]] on a joyride that culminated with the car sailing over a cliff and into a deep quarry, nearly taking a defiant young James with it. |
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+ | {{bginfo|A deleted scene indicates that Kirk did this out of anger at [[Frank_(Kirk%27s_uncle)|his uncle Frank]]'s verbal abuse of himself and his brother}} |
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+ | ===Enlistment in Starfleet=== |
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− | By [[2255]], Kirk was an aimless rebel who had found himself on the wrong side of the law on more than one occasion, despite taking [[Starfleet]] aptitude tests with "off the chart" results. While visiting the [[Shipyard Bar|bar]] near the [[Riverside Shipyard]], an inebriated Kirk met and began flirting with a Starfleet [[cadet]] named {{alt|Nyota Uhura|Uhura}}. Although annoyed by Kirk's advances, Uhura was impressed by Kirk's familiarity with the study of [[xenolinguistics]]. Moments later, four male cadets, displeased at the attention Kirk was giving Uhura, engaged him in a bar fight. He was ultimately overwhelmed by the cadets, more than holding his own until their sheer numbers proved too much for him, before [[Captain]] {{alt|Christopher Pike}} broke off the fight. |
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+ | [[File:Kirk Beaten Up.jpg|thumb|right|Kirk beaten up]] |
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+ | Despite performing on several aptitude tests at levels too high to be scored, Kirk had no sense of purpose, and by early adulthood had incurred a police record. One night however, he was in [[Shipyard Bar|a bar and nightclub]] outside Starfleet’s [[Riverside Shipyard]] in Iowa. This establishment was frequented by Starfleet [[cadet]]s. He attempted to win the temporary affections of a female cadet named {{alt|Nyota Uhura}} but failed to do so. Instead he got severely drubbed by a group of burly male cadets, albeit after a spirited 4-against-1 fight. He was saved by the intervention of Starfleet Captain {{alt|Christopher Pike}}, who exhorted him to enlist in Starfleet and make full use of his potential. At first Kirk was uninterested. However, Pike reminded him of his father’s valiant action on the day of his birth which had saved 800 Starfleet personnel. Could he do better? |
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+ | Thinking about this, Kirk visited the shipyard. As he watched construction being done on the USS Enterprise, he decided to accept the challenge. He reported to the shipyard and boarded a [[shuttlecraft]] carrying new recruits to [[Starfleet Academy]]. On the shuttle he met another recruit, [[Medicine|Dr.]] {{alt|Leonard McCoy}}. |
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− | Pike, who wrote his [[dissertation]] on the USS ''Kelvin'', pushed the rebel to challenge himself and reach the greater potential he was capable of achieving. He tried to persuade him to join Starfleet, firmly believing that he was destined for greater things than being "the only genius-level repeat offender in the mid-west." Kirk laughed at the idea of joining Starfleet, but Pike reassured him based on his exams that he could make captain and have his own ship in only eight years. He reminded Kirk that his father had saved 800 lives, including Kirk's and his mother's, and dared young Kirk to do better. |
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− | Soon after their conversation, and to Pike's surprise, Kirk decided to enlist with the intent of completing the [[Starfleet Academy (Earth)|Academy]] training in three years. He rode onto the shipyard, gave his bike to a [[Unnamed Humans (23rd century)|construction worker]], and boarded a shuttle for new recruits heading to Starfleet Academy. It was on the trip to the Academy that he first met {{alt|Leonard McCoy}}. |
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+ | 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. He once ended up in the dormitory of an [[Orion]] female cadet names [[Gaila]]. When they were on the verge of engaging in [[sexuality|sexual activity]] however, Kirk found himself having to hide under her bed because of the arrival of her roommate, who disapproved of her bringing men to their dormitory. The roommate turned out to be Cadet Uhura. On discovering him, she angrily ejected him. |
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− | [[File:James T. Kirk during the Kobayashi Maru scenario.jpg|thumb|left|James T. Kirk during the [[Kobayashi Maru scenario|''Kobayashi Maru'' test]]]] |
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− | While at the Academy, Kirk and McCoy became close friends. Kirk had been promoted to [[Lieutenant]], but had taken the [[Kobayashi Maru scenario|''Kobayashi Maru'' test]] twice and decided to take it a third time, being sure that he would "succeed" in beating the test. He managed to insert code that changed the "test of character" and won. {{alt|Spock}}, who programmed the "no-win scenario," investigated the matter, eventually bring him up of charges of cheating the test. |
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− | [[File:James T. Kirk in cadet's dress uniform.jpg|thumb|Kirk |
+ | [[File:James T. Kirk in cadet's dress uniform.jpg|thumb|Kirk at his tribunal]] |
+ | It was at the academy that Kirk also met [[Commander]] {{alt|Spock}}. Spock was an academy instructor who was responsible for designing the [[Kobayashi Maru scenario|Kobayashi Maru examination]], a test involving a non-winnable practical scenario that taught cadets the importance of controlling fear. Kirk, who did not believe in non-winnable scenarios, secretly reprogrammed the simulation to be winnable before taking the examination. Spock investigated, found Kirk’s tampering, and brought him up before a tribunal on charges of academic dishonesty. Kirk defended his actions by asserting the test itself was dishonest, as the scenario was designed to guarantee failure. |
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− | While defending his actions to his superiors, Kirk argued that the test itself was a cheat, and stated he didn't believe in the no-win scenario, something he believed his father would agree with. Kirk asked to face his accuser, and Spock stepped up. This was the first time the two met, and they immediately clashed over their differences. |
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⚫ | {{bginfo|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.}} |
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− | Kirk and Spock continued to engage in a heated argument, when the hearing was suddenly interrupted after Starfleet received a [[distress call]] from {{alt|Vulcan}}. Many of the [[cadet]]s were called into action, 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 for the [[Melvaran Mud Flea]] virus to make him temporarily sick. McCoy then used medical regulations to get Kirk aboard the shuttlecraft [[Moore (shuttlecraft)|Moore]], which transferred them both the the U.S.S. Enterprise. |
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+ | Not long after proceedings began, word arrived of a distress call from one of the Federation’s key member worlds, the [[planet]] {{alt|Vulcan}}. A fleet was assembled to go to Vulcan and investigate. Cadets were instructed to report for duty as crew members on remaining ships, including the newly-completed ''Enterprise'', commanded by Captain Pike. Kirk however was put on [[academic suspension]] until the tribunal could reconvene, and thus was not assigned to any vessel. He was however, surreptitiously brought aboard the ''Enterprise'' by Leonard McCoy. McCoy injected Kirk with a vaccine against a disease caused by the [[Melvaran mud flea]]. The vaccine caused Kirk to display the symptoms of the disease, and Kirk got aboard the Enterprise ostensibly as McCoy’s patient. |
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⚫ | {{bginfo|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 |
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− | === |
+ | ===The Battle of Vulcan=== |
+ | ''Main article: [[Battle of Vulcan]]'' |
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− | ====Stowaway==== |
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− | Kirk attempted to warn Captain Pike and Commander Spock that the ship was heading into danger, and that the disaster occurring over [[Vulcan (planet)|Vulcan]] was actually an attack by Romulans. However, distracted by their own frustrations over Kirk's unauthorized transfer and ill-advised presence on the Bridge, the two men initially refused to listen. Eventually, Kirk, McCoy, and Uhura were able to convince Pike of the danger (for reasons not yet known to the others, Spock's attitude toward Kirk's claims changed drastically after Uhura confirmed his story). Pike raised the ''Enterprise''{{'}}s [[shields]] as they entered the [[Vulcan system]], only to find a massive field of destroyed [[Federation starships]] that had been attacked by Nero. |
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+ | En route to Vulcan, Kirk listened in the Enterprise’s [[sickbay]] to a ship-wide transmission from the [[bridge]] outlining the crisis. He realized that the cause was the same Romulan ship that attacked the Kelvin on the day of his birth. Despite his condition, he rushed to the bridge and informed Captain Pike and Commander Spock, who was serving as Pike’s [[First Officer]]. He was proven correct when, on arrival at Vulcan, the rest of the fleet, which had left Earth before the Enterprise, was found completely destroyed, and the Narada was found in geosynchronous orbit over Vulcan with an unfamiliar device deployed and firing a continuous beam into the planet’s surface. This was the Narada’s [[drill platform]], a device from the starship’s former function as a mining vessel, being used to drill a shaft to the planet’s core. Pike was instructed to come to the Narada alone, under threat of the Enterprise’s destruction. |
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− | As Pike was ''en route'' to a [[shuttlecraft]] to negotiate with Nero, he appointed Kirk as acting [[first officer]], and Spock was put in charge of the ship. |
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+ | Kirk was made Acting First Office by Captain Pike, to serve under Spock, who would be Acting Captain in Pike’s absence. Kirk and two other officers: [[Lieutenant]] [[Hikaru Sulu]] and [[Chief Engineer]] [[Olson]], were assigned on a mission to [[orbital skydiving|space jump]] onto the drill platform and disable it. Kirk, Sulu and Olson successfully completed the mission, albeit with the death of Olson. During the mission, Kirk himself was almost killed by one of Nero’s crew, but was saved by Sulu. Kirk then saved Sulu from death when the latter fell off the drill platform, which was several kilometers above Vulcan’s surface. Kirk jumped off after him grabbed him in mid-air and attempted to use his parachute to save them both, but the chute, unable to accommodate the combined weight of both men, was torn off. They were beamed back to the Enterprise in mid-air just as they were about to hit the surface. |
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+ | But they could not disable the drill before the shaft to the core was excavated. The Romulans used the shaft to facilitate a successful plan to destroy Vulcan using [[red matter]] to form a [[black hole]] at the [[planetary core|planet’s core]]. This consumed the planet, nearly annihilating the Vulcans as a people. |
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− | ====First officer==== |
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− | Along with [[Chief Engineer]] [[Olson]] and [[Lieutenant]] {{alt|Hikaru Sulu}}, Kirk [[orbital skydiving|skydived]] onto the drilling platform that had been lowered by the ''Narada'' into the planet's atmosphere. Olson failed to deploy his chute in time, and was [[Redshirt|vaporized by the drilling beam]]. Kirk and Sulu landed on the platform, and faced off against two of Nero's [[Narada personnel|crew]]. Kirk and Sulu eventually killed both of their adversaries before destroying the platform. Sulu fell from the platform before they could be [[transporter|beamed off]], and Kirk dove after him. He caught Sulu before being narrowly [[transporter|transported]] by [[navigator]] {{alt|Pavel Chekov}}. |
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+ | ===Marooned on Delta Vega === |
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− | The ''Narada'', on Nero's orders, deployed a [[red matter]] device into the newly-created chasm, creating a [[black hole]] in the planet's core. Spock quickly ordered an immediate evacuation and personally beamed down to the surface to escort the Vulcan elders, but lost his mother when the ground beneath her feet collapsed during transport. Vulcan was then completely swallowed by the black hole, with only 10,000 Vulcans surviving the cataclysm. |
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+ | With the Romulans now en route to Earth to destroy it as it did Vulcan, Kirkvehemently voiced his opinion to Spock that they should try to stop the Narada themselves, instead of rendezvousing with the primary fleet against it, as Spock was doing. Spock did not agree. Kirk became more and more heated in his objections, until Spock ordered him removed from the bridge. Kirk offered vigorous physical resistance the two security officers attempting to do so, but was [[Vulcan nerve pinch|subdued]] by Spock. Unconscious, he was put in an [[escape pod]] and ejected over [[Delta Vega]], a planet near to where Vulcan had been. |
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+ | [[File:File:Spock & Kirk Mind-Meld.jpg|thumb|left|Kirk mind-melds with the mainline reality Spock]] |
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− | As the ''Enterprise'' went to warp, Kirk attempted to dissuade Commander Spock from a rendezvous with the rest of [[Starfleet]] at the [[Laurentian system]]. He urged Spock to go after the ''Narada'', which was headed for Earth, reminding him that Pike had intended for Spock to retrieve him. After discussing the nature of Nero's presence in what the crew discerned to be an [[alternate reality]], Kirk redoubled his effort to persuade Spock to change his mind. Spock finally ordered Kirk's removal from the [[bridge]], and when Kirk tried to fight off the security guards, Spock [[Vulcan nerve pinch|rendered Kirk unconscious]] and threw him off the ship in an escape pod. |
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+ | On Delta Vega, Kirk ignored the warning from the pod’s computer to stay in the pod. Not long after he emerged, he was chased by two hungry ferocious predatory creatures, one of which nearly caught him. He was saved by an elderly Vulcan man who revealed himself to be [[Spock|Spock from a future time]]. This future Spock revealed to Kirk through a [[mind-meld]] that Nero was also from the future and was seeking revenge for what he perceived to be a calculated attempt by the Federation to destroy the Romulan people in his time. Kirk could stop him, but he needed to be in command of the Enterprise, and to work with the younger Spock, to do so. |
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+ | ===Return to the Enterprise=== |
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− | ===Exile=== |
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+ | Kirk accompanied the elder Spock to a nearby Federation outpost, where they met [[Lieutenant Commander]] {{alt|Montgomery Scott}}, who was stationed there. Using Scott’s theory on [[transwarp beaming]], Kirk and Scott [[transporter|transported]] aboard the Enterprise even though she was [[warp drive|under warp]]. Before Kirk left, he was advised by the elder Spock on how to assume command of the Enterprise from the younger Spock: by showing him to be emotionally compromised by the mission as per a Starfleet regulation which dictated that a commanding officer so compromised had to relinquish his/her command. |
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− | [[File:James T. Kirk Marooned.jpg|thumb|James T. Kirk, marooned on Delta Vega]] |
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− | Kirk landed on [[Delta Vega (Vulcan system)|Delta Vega]], some kilometers away from a [[Starfleet]] outpost. The computer instructed Kirk to remain in his pod until authorities could retrieve him, but he quickly ignored those instructions. |
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+ | ===Acting Captain of the Enterprise=== |
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− | After being chased into a cave by a [[hengrauggi]], Kirk was rescued by [[Ambassador]] [[Spock]], the counterpart of Kirk's exiler, from the year [[2387]] - yet upon recognizing Kirk, this Spock's first words were "I have been, and always shall be your friend". Spock was surprised to learn that Kirk had been marooned on the planet for mutiny, as he had assumed that Kirk was in command of the Enterprise. Not believing a word the old man was saying, he responded that "he" was in command, ever since Pike was taken hostage - but when Spock correctly guessed that Nero was responsible, a shocked Kirk decided to hear what he had to say. The two then entered into a mind meld, in which Spock explained that he was from 129 years into the future, and that Nero was seeking revenge for the destruction of Romulus. He also said that, in the life he knew, George Kirk had lived to see his son become captain of the [[NCC-1701|''Enterprise'']]. |
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+ | On beaming aboard the Enterprise, Kirk and Scott were captured by security officers and brought to the bridge, where Kirk was ordered by Spock to explain how they had beamed aboard, which should have been impossible with the ship under warp. Kirk refused and, remembering the elder Spock’s advice, he goaded Spock with assertions that Spock cared nothing for what had happened to Vulcan, nor about his mother, who had been one of those killed. His provocation was successful, though it almost cost him his life as Spock, who was far stronger and faster than him, almost killed him in rage. His emotionally compromised state now evident, Spock relinquished command. Kirk, as Acting First Officer, took command and ordered pursuit course of the Narada to Earth. |
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+ | ===The Battle of Earth=== |
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− | Kirk and Spock traveled to the Starfleet outpost, and found a man named {{alt|Montgomery Scott}}, whom Spock recognized from his own timeline. Spock, knowing from many years of experience that the ''Enterprise''{{'}}s situation required Kirk's unorthodox command style, not the rigid, by-the-book strategy his younger, pre-Kirk self would follow, instructed Kirk to take command of the Enterprise by forcing the young Spock to compromise his emotional control, and to step down under Starfleet Regulation 619. Using knowledge of trans-warp beaming from the future, Spock beamed Scotty and Kirk aboard the ''Enterprise'', where they were eventually captured by security. Following the advice of Ambassador Spock, Kirk provoked the alternate version to attack him by mentioning the destruction of {{alt|Vulcan|his planet}} and the death of {{alt|Amanda Grayson|his mother}}, whom he accused Spock of never having loved. Spock violently attacked Kirk, nearly strangling him before Spock's {{alt|Sarek|father}} stepped in and stopped him. |
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+ | Kirk and the senior officers brainstormed ideas as to how to get close enough to the Narada to beam aboard without being detected to capture the red matter store and possibly rescue Captain Pike. Kirk accepted a proposal by [[Chief Tactical Officer]] Ensign {{alt|Pavel Chekov}} that if they came out of warp hidden behind [[Titan]], one of the moons of [[Saturn]], the planet’s magnetic rings would cloak them. Spock, again in full control of himself, agreed. Deferring to Kirk as Captain, he asked Kirk to be allowed to go. Kirk agreed and went with him. |
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+ | Kirk and Spock successfully beamed onto the Narada. After an intense firefight in which they killed several Romulans, they made it to the elder Spock’s ship, which stored the red matter the Romulans were were using to destroy Federation planets. Leaving Spock to secure the ship, Kirk went to retrieve Captain Pike. |
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− | [[Image:James T. Kirk in the captain's chair.jpg|thumb|Kirk in command]] |
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− | An emotionally-compromised Spock resigned command, and Kirk became acting captain of the ''Enterprise''. He immediately ordered Sulu to set a course for Earth, and all departments to prepare to engage the ''Narada''. |
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+ | En route to Pike’s location, Kirk encountered Nero himself, who, along with his First Officer [[Ayel]], came personally to stop him. Kirk was overwhelmed by Nero’s strength but Nero broke off and rushed to the bridge on being informed over the ship’s com that Spock had absconded with the red matter. This left Kirk to face Ayel. Manhandled by the gloating Ayel, Kirk ended his gloating by killing him with his own gun. Kirk continued on, found Pike and rescued him. |
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− | ====Acting captain==== |
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− | [[File:James T. Kirk fighting Romulans.jpg|thumb|left|Acting Captain Kirk aboard the ''Narada'']] |
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− | Returned to duty, Spock volunteered to board the ''Narada'' to stop Nero. Kirk refused to let him go alone, insisting that he join him. Spock realized that he could try and stop Kirk by citing regulation, but knew that Kirk would just ignore it. |
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+ | ===Destroying Nero=== |
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− | Hiding in orbit above Saturn's moon, Titan, the ''Enterprise'' beamed Kirk and Spock aboard Nero's ship. However, instead of beaming in with the element of surprise, they were beamed into a large chamber occupied by several of Nero's men. Kirk and Spock drew their [[phaser]]s and a gun fight ensued, with Nero's men being killed. Kirk and Spock decided to split up, with Spock diverting Nero away from Earth and Kirk going to find Pike. |
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+ | The Narada chased Spock in the elder Spock’s ship. Spock piloted the ship on a collision course to the Narada, and was beamed back to the Enterprise just before the collision. This collision caused the red matter to form a black hole that began swallowing the Narada. On the Enterprise’s bridge, Kirk ordered the Narada hailed and offered Nero and his crew assistance, but Nero furiously refused. Kirk accepted his answer without argument and ordered full weapons on the disintegrating Narada, hastening its destruction. The black hole however, after obliterating the Narada and with it Nero and his crew, began pulling in the Enterprise. Kirk kept in full control of the situation as Lt. Commander Scott, acting as [[Chief Engineer]], suggested a plan to escape by ejecting and detonating the [[warp core]]. Kirk approved, the plan succeeded, and they escaped. |
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+ | ===Commission and Appointment=== |
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− | [[File:James T. Kirk leaping in the Narada.jpg|thumb|Kirk leaps after Nero]] |
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+ | With Nero’s threat permanently neutralized, the Enterprise returned to Earth. For his actions, which demonstrated his ability as an extremely able commanding officer fully capable of leading a Federation starship crew in the direst of situations, Kirk was decorated, commissioned directly to the rank of Captain and officially appointed as commanding officer of the Enterprise, replacing Captain Pike, who had been promoted to [[Admiral]]. After the ceremony, Kirk reported for duty on the Enterprise. As he was about to order her departure, Commander Spock came aboard and requested of Kirk to be his First Officer. Kirk was honored to accept. Kirk then gave the departure order, and the Enterprise left Earth on her first mission under the appointed command of Captain James T. Kirk. |
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− | Kirk confronted Nero and a fight ensued in which Nero nearly killed Kirk. However, Spock, having stolen the ''[[Jellyfish (ship)|Jellyfish]]'' from the ''Narada'''s hold, destroyed the drilling rig as it plummeted into San Francisco Bay, distracting Nero and leaving Ayel to fight Kirk. When it seemed an overconfident Ayel had the upper hand in the fight, Kirk grabbed the Romulan's disruptor from his own belt - using an offer of last words to let Ayel know it - and shot him at point-blank range. Spock then led the Narada away from Earth, inciting Nero to attack. |
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− | Kirk soon found Pike, freed him from the chamber where he was being held (during which time the captain repaid his savior by grabbing the disruptor from his belt and gunning down two intruders before Kirk even knew they were there) and was beamed back to the ''Enterprise''. At the same time, Spock put the ''Jellyfish'' on a collision course with the ''Narada'' just before being beamed off himself. The resulting explosion ignited the red matter and created a black hole inside the ''Narada''. 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 ordered the ''Narada'' destroyed in order to prevent Nero or his ship from appearing somewhere else in time. |
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− | Upon his return to Earth, Kirk was officially appointed as captain of the ''Enterprise'' by [[Admiral]] [[Richard Barnett]]. He received commendation for successfully leading the mission and saving Earth, as Spock Prime observed the proceedings. |
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− | Sporting a proper gold command uniform, Kirk entered the [[bridge]] and took command of the ''Enterprise'', telling McCoy to "[[seatbelt|buckle up]]" as he sat in the [[captain's chair]]. Spock arrived and requested the permanent post as Kirk's first officer, which Kirk accepted. He then ordered the launch of the ''Enterprise'', and the ship went into [[warp speed]]. |
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==Relationships== |
==Relationships== |
Revision as of 21:00, 29 December 2009
AT: "nt" Template:Sidebar character
- You may be looking for the prime reality James T. Kirk.
- You may be looking for the mirror universe James T. Kirk
- "Four years? I'll do it in three."
- - James T. Kirk to Christopher Pike (Star Trek)
James Tiberius Kirk was a 23rd century Human Federation Starfleet officer. As a Starfleet cadet, he was instrumental in the defeat and destruction of Nero, a Romulan bent on the obliteration of the 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)
Biography
Birth
James T. Kirk was the son of Starfleet officers Winona Kirk and her husband George Kirk, First Officer of the USS Kelvin. He was born 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. Winona had been evacuated from the severely-crippled Kelvin along with the rest of the crew and gave birth to James while George Kirk sacrificed himself piloting the Kelvin into the Narada in a kamikaze attack. He was named James Tiberius after Winona’s father and George’s father respectively.
Early Life
Kirk was raised in Iowa, in midwestern North America, on Earth. His mother remarried. As a young boy, Kirk once stole his stepfather’s vintage 1969 Chevrolet Corvette convertible automobile and went joyriding. After a chase by a police officer, the vehicle plunged into a deep quarry. Kirk just managed to throw himself out and grab the edge of the precipice before the car went over. When asked his name by the police officer, he provided it boldly.
Enlistment in Starfleet
Despite performing on several aptitude tests at levels too high to be scored, Kirk had no sense of purpose, and by early adulthood had incurred a police record. One night however, he was in a bar and nightclub outside Starfleet’s Riverside Shipyard in Iowa. This establishment was frequented by Starfleet cadets. He attempted to win the temporary affections of a female cadet named Nyota Uhura but failed to do so. Instead he got severely drubbed by a group of burly male cadets, albeit after a spirited 4-against-1 fight. He was saved by the intervention of Starfleet Captain Christopher Pike, who exhorted him to enlist in Starfleet and make full use of his potential. At first Kirk was uninterested. However, Pike reminded him of his father’s valiant action on the day of his birth which had saved 800 Starfleet personnel. Could he do better?
Thinking about this, Kirk visited the shipyard. As he watched construction being done on the USS Enterprise, he decided to accept the challenge. He reported to the shipyard and boarded a shuttlecraft carrying new recruits to Starfleet Academy. On the shuttle he met another recruit, Dr. Leonard McCoy.
At Starfleet Academy
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. He once ended up in the dormitory of an Orion female cadet names Gaila. When they were on the verge of engaging in sexual activity however, Kirk found himself having to hide under her bed because of the arrival of her roommate, who disapproved of her bringing men to their dormitory. The roommate turned out to be Cadet Uhura. On discovering him, she angrily ejected him.
It was at the academy that Kirk also met Commander Spock. Spock was an academy instructor who was responsible for designing the Kobayashi Maru examination, a test involving a non-winnable practical scenario that taught cadets the importance of controlling fear. Kirk, who did not believe in non-winnable scenarios, secretly reprogrammed the simulation to be winnable before taking the examination. Spock investigated, found Kirk’s tampering, and brought him up before a tribunal on charges of academic dishonesty. Kirk defended his actions by asserting the test itself was dishonest, as the scenario was designed to guarantee failure.
Stowaway on the Enterprise
Not long after proceedings began, word arrived of a distress call from one of the Federation’s key member worlds, the planet Vulcan. A fleet was assembled to go to Vulcan and investigate. Cadets were instructed to report for duty as crew members on remaining ships, including the newly-completed Enterprise, commanded by Captain Pike. Kirk however was put on academic suspension until the tribunal could reconvene, and thus was not assigned to any vessel. He was however, surreptitiously brought aboard the Enterprise by Leonard McCoy. McCoy injected Kirk with a vaccine against a disease caused by the Melvaran mud flea. The vaccine caused Kirk to display the symptoms of the disease, and Kirk got aboard the Enterprise ostensibly as McCoy’s patient.
The Battle of Vulcan
Main article: Battle of Vulcan
En route to Vulcan, Kirk listened in the Enterprise’s sickbay to a ship-wide transmission from the bridge outlining the crisis. He realized that the cause was the same Romulan ship that attacked the Kelvin on the day of his birth. Despite his condition, he rushed to the bridge and informed Captain Pike and Commander Spock, who was serving as Pike’s First Officer. He was proven correct when, on arrival at Vulcan, the rest of the fleet, which had left Earth before the Enterprise, was found completely destroyed, and the Narada was found in geosynchronous orbit over Vulcan with an unfamiliar device deployed and firing a continuous beam into the planet’s surface. This was the Narada’s drill platform, a device from the starship’s former function as a mining vessel, being used to drill a shaft to the planet’s core. Pike was instructed to come to the Narada alone, under threat of the Enterprise’s destruction.
Kirk was made Acting First Office by Captain Pike, to serve under Spock, who would be Acting Captain in Pike’s absence. Kirk and two other officers: Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and Chief Engineer Olson, were assigned on a mission to space jump onto the drill platform and disable it. Kirk, Sulu and Olson successfully completed the mission, albeit with the death of Olson. During the mission, Kirk himself was almost killed by one of Nero’s crew, but was saved by Sulu. Kirk then saved Sulu from death when the latter fell off the drill platform, which was several kilometers above Vulcan’s surface. Kirk jumped off after him grabbed him in mid-air and attempted to use his parachute to save them both, but the chute, unable to accommodate the combined weight of both men, was torn off. They were beamed back to the Enterprise in mid-air just as they were about to hit the surface.
But they could not disable the drill before the shaft to the core was excavated. The Romulans used the shaft to facilitate a successful plan to destroy Vulcan using red matter to form a black hole at the planet’s core. This consumed the planet, nearly annihilating the Vulcans as a people.
Marooned on Delta Vega
With the Romulans now en route to Earth to destroy it as it did Vulcan, Kirkvehemently voiced his opinion to Spock that they should try to stop the Narada themselves, instead of rendezvousing with the primary fleet against it, as Spock was doing. Spock did not agree. Kirk became more and more heated in his objections, until Spock ordered him removed from the bridge. Kirk offered vigorous physical resistance the two security officers attempting to do so, but was subdued by Spock. Unconscious, he was put in an escape pod and ejected over Delta Vega, a planet near to where Vulcan had been.
On Delta Vega, Kirk ignored the warning from the pod’s computer to stay in the pod. Not long after he emerged, he was chased by two hungry ferocious predatory creatures, one of which nearly caught him. He was saved by an elderly Vulcan man who revealed himself to be Spock from a future time. This future Spock revealed to Kirk through a mind-meld that Nero was also from the future and was seeking revenge for what he perceived to be a calculated attempt by the Federation to destroy the Romulan people in his time. Kirk could stop him, but he needed to be in command of the Enterprise, and to work with the younger Spock, to do so.
Return to the Enterprise
Kirk accompanied the elder Spock to a nearby Federation outpost, where they met Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, who was stationed there. Using Scott’s theory on transwarp beaming, Kirk and Scott transported aboard the Enterprise even though she was under warp. Before Kirk left, he was advised by the elder Spock on how to assume command of the Enterprise from the younger Spock: by showing him to be emotionally compromised by the mission as per a Starfleet regulation which dictated that a commanding officer so compromised had to relinquish his/her command.
Acting Captain of the Enterprise
On beaming aboard the Enterprise, Kirk and Scott were captured by security officers and brought to the bridge, where Kirk was ordered by Spock to explain how they had beamed aboard, which should have been impossible with the ship under warp. Kirk refused and, remembering the elder Spock’s advice, he goaded Spock with assertions that Spock cared nothing for what had happened to Vulcan, nor about his mother, who had been one of those killed. His provocation was successful, though it almost cost him his life as Spock, who was far stronger and faster than him, almost killed him in rage. His emotionally compromised state now evident, Spock relinquished command. Kirk, as Acting First Officer, took command and ordered pursuit course of the Narada to Earth.
The Battle of Earth
Kirk and the senior officers brainstormed ideas as to how to get close enough to the Narada to beam aboard without being detected to capture the red matter store and possibly rescue Captain Pike. Kirk accepted a proposal by Chief Tactical Officer Ensign Pavel Chekov that if they came out of warp hidden behind Titan, one of the moons of Saturn, the planet’s magnetic rings would cloak them. Spock, again in full control of himself, agreed. Deferring to Kirk as Captain, he asked Kirk to be allowed to go. Kirk agreed and went with him.
Kirk and Spock successfully beamed onto the Narada. After an intense firefight in which they killed several Romulans, they made it to the elder Spock’s ship, which stored the red matter the Romulans were were using to destroy Federation planets. Leaving Spock to secure the ship, Kirk went to retrieve Captain Pike.
En route to Pike’s location, Kirk encountered Nero himself, who, along with his First Officer Ayel, came personally to stop him. Kirk was overwhelmed by Nero’s strength but Nero broke off and rushed to the bridge on being informed over the ship’s com that Spock had absconded with the red matter. This left Kirk to face Ayel. Manhandled by the gloating Ayel, Kirk ended his gloating by killing him with his own gun. Kirk continued on, found Pike and rescued him.
Destroying Nero
The Narada chased Spock in the elder Spock’s ship. Spock piloted the ship on a collision course to the Narada, and was beamed back to the Enterprise just before the collision. This collision caused the red matter to form a black hole that began swallowing the Narada. On the Enterprise’s bridge, Kirk ordered the Narada hailed and offered Nero and his crew assistance, but Nero furiously refused. Kirk accepted his answer without argument and ordered full weapons on the disintegrating Narada, hastening its destruction. The black hole however, after obliterating the Narada and with it Nero and his crew, began pulling in the Enterprise. Kirk kept in full control of the situation as Lt. Commander Scott, acting as Chief Engineer, suggested a plan to escape by ejecting and detonating the warp core. Kirk approved, the plan succeeded, and they escaped.
Commission and Appointment
With Nero’s threat permanently neutralized, the Enterprise returned to Earth. For his actions, which demonstrated his ability as an extremely able commanding officer fully capable of leading a Federation starship crew in the direst of situations, Kirk was decorated, commissioned directly to the rank of Captain and officially appointed as commanding officer of the Enterprise, replacing Captain Pike, who had been promoted to Admiral. After the ceremony, Kirk reported for duty on the Enterprise. As he was about to order her departure, Commander Spock came aboard and requested of Kirk to be his First Officer. Kirk was honored to accept. Kirk then gave the departure order, and the Enterprise left Earth on her first mission under the appointed command of Captain James T. Kirk.
Relationships
Friendships
Spock
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 a test Spock had designed, and then later continued when the disparate pair worked side by side on the USS Enterprise, eventually resulting in Spock throwing Kirk off the ship altogether. However, their attitudes towards each other softened after 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.
Spock (Prime)
Spock helped Kirk understand the alternate reality and to know that he was captain of the Enterprise and friends with Spock in the Prime Spock's timeline.
Leonard McCoy
Kirk and McCoy met on a transport shuttle to Starfleet Academy, when 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. When the time came, McCoy always had Kirk's back, such as helping to get him aboard the Enterprise after his suspension and berating Spock for throwing Kirk off the ship and marooning him on Delta Vega.
Nyota 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. The pair ended up serving together aboard the Enterprise, but she continued to maintain her distance from him. It was Kirk and his dependency on her xenolinguistics that got her stationed on the bridge. When Kirk was granted permanent command of the Enterprise, he chose Uhura as one of his senior officers.
Hikaru Sulu
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 technically captain after Spock had stood down from the post.
Enemies
Nero
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.
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
- 2258:
- Appointed acting first officer of the USS Enterprise
- Elevated to acting captain of the USS Enterprise
- Appointed captain of the USS Enterprise
Memorable quotes
"Citizen, what is your name?"
"My name is James Tiberius Kirk."
- - Iowa Cop and a young Kirk (Star Trek)
"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!"
- - James Kirk and Nyota Uhura (Star Trek)
"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."
- - McCoy and Kirk in the Kobayashi Maru scenario (Star Trek)
"I don't believe in no-win scenarios."
- - Kirk (Star Trek)
"Who was that pointy-eared bastard?"
"I don't know. But I like him."
- - Kirk and McCoy after meeting Spock for the first time (Star Trek)
"I am Spock."
(Pause)
"Bullshit."
- - Spock Prime and James Kirk (Star Trek)
"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."
- - Kirk, after taking command (Star Trek)
"I got your gun."
- - Kirk to Ayel right before he shoots and kills him with his own disruptor (Star Trek)
"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."
- - Kirk's response to Nero after suggesting Nero to surrender peacefully (Star Trek)
"Bones... buckle up!"
- - James Kirk to Leonard McCoy, as his first words on the bridge of the Enterprise as its assigned captain (Star Trek)
Template:EnterpriseCommandingOfficers
Background information
James T. Kirk was portrayed by Chris Pine. Younger versions were portrayed by Jimmy Bennett and an unknown performer.
Originally, Winona would not have remarried, but left her boys to be cared for by her brother (or brother-in-law) Frank (Brad William Henke), who was abusive to them whenever she was off-world. This forced George Samuel Kirk to run away from home, and Jim, who was a good pupil who always obeyed orders, to steal George's antique car that Frank treated as if it was his own.
The novelization of 2009's 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. 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. [1] 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.
Orci and Kurtzman based Kirk and Spock's relationship on Paul McCartney and John Lennon, two very different musicians who bonded early in life, partly because they both lost a parent (in Kirk's case, his father, and in Spock's, his mother). [2]