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My favorite Star Trek character is James T. Kirk, the Enterprise captain who introduced us to the Trek universe.
 Gene Roddenberry described Kirk's character as the "Horatio Hornblower of the stars" - and he truly is that, for of all the Trek Captains, he is the one most defined as a man of bravery and action.
The list of commendations Kirk has received for valor and heroism in the line of duty is unparalleled in the Star Trek universe. As a man in his early 30s, he was the youngest person ever to command a Federation starship. And he is the only one of 12 starship captains to bring his ship home intact at the end of its five-year mission.
 He is highly respected by allies and enemies alike. The Romulan Commander in Balance of Terror considered Kirk a shrewd adversary in their game of cat-and-mouse. "He is a sorcerer, that one," he proclaimed as Kirk out-maneuvered and finally defeated him, narrowly averting a galactic war. Khan declared him "an excellent tactician" in Space Seed. And in Errand of Mercy, Commander Kor of the Klingon Empire was thrilled to discover Baroner was actually the captain of the Enterprise, whom he considered a great prize.
 But Kirk is very much a man for all seasons. Apart from his tactical expertise and military achievements, he is also a very thoughtful man. It is not uncommon for him to examine his beliefs, question his own motivations or indulge in a little healthy soul-searching. He also relies heavily on advice from his senior staff, although once he has reached a decision on something, he is seldom swayed from his convictions. Spock even noted this fact in The Corbomite Maneuver, when he told Kirk, "There is a certain inefficiency in constantly questioning me on things you've already made up your mind about."
James Kirk has many people he considers friends, but there are two in particular he would give his very life for - Spock and McCoy. And his relationships with the two of them are vastly different by comparison.
McCoy is his emotional stronghold. He provides Kirk with a sympathetic ear in times of need... a swift kick in the pants in times of self-pity or doubt... and a snifter of Saurian Brandy at just the right moments. McCoy is his nursemaid, his drinking buddy, his friend.
Spock, on the other hand, is the voice of reason in Kirk's life. He is the Jiminy Cricket to Kirk's Pinocchio. In most instances, Spock's mere presence is enough to keep Kirk's feet planted firmly on the ground.
The perfect example of this is at the end of Dagger of the Mind. Kirk is on the bridge, still clearly shaken by his experience with the neural neutralizer. Then he glances at Spock, and his demeanor suddenly changes as though someone had flipped on a light. He regains his confidence, his control and his decorum in that flash of an instant when his eyes meet Spock's.
 But perhaps the best definition of their relationship was given by Edith Keeler in City on the Edge of Forever, when Spock asked where she thought they belonged. "You?" she replied. "At his side... as if you've always been there, and always will." Spock is his conscience, his devil's advocate, but also very much his friend.
Kirk is not perfect, and he would probably be the first to admit it. He is a shameless womanizer. He tends to act with his heart rather than his head, and if he hasn't actually broken the Prime Directive, he has severely dented it on quite a few occasions. He can be quick-tempered, stubborn, and just a little trigger-happy.
His strengths make him a wonderfully heroic figure. His weaknesses make him human. And the combination of the two create a character that is unequaled in the Star Trek universe.
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Did You Know...?
- Kirk's middle name is Tiberius.
- He was born in Iowa.
- He has one brother, George Samuel Kirk (Sam), and a nephew, Peter.
- Sam Kirk was killed in the original series episode, "Operation: Annihilate!". Sam's corpse is actually William Shatner with a mustache.
- He has one son, David Marcus, with scientist Dr. Carol Marcus. David was killed in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock".
- He is the only person ever to beat the Kobayashi Maru test in Starfleet Academy history. (He cheated, but he also received a commendation for original thinking).
- Kirk is the youngest man ever to command a starship.
- He is the only captain of the 12 Federation starships to bring his ship home after its five-year mission.
- His alcoholic beverage of choice is Saurian brandy.
- His friend, Gary Mitchell, described Kirk during his academy days as "a stack of books with legs".
- He was relentlessly harrassed in the academy by an upperclassman named Finnegan.
- Kirk is a master in the game of three-dimensional chess, often beating even Spock.
- Kirk never said the words "Beam me up, Scotty" in any episode of the original series, even though the popular catch-phrase is attributed to him.
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Sound Wavs
Click on the icon to hear the wav
 Captain's Theme
Dramatic music
I don't like mysteries. They give me a bellyache, and I've got a beauty right now.
I've waited long enough. I'm going to take him on.
Take us out of orbit, Mr. Spock. Ahead, warp factor one.
I've already got a female to worry about. Her name's the Enterprise.
All right, Colonel, the truth is I'm a little green man from Alpha Centuri, a beautiful place, you oughta see it.
All decks, go to full alert.
We think of ourselves as the most powerful beings in the universe. It's unsettling to discover that we're wrong.
Mr. Spock, your logic, as usual, is inescapable.
This is Captain James T. Kirk commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a ship to tend to. Au revoir.
My world, proconsul, is my vessel, my oath, my crew.
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Quotes
- "I don't believe in the no-win scenario."
(Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
- "The prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other."
(Elaan of Troyius)
- "Without freedom of choice, there is no creativity. Without creativity, there is no life."
(Return of the Archons)
- "I've already got a female to worry about. Her name is the Enterprise."
(The Corbomite Maneuver)
- "Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words."
(The Omega Glory)
- "In every revolution, there is one man with a vision."
(Mirror, Mirror)
- "No wants - no needs? We weren't meant for that. None of us. Man stagnates if he has no ambition, no desire to be more than he is."
(This Side of Paradise)
- "The greatest danger facing us is ourselves, an irrational fear of the unknown. There is no such thing as the unknown - only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood."
(The Corbomite Maneuver)
- "Maybe we weren't meant for paradise. Maybe we were meant to fight our way through - struggle, claw our way up, scratch for every inch of the way. Maybe we can't stroll to the music of lutes. We must march to the sound of drums."
(This Side of Paradise)
- "We think of ourselves as the most powerful beings in the universe. It's unsettling to discover that we're wrong."
(Errand of Mercy)
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More Kirk on the Web
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Photo Gallery
This gallery is still under construction. I'll add more photos as time allows.
Season 1
1966 - 1967
The Man Trap
133 photos
Charlie X
173 photos
Where No Man Has Gone Before
179 photos
The Naked Time
157 photos
The Enemy Within
277 photos
Mudd's Women
150 photos
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
308 photos
Miri
308 photos
Dagger of the Mind
276 photos
The Corbomite Maneuver
338 photos
The Menagerie (Parts 1 and 2)
219 photos
The Conscience of the King
286 photos
Balance of Terror
262 photos
Shore Leave
2 photos
The Galileo Seven
3 photos
The Squire of Gothos
106 photos
Arena
30 photos
Tomorrow is Yesterday
4 photos
Court Martial
4 photos
The Return of the Archons
5 photos
Space Seed
8 photos
A Taste of Armageddon
2 photos
This Side of Paradise
5 photos
Devil in the Dark
2 photos
Errand of Mercy
6 photos
The Alternative Factor
1 photos
The City on the Edge of Forever
45 photos
Operation: Annihilate!
1 photos
Season 2
1967 - 1968
Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Apple
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
I, Mudd
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Omega Glory
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses
Assignment: Earth
Season 3
1968 - 1969
Spock's Brain
The Enterprise Incident
The Paradise Syndrome
And the Children Shall Lead
Is There In Truth No Beauty?
Spectre of the Gun
The Day of the Dove
For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
The Tholian Web
Plato's Stepchildren
Wink of an Eye
The Empath
Elaan of Troyius
Whom Gods Destroy
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
The Mark of Gideon
That Which Survives
The Lights of Zetar
Requiem for Methuselah
The Way to Eden
The Cloud Minders
The Savage Curtain
All Our Yesterdays
Turnabout Intruder
Feature Films
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: Generations
* Wallpaper *
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