Welcome to the Personnel File, where we look into the career and personality of Star Trek’s
characters. Today we’re addressing the record of the original captain, Captain James T.
Kirk. So as usual with the Personnel File, I will be using prime continuity canon to
list out the career and where there are blanks, filling in the missing time with beta content
as long as it doesn’t conflict with the existing lore. There is some inconsistency
with the exact date he was made captain, some sources say it was when he took over the Enterprise
from Christopher Pike but it’s more likely earlier as the Enterprise wasn’t Kirk’s
first command. There are also an arm’s length of awards and commendations, but not all of
these have exact dates. James “Jim” Tiberius Kirk was born in
2233, March 22nd in Riverside, Iowa, Earth and was named after his grandfathers.
He was the first child to George and Winona Kirk who later had his brother, George Samuel
“Sam” Kirk. He visited the Starfleet War Memorial in San
Francisco when he was 5 and, inspired by his father’s career in Starfleet, wished to
explore the stars. In 2246, The Kirk family were on Tarsus IV
where they witnessed the famine and Governor Kodos’ eradication of inhabitants to combat
the food shortage. A year later he moved to Grex but had to evacuate
due to Orion activities and they moved back to Earth.
In 2250: He applied to Starfleet Academy at the age of 17, securing the Sponsorship of
Captain Robert April, and was granted a tour of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, fresh of it
first 5 year mission. In his first year he Trained as a Zodiac-class
Shuttle Pilot and was granted the provisional rank of Ensign when he entered the command
training programme. He was also assigned a learning position on the training vessel USS
Republic, NCC-1371. One of the missions was a diplomatic mission
to Axanar where Kirk was awarded the Palm Leaf of Axanar Peace.
At the end of his first year at the academy he continued his training at Lunar Station
where he met Gary Mitchel. This year Kirk was reprimanded for accessing
restricted sensor data during the Republic’s classified mission in the Neutral Zone.
By 2254 Kirk had maintained his provisional promotion and took the infamous Kobiyashi-Maru
test. He was almost expelled for cheating when he hacked the programme to allow a win
condition. He was one point away from expulsion but also awarded a commendation for original
thinking. On graduation, his first assignment was on
the USS Farragut NCC-1647 under Captain Garrovick where he took the modest position of Cargo
Officer. It didn’t take long for him to get noticed
and was soon promoted to Lieutenant Jr. grade and assigned a Bridge position as the Phaser
Officer at tactical Station. He was part of a Survey to the planet Neural
where he befriended the locals and advised a non-interference policy to Starfleet.
In 2255 he was injured during combat with Pirate ships and remained at his post receiving
the “Decoration of Valor.” He was treated at Starbase 7 where he met Leonard McCoy.
In 2256 he was promoted to Lieutenant. In 2257 the Farragut was dispatched to Tycho
IV where Captain Garrovick was Killed In Action and Kirk ordered the ship back to Starbase
16. Later that year, he was assigned as the Second
Officer of USS Constitution. NCC-1700 under Captain Augenthaler.
In 2258 he took a promotion to Lieutenant commander and transferred to the USS Aeolus
NCC-588. He appeared as an alumni guest Lecturer at
Stafleet Academy this year also. In 2258, due to rising Klingon tension, Kirk
was assigned, along with 100 others to Shad outpost to guard against Klingon aggression.
In 2259: he returned to the USS Aeolus. In this year he transferred a lot from the
USS Bonhomme Richard NCC-1712, to the USS Alexander then in 2260, the USS El Dorado
NCC-1722 at took a position as first officer. In 2260, he then took a transfer to the USS
Eagle as 2nd Officer, though this seeming step back came with a Promotion to Commander.
It was here he was reunited with Carol Marcus but their reignited relationship did not last
as Kirk wished to remain in Starfleet while Marcus wished to leave to pursue her scientific
goals. Unknown to Kirk, she was pregnant with his son.
In 2261 Kirk was promoted to Captain Rank becoming the youngest ever at the age of 28.
However, in 2262 he took 3 months of shore leave before returning to duty.
That year he was assigned to the USS Alola for a single mission then transferred to the
USS Oxford NCC-751 which was his first true command.
A year later he took command of the USS Lydia Sutherland where he was able to appoint Gary
Mitchel as his XO. Then the Ghioghe Incident occurred where the
Lydia Sutherland was evacuated and destroyed. Kirk was critically injured during the evacuation.
From 2263 to 64 he was recovering in Starfleet Teaching Hospital
In 2264, Admiral Kimitake Noguchi pegs Kirk for the command of the USS Enterprise, due
to return from its latest 5 year mission under Captain Christopher Pike.
In 2265, Kirk accepted command of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 and undertook the historic
events of the Original Series. He had numerous achievements, including the
record for the highest number of first contacts by a Starfleet Captain that wasn’t surpassed
until 2378 by Captain Kathryn Janeway. Kirk became one of the first pioneers to reach
the Galactic Barrier at the edge of the galaxy, He made contact with the First Federation
civilisation and the Gorn Hegemony. In 2267, the Enterprise was assigned a risky new form
of temporal assignment to 1968 Earth. He was also one of the primary parties in the Organian
Peace Treaty of 2267. In 2268 He was assigned a covert mission to steal a Romulan Cloaking
Device and the Enterprise played host to the delegates of the Babel Conference.
In 2269, the enterprise undertook a survey mission to the galactic core, outside of the
Great Barrier and in 2270, the historic 5 year mission ends with Kirk and the Enterprise’s
deeds standing out even among the prestigious line of Constitution Class starships.
In early 2270 the “Rittenhouse Scandal” occurred; an attempted military coup from
Starfleet Admiral Rittenhouse with the USS Star Empire, Kirks involvement in preventing
it solidified Kirk for a promotion to Rear Admiral.
And in 2270, his Promotion went through, partly as he was one of the few Starfleet officers
above reproach by Federation officials. The Commodore rank was in the midst of being phased
out at this time too. Kirk was soon requisition to serve in the
Special Diplomatic Division where he served until he was made the Chief of Starfleet Operations
in 2271. In late 2272 the disruptive probe V’Ger
arrived in the Sol system and Kirk reassumed command of the Enterprise from Captain Willard
Decker. At the end of the mission, he made the Enterprise his flagship and remained aboard
for its second five year mission under his command.
In 2273 Admiral Kirk and Commander Kral of the Klingon Defence Force agreed to isolate
the planet Cragon-V. In 2275 He operated alongside Romulan agents
to halt experiments on Levaeri V. In 2277, the second 5 year mission under Kirk’s
purview ends. Admiral Kirk Returned to teach at Starfleet
Academy. In 2282: He took early Retirement but didn’t
stay away long. In 2284 he returned to take a more active
role in the Admiralty alongside resuming his duties to teach at Starfleet Academy.
A year later in 2285 he encountered Khan Noonien Singh and was forced to utilise the USS Enterprise,
now a training vessel for cadets, to stop the augment. During the conflict over the
genesis planet, Captain Spock was Killed in action.
Not long after, Admiral Kirk, alongside several other crewmembers of the Enterprise stole
the Enterprise to travel back to the Genesis planet and recover and revive Spock. The USS
Enterprise NCC-1701 was self-destructed to prevent Klingon capture and during the events,
Kirk’s son David was killed. Upon returning to Earth the Whale Probe incident
occurred and Kirk had to utilise time travel to save the planet. Adding to the extensive
list of temporal incursions. In 2286, James Kirk was pulled up for his
theft of the enterprise and received a demotion to Captain and a permanent halt in rank. He
was assigned captaincy of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A, a constitution refit vessel.
In 2287: Kirk survived an assignation from Garth of Izar who had begun to slip back into
insanity after his rehabilitation. In 2287 the planet Sha Ka Ree was discovered
as the Enterprise breached the Great Barrier at the centre of the galaxy.
In 2293, the Khitomer Conference was held due to the efforts of the Enterprise crew
and a peace treaty was established with the Klingon people, replacing the tenuous Organian
Peace Treaty. The Enterprise-A was decommissioned in 2293
but the excelsior class USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B was nearing completion. However later that
year, Kirk was presiding as a guest aboard the USS Enterprise-B for its launch but the
ship encountered the Nexus Energy Ribbon, rescuing El Aurien refugees.
During the incident, Kirk was apparently killed form Deflector control when in reality he
entered the Nexus, the latter part of this event was unknown however and Kirk was officially
listed as KIA for 78 years. Then in 2371, Captain Jean-Luc Picard entered
the Nexus and returned with Kirk on Veridian-III to stop Dr Tolien Soren. During the fight,
Captain James T. Kirk was killed, his final words being recorded as “It was fun. Oh
my.” With this, Starfleet’s most famous captain’s
career ended with him saving worlds as he always had.
Kirk was often described as a cowboy of diplomacy and occasionally less than flattering terms;
however he was equally, if not more so praised for his actions and moral standing. He was
considered a passionate individual who would follow right from wrong even if it put him
at odds with others even utilising deception and duplicity if it served a greater good.
This made him seem lucky at times as he was willing to balance bluffs against an opponent’s
motivation and often succeeded. He spent most of his Starfleet Academy career
chasing the command program but soon learned that he was adept at tactical thinking, whether
in combat or diplomacy. This tactical mind-set was both asset and flaw as he always believed
there was an option to succeed quoted as saying “I don’t believe in a no-win scenario.”
When he ultimately encounters a genuine situation without a perfect outcome, it takes his long-time
friend, Spock, to devise a solution. Kirk had a reputation for engaging in confrontation
too readily but acknowledged this aggressive streak in himself and seldom took violent
action if another, less confrontational course were present. He put diplomacy first and had
no tolerance for discrimination or prejudice within and without his crew. He also did not
allow for his authority to be challenged, but was willing to accept feedback and criticism
in private. He was guided by his own moral compass that
reflected many of the values of the Federation and upheld these values even when it put himself
at risk, sustaining numerous injuries throughout his career. As seen in his career, he would
occasionally bend or even disobey Starfleet orders in favour of following his own principles
and was willing to justify his actions. His charismatic command style unified his crew
and even won over some of the Admiralty creating a loyal following of individuals who often
found their own moral virtues influenced by Kirk’s own. He therefore earned a reputation
as a hero as much as his reputation for playing fast and loose with the minutia of protocol.
James Kirk’s career seemed focused on climbing the ranks; even if it meant taking numerous
transfers within a year and at one point taking a reduced position from XO to second officer
to maintain his upward momentum and the majority of his Starfleet career was spent in the command
chair. He never chased glory, but likewise appreciated it when his accomplishments were
recognised, placing a great pride in his career and specifically his Medal of Honor.
This shows that he was naturally drawn to exploration, but exploration with influence,
he wanted to be in command, not simply a passive observer of new events and locations.
This rapid rise through the ranks to reach captaincy would later bite him as he was elevated
to admiral relatively quickly too. He regarded this promotion with mixed feelings, feeling
duty bound to serve Starfleet and now in a position to shape it, but at the same time,
being removed from the frontier expansion he craved.
In fact as an outsider looking at his record and actions, General Chang once described
Kirk as “insubordinate, unprincipled, career-minded opportunist with a history of violating the
chain of command whenever it suited him.” Chang’s opinion is one formed by many who
simply observe the clinical nature of the official record, but Kirk’s life is one
built on morals and emotion as much as law. However, he would internalise a lot of his
trauma and pain, the death of Spock, his son, David, his brother Sam. This fed into the
darker side of his personality that he often repressed, but could surface in moments of
weakness or instability. As he matured, he learned to use his pain to guide his compassion
and his internalised anger for combat. “I don’t want my pain taken away; I need my
pain.” Wearing his emotions openly often led him
to involve himself romantically with many women and he often used his charisma to disarm
and even persuade members of the opposite gender to help him. Despite most of his affairs
not even going further than a kiss Kirk was a romantic at heart who believed in love over
all, but his commitment to the crew and his ship always came first.
He had a great appreciation for history, especially American history and idolised many historical
figures from scientific, military and political backgrounds. He also enjoyed horse-riding
and reading and in fact in his academy days he was considered a studious bookworm by his
classmates. He spent a great deal of time staying in shape in his youth enjoying activities
such as sparring and mountain climbing. Kirk’s career is full of as many reprimands
as commendations but his command style and actions suited the era of expansion Starfleet
and the Federation was in, where a more lenient approach to diplomacy and a diverse combat
portfolio helped far more than the more regimented climate of later Starfleet. It takes captains
like James Kirk to “trailblaze” a path through the stars so that captains like Picard
can follow, but Kirk managed to do it while holding fast to a moral integrity that does
his record credit and forged a close knit community around the man who respected him,
even if they sighed with exasperation at times. It was all a part of his charm.
Thanks for listening, this episode has been a long time in the making but let’s look
at some Kirk centric episodes. “City on the Edge of Forever.” Is poignant
moment where Kirk has to preserve the timeline and we see his commitment to the greater good
is truly tested. And to see Kirk’s tactical ingenuity, “Balance
of Terror” is always worth a watch. Of course I’ll have to suggest the Wrath
of Khan film for the transformative chapter of Kirk’s life where we see him transition
into the role he would later assume, where his past catches up with him in a transforming
Starfleet. Being a captain and one of the main three
of the original series he obviously appears in every episode, so there’s a lot of content
to be had throughout, but these are a few of the highlights for me. What’s yours?
Or your favourite Kirk moment? Thanks again for watching and until next time,
I’ve been Ric, goodbye.