James T. Kirk Puns

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_T._Kirk

Any time anyone tells me that 23rd century humans are more "evolved" than present humans, I remember this fact. Kodos didn't act alone. He had supporters who helped implement his slaughter.

What this tells me is that, sure, humans may have found unity, built peace, eliminated poverty... on Earth. By if humans aren't careful, another Hitler or Pol Pot or Kodos is ready to act.

I often wonder how this trauma affected Kirk for the rest of his life. This isn't something people easily forget.

My thoughts on the relative strengths and weaknesses of Picard was well Recieved. Therefore, I had elected to continue the discussion of Starfleet captains with Picard. I'll probably do Sisko next. Sadly, I don't think I'm qualified to do Janeway, or Archer, or whomever the captain of Discovery is. I'll be quite happy for someone else to take up that torch however.So, without further preamble here are my thoughts on Captain James Tiberius Kirk (Prime timeline)

The Good:

1. Born adventurer. Kirk by temperament is biased towards action. As such when the situation calls for adventure he'll generally dive in head first.
2. Knows the odds. That being said, Kirk isn't stupid. Sure he's not a classic intellectual like Spock or Picard, but that's just because he uses his intellect in other ways. Kirk clearly has the temperament and skillset of an experienced gambler. He's very good at intuitively understanding situations from context clues, and he's amazing at calling bluffs. To the point where on multiple occasions he's called bluffs on so-called gods and won the hand.
3. Charismatic. Without weighing in on whether or not Kirk is, or is not a so-called "ladies man" it's undeniable that the man oozes charisma. While he's not necessarily an accomplished diplomat, this does allow him to command the loyalty of his crew to a high degree. This charisma also allows him to skirt, if not occasionally violate starfleet directives and laws and "get away with it" providing he gets acceptable results. (and he usually does)
4. Cunning. Kirk is really, really good at doing things that conventionally would be considered "impossible". He beat the Kobiyashi Maru. He's performed multiple death-defying stunts. He gets in more fistfights than perhaps any other starfleet captain that we've seen on screen. Where other captains contemplate, Kirk gets fast, effective, seemingly intuitive and effortless results.

The Bad:

1. Troublemaker. Kirk is often competently accused of making serious violations of starfleet codes and regulations. He's on more than one occasion court-martialed and or stripped of his command. He's committed multiple major felonies such as commandeering federation starships.
2. Ego. Kirk is a tad larger than life. At times, so much so that he comes off as a tad egocentric. After all, it's not egoism when you really are the best, most capable person that you know right?
3. Reckless. Kirk is so used to his luck always getting him out of a tough spot, that he relies o

https://imgur.com/vN0dQV4

Round 1: Despite a hostile environment, the crew makes their way to King Vegeta. Could there be a diplomatic resolve to the tension between the Enterprise and the Saiyan Race?

Round 2: Diplomacy has failed, and the Saiyans declare war on the Enterprise, therefore declaring war on the Federation. What is the outcome of this war?

Round 3: The Klingon Empire is the first to discover Planet Vegeta. The same timeline unfolds, what happens?

NOTE: This is “Pre”-Saiyan Saga Saiyans

Note: After taking the time to write this down and think it through, I’m 100% this theory is accurate. Here me out.

I got heavily into Star Trek this last year and a half, and inevitably encountered the big argument: Kirk vs Picard, who is the better captain.

Kirk is the more interesting and fun character but “the better captain” is obviously Picard. Picard acts like an actual captain. Kirk is incredibly reckless and his incredulous luck is his greatest gift, not as much his legitimate skills. We see Kirk constantly taking bold risks that throw caution to the wind and regardless of how ludicrous some of his actions are…and somehow, it always works out for him.

But then it occurred to me…that’s exactly how Kirk would want to be portrayed: bold, daring, fearless in the face of overwhelming odds. Reality doesn’t play by the adventurous ideals of a young man yearning for excitement, as we see in plenty of episodes where politics and ethics get in the way of sci-fi escapades.

I think the captain’s log is how Kirk claims his adventures went down and we’re watching/listening to his version of the story play out. Think about Kirk’s personality and ask ‘Why wouldn’t Kirk fudge a few details to make him look better?’ He’s Kirk! That cocky but lovable bastard pulls this shit all the time.

Why would it matter if some details were altered for the sake of building a good reputation, Kirk would think. Maybe it’s because Kirk’s ego needs stroking or maybe it’s because he’s intentionally trying to play the political game for career safety, but the result is the same: people viewing his logs interpret him as a confident, level-headed, flirtatious, thoughtful, fearless, unbeatable hero, which is exactly how Kirk wants it.

This is also why some of the sets and monster costumes lack detail and look cheaply made: Kirk spent more time explaining how great he is than the scenery.

He’d never deny credit when his teammates do a good job (some logs/episodes show how great Spock and McCoy are), but this guy survives battles all the time, gets with every girl effortlessly, and comes to conclusions about whatever they’re encountering oddly quickly for someone who is supposed to be unfamiliar with the situation.

Some of the corniness in the original Star Trek can be justified by Kirk embellishing details about himself. Here are a few examples…

Reality: The enemy put up a hard fight. No one was killed. Kirk received several minor injuries including a b

What does God need with our money? He created the whole fucking universe. He can do anything. Tithing could be one percent. God had the power to make that one percent investment turn into 100 billion dollars if he wanted. Fuck any god that wants money.

Several months ago I ordered the Star Trek line vodka and bourbon and it just arrived today!

http://imgur.com/gallery/7tue0LY

Picked up a copy of this book on my Christmas shopping trip today. What an excellent world building companion book for the Original series and also what a way to humanize a character who everyone never sees in the right light.

His upbringing in Iowa and Tarsus Iv are things you hear about in the show, but the book impresses me because events and memories from Kirk's life about his childhood are both sad, funny and make sense of just how normal he really is and how he became a "super hero" because of his imperfections.

I never take the time to really read expanded universe material from any of the big sci fi franchises, but reading about his early times at the academy and his insecurities about his parents and their career in Starfleet are things that make sense to how Kirk is in the show. He is a workoholic because his father and mother had to sacrifice a career in Starfleet for family and he just "doesn't get it".

The media and even some casual trek fans see Kirk as this gregarious ladies man, but I enjoy seeing that he is just as impersonal sometimes as Picard with the way that he deals with relationships (Ruth) and although he accomplishes great things in his life he still had real human problems well until his immediate death.

Great Book that has gotten me back on the Original Series again.

Ladies and gentlemen, it has been a common point of discussion in this forum regarding the version of Captain Kirk as seen in the so-called "Kelvin Timeline" and his actual fitness for command. As we all are aware, he went from joining the Academy (essentially on a dare and at the word of Captain Christopher Pike, who owed his life to Lieutenant George Kirk of the U.S.S. Kelvin) in 2255 to becoming first officer (again on Captain Pike's word, despite being one of literally the most junior officers aboard) under Acting Captain Spock. When Spock relieved himself of command, Kirk took over and admittedly was instrumental in saving Earth from following Vulcan into destruction at the hands of the mad Romulan Nero. For this, Kirk - who was still technically a cadet at the time - received a permanent appointment to the rank of Captian, jumping decades of seniority in an instant, and permanent command of the Federation flagship, U.S.S. Enterprise.

Allow me to repeat that. A third-year cadet, not even an officer who had finished their initial Starfleet training period, and admittedly one that had acquitted himself in laudable fashion and ended a crisis that had already destroyed one founding Federation world and was minutes away from doing the same to Earth, was simply given a rank that normally takes decades to earn and command of the most advanced ship in Starfleet. A promotion to, say, Lieutenant, and give him a decoration for valor? Absolutely. Jump his career ahead by two or three decades and snub all of the officers who have put in the blood, sweat, and tears to get to that point in their careers over those same two or three decades? Unbelievable.

Later, after an initial few months' exploration missions where Kirk seemed to lead Enterprise from crisis to crisis, he returned to Earth after knowingly and deliberately breaking the Prime Directive, flying his ship in full view of a Stone Age equivalent civilization doing unknowable and likely irreparable harm to their long-term development, and attempts to conceal those actions. Admiral Pike relieves Kirk of command and intends to return him to the Academy, presumably to finish the training he missed and hopefully from there put him in position to gain the experience a starship captain so desperately needs... and then appoints Kirk his first officer aboard Enterprise just in time for Khan's ambush of the Admiralty and putting Kirk back in the captain's seat of Enterprise. Again, Kirk's absurd lu

The only ones I am aware of are a little kid (honorary) in "Disaster" and Commander Darren from "Lessons" who was only there very briefly.

I was watching TOS season 1, episode “where No Man Has Gone Before,” I believe. This was one of those episodes in which the crew has to deal with a God-like foe. In this case it’s a couple of the crew given their powers. In the battle with the male crew member (forgot his name) Kirk’s grave is brought into existence and I’m fairly certain that the head stone displayed “James R. Kirk.”

The point of the test is to see how the candidate would fare in an unwinnable situation. All they learned about Kirk is that he will use any means necessary to make himself look good. Probably also wrecked the grading curve for that whole class of officer candidates. And when will this ever be the applicable way to deal with a situation? Do you think the Borg would ever allow him access to the software of a cube to rewrite to allow him to win? Kirk should have been kicked out and countless red shirts may have stood a better chance of survival under the stewardship of a captain who wasn't focused on getting laid on every planet visited instead of keeping his crew safe.

For those salt miners who love the original Star Trek, this should sound oddly familiar...

Kirk: "How soon before the Fandom Menace's prediction of customer revolt is realized?"

Iger: "Approximately 240 days."

Kirk: "The inevitable outcome?"

Iger: "The Kennedy Empire shall be overthrown, of course."

Kirk: "The illogic of waste, Mister Iger. The waste of characters, potential, resources, time...I submit to you that her Empire is illogical, because it cannot endure. I submit you are illogical, to be a willing enabler of it."

Iger: "You have one minute and 23 seconds."

Kirk: "If change is inevitable, profitable, beneficial, doesn't logic demand that you be a part of it?"

Iger: "One man cannot summon the future."

Kirk: "But one man can change the present. Be the oversight of LFL, Mister Iger! Find a shareholder's reason for sparing the franchise, and make it stick. Push till it gives! You can throw your weight around better than any man in the industry."

Note: After taking the time to write this down and think it through, I’m 100% this theory is accurate. Here me out.

I got heavily into Star Trek this last year and a half, and inevitably encountered the big argument: Kirk vs Picard, who is the better captain.

Kirk is the more interesting and fun character but “the better captain” is obviously Picard. Picard acts like an actual captain. Kirk is incredibly reckless and his incredulous luck is his greatest gift, not as much his legitimate skills. We see Kirk constantly taking bold risks that throw caution to the wind and regardless of how ludicrous some of his actions are…and somehow, it always works out for him.

But then it occurred to me…that’s exactly how Kirk would want to be portrayed: bold, daring, fearless in the face of overwhelming odds. Reality doesn’t play by the adventurous ideals of a young man yearning for excitement, as we see in plenty of episodes where politics and ethics get in the way of sci-fi escapades.

I think the captain’s log is how Kirk claims his adventures went down and we’re watching/listening to his version of the story play out. Think about Kirk’s personality and ask ‘Why wouldn’t Kirk fudge a few details to make him look better?’ He’s Kirk! That cocky but lovable bastard pulls this shit all the time.

Why would it matter if some details were altered for the sake of building a good reputation, Kirk would think. Maybe it’s because Kirk’s ego needs stroking or maybe it’s because he’s intentionally trying to play the political game for career safety, but the result is the same: people viewing his logs interpret him as a confident, level-headed, flirtatious, thoughtful, fearless, unbeatable hero, which is exactly how Kirk wants it.

This is also why some of the sets and monster costumes lack detail and look cheaply made: Kirk spent more time explaining how great he is than the scenery.

He’d never deny credit when his teammates do a good job (some logs/episodes show how great Spock and McCoy are), but this guy survives battles all the time, gets with every girl effortlessly, and comes to conclusions about whatever they’re encountering oddly quickly for someone who is supposed to be unfamiliar with the situation.

Some of the corniness in the original Star Trek can be justified by Kirk embellishing details about himself. Here are a few examples…

Reality: The enemy put up a hard fight. No one was killed. Kirk received several minor injuries including a b