Claim: William Shatner was on TV.

James Tiberius `` Jim '' Kirk is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise . Kirk first appears in Star Trek : The Original Series and has been portrayed in numerous films , books , comics , webisodes , and video games . As the captain of the starship USS Enterprise , Kirk leads his crew as they explore `` new worlds , where no man has gone before '' . Often , the characters of Spock and Leonard McCoy act as his logical and emotional sounding boards , respectively .   Kirk , played by William Shatner , first appears in the broadcast pilot episode , `` The Man Trap '' , originally broadcast on September 8 , 1966 . Shatner continued in the role for the show 's three seasons , and later provided the voice of the animated version of Kirk in Star Trek : The Animated Series -LRB- 1973 -- 74 -RRB- . Shatner returned to the role for Star Trek : The Motion Picture -LRB- 1979 -RRB- and in six subsequent films . Chris Pine portrays a young version of the character in the 2009 reboot Star Trek film , with Jimmy Bennett playing Kirk as a child . Pine reprised his role in Star Trek Into Darkness -LRB- 2013 -RRB- and in Star Trek Beyond -LRB- 2016 -RRB- . Other actors have played the character in fan-created media , and the character has been the subject of multiple spoofs and satires . Kirk has been praised for his leadership traits and criticized for his relationships with women .