James T . Kirk ( alternate reality ) James Tiberius Kirk was a 23rd century Human Federation Starfleet officer . As a Starfleet cadet , he was instrumental in the defeat and death of Nero , a Romulan bent on the obliteration of the entire 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 . ( ) A year later in 2259 , Kirk faced , an enhanced Human from the late 20th century with superior strength and intellect . However , the crew of the " Enterprise " managed to stop him , following the sacrifice of Kirk . managed to capture Khan with the help of and Dr . managed to revive Kirk . Afterwards in 2260 , the " Enterprise " set out on the first five - year mission . ( ) In 2263 , during its five - year mission , the " Enterprise " was destroyed by Swarm ships , led by Krall , stranding the crew on Altamid . The crew and Jaylah , who was also stranded by Krall , later managed to leave the planet after repairing the , a ship commanded by Balthazar M . Edison that went missing in 2164 . Kirk and his crew traveled to Starbase Yorktown and stopped revenge plans put into motion by Krall , who was revealed to be Edison . Afterwards , Kirk was given command of the and continued his five - year mission . ( ) Early life . James Tiberius ( " Jim " ) Kirk was a Human descendant of Europe an settlers on Earth ' s America n continent , who pioneered the western frontiers of the United States of America in the 19th century . ( ) The son of Starfleet officer – first officer of the – and his wife , he was born on January 4th , 2233 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 died piloting the " Kelvin " into the " Narada " in a kamikaze attack . The young Kirk was named James Tiberius after and George ' s father , respectively . Jim was raised in Iowa , in Midwestern North America , on Earth . His mother remarried . As a young boy , Jim had a somewhat rebellious streak in him as he once , for example , stole his stepfather ' s 1965 Chevy Corvette convertible , drove it recklessly , got into a high speed chase with local police , then nearly died when he barely managed to jump out , as he drove the car into a quarry . As he grew up , he had little sense of purpose and by 2255 , he was an aimless rebel who had found himself on the wrong side of the law on more than one occasion . ( ) When Kirk was a boy , Winona told James that George had owned a PX70 motorcycle . According to Winona , George often put Winona on the back of the vehicle and it drove her nuts . ( ) While visiting a bar near the Riverside Shipyard in 2255 , an inebriated Jim met and began flirting with a Starfleet cadet named . Although annoyed by Jim ' s advances , Uhura was surprised that Jim knew what was involved in the study of xenolinguistics . Moments later , the twenty - two year - old Jim Kirk engaged in a bar fight with three male cadets , including , who were irritated at his cocky attitude and the attention he was giving Uhura . He was ultimately overwhelmed by the cadets until Captain broke up the fight . Pike , who had written his dissertation on the USS " Kelvin " and was familiar with Jim ' s story , pushed the young man to challenge himself and reach the greater potential he was capable of achieving , calling him " the only genius - level repeat offender in the Midwest " . Pike tried to persuade him to join Starfleet , firmly believing he could do more with himself than get into bar fights and break all the laws in the state of Iowa . Kirk laughed at the idea of joining Starfleet , but Pike reassured him that , with his " off - the - chart " aptitude , he could make captain and have his own ship in only eight years . He reminded him that his father had saved eight - hundred lives , including Jim ' s and his mother ' s , and dared young Kirk to do better . Soon after their conversation , and to the surprise of Pike , Jim decided to enlist with the intent of completing the training in three years . He rode onto the shipyard , gave his bike to a construction worker , and boarded a shuttle for new recruits heading to Starfleet Academy . It was on his trip to the Academy where he first met and befriended Doctor . Starfleet career . 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 and he once ended up in the dormitory of an Orion female cadet named . He was caught and hid under the bed when her roommate , Cadet Uhura , arrived unexpectedly . On discovering him , she angrily threw him out . It was at the Academy that Kirk also met Commander . Kirk had failed the " Kobayashi Maru " examination twice but decided to take it a third time , being sure that he would succeed . He eventually managed to cheat the test and won . Spock , who programmed the " no - win scenario " , later investigated the matter . While discussing his cheating ways with head of the Starfleet Academy Board Admiral Richard Barnett , Kirk argued that the test itself was a cheat , and stated that he didn ' t believe in the no - win scenario . Kirk asked to face his accuser , and Spock stepped up . This was the first time the two met , and they clashed over their differences . Kirk and Spock continued to engage in a heated argument ( the accused becoming particularly agitated when Spock suggested that , " of all people " , George Kirk ' s son should recognize the no - win scenario ) , until the hearing was suddenly interrupted after Starfleet received a distress call from . Stowaway . Many of the cadets were called into action after the news 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 that temporarily rendered him sick so he could be transferred to the ship on medical grounds . Kirk tried telling Captain Pike and Spock about Nero ' s attack and his trap , and with the help of McCoy and Uhura , he was able to convince Pike about the trap . Pike raised the " Enterprise " s shields as they entered the Vulcan system , only to find a massive debris field of destroyed Federation starship s having been attacked by Nero . As Pike was " en route " to a shuttlecraft to negotiate with Nero , he appointed Kirk as acting first officer under acting captain Spock and volunteered Kirk to disable the " Narada " s drill platform . First officer . Along with Chief Engineer Olson and Lieutenant , Kirk skydived onto the platform . Olson was vaporized by the drill , leaving only Kirk and Sulu to disable it . Facing off against two of Nero ' s crew , Kirk and Sulu eventually killed both of their adversaries before destroying the platform , but not in time to prevent Nero from successfully completing his plan to destroy the planet Vulcan . Before returning to the " Enterprise " , Sulu fell off the drill platform and began plummeting toward the surface of Vulcan . Kirk jumped off the platform to save him . After intercepting Sulu , Kirk had the helmsman pull his parachute , but it was knocked off , leaving them both in freefall . However , Ensign managed to compensate for Vulcan ' s gravitational pull and beamed both of them on board . Kirk attempted to dissuade Commander Spock from a rendezvous with the rest of Starfleet at the Laurentian system . He urged him to go after the " Narada " as the ship left for Earth , rather than waste time trying to gather additional forces in the opposite direction , but Spock was relentless . When Kirk became more and more heated in his objections , Spock finally ordered Kirk ' s removal from the bridge , knocked him out and threw him off the ship in an escape pod . Marooned on Delta Vega . Kirk landed on , some fourteen kilometer s away from a Starfleet outpost . Despite an inhospitable environment , he left his escape pod and soon was chased by an indigenous animal which was dispatched by an even larger predatory creature . When Kirk fled into a nearby cave , the creature was scared away by an elderly Vulcan man , who revealed himself to be Spock from a future timeline . Though Kirk initially dismissed this as " bullshit " , he changed his mind when the old man demonstrated his knowledge of Nero . The elderly Spock revealed to Kirk through a mind meld Nero ' s intentions , also telling him that in his timeline , Kirk was the captain of the . Understanding that their only hope was to have the " Enterprise " pursue the " Narada " instead of returning to the fleet , they realized that they had to get the other Spock to step down from command . Fortunately , while the " Enterprise " had long since left the system , Spock was aware that one of the officers at the nearby outpost was , who , in his universe , had devised a way to beam onto a ship at warp speeds . After Spock gave Scott his own equations a century ahead of schedule , Kirk was advised by Spock , before Kirk and Scott were beamed onto the " Enterprise " , that he needed to elicit an emotional reaction from the young Spock so that everyone could see that he was emotionally compromised and unfit for command ; according to the elderly Spock , the only way to defeat Nero was for Jim to take command of the ship himself . Acting captain . Following the advice of Ambassador Spock , Kirk goaded Spock with assertions that Spock cared nothing for what had happened to Vulcan or the death of his , whom he accused Spock of never having loved . The last remark did the job and Spock violently attacked Kirk , nearly to the point of killing him , before stepped in and stopped him . Following Spock immediately relinquishing command . Kirk , as acting first officer , took command and ordered pursuit course of the " Narada " to Earth . Kirk later beamed onto the " Narada " with Spock , who deferred to Kirk as captain . After an intense firefight in which they killed several Romulans , they made it to the . Upon being identified as its pilot , Spock quickly realized exactly who Kirk ' s unknown benefactor had been . Leaving Spock to secure the ship , Kirk went to retrieve Captain Pike . In searching for the captain , he encountered Nero and his first officer , Ayel . Kirk was quickly overpowered by the pair of Romulans , but when Nero , after boasting that he would kill Kirk just like he had with his father , discovered that Spock had destroyed the drill , he furiously returned to the bridge . I nitially , Kirk was no match for Ayel either , but the Romulan was overconfident and was too busy mocking his " weak " victim to notice the theft of his disruptor . Offered the chance to speak , Kirk ' s " last words " were " " I got your gun ! " " and Kirk shot the Romulan Ayel point - blank in the chest . Kirk then retrieved Pike , who repaid his savior by grabbing the stolen disruptor and gunning down two Romulans walking in on the escape . 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 decided to fire all weapons , and the " Narada " was finally destroyed in a massive black hole created by red matter it was carrying . The " Enterprise " was nearly destroyed as well , but Kirk had Scott eject the ship ' s multiple warp core s and detonate them , creating a blast wave strong enough to push the " Enterprise " out of danger . Commanding the USS " Enterprise " . Upon his return to Earth , Kirk was commended and officially appointed as captain of the " Enterprise " by Admiral Barnett for his actions , which demonstrated his ability as an extremely able commanding officer fully capable of leading a Federation starship crew in the most dire of situations . Dressed in his new captain ' s uniform , Kirk took command of the " Enterprise " . Commander Spock arrived and requested the permanent post as Kirk ' s first officer , which Kirk was honored to accept . He sat down in his chair and , officially as captain of the " Enterprise " , led his crew and ship to another adventure . ( ) Demotion . A year later , Kirk violated the Prime Directive on Nibiru , saving Spock ' s life from a cold fusion device detonation inside a volcano . During the rescue , the " Enterprise " was exposed to the primitive Nibiran s , who began worshiping the ship as a god . Returning to Earth , Pike informed Kirk the Admiralty headed by would be sending him back to the Academy , and that perhaps he had been promoted too soon . That night , Kirk drowned his sorrows in a bar , when Pike appeared to reveal he had convinced Marcus to let him appoint Kirk his first officer , because he still had faith in the young man . As a result , however , Kirk was demoted to the rank of commander rather than captain . Pursuing " John Harrison " . The two then attended a summit , in the Daystrom Conference Room at Starfleet Headquarters , regarding the bomb ing of the Kelvin Memorial Archive in London . Marcus ordered a manhunt for the perpetrator , a rogue commander named John Harrison . Kirk analyzed surveillance of Harrison at the debris site , and questioned why Harrison bombed an archive for the information he needed . Kirk then realized Harrison would be aware protocol dictated such an attack would precipitate meetings like these : Harrison then showed up in a jumpship and opened fire . Kirk wrapped a fire hose around a rifle and threw it into the jumpship ' s engine , causing it to crash . Before it did , Kirk saw Harrison glaring at him and then beaming himself away . Kirk returned to the conference room to find Spock with Pike , who had died of a chest wound , and mourned his friend ' s death . The next morning , Kirk was notified by Scott that Harrison had used a portable transwarp beaming device to escape to Qo ' noS , the homeworld of the Klingon Empire . Kirk informed Marcus , who explained the Archive had actually been a Section 31 facility , which Harrison had needed to steal the beaming device from . Marcus reinstated Kirk ' s command and rank as captain , giving him permission to hunt down and execute Harrison , and allowed him to reinstate Spock as his first officer . Qo ' noS . To execute Harrison , Marcus gave the " Enterprise " seventy - two advanced long - range torpedo es to bombard Harrison ' s location from orbit , and assigned weapons expert to the " Enterprise " . At a hangar , McCoy expressed his belief that Harrison was out of Kirk ' s league , while Spock protested executing Harrison without trial was immoral . Aboard the " Enterprise " , Scott protested about not being allowed to examine the torpedoes , and not having time to examine the ship ' s warp core , which was new but faulty . Kirk accepted Scott and Keenser ' s resignation , and appointed Chekov to replace Scott . Dejected , Kirk decided to listen to Spock and Scott ' s advice , and announced they would find Harrison and bring him back for a tribunal . Before reaching Qo ' noS , the " Enterprise " s warp core broke down , so Kirk took an away team with Spock , Uhura , and Hendorff , disguised as K ' normian arms dealers , to find Harrison in a K ' normian trading ship . Shortly after acting captain Sulu sent a targeted comm burst from the " Enterprise " to Harrison ' s location , Kirk ' s ship was attacked by a Klingon patrol , and despite maneuvering it through a narrowing gate , the away team found themselves surrounded . Kirk allowed Uhura to exit the ship and negotiate with the Klingons in their native language , but they refused to listen and tried to kill her . Before Kirk and Spock could come out firing phasers , Harrison appeared and single - handedly killed all the Klingons . Kirk accepted Harrison ' s surrender , but spitefully punched him , only to find his continuous blows had no effect on him . Uncovering a conspiracy . In the ship ' s brig , Kirk and Spock interrogated Harrison while Bones took a blood sample , which he studied by injecting into a dead tribble . Harrison only responded by giving Kirk a set of coordinates , and advised the captain to open one of the torpedoes . Spock informed Kirk that Wallace could examine the torpedoes , and also told the captain that he had learned she was actually Admiral Marcus ' daughter , a fact Spock had chosen to reveal at that precise point because he felt the information had just become relevant . Kirk also called Scott via a communicator and asked him to investigate the coordinates . McCoy and Carol Marcus took a shuttle to a meteor to examine a torpedo , but McCoy accidentally activated the countdown and trapped his hand in the device . Kirk ordered to beam them up , but was warned by Spock that beaming up McCoy would also beam up an exploding torpedo . Fortunately , Kirk avoided losing his friend when Carol deactivated the device with less than three seconds to spare . The torpedo finally opened up , and the two officers found it contained a man in cryogenic stasis . Kirk interrogated Harrison again , who explained he had placed people in torpedoes to smuggle them before he was caught . He revealed he was actually the infamous Khan Noonien Singh , recruited by Admiral Marcus under a new identity to design weaponry and ships for war against the Klingons , and that the frozen people were his fellow Augment s , whom the admiral had held hostage . Marcus suddenly showed up in a ship , the , demanding Kirk hand over Harrison . Kirk revealed he knew the truth , and defied the admiral by having Sulu warp the " Enterprise " back to Earth , where Khan would stand trial and expose the conspiracy . However , the " Vengeance " was capable of catching up with the " Enterprise " in subspace and fired on the ship , halting it as it arrived near Earth and the planet ' s moon . After Carol tried to bargain with her father but was simply beamed by him over to his ship , Kirk tried to hand himself over to protect his own crew , but Marcus explained he had no intention of letting anyone in on the plot survive . Before the " Vengeance " could finish off the " Enterprise " , its weaponry suddenly deactivated . Scott called Kirk , explaining he had stowed away aboard the " Vengeance " at the coordinates given by Khan , buying them some time . Kirk , realizing Khan had designed the ship , allied himself with him , and the two donned thruster suit s to fly over and commandeer the vessel . Khan ' s formidable strength was an asset in dispatching any guards they encountered , but Kirk was suspicious of Khan ' s motives and ordered Scott to shoot him unconscious later . When they reached the bridge , Kirk confronted Marcus over his betrayal of Starfleet ' s ideals . However , Scott ' s attempt to stun Khan did not affect him , and the Augment tackled Scott and Kirk before proceeding to kill Marcus and take the command chair . Khan ordered Spock to hand over the torpedoes , which he complied with , and in return he beamed Kirk , Scott , and Carol into the " Enterprise " brig . Khan then turned on Spock , bombarding the " Enterprise " once more . Spock , who had the cryopods removed from the torpedoes , ordered them to be detonated , severely crippling the " Vengeance " ; the shockwave caused both ships to be pulled by Earth ' s gravity . Kirk and Scott ran to the warp core , trying to avoid falling to their deaths due to the " Enterprise " s failing artificial gravity . Death and resurrection . Once they reached the " Enterprise " s warp core , Scott warned entering it would flood the chamber with radiation , but as there was no time to put on a containment suit , Kirk knocked out Scott and secured him with a seatbelt before entering the warp core . Kirk knocked the central component back in place , restoring power to the engines and preventing the " Enterprise " from crashing . Meanwhile , Khan crashed the " Vengeance " into Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco . Scott woke up and called Spock to come to the area outside the warp core chamber , where Spock saw Jim dying from radiation poisoning . Jim bid goodbye to his friend , displaying the Vulcan salute with his hand on a glass door , then died . He heard the voices of his father , mother and Pike as he neared death . Following decontamination , Kirk was taken to the " Enterprise " s medbay , where McCoy and others silently mourned the loss of their captain . McCoy noticed the tribble he had injected with Khan ' s blood had come back to life , and realizing how to save Kirk ' s life , ordered his body be placed in a cryotube to preserve his brain functions . Spock and Uhura beamed down and apprehended Khan , enabling McCoy to create a serum from Khan ' s blood , which resurrected Kirk . However , the effects of the serum left Kirk unconscious for two weeks , after which he awoke in Starfleet Medical and was greeted by McCoy and Spock . The five - year mission . Nearly a year after his death and resurrection , Kirk presided over the rechristening ceremony of the " Enterprise " and a memorial service to those who lost their lives in terrorist acts committed by Khan , before setting off on Starfleet ' s first five - year mission . ( ) In the vastness of space . Three years later , Kirk was helping to negotiate peace between the Teenaxi Delegation and the Fibonan Republic , working as a neutral representative by presenting the Teenaxi with a dismantled weapon as a token of peace . Suspicious of the Fibona , the Teenaxi attacked Kirk – though due to their diminutive stature , Kirk was mostly unharmed and was quickly beamed back to the " Enterprise " by Scotty . In his captain ' s log following the mission , Kirk expressed his frustrations with life aboard the " Enterprise " this far into its mission , stating he felt as though life had become " episodic . " Near his thirtieth birthday , Kirk confided in McCoy over a drink , divulging that he now questioned his own motives for having joined Starfleet on a dare rather than having had , like his father , a strong belief in the organization . Kirk ' s morose was worsened by the fact his birthday signified him turning one year older than his father lived to be . Due to these frustrations , Kirk applied for a promotion as vice admiral at Starbase Yorktown , when the " Enterprise " docked there for resupply . Loss of the " Enterprise " . After Kalara arrived at Yorktown and claimed her ship had crashed on planet Altamid in the Necro Cloud , Kirk volunteered the " Enterprise " for a mission to rescue the survivors . Once the craft traversed the unstable nebula , a massive cluster of unidentified ships was detected , approaching the " Enterprise " . Kirk quickly realized something was amiss and raised the shields before the oncoming Swarm ship s began to dismantle the " Enterprise " , causing multiple hull breaches and severing the nacelles . Kirk discovered the enemy was seeking the weapon he had tried to present to the Teenaxi , so he gave the artifact to Ensign Syl before the leader of the Swarm , Krall , could steal it . Realizing the ship ' s destruction was imminent , Kirk ordered the " Enterprise " crew to abandon ship . Kirk then attempted to execute a saucer separation , so the saucer section could safely land on the surface of Altamid . Kirk , however , ran into Krall and the two fought , but Uhura finally managed to sever the saucer section , sending Kirk to the surface of the nearby planet . Altamid . On the planet ' s surface , Kirk landed near where Chekov and Kalara also landed . Furious , Kirk confronted Kalara , realizing she had known the " Enterprise " would be attacked . She revealed Krall had kidnapped her crew and threatened to kill those personnel , unless she helped . Realizing they needed to locate the rest of the survivors from the " Enterprise " , the three went to the site where the vessel ' s saucer section had crashed , and they scanned for crewmembers there . Kirk went to where he claimed to have left the weapon but was attacked by Kalara , who revealed she had been working for Krall all along and proceeded to contact him to let him know she had the weapon . Kirk , however , deceived her , having Chekov trace her communication to Krall . They were both attacked by his troops but escaped by activating the " Enterprise " thrusters , causing an explosion which in turn killed Kalara and thrust Kirk and Chekov through the air as they made their getaway . The next morning , Kirk and Chekov walked into one of multiple traps prepared by Jaylah , a scavenger who was living on the planet , but they were freed after Scotty told her they were friends of his . Jaylah revealed she had made the wreckage of a 22nd century Federation starship – the – her home and , using the scanners , Kirk was able to locate Spock and McCoy , and beam them to the ship before Krall ' s drones were able to kill them . Kirk helped treat an injured Spock , while he revealed that the weapon had come from Altamid . Using the trace from Kalara ' s communication and pinpointing it with a Vulcan amulet Spock had given Uhura , Kirk ' s team was able to learn the exact location of their former shipmates and formulate a plan to not only rescue them but also stop Krall before he attacked Yorktown . Using a motorcycle from the " Franklin " and holographic technology from Jaylah , Kirk managed to distract Krall so that Spock and Jaylah were able to escape with the rest of the surviving Starfleet officers . Once they were all aboard the " Franklin " , Kirk , at the last second , managed to rescue Jaylah and get her back to the ship . While Krall left for Yorktown , Kirk and the crew followed on the " Franklin " . Saving Yorktown . When they arrived at Yorktown , Krall had nearly penetrated the base ' s defenses . Spock and Scotty realized they had to disrupt the communications between the drones in order to prevent the attack . As a result , Kirk ordered McCoy and Spock to transport onto one of the ships , in order to hack into the Swarm ' s frequency using a music player from the " Franklin " . They sent out a classical song over the frequency , rendering the drones unable to cooperate with each other and causing the destruction of all but three of the ships , one of which was being flown by Krall . The " Franklin " pursued his ship into the base and was able to block Krall ' s attack , causing him to crash into the " Franklin " , presumably killing him . Kirk searched the ship with Uhura , for confirmation , but during the search , Uhura discovered a recording of the original " Franklin " crew and deduced from the footage that the captain of the ship , Balthazar Edison , was Krall . By looking at his file , they discovered he had been a soldier who fought during the Xindi and the Romulan Wars , after which he had been given command of the " Franklin " . He had slowly started to despise the Federation ' s views and had slowly gone insane in the century after the ship went missing . Scotty and Jaylah realized that Edison was going to release the weapon in the base ' s ventilation system , killing the base ' s inhabitants . Confronting the now - disfigured Edison in the ventilation hub , Kirk revealed to him that he knew who he was . Kirk also tried to persuade Edison that he was underestimating humanity and that the Federation was a cause of good . While the hub lost gravity , Kirk fought Edison , seized the bioweapon from him , and attempted to eject it into space by opening an airlock . Kirk was attempting to open it when Edison regained his strength ; he continued to fight Kirk but was ultimately ejected into space with the weapon , which then killed him . Kirk was nearly sucked out as well but was spared by the timely rescue of Spock and McCoy . Kirk and Commodore Paris then closed files on the " Franklin " s late crew . Commanding the USS " Enterprise " - A . Continuing the five - year mission . Having gained a new insight into himself and his motives in the confrontation with Krall , Kirk declined the promotion to vice admiral and decided to remain the commanding officer of the " Enterprise " . Some time later , while the crew was on shore leave at Yorktown , the crew surprised Kirk with a birthday celebration at which he and his crew looked out onto the construction of the brand new . After its completion , Kirk and the crew of the " Enterprise " - A resumed their five - year mission . ( ) Relationships . Friendships . Spock . Kirk initially had a largely antagonistic relationship with , mainly due to their vastly different philosophies and approaches to command . The frictions began first at Starfleet Academy , when Kirk cheated on the " Kobayashi Maru " test Spock had designed . The discord between Kirk and Spock continued when the disparate pair worked side by side on the and Kirk was put in charge as second in command by Captain Pike . Tensions between the two culminated in Spock throwing Kirk off the ship altogether . However , their attitudes towards each other softened after Kirk had 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 . Upon returning to the " Enterprise " , Kirk goaded Spock into revealing his emotional instability . Kirk , as a result , was nearly killed by a raging Spock before the latter did exactly as Kirk wanted and stepped down , putting Kirk in charge of the ship . Once Spock had regained emotional equilibrium , Kirk insisted on teaming up with Spock on an away mission to the " Narada " and Spock deferred to Kirk ' s command . From then on , the two worked as a team to stop Nero and rescue Pike , with Spock trusting Kirk to watch his back and even calling him " Jim " at one point . After Spock learned how important their friendship was from Spock Prime , Kirk happily accepted an offer from Spock to serve as the " Enterprise " s first officer . ( ) A year later , Kirk fell out with Spock because Spock filed the mission report that caused Kirk ' s demotion , although Kirk ' s actions leading to this decision had been done to save Spock ' s life ; Spock was more concerned with fulfilling Starfleet regulations than with sentimental notions , though he was relieved that Kirk was just demoted and not more severely punished . When split up , Kirk told Spock he ' d miss him but this left Spock speechless , which somewhat annoyed Kirk . However , Kirk wanted Spock reinstated as his first officer after Pike ' s death . Kirk later explained to Spock that the reason he had saved Spock ' s life was that he had come to see Spock as a friend ( The real reason Kirk covered up his violation was most likely to protect Spock from the consequences ) . By this point , Spock had come to return the sentiment and was so upset by Kirk ' s impending death that he lost his temper and nearly killed Khan in revenge , until he learned that Khan ' s blood would save Kirk . Kirk and Spock also realized they each had handled the situation in the way the other would : Kirk sacrificed himself for the greater good , whereas Spock used unorthodox tactics to defeat the enemy . ( ) Nine hundred and sixty - six days into their five - year mission , both Kirk and Spock wished to leave the " Enterprise " – Kirk because he believed he needed stability to figure out who he truly was , and Spock because he wanted to leave Starfleet altogether and move to New Vulcan to help his species . After Spock saved Kirk ' s life , though , Kirk questioned what he himself would do without Spock as an ally , Kirk coming to the realization that he needed Spock . Whereas Spock chose to remain in Starfleet , Kirk took back his application to vice admiral on Starbase Yorktown in order to remain on the " Enterprise " . The two were also shown to retain an amicable relationship and understanding of each other . Notably , while Kirk didn ' t want Spock on the away team to rescue the " Enterprise " crewmembers as he was injured , Spock requested to go as Uhura was amongst those trapped . While telling Kirk this , Spock once more called him " Jim " and Kirk agreed to let him go . ( ) Leonard McCoy . Kirk and met on the transport shuttle " Bardeen " , which was headed to Starfleet Academy . 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 . Kirk began calling McCoy the nickname of " Bones " as the doctor had informed him when they first met that his ex - wife took everything in their divorce ; all he had left was his bones . When the time came , McCoy always had Kirk ' s back , such as helping him get aboard the " Enterprise " after his suspension and berating Spock for throwing Kirk off the ship and marooning him on . Despite this , McCoy berated him for forcing Spock to resign command and responded with " you gotta be kidding me ! " when he learned Kirk was first officer and thus the one to take command . ( ) A year later , McCoy accompanied Kirk to Nibiru and they both ran away from the planet ' s angry natives when Kirk stole their sacred scroll . They both jumped off of a cliff into the ocean during the pursuit and swam to the " Enterprise " , much to McCoy ' s chagrin . Later , after Kirk was caught in John ' s Harrison ' s attack on Starfleet Headquarters , McCoy tried many times to scan Kirk for injuries , but Kirk ignored him , even when McCoy told him his vital signs were way off . When the " Enterprise " arrived at Qo ' noS to apprehend Harrison , McCoy inundated Kirk with metaphors – when the " Enterprise " s warp core malfunctioned , " " you don ' t rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat tire " " , or when Sulu took command , " " you just sat that man down at a high - stakes poker game with no cards and told him to bluff . " " Kirk asked McCoy to dispense with the metaphors , calling it an order . Following this , Kirk was killed while sacrificing himself repairing the warp core to save his crew . McCoy was saddened at the death of his friend but noticed that the dead tribble he injected with Khan ' s blood was alive again . McCoy had Kirk put in stasis and later performed a blood transfusion , which saved Kirk ' s life . ( ) Nyota Uhura . Kirk first met 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 . Trying to learn Uhura ' s first name became almost a mission for him . The pair ended up serving together aboard the " Enterprise " , but she continued to maintain her distance from him . It was Kirk and his need for a xenolinguist that got her stationed on the bridge . Over the course of the mission , she gained some respect for him though was not pleased with his tactic of forcing Spock to relinquish command . Uhura was the first to call Kirk Captain , though it was sarcastically done . When Kirk was granted permanent command of the " Enterprise " , he chose Uhura as one of his senior officers . He also appeared stunned that her first name was Nyota . ( ) Over time , her discomfort vanished and she began to show unwavering loyalty to her new captain . The two developed a friendship to the point that Uhura confided in him her relationship troubles with Spock . When Pike was killed , Uhura sincerely offered her condolences and concern for the captain . When Kirk died , Uhura cried and helped Spock bring Khan down while preventing him from killing him so they could save Kirk . ( ) Over the next few years , the two maintained a close friendship and Uhura was shown to have a great loyalty to Kirk . During the Battle of Altamid , Uhura rushed to Kirk ' s aid when she realized he was in danger , risking her life to aid him in performing a saucer separation . In the face of Krall , Uhura showed absolute confidence Kirk would come for them and wouldn ' t leave his crew behind . ( ) Christopher Pike . Kirk and almost had a father – son relationship : Pike was the one who convinced Kirk to enlist in Starfleet and to make something of himself , and even after Pike had to demote Kirk for contravening regulations , Pike wanted Kirk as his own first officer and did his best to encourage Kirk despite this setback . Kirk was later informed that Pike had done a lot to speak in Kirk ' s favor during the disciplinary hearing . When attacked the meeting of senior staff of Starfleet in San Francisco , Pike was killed , and Kirk was distraught , weeping at the loss of his mentor and becoming consumed with vengeance . ( ; ) Montgomery Scott . Kirk ' s relationship with began after he met the future " Enterprise " chief engineer on the planet . While marooned on Delta Vega , Kirk unwittingly sought , with the help of the future Spock , the Scotsman ' s help to return to the USS " Enterprise " while it was still warping to rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian system . He quickly learned that Scott was wiser than he lead on , after first impressions belied the fact that he had begun to postulate the theory of transwarp beaming while still on active duty ( misplacing Admiral ' s beagle Porthos in the process , earning his isolation to Delta Vega ) . With the aid of his transwarp beaming theory ( and the future Spock ) Kirk , along with Scott , managed to beam aboard the " Enterprise " , which was mid warp flight . Once on board the " Enterprise " , Scott had been inadvertently beamed straight into the ship ' s internal water recycling system . Following quick work by Kirk , Scott was freed , and they both tried to make their way out of engineering , only to be captured by security officers , sent by Spock , who was on the bridge . Once on the bridge of the " Enterprise " , Scott was witness to Kirk ' s field promotion to captain , and was then instrumental in the efforts to sneak up on the war criminal Nero ' s ship , by helping to increase warp speed to factor 4 and to beam both Kirk and the newly - reinstated Spock onto the " Narada " while in the moon Titan ' s upper atmosphere . ( ) A year later , Scott and Kirk had somewhat of a falling out over what to do with the torpedoes that were given to the " Enterprise " by Admiral . But following the defeat of Khan and the death of Admiral Marcus , Scott returned to his post as chief engineer on the " Enterprise " . ( ) Hikaru Sulu . Kirk seemed to have been surprised at ' 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 able to take over the Captain ' s position on the " Enterprise " . Following the defeat of Nero , Sulu was assigned to the " Enterprise " as Helmsman under Kirk ' s command . ( ) A year later , Kirk showed confidence in Sulu ' s leadership skills and left him in command of the " Enterprise " while Kirk led an away team to apprehend John Harrison . ( ) Three years into the five - year mission , Kirk once again put Sulu briefly in command when the " Enterprise " engaged in battle with Krall ' s forces . Kirk and Sulu were among the last officers to leave the bridge when the destruction of the " Enterprise " was imminent . ( ) Pavel Chekov . Kirk first met Pavel Chekov in 2258 when he smuggled onboard the USS " Enterprise " . When Kirk took command of the ship after Spock stepped down due to his being emotionally compromised , he took young Chekov ' s suggestion that the " Enterprise " beam crewmembers aboard the " Narada " from the ship , using the magnetic distortion from Saturn ' s rings to hide it from the enemy ' s sensors . ( ) A year later , after Scott to resigned his duties over objections to John Harrison manhunt , Kirk had enough confidence in Chekov to make him acting chief engineer . When the " Enterprise " was severely damaged , Chekov saved Kirk and Scott from falling to their deaths . ( ) Several years later , following the destruction of the " Enterprise " at Atlamid , Kirk and Chekov banded together on the planet ' s surface . Suspicious of the alien called Kalara , Kirk had Chekov track her transmission , ultimately leading to the discovery of Krall ' s base of operations . Barely escaping the wreck of the " Enterprise " , Kirk and Chekov made their way through the forests of Altamid together before becoming caught in Jaylah ' s booby trap s set outside the wreck of the USS " Franklin " . ( ) Enemies . Nero . Nero killed Kirk ' s father 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 . ( ) Khan Noonien Singh . Under the identity of John Harrison , Khan killed Christopher Pike and other members of Starfleet in 2259 , causing Kirk to seek revenge . Eventually capturing Khan , Kirk soon learned of his true identity and the fact that he had aided Admiral Marcus in the building of Starfleet weapons . Kirk decided to team up with Khan to stop Marcus , though Khan eventually betrayed Kirk to overtake the USS " Vengeance " . After Khan killed Marcus and attacked the " Enterprise " , Kirk sacrificed himself to save the crew . Khan was eventually captured , due to efforts by Spock and Uhura , and put back into suspended animation . Kirk was soon revived using Khan ' s blood , which was administered to Kirk by McCoy . ( ) Alexander Marcus . Despite Marcus ' s demotion of Kirk , in their early meetings the two had what could have been described as grandfather - grandson relationship . However , after Khan confessed his role in the Admiral ' s plot to wage war with the Klingons , Kirk began to doubt the Admiral and viewed him as a war criminal . Marcus himself did not have an antagonistic relationship with Kirk until the Captain lied and tried to warp Khan and the " Enterprise " to Earth , though he later outright admitted that he was going to kill him and the " Enterprise ' s " crew from the start of the mission he assigned them to . To cover up the conspiracy , Marcus branded Kirk as " having gone rogue " when he attempted to warn Starfleet . Their last meeting occurred when Kirk tried to arrest him for high treason , with the Admiral openly mocking Kirk ' s naivete . The relationship ended when Khan crushed Marcus ' skull in revenge for treating him like a slave . ( ) Krall . In 2263 , Balthazar M . Edison , once the commanding officer of the and later known as Krall , attacked the " Enterprise " , destroying it with the help of his Swarm ships and stranding the crew on Altamid . Krall had been stranded on the planet after his ship went missing in the 2160s and had planned revenge by attacking Starbase Yorktown . Kirk and his crew , with the help of Jaylah , managed to find and repair the " Franklin " , traveling to Starbase Yorktown and putting a stop to Krall ' s plans to destroy it . ( ) Romances . Gaila . Kirk had a relationship with , Uhura ' s Orion roommate at the Academy . However , when she professed her love for him in bed , he responded it was " weird " . ( ) Christine Chapel . Kirk also had a relationship with , a Human nurse . After it ended , she moved from the " Enterprise " to nurse on the outer frontier . When brought her up in a conversation , he did not seem to remember her . ( ) Caitian twins . On his return to Earth in 2259 , Kirk slept with Caitian twin sisters in his apartment . ( ) Carol Marcus . Kirk had an obvious and mutual attraction to Carol Marcus upon their first meeting and personally , and somewhat awkwardly , welcomed her aboard when she was permanently assigned to the " Enterprise " for the first five - year mission a year later . ( ) However , she was no longer serving onboard the ship three years later . ( ) Memorable quotes . " " Citizen , what is your name ? " " " " My name is James Tiberius Kirk ! " " " " 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 ! " " " " I ' m impressed . For a moment there , I thought you were just a dumb hick who only had sex with farm animals . " " " " Well , not only . . . " " " " Do you like being the only genius - level repeat offender in the Midwest ? " " " " Maybe I love it . " " " " Four years ? I ' ll do it in three . " " " " 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 . " " " " I don ' t believe in no - win scenario s . " " " " Who was that pointy - eared bastard anyway ? " " " " I don ' t know . But I like him . " " " " I am Spock . " " " " Bullshit . " " " " You gotta be kidding ! " " " " Thanks for the support . " " " " 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 . " " " " Your species is even weaker than I expected . . . You can ' t even " speak " . . . What ? " " " " I got your gun ! " " " " What ' re " you " doin ' here ? " " " " Just following orders . " " " " 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 . " " " " Bones . . . buckle up ! " " " " If Spock were here , and I were there , what would he do ? " " " " He ' d let you die . " " " " I gave you my ship because I saw a greatness in you . And now , I see you haven ' t got an ounce of humility . " " " " That ' s your problem , you think you ' re infallible ! You think you can ' t make a mistake . It ' s a pattern with you ! The rules are for other people ! " " < br > " " Some should be . " " < br > " " And what ' s worse is you using blind luck to justify your playing god ! " " " " I said if anyone deserves a second chance , it ' s Jim Kirk . " " < br > " " I don ' t know what to say . " " < br > " " That " is " a first . . . It ' s gonna be okay , son . " " < br > " " Where I come from , if someone saves your life , you don ' t stab them in the back . " " " " CLEAR THE ROOM ! " " " " On behalf of – my friend – I accept your surrender . " " " " Let me explain what ' s happening here . are a " criminal " . I watched you murder innocent men and women . I was authorized to " end " you . . . and the " only " reason why you are still alive , is because I am allowing it . So SHUT . . . YOUR . . . MOUTH ! " " " " Sir , My crew was just . . . was just following my orders . I take . . . I take full responsibility for my actions . But they were mine and they were mine alone . If I transmit Khan ' s location to you now , all that I ask is that you spare them . Please , sir . I ' ll do anything you want . Just let them live . " " " " I ' m sorry . " " " " You ' re right ! What I ' m about to do , it doesn ' t make sense , it ' s not logical , it is a gut feeling ! I have no idea what I ' m supposed to do . I only know what I can do . The " Enterprise " and her crew needs someone in that chair who knows what he ' s doing . And it ' s not me . It ' s you , Spock . " " " " I ' m scared , Spock . Help me not be . " " " " There will always be those who mean to do us harm . To stop them , we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves . Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us . But that ' s not who we are . . . When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship , he had me recite the Captain ' s Oath . Words I didn ' t appreciate at the time . But now I see them as a call for us to remember who we once were and who we must be again . And those words . . . " " " " Space : the final frontier . These are the voyages of the starship " Enterprise " . Her five - year mission : to explore strange new worlds , to seek out new life and new civilizations ; to boldly go where no one has gone before . " " " " Where shall we go ? " " " " As a mission of this duration has never been attempted – I defer to your good judgment , captain . " " " " Just another day in the ' Fleet . " " " " Do you believe every sad story you hear ? " " " " Not every . " " " " What did Krall want with this thing ? " " " " To save you . . . from yourselves . " " " " Mr . Sulu . You can . . . you know . . . fly this thing , right ? " " " " You kidding me , sir ? " " " " Let ' s make some noise " " " " That ' s a good choice " " " " I think you underestimate humanity . " " " " I fought for Humanity ! Lost millions to the Xindi and Romulan wars . And for what ? For the Federation ? ! To sit me in a Captain ' s chair and break bread with the enemy ! " " " " We change . We have to . Or we spend the rest of our lives fighting the same battles . " " . " " You lost . There ' s no way for you to make it back there ! Give up ! " " " " What , like you did ? I read your ship ' s log Captain James T . Kirk . At least I know what I am ! I ' m a soldier ! " " " " You won the war , Edison . You gave us peace ! " " " " Peace . . . is not what I was born into . " " " " You . . . can ' t stop it . You will die . " " " " Better to die saving lives , than to live with taking them . That ' s what I was born into . " " " " Vice Admirals don ' t fly , do they ? " " " " No . They don ' t . " " " " Well , no offense , ma ' am , but where ' s the fun in that ? " " " " To the " Enterprise " . . . and to absent friends . " " Appendices . Background information . James T . Kirk was portrayed by Chris Pine . Younger versions were portrayed by Jimmy Bennett and an infant performer . For the scene in which Kirk runs into a cave on Delta Vega , child actor Joshua Greene served as body double for Pine , with the producers arranging for Greene to momentarily play Kirk so the entrance of the cave would look bigger . Chris Pine repeatedly auditioned for the role of the alternate reality Kirk , not caring much if he got the assignment to play him . " " I auditioned for it in spring , just bombed the audition , and didn ' t think twice about it , " " Pine remembered . " " I knew it was for " Star Trek " , but I didn ' t have much interest in it [ . . . ] Just like many auditions , you go in , you bomb it , you move on and that ' s life . Then about five months later , I come back from doing a couple of small movies back to back , and my agent asked me if I wanted to come in . Again I didn ' t have much interest in doing it , [ . . . ] [ but ] I went in and auditioned . " " ( ) Pine , after describing himself as " just not a sci - fi guy , " continued , " " I didn ' t want to talk about phasers and thrusters and all that kind of stuff ! " " ( " SFX " , issue 276 , p . 54 ) Before making his on - screen debut as Kirk , Pine consulted the originator of the part , William Shatner . " " I wrote him a letter when I originally got the role , in which I just basically said that I wasn ' t trying to take over his role , " " Pine explained . " " I understood the big shoes I was stepping into , and that I would never want to offend him by doing the character an injustice [ . . . ] I just wanted to do as good a job as he ' d done . " " ( ) Shatner replied , hopeful Pine would be successful in the forthcoming movie . ( ; ) While Chris Pine was beginning to play Kirk , J . J . Abrams helped him with the part , allowing Pine a great deal of free reign in portraying the character . " " It made me feel a little bit safer , " " admitted the actor , " " that I wasn ' t originating the role ; I was merely taking it over for a little bit to see what I could do with it . Ironically , there is some safety in that . " " ( ) On the other hand , Pine also related that he actually never felt as though he was borrowing the role , but that he always felt he owned it . ( " SFX " , issue 276 , p . 55 ) " " Whatever issues I might have had about stepping into such an iconic role , into a piece that has already been done , and done well , by many others , " " he went on , " " was laid to rest by this man [ Abrams ] , who at the get go told me that he wanted to create something new [ . . . ] I was not to worry about trying to mimic Mr . Shatner , but to create something new and different and unique . That was really exciting and really fun to be around . " " ( ) Indeed , being permitted such a degree of freedom with the character prevented Pine from ever feeling an overbearing sense of responsibility . " " I hope I brought everything that I could to the role [ . . . ] I certainly felt a responsibility to do justice to what Mr . Shatner did , but I never felt like I had to in some way impersonate the Kirk that he embodied . Really , at the end of the day , I think I would have been doing an injustice to the story , and to my fellow actors , if I was trying to figure out some genius way of impersonating William Shatner , because then it would become an impersonation , not an original incarnation , " " Pine reckoned . " " My version of the character people would have been taking apart to see how I was trying to achieve that perfect mimicry , whereas it shouldn ' t be like that . It should be about the story , so I had to throw caution to the wind and say , ' Screw it , here it is , here ' s my version of it . ' I understand that it ' s a lose - lose situation in many ways , because I know some people are going to want to see a younger version of Mr . Shatner . I am not that , because I am simply not William Shatner . I ' m my own person . " " ( ) Despite decidedly not impersonating Shatner ' s take on Kirk , Pine noted , " " I thought it was necessary to pay tribute to that . " " As such , he actually infused his own version of the character with some of Shatner ' s performance attributes , especially his humor from . ( ) " " It was fun in the first one to throw in little peppers of Shatner , " " Pine reminisced , " " because he ' s so fun . That makes people smile . But J . J . never wanted that . He told me specifically not to do that . " " ( " SFX " , issue 276 , p . 55 ) What Pine has based his portrayal of Kirk on more are the scripted depictions of him . Thus , the actor explained , " " I think of Kirk as less of an iconic character and more as a character given to me on the written page . I used my script as my ' bible ' , and tried to make sense from that . " " ( ) He later recalled about how he was able to adopt such a well - established role , " " I just had to look at the script and say , ' If this script was attached to no other iconography or mythology , how would I do it ? ' I ' d just have to create the character that I was given . The guy that I was given was a real maverick , kind of a pain in the ass , a lot of fun … He ' s the classic rogue . He had no attachment in my mind to any other character named Jim Kirk . He was just the guy in that particular script – which gave me a lot of freedom to do whatever I wanted . " " ( " SFX " , issue 276 , p . 55 ) When adopting the part , it was important to Pine that Kirk be depicted as a relatable Human . " " Kirk ' s interesting because he is the Everyman presented with an unbelievably epic , daunting task , an opportunity , a challenge , and he has a very difficult choice to make . It just happens it ' s one of the big ones , like ' try to save planet Earth ' kind of thing . I think what ' s great about it is he ' s insecure , he ' s damaged , he ' s cocky , he is brash . He is all these things at once , and he ' s a hero , but a very human hero , " " the actor commented . " " Anyone looking at it can see themselves in James T . Kirk . That ' s what was great about it . It wasn ' t far from myself , and I don ' t think the character is far from anybody . When presented with a great challenge , it ' s your choice to either step up to it , and try to take it on head first , or not . You try to do the best you can . " " ( ) Regarding how Kirk is presented in the film " Star Trek " , Chris Pine believed that , rather than be suddenly given a direction for his life , Kirk changes gradually . " " I think there are stages in the progression of his becoming that mature leader . We ' re not reinventing the wheel here . It ' s ' s reluctant hero ' s journey . It ' s a version of a story that ' s been told since the beginning of time in every single culture on the planet . " " One motivation Kirk has , at least in Pine ' s opinion , is the challenge to improve himself that Pike gives him . " " Kirk takes it head on . That doesn ' t mean that right at the get - go , right when he accepts that challenge , he becomes a reasoned , mature leader . There ' s an arc to that journey . " " Pine also " certainly " found that , by the end of the film , Kirk is " getting there . " The actor continued , " " What it shows is all that passion , that drive , that impulsiveness and arrogance can be molded and shaped into something a little bit more functional in a team setting . But it ' s exactly those qualities that make James Kirk a great man . " " ( ) Chris Pine approved of the many different emotions he was able to play while portraying Kirk in the initial movie . " " I think what was great about Kirk is that I get to really run the gamut of emotions , and I get to run the gamut of every single genre within this character . I get to be a comedian , an action hero , a take - charge leader . I get to be my own version of – I have all these different qualities that I get to bring to life . I don ' t think I ' d be doing anyone any favors by saying which was the most satisfying [ . . . ] It ' s like any boy ' s dream . Playing pretend on that multimillion dollar Bridge was like playing cops and robbers with real horses and real robbers ! " " ( ) There were , however , particular moments in the initial depiction of the alternate reality Kirk which appealed to Chris Pine . " " There was a lot of humour and a lot of action [ to ] it , but what really got me about the role were two pivotal scenes at the beginning of the movie that lays out James T . Kirk to a T . Those were the most exciting scenes , and the ones I was most looking forward to taking on . " " ( ) The two scenes Pine was drawn to were the scene in which Kirk tries to flirt with Uhura upon first meeting her but gets into a bar fight with a group of Starfleet cadets , and the next scene , in which he talks with Christopher Pike while still in the bar . A year after making the previous statement , Pine elaborated about that pair of scenes , " " Not that it ' s ' Kirk to a T , ' but it certainly explains much of who he is and I guess why he has so much anger and such a passionate dislike of Starfleet before he changes his mind . I also think in those two scenes you get a chance to see [ . . . ] Kirk ' s sense of humor . J . J . really wanted to make sure [ . . . ] that Kirk is that wisecracking , smart but kind of directionless young man . " " Pine additionally remarked that he " " loved the bar scene because I get to be that kind of bad ass hero that I grew up watching . " " ( ) In the stage directions for his bar fight , the script characterized Kirk as a " spirited " fighter . His fighting style was purposely designed to suit the character ' s personality . Regarding how this is shown in the film " Star Trek " , Pine observed , " " The kind of baser , more brutal instincts of Kirk [ compared to Spock ] are seen in that bar fight at the beginning . . . And the fight with Ayel , and the fight with Nero ! " " actor John Cho agreed , " " Chris Pine had more of a barroom brawler type of training . " " For the same film , Pine trained for three or four hours a day , over a stretch of two months . He found the training was " intense " but " a lot of fun . " ( , pp . 12 , 41 & 13 ) 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 , considering that the prime Kirk has hazel eyes . Chris Pine approved of the maverick , wildcard side of Kirk ' s personality being shown . " " I think it was very important , especially for the first film , to have that version of the character , " " the actor remarked . " " There were fans that were dismayed that he had so much bravado – but there ' s no place for the character to go if you don ' t start somewhere . " " ( " SFX " , issue 276 , p . 54 ) As such , inspired by the portrayal of an evil Kirk in , Pine proposed to J . J . Abrams that , in , the alternate reality Kirk might undergo a similar transformation . " " I wanted [ him ] to go dark and rogue , " " noted Pine , though his request wasn ' t granted . ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 20 ; " SFX " , issue 276 , p . 54 ) Kirk ' s demotion at the start of " Star Trek Into Darkness " was prompted by fan criticism that the character had been promoted too quickly at the end of " Star Trek " . Orci and Kurtzman described the second film as being about Kirk earning the captain ' s chair , and proving that by sacrificing himself . After J . J . Abrams gave the script for " Star Trek Into Darkness " to the cast members , Kirk ' s character arc made sense to Chris Pine , as did Abrams ' advice . " " Really , what he kept stressing in the second one was the fact that Kirk might have gotten the Captain ' s chair in the first one , but in the second one he has to earn the Captain ' s chair , " " Pine recollected . " " What does it mean to be a leader ? In the first one , he became one very quickly and accidentally . In the second one , he finds himself growing up very fast , becoming an adult very fast . The bravado he does so well in the first film , in the second maybe isn ' t the best quality or color with which to lead these men and women into battle . It ' s really about humility , and maturity , and growing up in a couple of hours [ . . . ] The fact that Kirk is the Captain of this ship , and is going through a major existential crisis , does not bode well for where the crew and the " Enterprise " find themselves in the middle of this picture [ . . . ] This Kirk is still trying to figure the best way to lead , and who his consigliores are , and who it ' s wisest to trust [ . . . ] I think it makes for an interesting story . " " Pine found returning to play Kirk , however , was more nerve - wracking than when he introduced the character in the previous film . ( ) The script of " Star Trek " , upon describing Kirk ' s reaction to the death of , stated , " " There ' s no cheating death , " " though that is precisely what Kirk himself does in " Star Trek Into Darkness " . Chris Pine appreciated the reasons behind Kirk ' s actions in the movies " Star Trek " and " Star Trek Into Darkness " . " " [ Those films ] were , for Kirk , a lot about dealing with the loss of his father , looking up to his second father < nowiki > [ < / nowiki > Bruce Greenwood ' s Captain Pike ] , and taking guidance from him while living in the shadow of the legacy of this father that he never got to meet ; the anger he feels at having not met him and known him , " " Pine mused . " " Those are all wonderful motivators for Kirk – to try to get noticed , to do a good job , to be the best . " " ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 18 ) During the development of , the film ' s writing team were somewhat uncertain how to forward the character of Kirk , but did decide to set the film a couple of years after the previous movie . The director of " Star Trek Beyond " , Justin Lin , stated , " " Especially coming after " Into Darkness " , where Kirk actually sacrificed himself for everybody already , how do you go on ? The time jump was important , because what happens after that ? When Kirk thinks about life , what does that mean ? How does that reflect on him , and those more subtle , existential issues ? With the time we were allowed to have , it helps Kirk in this instance . " " ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 8 ) Simon Pegg , as he was co - writing the film , consulted Chris Pine about any character requests he had , to which Pine asked for the humor from earlier in the series to be preserved and protected in the forthcoming movie , a desire which influenced the writing of Kirk ' s scenes with Chekov in the film . ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 20 ) Chris Pine ' s portrayal of Kirk inspired the costumes which were designed for Pine to wear in the film . " " Because he ' s such a gorgeous guy , I saw him as almost like a space cowboy , " " admitted Costume Designer Sanja Hays . " " So , for me personally , I just wanted to do justice to him , and make him look as good as possible , because he ' s such a charismatic man . " " ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 42 ) The notion of presenting a maturer Kirk in " Star Trek Beyond " was welcomed by Chris Pine , who said , " " What I really enjoy about this part of Kirk ' s arc is that he ' s relieved of all the onus of trying to live up to his father and the anger of never having met his father , all the stuff that drove the first couple of films . " " Pine was aware too that , in " Beyond " , Kirk is nonetheless still partly as he was in the film " Star Trek " , retaining a sense of being an " iconoclast that is beholden to his own sense of morality and not anybody else ' s rules and regulations . " Pine also pointed out that his hairstyle in " Star Trek Beyond " is one of several stylistic " nods " to TOS in the movie , commenting , " " My haircut in the film is a bit ' 60s Kirkian ! " " Conversely , Pine thought it was still important that he not impersonate Shatner ' s Kirk in the film , adding , " " My role is to disappear , [ . . . ] so I ' ve got to blend into the background enough to let [ Krall actor ] Idris [ Elba < nowiki > ] < / nowiki > do his stuff . " " ( " SFX " , issue 276 , pp . 54 & 55 ) While working on " Star Trek Beyond " , Pine felt an increased sense of personal ownership regarding the role of Kirk . ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 20 ) Chris Pine has admitted that his portrayal of Kirk has been influenced by his own real life experiences , and speculated about how Kirk would cope with a promotional tour , the likes of which he and his castmates undertook to promote " Star Trek Beyond " . " " I think he ' d probably be a big fan of the hanging out with friends , and not so big a fan of answering questions , " " Pine reckoned . ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 20 ) When asked ( shortly after the making of " Star Trek Beyond " ) if he could imagine playing an older and retiring Kirk in a few decades , Chris Pine answered , " " That ' s too far in the future for me to say , but at this point , I ' d be very interested , sure . " " Pine also acknowledged that he loves the character of Kirk and expressed an interest in continuing to return in the role , despite being unsure of precisely how his version of Kirk will develop in the future . ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 22 ) McCoy actor Karl Urban once stated about his co - star Chris Pine , " " He is absolutely spot on as Kirk . " " With a laugh , Zoë Saldana agreed , " " His approach to the character , the kind of Kirk that he and J . J . created , is so much fun . He ' s so sexy , so entertaining , and at the same time such a leader . This Kirk is no different than the original one : definitely a flirt , and the cockiness is overbearing at times , but it makes him who he is [ . . . ] And there ' s an intriguing sensitivity about him . " " ( ) Khan actor Benedict Cumberbatch raved , " " I think Chris [ Pine ] is one of the best leading men there is . He ' s extraordinary in the performance he gives . He ' s really smart , he varies his game , he ' s constantly grinding away at the script , the story arcs . He ' s always paying attention to where his character is , and Kirk ' s story in the overall scheme of things . " " ( ) Jonathan Frakes concurred , " " Pine is perfect as Kirk . " " ( " SFX " , issue 270 , p . 63 ) The virtual collectible card battle game " " uses screenshots for card # 36 , Recruit James T . Kirk , card # 56 , Cadet James T . Kirk , card # 84 , Acting First Officer James T . Kirk , and card # 101 , Captain James T . Kirk . Apocrypha . The novelization of 2009 ' s 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 . 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 . Kirk is one of the playable characters in the " " video game . Prior to leaving the bridge for his trip to , Sulu and Kirk briefly discuss friendly sparring matches they ' d had in the past . According to Sulu , Kirk was improving , as he almost made contact the last time . According to the comic " I , Enterprise ! Part 2 " ( Issue # 32 of the " " comic series ) , Kirk ' s identification number is 0001 . In comic book two - parter " Parallel Lives , Part 1 and 2 " , Kirk has an equally reckless female counterpart named Jane Tiberia Kirk . In the of " " , Kirk , along with Dr . Leonard McCoy and Pavel Chekov were assigned to the USS " Endeavour " .