James T. Kirk/Starfleet career/Second retirement/Enterprise-B

Shortly after retiring, Kirk, along with his friends Montgomery Scott and Pavel Chekov, were honored guests of Captain John Harriman on the maiden voyage of the Excelsior-class starship . The event, which sparked a media frenzy around Kirk, was essentially a ceremonial cruise, as the Enterprise-B was not fully crewed or equipped for standard service. Shortly after setting off, the ship picked up a distress signal from two vessels carrying El Aurian refugees, who were caught in an energy distortion known as the Nexus.
Guided by Kirk's advice, and with Scott and Chekov's assistance, the rescue mission achieved partial success. However, the Enterprise-B fell victim to the Nexus' gravimetric field. Kirk declined Harriman's offer to assume command and instead volunteered to adjust the ship's deflector relays. His efforts facilitated the ship's escape, but not before the Nexus' energy burst compromised the secondary hull. Subsequently, Kirk was presumed lost and dead. ()