James T. Kirk (alternate reality)/Appendices

<tabber>
|-| Appearances=
|-| Background information=
James T. Kirk was portrayed by Chris Pine. Young Kirk was portrayed by Jimmy Bennett. Newborn Kirk was portrayed by a silicone puppet. 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. (; )
Pine has said in the past that he was influenced in part by Harrison Ford's acting in "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones", as well as Tom Cruise's acting in "Top Gun". 
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 [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|Idris [Elba]]] 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 Star Trek: Rivals 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 ization of by Alan Dean Foster states that Winona Kirk was given an inhibitor that would help slow the birth of James until the Kelvins return to Earth. However, the impacts to the ship by the Naradas 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 I, Enterprise! Part 2 (Issue #32 of the Star Trek: Ongoing 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 first issue of Star Trek: Boldly Go, Kirk, along with Dr. Leonard McCoy and Pavel Chekov were assigned to the USS Endeavour.
|-| External links=
* 
* 
* 
* 
</tabber>