James T. Kirk (TOS)

James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner, is a main character in Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS). Kirk was introduced in the premier episode—but he was not in the original, unaired pilot, "The Cage"—and starred in all three seasons (1966-69) and seven subsequent movies.
==Canon Background==
James T. Kirk is the captain of Starfleet's flagship, the starship Enterprise. He protects and guides his crew on their mission "To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!" It's his voice reciting those words at the beginning of every TOS episode, along with his "Captain's Log" entries. 
==Fandom==
===Fan Responses and Analysis: Personality and Motivations===
====Original Kirk vs NuKirk====
James Kirk's personality and motivations have been a subject of endless exposition and debate for Original Series fans from the very beginning, as seen in early fanzines. Especially after the release of the new movies, these fans will tell you there is a great difference between canon!Kirk as created by Shatner and Gene Roddenberry and the way he is as played by Christopher Pine in the 2009 et seq. "reboot" films by J. J. Abrams (this character is often called NuKirk or Nu!Kirk) -- and between Shatner's original portrayal vs. the general public's perception of the character. This phenomenon is sometimes called "Kirk drift"FRESHLY REMEMBER'D: Kirk Drift by Erin Horáková Fans cite examples of how in the original series Kirk is shown to be a smart, compassionate, thoughtful man who, while he has many love affairs, treats women with respect, and while he's good at thinking on his feet, is also able to analyze difficult situations carefully and seek advice from his specialists in briefings; as opposed to the rash, macho, womanizer character that most people today likely imagine when they think about Kirk.
 
===Fan Responses and Analysis: Kirk's Middle Name===
=== Relationships ===
====Pairings====
Kirk most frequent and popular ship is with Spock. Kirk/Spock was a juggernaut pairing long before the term "pairing" was invented. 
His next most common relationships, to a much smaller degree, are the OT3 of Kirk/Spock/McCoy, and the Kirk/McCoy pairing. Outside of the original triad, you can sometimes find fanworks of Kirk in ships with others crew members, like Uhura, but these tend to be fairly rare. 
There are also fanworks that focus on one episode love interests, these also tend to be rare, but the most popular of these seems to be Edith Keeler. 
There is also a great deal of fanworks focused on his friendships, again predominantly with Spock and McCoy, but also with other crew members. 
*Kirk/Spock 
*Kirk/McCoy
*Kirk/Spock/McCoy
*Kirk/Uhura
*Edith Keeler/James T. Kirk
==== Gen Relationships ====
* Kirk & McCoy
* Kirk & Spock
== Common Tropes in Fanworks ==
=== Hurt/Comfort ===
It appears that it is more likely that Kirk is comforting others in hurt/comfort scenarios, however fanworks where Kirk is the hurt character can also be found, in those stories it is usually Spock or McCoy that comforts Kirk, or occasionally original women characters. McCoy was especially intended to be a comforting, healing character in the series. Kirk (or anyone) could go to him for counsel and was occasionally shown bringing Kirk a cocktail along with his good advice.
=== Disordered Eating ===
Some early fiction in print zines included "Kirk on a diet" stories. It was such a recognized trope that in 1982, a fan praised a zine, saying "The humour is deft, a beautiful shorthand, totally lacking in laboured Spock ears/Kirk diet jokes." a review of The Problems of Doctor Penhaligon , from Communicator #8 (Dec 1982) These older fanworks address, usually in a humorous way, Kirk's weight gain and his dieting, based on Shatner's real life challenges to keep his body's appearance in line with what fans expected to see on the screen. 
A more recent phenomena explored in fanfic is Kirk having issues around food, or an eating disorder, can be found. Sometimes these issues are tied to his past starvation on Tarsus IV.
* Pie Jinks by Melanie Athene (1983) 
* Less is More by Jenny Starr (1988)
* Child Psychology by Dana Austin Marsh (1989)
===Horatio Hornblower===
In the original proposal for Star Trek, James T. Kirk was named Robert April who was described as "A space-age Captain Horatio Hornblower, constantly on trial with himself, lean and capable both mentally and physically." from Star Trek Format: The Original Star Trek Idea As Submitted To NBC by Gene Roddenberry 
In 1972, D.C. Fontana confirmed to fans that Kirk was not just reminiscent of Horatio Hornblower, but also a descendant: 
Fontana said: 
This something that was touched upon or described in numerous fanworks. Some Hornblower-Kirk references and topics:
* Kirk and Hornblower, article by G.B. Love (Trek #2, 1974)
* The Man at the Helm: Captains Kirk and Hornblower, article by Mark Alfred (Trek #11, 1978)
* A Working Relationship/Space Age, article by Cassie Dalton (Not Tonight, Spock! #3, 1984)
* Secret Admirer, fiction by Ciana Sepulveda (Spock gives Kirk a Hornblower book, 1995)
===Tarsus IV===
The first season episode "The Conscience of the King" reveals that a young Kirk had been present on the colony Tarsus IV during a genocide. This incident, mentioned only once on the show, is a popular source of angst in Kirk-centric fanworks, mostly fic. There are communities dedicated to Tarsus IV, tarsus_iv_fic on LJ, and another on ff.net, and Shadowloverk maintains a thematic list for these.Fic Rec List: Tarsus IV (accessed 3 April 2010)
===Kirk and Edith Keeler===
The episode City on the Edge of Forever, is a fan favorite. In it, Kirk has a relationship with the doomed Edith Keeler.
Some stories explore Kirk's feeling of guilt at letting her die and others are about what attracted Kirk to her.
There are many fics that use her death as a thing that has Kirk begin an intimate relationship with Spock. 
* Born of the Sun. by Johanna Cantor (1977)
* The Other Alternative by Susan K. James (1978)
* Lost in Forever by Tay Garian (1986)
* Forever by Kathy Stanis (1994)
* Goodnight Sweetheart by Rabble Rouser (2002)
===Mirror Kirk===
There are many fanworks that feature Kirk in the Mirror Universe.
* Brother's Keeper. by D.T. Steiner (1977)
* A Thin Flame by Cynthia Drake (1981)
* Mirror Reflections by D. DaBinett (1983)
* The Gorn Story by Shelley Butler (1996)
* None So Blind. by Brianna Falken (1997)
* In Any Universe by Deanna Gray (2003)
===Kirk and Kraith===
Jacqueline Lichtenberg's influential Kraith Universe (1970s) portrays a very different Kirk.
Due to contact with telepathic aliens including several mind-melds with Spock, Kirk begins to develop telepathyActually portrayed on the show in the episode "Obsession", written by Art Wallace. In "And the Children Shall Lead", written by Edward Lasko, Kirk reacts with severe anxiety to unseen energy disturbances in a cave on the planet. Sondra Marshak also used this idea in her novel The Prometheus Design and Claire Gabriel has Kirk able to make brief telepathic contact with Spock in The Thousandth Man. Spock tells him later that telepathy can be a learned skill. and subsequently must study on Vulcan to learn to control it. For personal as well as political reasons Spock and his father Sarek take this opportunity to adopt Kirk and welcome him into Tsaichrani, Vulcan society and culture. During Kirk's period of study he enters a hierarchical "Warder-Liege compact" in which he has to obey Spock without question.
==Kirk-centric Fanworks==
===FanFiction===
* Fortune's Child by UKJess
* Father to the Man by Frankie Jackson ("Whilst travelling with his father, a teenaged Spock is diverted to Tarsus IV in the aftermath of the massacre. There he meets and extremely interesting and unsettling human boy.")
* What You Love by sans_pertinence
===Example Art Gallery===
====1970s====
File:Spectrum23.jpg|cover of Spectrum #23 by Merrie K. (1976)
File:Landon14.jpg|Art from Signe Landon Star Trek Postcards (1976)
File:Trekbicen1976-1.jpg|Art from the Bicentennial Con program book by Gee Moaven (1976)
File:Probe7back.jpg|Art from Probe #7 by Gee Moaven (1976)
File:Handfulart4.jpg|Art from ..A Handful of Snowflakes and Other Trek Tales by Steve Barnes (1976)
File:Galacticdiscourse2back.jpg|Art from Galactic Discourse #2 by Laurie Huff (1978) 
====1980s====
 
File:Captainslogbillings13-1.jpg|Art from Captain's Log #13 by Carol Hart (1980)
File:Diffreal8art1.jpg|Art from In a Different Reality #8 (1980)
File:Kirkzine-10.jpg|from Kirk, artist is Christine Myers (1982)
File:Kirkinside.jpg|Art from Kirk by Suzan Lovett (1982)
File:Computerplayback6art1.jpg|Art from Computer Playback #6 by Lesley Crowther (1982)
File:Adultkirktwo.jpg|cover of The Adult Kirk (1984) by Suzan Lovett
File:Penpencil-3.jpg|Art from Pen and Pencil (1984)
File:Interstat96.jpg|Cover of Interstat #96 by Merle Decker (1985)
File:Nakedtimes7-5.jpg|Art from Naked Times #7 by Merle Decker (1985)
File:Firsttimefourback.jpg|Art from First Time #4 by Christine Myers (1985)
File:Kirk&Eagle P&I. smalljpg.jpg|"Kirk & the Eagle" by Caren Parnes, cover of First Time #6 (1986)
File:Moremissions10-3.jpg|Art from More Missions, More Myths #10 by Jacquelyn Zoost (1988)
File:Asidothee13front.jpg|Cover of As I Do Thee #13 by The Southern Cross (1989) 
====1990s====
File:Orion29.jpg|Cover art of Orion #29 by Julie Nosal (1990)
File:Firsttimetwentysixback.jpg|Art from First Time #26 by Chris Soto (1990)
File:Firsttimethirtyback.jpg|Art from First Time #30 by DEW (1991)
File:Lst7.jpg|Art from LoneStar Trek #7 (1994)
File:Firsttime46-1.jpg|Art from First Time #46 by Shelley Butler (1997) 
====2000s====
File:T30.png|Cover art by Lorraine Brevig from T'hy'la #30 (2009)
====Unknown Date====
File:Kirknaked.jpg|unknown artist, unknown year, dimensions: 16 X 20, materials: acrylic on board (unknown date)
File:Thewatch.jpg|artist is Frank V. Liltz (unknown date)
File:Older Kirk portrait color small.jpg|"Older Kirk" by Caren Parnes (unknown date)
 
==Meta/Further Reading==
* In Defense of Tomcat by Connie Faddis (1977)
* Shatner: Where No Man..., William Shatner's 1979 biography by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath, includes long interviews with Shatner, who provides insightful analysis of Kirk's character and personality. He explains how he worked to create a believable image of Kirk as a warm, emotionally appealing but strong and effective leader who cared for his crew as family. 
* James T. Kirk: Mata Hari, Don Juan or Dobie Gillis? (2009)
* Give Kirk a Break -- Spock's the One Putting Women Back in the Kitchen by Emily Asher-Perrin (2011)
* I Admit It—Kirk is Better Than Picard, by Emily Asher-Perrin at Tor.com (October 10, 2013)
=== Podcast ===
*Episode 6: Oh Captain, My Captain (Kirk) by Women at Warp
==Archives and Links==
*James T. Kirk, Original Series tag at Archive of Our Own
*James T. Kirk, Original Series at FanFiction.net
*James T. Kirk at Trekiverse
*The Captain Kirk Page - fansite
==Resources==
*James T. Kirk at Memory Alpha
*Wikipedia
==References==
Category:Star Trek TOS Characters