James Tiberius Kirk. The youngest Star Fleet Captain in history, assigned to the USS Republic at 17 as a first year cadet at the rank of ensign, promoted to lieutenant four years later and given his own ship 10 years after that. He was a man of principle with intelligence, charm and assuredness borne of experience. He witnessed thousands killed when only a child on Tarsus IV and survived a massacre on the Farragut. He got into the academy early, taught advanced classes from the age of only 20, knew every part of his ship and led his crew with authority. At least that's the original history. Then we get the reboot where, for no good reason, the writers decided to turn the character into some rebel without a clue. This new Kirk is arrogant, cocky and insolent with no good cause. He has neither the experience nor the training to back it up. William Shatner's Kirk had over 14 years in the field where this new version is given the keys to the fleet's flagship after barely getting off with a court martial. Where the original Kirk was given a commendation for his Kobayashi Maru solution due to his exemplary record, the new version was within seconds of being kicked out because it was clearly the last straw. Kirk in the reboot movies is impulsive, child-like and insubordinate. He violates the Prime Directive without even caring, ignores orders with no good reason, makes dangerous decisions and seems to be devoid of the tactical awareness and dedication that the made the original Kirk the man he was. Look at the dressing down Kirk MK 1 gives to MacGuyvers in Space Seed, can you imagine Chris Pine's man-child Kirk doing anything other than flirting with her? In "Into Darkness" Star Fleet took his ship off him and he was to be sent back to the academy only for it to be given back to him some 15 minutes later and the whole thing forgotten about. The new guy is not only nowhere near half the man William Shatner's Kirk was, he is not a Captain anyone would follow.
I.T. Consultant, technophile and Doctor Who fan. I like to talk about tech, take films apart and make excuses for Doctor Who's continuity errors. No other show has the power to make me feel like a big kid.
