4. He's A Tough Yet Inspirational Leader
Kirk is younger than many of the people under his command, yet he has managed to earn the trust and loyalty of most of the crew. When he goes on an away mission and designates Sulu as acting captain, Sulu pauses for a second. Kirk asks him what's wrong. "I've just never sat in the chair before," Sulu admits. Kirk gives him an encouraging smile. "You're gonna do great," he says (and is later proven right). But he knows his main job as captain isn't to boost the crew's self-esteem; it's to give orders. And if those orders aren't obeyed, the ship's entire command structure could crumble. So Kirk is taken aback when one of his senior officers defies him. Scotty threatens to resign if Kirk brings long-range photon torpedoes aboard the ship. Kirk doesn't have a choice; he's following orders from Admiral Marcus. He argues with Scotty, who gives an ultimatum: Does Kirk accept his resignation or not? "I do!" Kirk shouts, and immediately looks stunned at his own words. Scotty, too, is shocked. He didn't expect Kirk to call his bluff. The two men stare at each other. Kirk looks simultaneously resolute and regretful. He likes Scotty as a friend and desperately needs him as chief engineer. But to maintain the discipline of command, he has to demonstrate that he means what he says. Being the captain also means accepting responsibility for everything that happens to the ship, whether or not it was his fault. When Admiral Marcus, speaking from the bridge of the Vengeance, vows to destroy the Enterprise, Kirk makes an impassioned plea for his crew. They were just following orders, Kirk says, and the decisions were his alone. "All I ask is that you spare them," he says. "I'll do anything you want. Just let them live." When Marcus refuses, Kirk turns to his crew and says, with sincere contrition, "I'm sorry." The scene echoes a similar situation in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," where Kirk addressed another vengeful madman: "Khan, if it's me you want, I'll have myself beamed aboard. Spare my crew."