10 Worst Things Captain Kirk Has Ever Done

It seems unfair to use Kirk’s credulity as a stick with which to beat him, but when that trusting streak leads him to invite a mass murderer onto the Enterprise, that can only be a black mark on the record of any spaceship captain.

In “The Conscience of the King”, Kirk’s friend Dr Leighton has the Enterprise investigate actor Anton Karidian, who he suspects is really Kodos, perpetrator of a mass execution which Kirk and the doctor both witnessed. Kirk dismisses his pal’s suspicions, and when Leighton is immediately murdered, Kirk sees no recourse but to ferry Karidian and his troupe to their next destination. It goes on like this: further people Kirk trusts suggest that he looks further into the connection between Karidian and Kodos; Kirk feels this would be a waste of his time.

It transpires that Karidian’s daughter has been offing the witnesses, but all the same, Kirk’s blockheadedness put his staff at risk and almost led to one of the galaxy’s great mass murderers getting away scott free. His refusal to listen can’t have been great for morale, either - a bad day at the office for James T.