10 Worst Things Captain Kirk Has Ever Done
3. Blundering Into Another War
Why decide you know what’s best for one planet when you can meddle in the affairs of two at once? “A Taste of Armageddon” sees Kirk wade into another conflict, this time between two antagonistic neighbouring worlds, and decide after a few minutes’ observation that they way they’ve been conducting their business for centuries is bang wrong.
The nations of Eminiar VII and Vendikar are at perpetual loggerheads, and vent their frustrations with one another by carrying out incessant simulated combat. After wading into the action, the Enterprise is (virtually) shot down, and the crew are asked to admit (virtual) defeat. Like any bad loser, Kirk decides that the game is at fault. Deciding that the war games are a bad influence on the folks of Eminiar VII and Vendikar, he smashes up their simulators, and delivers a particularly preachy (even for Star Trek) speech on the seriousness of combat and the harm they’re doing through even pretend war.
He may very well have a fair point, but once again, the captain has decided he knows best and that two civilizations’ long standing traditions are bad and dumb and need to stop right now. Christopher Columbus has nothing on big James.