Character Analysis
Follow The Leader
Does Admiral James T. Kirk even need an introduction? He's the captain of the USS Enterprise, wooer of green-skinned vixens, and owner of the most distinctive speaking style this side of the Neutral Zone.
Oh yeah: and his mannerisms are the stuff of legend. (And satire.)
But if you think this is all there is to his character—or, you know, aren't as Trek-happy as the people on the Starship Shmoopterprise—then maybe he does need an introduction.
So who's this Kirk fellow? He's a natural leader who cares for his crew and approaches dangerous (or ethically dangerous) situations with a more level head than his reputation would have most non-Trek fans believe.
In The Search for Spock, Admiral Kirk has lost his best friend, lost the Enterprise, and, with them, lost his sense of purpose. But once Sarek tasks him with retrieving his son's body and katra, Kirk sees the chance to take back what was lost and revive his raison d'être (a fancy-pants French way to say "purpose for existing"). Can Kirk rescue his friend? Will he exit this mid-life slump to keep on Kirk-ing around the galaxy?
The short answer: yes. The long answer goes something like this—
The 7 Premises of Trek
Before we can assess whether Kirk can keep on Kirk-ing, we must first determine what it means to properly Kirk. And to accomplish that semi-ridiculous sounding task, we have to consider Star Trek's philosophy as a whole.
According to Dorothy Atkins, the series' philosophical foundations can be broken down into seven premises. (Source)
Take a look-see:
- Humans aren't flawed because of any actual or metaphorical fall,
- We have recognized our technology has the potential to destroy us,
- Different races, religions, and cultures are not to be feared but valued,
- No one has the right to interfere in the development of others,
- Humans belong in space,
- Space is our final frontier,
- Humans will survive.
These premises are the values of Star Trek, and as the series' protagonist, Kirk should embody them most of the time. And what do you know? He does so both in the Original Series and in The Search for Spock.
But let's break it down premise by premise.
Kirking It Up a Notch
Kirk certainly is flawed, but, as mentioned above, this isn't because of some metaphorical fall like those found in many religious traditions (like, say, the Fall of Man as featured in the Garden of Eden). Instead, his flaws come from him being a creature of limited ability and knowledge.
To put it another (more Vulcan) way, he's only human.
This is evident when Sarek visits, angry at Kirk for leaving his son on Genesis:
SAREK: Why did you leave him on Genesis? Spock trusted you, and you denied him his future.
KIRK: I saw no future.
SAREK: Only his body was in death, Kirk, and you were the last one to be with him.
KIRK: Yes, I was.
SAREK: And you must know that you should have come with him to Vulcan.
KIRK: But why?
Totally unaware of Vulcan funeral rites, Kirk didn't know that Spock possessed a quality known as a katra, essentially a soul or essence that Vulcans have learned to preserve in some sort of spiritual external hard drive. As a human, Kirk is also unable to interact with katras. These flaws have put Spock in quite the spiritual predicament…and poor, dumb, human Kirk is way out of his element.
But despite his flaws, he remains a hero because he always attempts to learn from his mistakes and make amends when possible. In The Search for Spock, that means collecting Spock's katra from McCoy, his body from Genesis, and returning both to Vulcan so the proper rites can be performed.
Those Vulcans are tricky.
Kirk also personifies the third and fourth of Atkins' premises: he believes that other cultures and races are to be valued, and that no one has a right to interfere with another culture's development. Easier said than done, but we have to say he does an admirable job given the circumstances…for a paltry human, that is.
Can't We All Just Not Shoot Each Other?
We see the third premise—value other cultures and races—in Kirk's interactions with Kruge.
Even after the Enterprise is ambushed by the Bird-of-Prey (cool name or coolest name?) Kirk opens communications with Kruge. Sure, Kirk's ship is dead in the water, but he still tries to reason with Kruge, a tactic that might have ended with no deaths on either side.
But the Klingon knows only the value of force and has David, Kirk's son, killed as a demonstration of his power over the admiral. Ouch.
Later in the film, Kirk and his crew are stranded on the self-destructing Genesis planet with no hope of escape. Kirk calls Kruge to discuss a trade: Genesis for their lives. Kruge beams down to the planet below, and Kirk attempts to reason with the Klingon.
It, um, doesn't go so hot:
KIRK: Beam the Vulcan up and we'll talk.
KRUGE: Give me what I want and I'll consider it.
KIRK: You fool, look around you! The planet's destroying itself!
KRUGE: Yes, exhilarating, isn't it?
KIRK: If we don't help each other, we'll die here.
KRUGE: Perfect. Then that's the way it shall be.
Kirk's being a good due here: he doesn't see the Klingon as someone to be feared simply because he is a Klingon…and even on the dying planet, after all Kruge has done to him, he proposes a situation in which they may "help each other."
He only kills Kruge because communication is 100% impossible, and Kirk and Spock's lives remain in danger as long as the Klingon commander lives. But it's not the result of any malice toward the Klingons as a race or culture…as evident by the fact that he lets Maltz live when he could easy have killed him.
In fact, Maltz even asks him to off him. But because Maltz isn't a threat, Kirk's pretty much says, "Nah."
Lean on Me
Kirk's basically a peaceful dude: he shows a willingness to not interfere with the development of others, too. In fact, Kirk will actively assist other cultures in their development…so long as they don't infringe on another culture's right to development.
Want textual evidence? Oh, we got some textual evidence: check out this exchange with Admiral Morrow:
MORROW: Now wait a minute. This business about Spock and McCoy, honestly, I never understood Vulcan mysticism.
KIRK: You don't have to believe, I'm not even sure that I believe, but if there's even a chance that Spock has an eternal soul, then it's my responsibility.
MORROW: Yours?
KIRK: As surely as if it were my very own.
Neither Morrow nor Kirk necessarily believe in katra because—let's face it—the idea is pre-tty far-fetched even for Star Trek standards. (And that's saying something because Kirk once meet a sentient rock.)
But the two guys approach this cultural difference super-differently. By viewing katra as a mystical superstition, Morrow doesn't consider Spock's problem to be his or Starfleet's responsibility any more than you'd consider it your responsibility to help someone appease Odin with a nice offering of mead. (Unless they were threatening you with a hammer called Mjollnir, probably.)
Kirk, on the other hand, considers it his responsibility to appease Sarek even if Spock doesn't have an eternal soul. Why? Because it's the path of development chosen by the Vulcan people, and because supporting them is the right thing to do.
Also, his love of Spock has him grasping for any attempt to reunite with his Vulcan friend. And it just so happens that Spock does have an eternal soul. Bonus!
Love Treks
To finish up Atkins' premises, Kirk belongs in space, exploring ye olde final frontier.
At the beginning of the film, Kirk returns to Earth and is told the Enterprise is to be decommissioned. His future becomes uncertain as he says to his crew,
KIRK: I can't get an answer. Starfleet is up to its brass in a galactic conference. No one has time for those who only stand and wait.
Grounded and his request to return to space denied, Kirk is at his lowest point in the film.
But you can take the man out of the USS Enterprise, but you can't take the USS Enterprise out of the man. He's revitalized with a sense of purpose when he chooses to steal the Enterprise and return to Genesis against orders. He's a rebel with a cause.
Although he meets hardships along the way and loses both the Enterprise and his son, Kirk rediscovers himself in space and finds the strength to reunite with Spock against the odds.
This brings us to Atkins' final premise: humans will survive.
At first Kirk was afraid, he was petrified. Kept thinking he could never live without Spock by his side. But then he spent so many nights thinking how Starfleet did him wrong. And he grew strong. And he learned how to get along. And so he's back. In outer space.
We could do the entire song…but you get the point. Kirk and his friends are going to keep on keepin' on against the odds—even when those odds are death itself.
Home Is Where the Heart Treks
By living the Star Trek philosophy, Kirk proves himself to be a model protagonist for the series. But there is a wrinkle to his character that's specific to The Search for Spock: a focus on his loyalty and friendship with the crew, particularly—no shocker here—Spock.
In the Original Series, Kirk remained loyal to his crew and always acted in their best interests—so long as they didn't wear a red shirt, of course. But Kirk also remained loyal to Starfleet and his duties as an officer.
In this film, Kirk's loyalty to each is put into conflict…causing some serious drama:
KIRK: As surely as if it were my very own. Give me back the Enterprise. With Scotty's help I could—
MORROW: No, Jim. The Enterprise would never stand the pounding, and you know it.
KIRK: Then I'll find a ship. I'll hire a ship.
MORROW: Out of the question, my friend. The council has ordered that no one but the science team goes to Genesis. Jim, your life and your career stand for rationality, not for intellectual chaos. Keep up this emotional behavior and you'll lose everything. You'll destroy yourself. Do you understand me, Jim?
KIRK: I hear you. [Chuckles.] I had to try.
To remain loyal to Spock, Kirk has return to Genesis to retrieve the Vulcan's body. But Kirk has been given strict orders denying his request to do so. To remain loyal to Starfleet, Kirk must abandon his quest to help Spock. To choose to remain loyal to one is to be disloyal to the other.
He's in a pickle. And we love pickles…both the juicy green cucumber variety and the juicy movie-plot variety.
Choosing friendship over duty, Kirk decides he has remain loyal to Spock: it's a classic case of bros before, um, Starfleet. We may think this would be a difficult decision, but for Kirk, it's the only decision.
As he explains when he speaks with Spock at the film's conclusion:
SPOCK: My father says that you have been my friend. You came back for me.
KIRK: You would have done the same for me.
Sure, they may not have a lot of time to hang, what with the extended jail time for treason and grand theft starship. But even given those consequences, Kirk's overjoyed to have his buddy-bud-bud back in the film's final scenes.
Given all of this, we hope we've convinced you that Kirk is more than just the wooer of alien ladies and purveyor of odd mannerism that pop culture remembers him as. And with its absence of any green-skinned ladies, the Search for Spock provides a good example of the true-blue Trek captain.
Kirk's Timeline