George Kirk

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George Kirk in 2233
Gender:	Male
Species:	Human
Affiliation:	United Federation of Planets
Rank:	Lieutenant Commander, Acting Captain (alternate reality)
Occupation:	Starfleet officer
Status:	Deceased (prime reality), Deceased (alternate reality)
Died:	Post-2265 (prime reality), 2233 (stardate 2233.04) (alternate reality)
Father:	Tiberius Kirk
Marital Status:	Married (until his death)
Spouse(s):	Winona Kirk
Children:	George Samuel Kirk James T. Kirk
Other Relative(s):	James (father-in-law) David Marcus (grandson - prime reality)
Played by:	Chris Hemsworth
George Kirk, as the USS Kelvin collides with the Narada

This article is about the father of James T. Kirk. You may be looking for James' brother, George Samuel Kirk.

George Kirk was a Human Starfleet officer in the early 23rd century. His father was Tiberius Kirk. He was the husband of Winona Kirk and the father of James T. Kirk and George Samuel Kirk.

In 2233, Kirk was serving as first officer aboard the USS Kelvin under Captain Richard Robau. His wife, Winona, was also aboard the ship and was pregnant with James Kirk at the time.

James Kirk often spoke of his father, crediting George with providing him with the inspiration to join Starfleet. George lived at least long enough to see his son become captain of the USS Enterprise in 2265.

[edit] Alternate reality

In an alternate reality, George Kirk was serving aboard the Kelvin when it was diverted by Starfleet to investigate a mysterious singularity which appeared as a lightning storm in space. The Narada, under the command of Captain Nero, emerged through the black hole from the year 2387 and began firing upon the Kelvin, severely damaging the ship.

Following this brief show of power, Nero had Robau use a shuttle to board to the Narada, ostensibly to negotiate a cease fire. Robau complied, leaving Kirk in command of the ship. Before he departed, Robau told Kirk to prepare to evacuate the Kelvin and set the ship on autopilot.

Kirk monitored Robau's status on the bridge. Soon, Robau's life signs were terminated and the Narada once again began firing on the Kelvin. Kirk ordered the ship to return fire, but soon afterward gave the order to abandon ship.

Among those being evacuated was Kirk's wife, Winona, who was going into labor with their son. Kirk had her taken to Medical Shuttle 37, promising that he would join her shortly. Kirk then attempted to set the ship on autopilot, but the autopilot function had been destroyed.

As Kirk's wife and the crew of the Kelvin evacuated, Kirk used the ship's weapons to prevent the Narada from destroying the evacuation shuttles. He then set the Kelvin on a collision course with the Narada. In his last moments, Kirk was in contact with Winona as she gave birth to their son. He asked what they should name him; Winona suggested they name him after Kirk's father, Tiberius, but Kirk found the idea laughable and instead suggested naming the baby after Winona's father, James. Winona agreed, and as the Kelvin neared impact, Kirk told Winona he loved her. The Kelvin then struck the Narada, killing Kirk but disabling the enemy ship. While Kirk served as captain for a mere twelve minutes, his sacrifice saved the lives of some eight hundred people, including his wife and son.

Captain Christopher Pike later wrote his dissertation on the Kelvin and George Kirk. Pike came to admire Kirk, describing him as a man who did not believe in "no-win scenarios", and as someone who had the instinct to leap without looking, a trait he felt Starfleet had lost by the 2250s.

Because Kirk died prematurely, James Tiberius Kirk never knew his father and thus never had an inspiration to join Starfleet, rather spending his early years as a rebel and a trouble-maker, until he was finally convinced by Pike to enlist in Starfleet by daring him to do better than his father. (Star Trek)

[edit] Background information

George Kirk was played by Chris Hemsworth. Although Spock referred to George Kirk as being a lieutenant when he was killed, Kirk actually wore the rank braids of a lieutenant commander, but Spock may have been abbreviating his rank in a non-traditional manner as lieutenant commanders are usually referred to as commanders.

George Kirk was mentioned in the unfilmed Star Trek: The First Adventure script as having died when his craft, the Bonaventure, disappeared during an experimental dilithium-fueled warp jump. Montgomery Scott worked with him on the project.

[edit] Apocrypha

• The name "George" for James Kirk's father first originated in Vonda N. McIntyre's TOS novel Enterprise: The First Adventure.
• Intel's Star Trek tie-in website gave his serial number as SA-733-9624-AM.