Memory Alpha
Register
Advertisement
Memory Alpha
Multiple realities
(covers information from several alternate timelines)

For the father of James and George, please see George Kirk.
"Absolutely no one calls him George."

George Samuel "Sam" Kirk, Jr. was a male Human scientist and Starfleet sciences division officer who lived during the mid-23rd century.

Early history[]

George Samuel Kirk, Jr. was born the son of George and Winona Kirk in Riverside, Iowa on Earth. (SNW: "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow") He was the brother of famed Starfleet Captain James T. Kirk; who believed he alone called his brother by the nickname "Sam". (TOS: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?") Unknown to James, however, George was frequently referred to as "Sam" while serving aboard the Enterprise in the late 2250s. (SNW: "Children of the Comet", "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow")

Although implied by his possession of the generational suffix, junior, it has not been outright stated that he was the eldest of George, Sr.'s sons, however, according to the script notes of "Operation -- Annihilate!", he was stated to be the eldest and "older by ten years".

Kirk, along with Winona and James, spent the majority of James' childhood chasing George Kirk, Sr. from one posting to another, to the point that James and Sam barely saw the man. When James asked Winona why they never saw George Sr., she told James that "he's helping people who really need it." (SNW: "Lost in Translation")

By 2259, Kirk was married to Aurelan and they had three sons, including Peter. (TOS: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?", "Operation -- Annihilate!"; SNW: "Strange New Worlds")

Starfleet career[]

Kirk served as a Starfleet officer, like his father and brother; he had attained the rank of lieutenant junior grade by 2259.

On stardate 2259.42, Kirk reported to the USS Enterprise as a member of the life sciences department under the command of Lieutenant Spock. (SNW: "Strange New Worlds") He worked primarily in a lab as a xenoanthropologist. (SNW: "Lost in Translation")

On stardate 2912.4, Kirk was assigned to the landing party to the comet C/2260-Quentin to determine how to stop it from hitting the planet Persephone III. Kirk himself was injured but was transported back to the Enterprise with the landing party where he received proper medical attention. (SNW: "Children of the Comet")

By stardate 1943.7, Kirk had recovered from his injuries. (SNW: "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach")

On stardate 2510.6, Kirk was involved in the landing party to investigate why the USS Peregrine had crash-landed on Valeo Beta V. He was notably stressed by the threat posed by the Gorn that had infiltrated the downed vessel.

Following their rescue from the incident, Kirk attended the funeral of Chief Engineer Hemmer. (SNW: "All Those Who Wander")

During a mission to Bavali Station to get the new deuterium refinery up and running, Kirk welcomed his younger brother James aboard the Enterprise. Kirk would assist James and Nyota Uhura in identifying the existence of extradimensional lifeforms that existed within the deuterium found in Bannon's Nebula, and the threat that processing that deuterium would pose to them. Following the mission, Kirk considered writing a paper on the subject, a prospect James called "thrilling." (SNW: "Lost in Translation")

Kirk would volunteer to take part in a mission to rescue survivors of a Gorn attack on Parnassus Beta. Kirk recognised his shortcomings during his previous encounter with the Gorn and wanted to rectify this, as well as gather useful information on the Gorn species and their weaknesses. Based on Montgomery Scott's description of coronal mass ejections in the nearby Shangdi system, Kirk theorised that the Gorn may have been responding to the solar flares in a similar way to locusts. (SNW: "Hegemony")

Civilian career[]

In 2265, Sam saw James off when the captain began a five-year mission of exploration in command of the Enterprise. Also saying farewell were Aurelan and their three sons. On this occasion, Sam mentioned that he wished to be transferred to the Earth Colony II research station. (TOS: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?")

The following year, Sam was working as a civilian research biologist living with his family on Deneva; his private transmitter was designated GSK 783.

A short time later, vessels from Ingraham B arrived carrying flying parasites, and many of the colonists, including Sam, were attacked and infiltrated by the parasites. Resisting the parasites' control was excruciatingly painful, but in early 2267, eight months after the Ingraham B vessels arrived, Aurelan managed to break the long communication blackout and get a brief distress call out to the Enterprise.

By the time the ship arrived, Sam was dead; his wife died soon after. Their son, Peter, lived and was ultimately freed of the parasites. (TOS: "Operation -- Annihilate!")

Relationships[]

Family[]

George Kirk Sr.[]

While he was the elder son and had been named after George (though he did not use the name), Sam felt his father held "old-fashioned" views on what made a fulfilled life and successful career, which were reflected more by James than Sam. This instilled a sibling rivalry in Sam, perhaps moreso than his younger brother. (SNW: "Lost in Translation")

James T. Kirk[]

The Brothers Kirk

Sam and James Kirk hugging in an alternate 2266

Sam was the older brother of James T. Kirk, who was the one who gave Sam his nickname. When James was given command of the USS Enterprise, he, along with his family, were present when James left on his five-year mission. (TOS: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?")

Their relationship did experience signs of strain at times; Sam expressed feelings of jealousy towards James' quick rise through the ranks. In 2259, James had become the first officer on the USS Farragut, the youngest in Starfleet history, a record previously held by their father. Sam felt James' ambition and brash attitude reflected badly on him. (SNW: "Lost in Translation")

An alternate timeline version of George Samuel Kirk described his brother as a "huge pain in the ass, but he's as fine a captain as Starfleet has." (SNW: "A Quality of Mercy")

Friendships[]

Christopher Pike[]

Sam Kirk and Chris Pike

Samuel Kirk and Christopher Pike

Kirk and Christopher Pike met sometime prior to 2259 and became friends. In fact, prior to the mission to Kiley 279, Pike personally wanted Kirk aboard the Enterprise as a crewmember. (SNW: "Strange New Worlds")

During the briefing prior to his first away mission, Pike commented on liking Kirk's new mustache, prompting Kirk to suggest that Pike might want to try one on himself. (SNW: "Children of the Comet")

When Kirk reacted emotionally to the Gorn hunting the landing party on the USS Peregrine, Doctor M'Benga suggested to Captain Pike that he be given a sedative. Pike refused him, stating his belief that Kirk was "stronger than he looks". (SNW: "All Those Who Wander")

Spock[]

Kirk served under Spock in the life sciences department aboard Enterprise; upon being introduced by Captain Pike, Spock's initial reaction was less than enthusiastic. (SNW: "Strange New Worlds")

Kirk's tendency to eat (and therefore leave dirty plates and crumbs) during departmental meetings was a source of frustration for Spock; when his Vulcan DNA was temporarily removed following an encounter with the Kerkhovians, he angrily lunged at Kirk, who was bewildered by the scale of his overreaction. (SNW: "Charades")

Una Chin-Riley[]

Kirk held a great deal of respect for Una Chin-Riley, as he described her to his brother as "the first officer that he thought James should be like," someone who kept a necessary distance from her crew because she knows she has to make hard decisions. (SNW: "Subspace Rhapsody")

Alternate timelines[]

Neutral Zone incursion[]

George Samuel Kirk (alternate 2266)

Lt. George Samuel Kirk in an alternate 2266

In an alternate timeline, Sam was still serving aboard the USS Enterprise in 2266 during the Neutral Zone Incursion.

A time traveling Christopher Pike from 2259 consulted with Sam after learning that his brother was the captain of the USS Farragut. After James beamed aboard, he and Sam immediately shared a hug, warmly greeting each other. (SNW: "A Quality of Mercy")

Alternate 2259[]

In an alternate 2259, Sam had died due to unknown circumstances. (SNW: "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow")

Key dates[]

  • 2259: Appointed to the life sciences department aboard the USS Enterprise
  • 2265: Sees brother James T. Kirk off on his five-year mission
  • 2266: Moves to Deneva
  • 2267: Dies after being infected by a flying parasite

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

Background information[]

George Samuel Kirk was portrayed by Dan Jeannotte in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Originally, the corpse of George Samuel Kirk was portrayed by William Shatner in his only non-James T. Kirk role (possessed or otherwise). According to the script for "Operation -- Annihilate!", "Sam is revealed, very definitely a Kirk… older by ten years than the captain, perhaps a little different in nose or jawline… but he looks too much like Jim Kirk to be anyone but his brother."

Johnny (Human)

Johnny, formerly George Samuel Kirk

George Samuel Kirk was to appear in 2009's Star Trek (referred to in the film's script as "George Kirk, Jr." [1]), where he would have been played by Spencer Daniels. Scenes featuring Daniels as Sam Kirk were filmed, but the character was entirely cut from the final release. The one remaining scene of Daniels playing Sam Kirk, in which Jim Kirk called out to him as he was driving past him in their uncle's (in the final cut, their stepfather's) Corvette, was altered to change the name of Daniels' character to "Johnny", apparently a friend of Jim's.

George Samuel Kirk's deleted scene from 2009's Star Trek was available on Star Trek the two-disc DVD release for the film, Star Trek the three-disc Blu-ray release as well as the Blu-ray set Star Trek: The Compendium. In the scene, George ran away from home and his brother to escape the cruelty of their uncle Frank, finding it impossible to "be a Kirk" in Frank's household. He was also angered that Frank had claimed their late father's Corvette as his own. After George left, Jim found the keys to the Corvette and drove off in the car. As originally conceived, Jim drove by and called out to a shocked George, who had been trying to hitchhike.

Apocrypha[]

George Samuel Kirk appeared in the last chapter of Star Trek: Enterprise novel Last Full Measure, set in 2238, in which an elderly Trip's first visit to the Starfleet War Memorial coincided with that of young Sam and Jimmy Kirk, rendering the quiet reflection he had hoped for an impossibility. The scene established George's birthdate August 12, which was also when Federation Day was celebrated. However, according to "Echoes of Yesterday" in TOS Special 3, George's birthdate was September 7, 2229, and his death took place on April 13, 2267. ("Operation – Annihilate!" originally aired on April 13, 1967)

George's two unnamed sons have been given many different names in various novels, comics and video games. The TOS novels The Last Roundup and Provenance of Shadows gives these boys the names Alexander and Julius. The novel The Autobiography of James T. Kirk calls them Joshua and Steven. The comic book Star-Crossed Part 2: Loved Not Wisely... calls them Brett and Robbie. The comic book story "Bloodline" calls them Marcus and Virgil. The comic story "The Unforgiven" calls them Adam and Jason. The photocomic "Sam" calls them George and Gregory. The video game Star Trek: Starship Creator calls them Stephen and Thomas. One of the sons was named Craig in the game Star Trek: Away Team.

A slightly altered version of George's deleted scene from 2009's Star Trek was found in the film's novelization. Among the scene's changes made for the book was George's revelation that Frank (who in a merger of the script and film characters the boys' stepfather, not uncle) wanted Jim to wash the Corvette, which had belonged to their late father, because he intended to sell it behind their mother's back - it was after hearing this that the decision to steal the car was made.

George Samuel Kirk, IDW

George Samuel Kirk of the alternate reality

The alternate reality George appeared in IDW Publishing's Star Trek: Ongoing comic series, exploring events of the original series in the alternate reality, which clarified that the boys lived with their uncle until George ran away to live with his grandfather. This later led to a rift between the brothers, James feeling that George had abandoned their mother.

During their investigation of the neural parasites, Kirk and the crew discovered George living underground with his family to escape the influence of the parasites after their attack on the colony, with the Enterprise subsequently devising a means to banish the parasites and cure George's family, which here consisted only of his wife Aurelan and one son, Peter (β). At the story's conclusion, George and his family return to the colony, with George complimenting his brother's success, a degree of reconciliation having been reached between the two of them.

His mirror universe counterpart (β) was mentioned as being a Terran Empire scientist in the short story "The Greater Good" contained in the anthology Shards and Shadows. In 2263, he was awarded the Zee-Magnees Prize for his work in precision frontal lobotomy. As he had no interest in a military career and his brother James T. Kirk had no interest in science unless he could manipulate it to make his life easier, neither brother had to worry about the other getting in the way of his career and having to be eliminated.

External links[]

Advertisement