Being a captain can't be easy. There are hundreds of people counting on them to make the right decisions that will keep them alive. Being the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise – the flagship of the United Federation of Planets – must come with even more stress. But fans of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek would rarely see that pressure get to him.
Along with his decisive thinking, strategic planning, and sense of humor, Captain Kirk often kept his ship and his crew alive with nothing more than his words. The boy from Iowa lived by the ideals of the future, using his beliefs not only to navigate the universe but to deal with the dangers he and the crew faced. With his confidence and words, Captain Kirk showed us all just how great humanity could be.
Updated on September 13, 2023 by Joshua M. Patton: William Shatner is the iconic originator of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, the first captain of the USS Enterprise that Star Trek fans fell in love with. However, in the nearly 60 years of history behind Gene Roddenberry's created universe, he's not the only actor to portray the character. With Chris Pine donning the signature gold shirt in the film trilogy set in "the Kelvin Timeline," and Paul Welsey taking on the role in Strange New Worlds, Kirk's wit and wisdom continues to expand.
20 “Hang On Tight And Survive. Everybody Does.”
[T]here are a million things in this universe you can have and a million things you can't have. It's no fun facing that, but that's the way things are.... Hang on tight and survive. Everybody does.
The first season episode "Charlie X" saw the Enterprise welcome a young man named Charlie aboard the ship who had spent years surviving alone. Charlie had been modified by aliens to survive their harsh planet, which gave him incredible abilities like telepathy that he used to force the crew into uncomfortable situations.
Charlie struggled with acclimating to his new way of life onboard the Enterprise where he didn't get everything he wanted, and despaired about going on with his life. Kirk was able to make him see that he could push through, surviving one day at a time like the rest of humanity.
19 "Either We're Going Down or They Are"
Attention crew of the Enterprise, this is James Kirk. Mr. Spock has resigned commission and advanced me to acting captain. I know you are all expecting to regroup with the fleet, but I'm ordering a pursuit course of the enemy ship to Earth. I want all departments at battle stations and ready in ten minutes. Either we're going down... or they are. Kirk out.
The mission of Starfleet is one of peaceful exploration and curiosity, but no matter which actor is playing Captain James T. Kirk, he's always read to fight when its necessary. In 2009's Star Trek when Earth is threatened by the time-traveling Romulan villain Nero, he takes command of the USS Enterprise to save the planet.
The version of Kirk in this film is much different than the one fans know, yet even after living a life of loss and aimlessness, once Kirk ended up where he belonged -- in the Captain's chair -- he became the man fans know and love. He will avoid a fight whenever he can, but if he can't? No one can stop him from saving the day.
18 "Don't Skip Good Hot Dogs"
My advice? Don't skip good hot dogs when you can get them.
Strange New Worlds Season 2 featured another time-travel romp, this time offering an alternate future version of James T. Kirk who wasn't part of Starfleet or the Federation, but rather the United Earth Fleet. His timeline was one of devastation and war. While La'an Noonien Singh, Khan's descendant, and the Enterprise Chief of Security, is trying to puzzle out their mission in the past, Kirk reminds her to take advantage of the good things that come her way.
17 “What Is a Man?"
What is a man but that lofty spirit, that sense of enterprise, that devotion for something that cannot be sensed, cannot be realized, but only dreamed, the highest reality?
The crew of the Enterprise was faced with a heavy decision when they encountered a planet full of androids that wanted to serve humanity by replacing their bodies with artificial ones and granting them eternal life in the second season's "I, Mudd."
However, Kirk was able to talk some of the curious members of his crew out of the decision by pondering exactly what it is that makes them all human – listing many of the reasons that humanity ventured into space in search of the unknown in the first place, which could never be replicated by the artificial androids.
16 “I Need My Pain!”
You know that pain and guilt can’t be taken away with the wave of a magic wand! They’re the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don’t want my pain taken away, I need my pain!
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier explored the ongoing Star Trek search for God that made a number of crew members question their faith and the surrounding reality, especially when members of the crew were "cured" of negative emotions like pain and guilt.
However, Kirk refused to undergo the same process as he felt that those feelings helped shape who we are and who we become, which ultimately allows humanity to make the right decisions. He was right, as the God-like being was later revealed to be an evil being who was trapped and manipulating others to facilitate his escape.
15 "The Prejudices People Feel..."
The prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other.
Tasked with ensuring that the arranged marriage of the leaders of two warring planets takes place without interference, Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise find themselves dealing with an angry bride, a nervous groom, and a group of Klingons who plan to sabotage the event.
Kirk's words come from a more mature and evolved version of mankind that has worked past its biases based on skin color, religion, or gender. He knows as all humans in Star Trek do, that the only way to move forward is to work together. To see the things we have in common and celebrate the things that make us different.
14 "Sometimes A Feeling Is All We Humans Have"
Sometimes a feeling is all we humans have to go on.
When the Enterprise finds itself caught up in a centuries-long planetary war where the casualties are decided by a computer program, Captain Kirk knows that the only way to bring about peace is to remind the people of the planet what war really is. By leaving the outcomes of battles to a computer, the people have done away with the lasting scars of war and come to accept the ritual deaths as something of a sacrifice that must be done.
Kirk risks everything by destroying the war computer, forcing the leaders of the world to decide if it is better to continue their war with actual destruction and devastation or if the time has come to talk peace. In his gut, Kirk knows they will make the right choice.
13 "His Was The Most... Human"
"We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And yet it should be noted that in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human."
In all fiction, there are few friendships as iconic as that of Captain Kirk and Mister Spock. It is impossible not to think of one when you think of the other. These two men, one an emotional human the other a rational Vulcan, will always be the greatest duo in Star Trek.
When Spock gave his life for the crew of the Enterprise in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Kirk was left to write a eulogy not only for his Science Officer but his closest friend in all the universe. His words ensured that there wasn't a dry eye in the theater.
12 "Believe In Yourself"
You either believe in yourself, or you don’t.
A captain needs confidence, and that's something Kirk has in spades. He knows that if he doesn't believe in the mission, then his crew won't believe in it either, and if he doesn't believe in himself, they won't be comfortable following him.
Even more important is the knowledge that without believing in oneself, there is no hope for improvement. And if a person can not improve, then what is the purpose of existence? To Captain Kirk, there is no more important thing for a person to have than faith in themself.
11 "If Man Was Meant To Fly, He'd Have Wings..."
They used to say that if man was meant to fly, he’d have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to.
From the story of Icarus to the stories of superheroes today, mankind has always been inspired by the idea of flight. The idea of a man soaring through the skies seemed like an impossible task, but in less than 60 decades, humanity went from a 12-second 120-foot flight to sending the first man into space.
What Captain Kirk is saying here is that humanity has always stepped up to the challenge, and we always will. It won't be easy, and we'll fall down often, but in the end, we will succeed because we must.
10 "There's No Such Thing As The Unknown..."
There's no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden.
The unknown can be scary. The idea that just out of sight, hiding in the darkness is something that can hurt us is what most horror is built around, and for good reason. Be it the monster in the closet or the alien from Venus, we fear that which we do not know.
But if we think like Captain Kirk, the unknown isn't something to be frightened by. The unknown becomes something exciting to discover. The unknown is out there, just waiting to be found. Suddenly, that fear becomes a feeling of optimism.
9 "Genius Doesn’t Work On An Assembly Line Basis."
Genius doesn't work on an assembly line basis. Did Einstein, Kazanga, or Sitar of Vulcan produce new and revolutionary theories on a regular schedule? You can't simply say, today I will be brilliant.
When Captain Kirk and the crew are sent to evaluate a supercomputer that could make their jobs redundant, he quickly sees the flaw in the plan. A computer may be able to react faster than a person, but it can never invent or show discretion.
It can never create or devise a plan that isn't preprogrammed, leaving it open to failure by a lack of improvisation. As Kirk sees it, all great things are created by those who think beyond what is and see what may be. It is the living being who can do this and no computer, no matter how great, will be able to replicate that.
8 "We're Human, And ... That Best Explains Us."
We prefer to help ourselves. We make mistakes, but we're human, and maybe that's the word that best explains us.
Star Trek captures the strength of the human race better than most other shows. As Kirk says, we make mistakes, but we don't just lay down and give up. We move forward even as we stumble, working to make things better. To make ourselves better, and in turn, make the world better.
Captain Kirk is no stranger to making mistakes, but he knows that each mistake must be learned from, and what was learned must be used to make improvements, all so new mistakes can be made, and new lessons learned.
7 "How We Deal With Life"
How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life.
As the captain of the Enterprise, Kirk knows that he, and any other captain that is to follow him, will be forced to make life and death decisions on a regular basis. In his time, Kirk has seen more death than he would have preferred, and many of those deaths he holds himself responsible for. Still, Kirk knows that he can not let those deaths keep him from moving forward. He knows that if he and his crew were to give in, all those who died for them would have died in vain.
6 "That's What I Was Born Into"
Better to die saving lives... than to live with taking them. That's what I was born into.
This moment from Star Trek: Beyond was something of a full-circle moment for the Kelvin Timeline Captain Kirk. His father died saving his life and the lives of an entire starship crew. When facing off with Balthazar M. Edison, who was trying to destory a massive starbase, he truly became the kind of hero his father was.
Star Trek is about hope and optimism. The big-budget blockbuster needs of the 21st Century movies may have gotten in the way of that message, but in Star Trek: Beyond the audience finally gets to hear a Jim Kirk who sounds familiar.
5 "Sometimes You Can't Avoid a Fight"
Did it ever occur to you that sometimes you can't avoid a fight?
The Season 1 finale of Strange New Worlds was a time-travel adventure showcasing what would happen if Captain Pike stayed on the USS Enterprise. In trying to avoid a fight with the Romulan Star Empire, he ended up starting a devastating war.
This message from Kirk, played by Paul Wesley, shows that even the Prime Timeline version of the character knows when to seek peace and when to give villains the fight they are looking for. It's better to face an enemy than to leave them to harm others because one didn't.
4 “I Don't Believe In The No-Win Scenario.”
I don't believe in the no-win scenario.... I don't like to lose.
One of the best movies in the long-running franchise, 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan introduced a number of oft-repeated quotes and inspired an altered take on the story in the modern reboot franchise. Kirk's ability to see every angle and find a way to win against all odds was best displayed by his quote about no-win scenarios, as well as the reveal that he was able to beat the training exercise known as the Kobayashi Maru – which was designed to be unbeatable in order to make cadets face their potential death in service to the Federation..
3 "You Can Let Death Win, Or You Can Fight Back"
Our job puts up against death more than is fair, and we may not like it, but we do have to face it. And right now, death is winning. It claimed your family. It claimed your friend. It convinced you to forget them because it is less painful than holding onto their memories. Now you can you let death win, or you can fight back. Hold onto them.
Another Season 2 episode of Strange New Worlds featured an adventure with James T. Kirk and Nyota Uhura, where the latter was experience visions and mental distress. He was the first person to believe what was happening to her was real.
When Uhura began to lose hope, because of the loss of her family a few years earlier, Kirk inspires her the way only the future captain could. Echoing Shatner's "I need my pain," line, he tells her that the memories of those we've lost are not burdens but blessings.
2 "Khaaaaaan!"
Khan, you have Genesis, but you don't have me! You were going to kill me, Khan, it was your sole purpose. You'll have to come down here to do it!
While it isn't the longest or most profound line that Captain Kirk ever delivered, his scream of rage and frustration in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is easily one of the character's most quoted and spoofed lines from Star Trek.
The line comes after Khan successfully takes the Genesis Device while also stranding Kirk and his crew inside a planetoid as revenge for Kirk doing the same to Khan and his crew. Kirk's protest is filled with such raw emotion that it quickly became one of the most memorable scenes from the Star Trek movie franchise and was even reimagined for the reboot trilogy.
1 "To Boldly Go"
This is the final cruise of the Starship Enterprise under my command. This ship and her history will shortly become the care of another crew. To them and their posterity will we commit our future. They will continue the voyages we have begun, and journey to all the undiscovered countries, boldly going where no man... where no one has gone before.
These words have been said by many a Star Trek captain, but Captain Kirk was the first. And while the exact words have changed over the years to be more inclusive, what Kirk said in the opening of every episode of Star Trek over fifty years ago still captures the hearts, minds, and imaginations of millions today.
The idea that humanity will one day travel among the stars, discovering new life and new civilizations, boldly going where no one has gone before is a concept that fills the world with the hope of a better tomorrow. The kind of tomorrow that Captain Kirk was a part of. The final time he said these words, in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country he changed things around, ditching both the gendered language and the idea that the Enterprise crew was Starfleet's only explorers.