#i miss the chess games i want a 50 minutes long ep that's just them playing chess and lovingly staring into each other's eyes

[2063april5]

Metaphorically, you could choose to think about Jim's change, his growth, as a chess game. At the Academy he was smart, in his classes you think of you sink, he was bullied but he wasn't impulsive enough, brave enough, reckless enough to fight back. Then he gets the Enterprise, and commander Spock. At first, maybe he lost most of their chess games, Jim knew all the rules and logical tactics, but you cannot beat a (half) vulcan at logic. Maybe Jim decides to try something else, something new. Maybe he gets reckless. He starts winning. If measure of a man taught us anything it's that a captain should be made of contradictions. You can't just be tactical, you also have to be able to think on your feet. One side of him cannot lead his crew without the other. Captaincy brings out this other side of him. Chess with Spock might have served as inspiration as well. After all, if TMP taught us anything is that, alone, Jim cannot run the Enterprise. One half of him cannot lead his crew without the other