#the autobiography of james t kirk

[woman-of-many-fandoms]

It's really odd that I seem to find two different takes over how TOS Kirk was when young. In various novels from the 80s he portrayed at a goody two shoes who studies all the time and obeys every rule.

In 'modern' novels, even Shatner's own Star Trek Academy, Kirk is a too smart for his own good bad boy. (not quite AOS level but still)

The autobiography of James T Kirk does break that in that it's a more recent book and Kirk is obedient and smart.

I'm wondering if part of the reason is people think it's better storytelling or that it makes Kirk more interesting that way (maybe Kirk drift though I will argue a lot of how Kirk is known in pop culture didn't come out of a vacuum, feminist my ass). I personally do see TOS Kirk as a goody two shoes even if it is kind of boring.

And (oddly) I am enjoying Shatner novel (no, I know he didn't write it) but I feel it fits more as a AOS Kirk and Spock if Nero never happened. ( I mean they met as a strip club.)

[tostrekkiegirl]

I thought that Kirk probably gave McCoy the nickname "Bones" because he was old-fashioned, but according to Kirk's autobiography, he saw McCoy actually cut Gary Mitchell's arm off!

Then McCoy tries to reject the nickname! Sorry buddy, you're stuck with it now.

[nevinslibrary]

Make It So Friday

Yes, yes, two autobiographies in a row.... (there may be more too, these are super interesting). This was both the same and different from the Picard and Janeway biographies that I had previously read.

It’s the same in that still gives us insights into some of the parts of their lives that we hadn't known before. But it’s slightly different because James T. Kirk has been around for so long as a character, that, much more of his life has been revealed during the actual TV and movies.

Still, it was interesting to read some of the events that I have watched on the show/movies, ‘in his own words’. And, honestly, my favorite part was the afterword by Spock. On the one hand, we know that he's still alive after the "publication" of the book after the Enterprise B in Generations. But, it breaks the fourth wall if that is said, so, how they used Spock to sort of hint that he was still alive was inventive and in canon-ish even. Fun book. And I’m definitely looking forward to finally getting to the Spock Autobiography, (and then the Sisko Autobiography is coming out in December as well!!)

You may like this book If you Liked: Confessions of a Teen Sleuth by Chelsea Cain, Pawnee by Leslie Knope, or Let Me Off at the Top! by Ron Burgundy

The Autobiography of James T. Kirk by David A. Goodman

[woman-of-many-fandoms]

That letter took my heart off and stomped on it. Also, what is the sign off before the signature where love is crossed out. I'm sure it's not Butt, (is it best?)

I'm currently reading The Autobiography of James T. Kirk and it has pictures!

This looks like a family photo tbh.

This is so cute. I love Edith.

A letter to David that Kirk never sent. He mentions that kid in A Piece of The Action. Sorry it's kind of blurry.

Kirk's travel pass for his trip to Tarsus IV.

A picture of Carol Marcus and David when he was two and the camping trip in The Final Frontier.

[space-dog-from-space]

That one bit in The Autobiography of James T Kirk where T'Pau finds out that Jim did not, in fact, die during the events of Amok Time:

[smilingscully]

Star Trek after dropping the most important part of Kirk’s backstory in one episode and never bringing it up again 😹

[stardotnet]

"captain, you almost make me believe in luck."

"why, mr. spock, you almost make me believe in miracles!"

[pyjamacryptid]

Emma & Mr. Knightley from 'EMMA' || Spock & Jim Kirk from 'STAR TREK' || Parallels

This was inspired by the similarity I noticed between the last two quotes.

S1 E16: The Galileo Seven, Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) // EMMA, dir. Autumn de Wilde (2020) // S3 E24: Turnabout Intruder, Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) // Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, dir. Nicholas Meyer (1982) //Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, dir. Leonard Nimoy (1984) // EMMA, Jane Austen (1815) // The Autobiography of Mr. Spock, Una McCormack (2021)

[1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt]

"I recall that Jim's face lit up, like the sun."

". . .How do you write about someone that you have so deeply loved?"

- Spock, The Autobiography of Mr. Spock.

[vulcanhello]

[torsamors]

“There are always possibilities, Spock said. And if Genesis is indeed life from death, I must return to this place again.” Unification // Afterword by Spock of Vulcan, The Autobiography of James T Kirk

[frogayyyy]

[ID: But his story is not over, because, as I said earlier, he is not dead.

This is not the first time I have said this, and many individuals believe that I have no proof, and that I am indulging my human half's need for "wishful thinking."

But it is not. I know this logically; it is actually my Vulcan half that has the proof.

One of the effects of my peoples ability to mind-meld is a permanent connection between the mind of the Vulcan initiating the meld and that of the subject. From moment to moment, I am only vaguely aware of these connections; our mental disciplines keep them compartmentalized and away from our daily thought processes.

But one thing we are always certain of is when a connection is lost when someone dies.

Over the years, I have experienced the death of the Horta on Janus IV, and of Dr. Simon Van Gelder, and of Gracie the whale. The experience was akin to a building at night with its windows lit. And then one light goes out. You know whose light it is; you feel them gone.

I had mind-melded with James T. Kirk on several instances over his lifetime. His light still burns. He lurks in the recesses of my mind.

Sometimes, I try to focus on him, to try to determine where he is. I do not believe he knows, but I can sense his emotional state. Wherever he is, he is happy.

I do not believe in an afterlife, but I will let my human half indulge in some wishful thinking.

He will return.]

Afterword by Spock of Vulcan, The Autobiography of James T Kirk by David A. Goodman

[tostrekkiegirl]

I’m finally reading the Autobiography of James T. Kirk, and I really like it so far!

[majuuorthrus]

My local library system credits the fictional autobiographies of Captains Kirk and Picard to James T Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard respectively, but their copy of Spock's autobiography doesn't credit Spock as the author, indicating an anti-Vulcan bias

[stra-tek]

Excerpt ??? (I've lost count) from I Survived Kirk, my forthcoming fanfic autobiography of a bitter redshirt on Kirk's Enterprise

The entire reason this book exists is as a rebuttal of Risk is Our Business.  I’m not sure how much of that was written by Kirk himself and how much was his ghost writer, but the man depicted in that book is not the man I worked under for years.  Not in personality, not in reasoning.  Not in anything.  I see it as more whitewashing of history, more misinformation to pass along to the next generation.  This book exists as a counterpoint.  I’m no James T Kirk, I haven’t done the things he has.  I’ll never be as famous and this book will never be read by anywhere near as many people.  But if I can get through to just a few that’s fine by me.  So long as the truth as I know it is preserved in some way.

I first met James Tiberius Kirk when I reported aboard the USS Enterprise as a crewman in 2264.  He came in with a reputation, as the hero of what they were calling the “Gioghe Incident” where he’d taken command of the USS Lydia Sutherland, and although he lost his ship, he’d saved many lives.  He’d just been given a medal and a promotion.

The entire Enterprise crew was gathered in the shuttlebay for the change-of-command ceremony.  I was right at the back, in front of the mammoth clamshell doors.  At the other end of the bay, Captain Pike wished everyone well and Captain Kirk gave a short and completely unmemorable speech.

He seemed like a nice enough guy.  Young for a captain but confident in himself, enough so that you wanted to follow him.  And people would – for better or worse.

Our historic five-year mission was to begin with a routine patrol of bases along the Klingon border, ferrying a touring troupe to entertain the base personnel.  It was meant to be something nice and easy to get the crew accustomed to each other and their new commander.

Kirk’s mother and father both served in Starfleet.  Daddy Kirk rose through the ranks, becoming first officer of the Einstein-class deep-space scout USS Kelvin.  When James was born, George decided an assignment closer to Earth was preferable to years-long missions in deep space.  He transferred to become security chief of Starbase 2, the K-class space station roughly two weeks from Earth which I’d just left.

Apparently George and Winona Kirk’s Starfleeting was more important than raising kids, since they left Jimbo with relatives on Tarsus IV.

A teenage Jim Kirk survived The Tarsus IV Massacre, which cannot have left him without some serious psychological scars.

What was The Tarsus IV Massacre, you ask?  It was quite a big news story throughout the Federation at the time.  An alien fungus ruined an Earth colony’s entire food supply, and with help too far out to prevent mass starvation, the colony’s governor, a man named…Anton?  Arnold?  A-something Kodos decided the cull the “less useful” members of it’s population, so that the ones he decided were worthy of survival would survive long enough for help to arrive. 

So, he murdered half the colony’s population.  And then – here’s the kicker – rescue arrived much earlier than expected.  Early enough that nobody needed to be executed.  Except they already had.  Oh dear.

The scenes shown on the newscasts were shocking and graphic.  Far worse than anything I’d ever seen in my life up until that point.  Usually you hear just hear about murders and horrible events with options to click for more details and gross images.  Here we got shocking images of piles of charred dead bodies, many children, in our newsfeeds.  It was mind-blowing and harrowing to see things like this are still happening in Federation territory.  On a Federation colony world, no less.

It gets weirder, there were people asking how Kodos would be thought of had rescue arrived when expected, and his mass executions had saved half the population rather than doomed the whole?  While it’s an interesting scenario, the entire idea of this Kodos being the one to decide who lives and who dies is repulsive. Much more on James Kirk later.  And more on Kodos, too.

[brookbee]

From The Autobiography of James T. Kirk

I just found Jim’s faith in Spock so touching here