Star Trek: The Original Series
Captain James T. Kirk was technically an Admiral inStar Treklonger than he wasCaptain of the Enterprise- unless one countsStar Trek Generations . Introduced inStar Trek : The Original Series , Kirk was the first Starfleet Hero of Alexandria to command the Starship Enterprise audience met . Though there have been other Enterprise Captains since , and a few retconned before Kirk , William Shatner’sStar Trekicon is still best known as Captain Kirk instead of Admiral Kirk .
Star Trek : The Motion Picturerevealed that after theUSS Enterprise ’s historic five - year missioninStar Trek : The Original Series , Captain Kirk was promoted to Rear Admiral and named Chief of Starfleet Operations . Yet Kirk yearned to be back in his darling Enterprise ’s Captain ’s chairperson , and he engineered effect to accomplish that destination . Admiral Kirk commanded the USS Enterprise until he was demoted back to Captain . Afterward , Kirk spent the remainder of his life history and Starfleet career as Captain , andJim ’s time as Admiral Kirk seems more like an asterisk .
Kirk Was A Starfleet Admiral Longer Than He Was Enterprise Captain
Admiral Kirk Had A Long Run Before He Was Demoted
Chronologically , James T. Kirk confine the social rank of Rear Admiral longer than he was a starship police chief . Kirk became a flag officer in 2270 upon closing of theUSS Enterprise ’s five - year mission . Kirk remained Admiral until he was demoted at the terminal ofStar Trek IV : The Voyage Home , in 2286 . This meansKirk was Admiral for 16 back-to-back yearsbefore he summarize his Captaincy , this time on the USS Enterprise - A.
William Shatner ’s Captain James T. Kirk remains an iconic figure of democratic acculturation , and these 15 Star Trek episodes and motion picture exemplify why .
Comparatively , James T. Kirk was originally Captain for 5 long time . Kirk became Captain of the USS Enterprise in 2265 , taking over forCaptain Christopher Pike(Jeffrey Hunter / Anson Mount ) . After his demotion from Admiral , Kirk remain Captain for another seven days , until his assume death on the USS Enterprise - B in 2293 , as see inStar Trek Generations ' prologue . Therefore , matter both stints together , James T. Kirk was Captain for a fuse 12 twelvemonth .
Kirk Was Technically A Captain For Much Longer Thanks To Star Trek Generations
Thank The Nexus For Kirk Living Into The 24th Century
Star Trek Generationsmuddies the waters as to how long James T. Kirk was actually Captain . When Kirk was caught in the Nexus , the other - dimensional space medal plunged him outside normal infinite and fourth dimension . Kirk left the Nexus with Captain Jean - Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) and arrived in the twenty-fourth one C in 2371 - 78 years after Kirk vanished from the 23rd 100 . Therefore , adding his sentence in the Nexus , Kirk was Captain for a aggregate of 90 years .
Captain Jean - Luc Picard was a starship police captain long before Star Trek : The Next Generation began , making his Starfleet career an incredibly long one .
Of course , had Captain Kirk lived through theend ofStar Trek Generations , he would n’t sense like he was Captain for 90 class . Thanks to the gonzo nature of the Nexus , Kirk cypher he was only in the fancy land for a few minutes before Captain Picard arrive and blab out him into aid save Veridian III . To Kirk , it was still 2293 , and he was just aboard the USS Enterprise - B overtop by Captain John Harriman ( Alan Ruck ) .
Custom image by Ana Nieves
Why Kirk Is More Famous As A Captain Than As An Admiral
History Remembers Kirk As Captain Of The Enterprise
Just as Admiral Picard ’s Word , Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ) , told his Fatherhood that"history remember you with one less pip,“inStar Trek : Picardseason 3,James T. Kirk is forever best known as Captain Kirk and not Admiral Kirk . 79 episodes ofStar Trek : The Original Seriesthat have been airing on telly constantly for well-nigh 60 years , and threeStar Trekmovies , depict Jim as Captain Kirk . By dividing line , Admiral Kirk was only known as such in fourStar Trekmovies .
Kirk ’s own predilection and sense of ego is his 12 years as Captain of the Enterprise .
Admiral Kirk also has"lost years"that have n’t been in full recorded byStar Trekcanon . As alluded to inStar Trek Generations , Admiral Kirk retired from Starfleet at some point afterStar Trek : The Motion Picturein the 2270s . Kirk lived in a rustic abode in Idaho and fire horses with a woman mention Antonia before he grew restless and choose to return to Starfleet in 2383 , lead into the event ofStar Trek II : The Wrath of Khan . finally , Kirk ’s own preference and sense of self is his 12 years as Captain of the Enterprise and not his 16 yr as Rear Admiral and Chief of Starfleet Operations .
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