Star Trek- Film Class

James T. Kirk

Star Trek has been a humongous franchise ever since its existence in “1966” ("Star Trek (film) -"). The reason it has been such a great franchise is the excellent writing and screen effects. In 2009, the Star Trek movie was made. This time with a whole new cast, directors, writers, and story line. However, one thing that has not changed through out its many years of the franchise are the characters. In the 2009 version of Star Trek, James T. Kirk is a man with a lot of anger. He has a lot of hatred towards his father, even though his father died a hero. “Christopher Pike: For my dissertation, I was assigned the USS Kelvin. Something I admired about your Dad. He didn't believe in no-win scenarios James T. Kirk: Sure learned his lesson” ("Star Trek (2009) - Memorable quotes" )! He also did not care about the rules; James T. Kirk often broke many rules. In the beginning of the movie Star Trek, he stole his step- father’s car and proceeded to drive it, even after trying to be stopped by his stepfather and the police (Star Trek). Even though James T. Kirk broke many rules, he always tried to do the right thing. Even if he meant putting himself on the line. He let his presence be known on the ship to try to warn the crewmembers from the lightning storm (Star Trek). James T. Kirk is a very complex character. Even if he seems very arrogant, he has a reason for acting that way.
James T. Kirk has many unresolved anger issues towards his father. He resents him for dying, even if it meant saving his life and many others. He has hatred toward his father, which is shown between a conversation between Christopher Pike and himself. While Christopher Pike is showing how he respected Kirk’s father; Kirk does not seemed fazed. He seems angry that his father picked that decision. However, he inspires to be just like him. James T. Kirk joins the federation after his talk with Christopher Pike. Christopher Pike said to Kirk that, “If you’re half the man your father was, Jim, Starfleet could use you” (Star Trek). Pike also said “ I dare you to do better” (Star Trek). In that case, James T. Kirk joins Starfleet the next day.
James T. Kirk was not a big fan of following the rules. In the beginning of Star Trek, he breaks many rules. When he is a young child, he steals his step- father’s car and runs it off a cliff (Star Trek). He does not even care if his step- father is yelling at him or if the cop is chasing after him. When he is put in a confrontational situation, which there are a few, he does not back down. In the beginning of the film, he gets into a fight at the bar. Instead of backing down at the sight of six men, he tells them to bring more to make it even. He also cheats to win. He reprograms one of the games so he could win. What he did not know was that it was an unbeatable game. Another part of James T. Kirk is that he is a cheat.
However, while Kirk may have broken many rules, at times he broke them for a good reason. His presence was not supposed to be known on the ship. Nevertheless, when he realized they were going into a war zone without realizing it, he stepped up. He told Spock and the Captain what was happening, even if it meant getting in trouble. A while after when he was exiled off the ship. Kirk got back on the ship and took over the position as captain.
While James T. Kirk may seem like a very arrogant character, he has his reasons for acting like that. He has a bit of hatred for his father, even though his father saved his life. He also does not like to follow the rules. He leaps and rarely looks. Of course, at times he breaks rules for good reasons. James T. Kirk is one of the very complex characters in this movie.

Work Cited
""Star Trek" (1966) - Full cast and crew." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .
""Star Trek" (1966)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .
"Star Trek (2009) - Full cast and crew." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .
"Star Trek (2009) - Memorable quotes." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .
Star Trek. Dir. J.J. Adams. Perf. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Paramount, 2009. DVD.
"Star Trek (film) -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .