One ofStar Trek: The Original Series' earliest episodes bizarrely statesCaptain James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) name as"James R. Kirk"on his tombstone.Star Trekpremiered on NBC in 1966 with “The Man Trap,” with the second pilot episode produced forStar Trek, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” becoming the third episode aired. This was after NBC rejected “The Cage,” the first pilot produced forStar Trek,and commissioned a second with almost an entirely new cast, led byCaptain Kirk replacing Jeffrey Hunter’s Captain Christopher Pike.
InStar Trek’s “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” theStarship Enterprise passes through the galactic barrierbordering the known galaxy. Strange energies within transform Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) and Dr. Elizabeth Dehner (Sally Kellerman) into powerful and dangerous psychic beings. Mitchell’s rapid evolution turns him into a threat, and Captain Kirk decides to trap Gary and Elizabeth on Delta Vega. When Mitchell battles Kirk, he uses his powers to create theCaptain of the Enterprise’s grave, complete witha tombstone that reads,“James R. Kirk.”
Star Trek Season 1’s Tombstone Was A Production Error
Gene Roddenberry Gave An Explanation For “James R. Kirk”
“James R. Kirk"was simply an early mistake byStar Trek’s set and props department. “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was only the second hour ofStar Trekproduced, and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was the onlyStar Trekactor from the original pilot, “The Cage,” to return. Captain Kirk himself was a new character at this point, andthe error of"James R. Kirk"is indicative ofStar Trekfinding its way in its early days.Star Trekwriter and story editor D.C. Fontanalater offered an explanation, as seen inMemory Alpha:
According to D.C. Fontana in the introduction for Star Trek: The Classic Episodes 1, when the mistake was discovered, Gene Roddenberry decided that if pressed for an answer on the discrepancy, the response was to be “Gary Mitchell had godlike powers, but at base he was Human. He made a mistake.”
Star Trek’s visionary creator Gene Roddenberrywaves off"James R. Kirk"as an example of Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell’s flawed humanity, in-universe. Roddenberry’s explanation is also fascinating since Mitchell’s evolution was an influx of psychic abilities. Yet Gary was still susceptible to human error, such as being mistaken about the middle initial of his best friend, Captain James T. Kirk.
Star Trek Was Still Finding Itself In Season 1
When watchingStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, fans must be willing to accept several errors and inconsistencies in what later became establishedStar Trekcanon. Much ofStar Treksprang fully formed from Gene Roddenberry’s imagination from the get-go, butnumerous aspects ofStar Trekwere developed and added as the series continued on NBC. For example, Leonard Nimoy gradually invented Spock and the Vulcans' logical behavior, and Spock was markedly more emotional before Nimoy locked into Vulcan culture.
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Starfleet uniforms inStar Trek’s “Where No Man Has Gone Before” are noticeably different, which makes its placement as the third episode aired visually awkward. “Starfleet” also wasn’t the original name for the Starship Enterprise’s governing body, and it was referred to by many names like “Space Fleet” and even “United Earth Space Probe Agency.” It was producer Gene L. Coon who created the United Federation of Planets and the Klingons, among numerous other tropes, when he joinedStar Trek.
Captain Kirk’s Middle Name Was Confirmed In Star Trek VI
Star Trek: The Animated Series Coined “Tiberius”
Captain James T. Kirk’s middle name was made official canon inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countrywhen"James Tiberius Kirk"was spoken aloud by General Chang (Christopher Plummer) during Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy’s (DeForest Kelley) Klingon trial.Star Trek: The Animated Seriesoriginally coined “Tiberius” as Kirk’s middle name, butStar Trek VIis what made “Tiberius” stick.
Gene Roddenberry considered the Saturday morningStar Trekcartoon apocryphal, and “Tiberius” remained unofficial untilStar Trek VIfinalized Kirk’s middle name.
Star Trek: The Original Seriesseason 2, episode 8, “The Changeling” has a subtle nod to"James R. Kirk.“In “The Changeling,” the robot probe Nomad confuses Captain Kirk with its creator, Jackson Roykirk (Marc Daniels). The similarity between"James R. Kirk"and"Jackson Roykirk"is an ersatz cover for one ofStar Trek: The Original Series' earliest visual mistakes.
Kirk’s First Enemy Gary Mitchell Can Return To Star Trek
Will Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Bring Back Gary Mitchell?
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsintroducing the youngerLieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley)also means characters from his past can reappear played by someone new, including Gary Mitchell.Star Trek’s “Where No Man Has Gone Before” establishedKirk and Mitchell were close friends since Starfleet Academy. Kirk making the choice to kill his unstable and dangerous psychic friend to save the Starship Enterprise and his own life was the Captain’s firstStar Trektragedy.
6 Star Trek Characters From Kirk’s Past That Strange New Worlds Must Still Introduce
Star Trek: The Original Series introduced several characters from Captain Kirk’s past, & Strange New Worlds can offer more insight into their stories.
However,Star Trek: Strange New Worldscan reintroduce Gary Mitchell in happier times years before his psychic transformation. Perhaps Mitchell is stationed on the USS Farragut, where Kirk is now First Officer. This can set the stage for Kirk bringing Mitchell aboard the Enterprise when he becomes Captain.Star Trek: Strange New Worldscan also tease Mitchell not knowing or mistaken about Kirk’s middle name being Tiberius, which would set up why he created a"James R. Kirk"tombstone inStar Trek: The Original Series.
