Captain James T. Kirk was part of two USS Enterprise successions on-screen in two differentStar Trektimelines. Surprisingly,Captains of the Enterprisedon’t often get the chance to pass command of their starship to their successor. Whether it’s because the Enterprise is lost, the previous Captain died, or a great deal of time has passed, audiences have only seen a handful of USS Enterprise successions.
TheUSS Enterprise’s first Captain, Robert April (Adrian Holmes), turning over command to his former First Officer, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), happened offscreen. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) took command of the USS Enterprse-D after his successor, the USS Enterprise-C’sCaptain Rachel Garrett(Tricia O’Neil), died 20 years prior. Captain Picard passing the USS Enterprise-E to Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) was only inferred inStar Trek: Picardseason 3. However,Captain Kirk has both received and passed on the USS Enterprise in theStar Trekmovies.
Kirk Has Been Part Of 2 USS Enterprise Captain Successions
Captain Kirk Has Both Passed & Received Command Of The Enterprise
Star Trek(2009), set in the alternate Kelvin Timeline, is the most memorable example of USS Enterprise succession when Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) turns over his starship to Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). As a rogueStarfleet Academy Cadet, Kirk heroically led the Enterprise to defeat the time-traveling Romulan villain, Nero (Eric Bana). The Enterprise’s passing of the torch included theamusing exchange of Kirk saying,“I relieve you, sir,“and Pike slyly replying,“I am relieved.”
InStar Trek Generations,Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner)was present at the launch of the USS Enterprise-B. It was not an official transfer of Enterprise Captaincy, sinceno command codes were exchanged between Kirk and Captain John Harriman(Alan Ruck). Kirk’s presence at the Enterprise-B’s maiden voyage, alongside Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Scotty (James Doohan), was more ceremonial, but Kirk more or less passed the torch to Harriman.
Star Trek Generationswas a spiritual passing of the torch from Captain Kirk to Captain Picard.
Admiral James T. Kirk assumed command of the USS Enterprise from its previous Captainsin two otherStar Trekmovies. Admiral Kirk muscled Captain Will Decker (Stephen Collins) out of the center seat inStar Trek: The Motion Picture.However, inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) gladly gave the Enterprise back to Admiral Kirk, reminding Jim that"commanding a starship is your first, best destiny.”
Captain Picard & Jellico Passed USS Enterprise-D To Each Other
“Chain of Command” Showed How The Enterprise-D Is Transferred Between Captains
Captain Picard formally transferred the USS Enterprise-D toCaptain Edward Jellico(Ronny Cox) inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 6’s two-parter, “Chain of Command.” Jellico then gave the flagship back to Captain Picard at the end of the second episode.Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Chain of Command” showed the procedures of how the Starship Enterprise is passed from one Captain to the next. This includesa ceremony in dress uniform and the formal transfer of the Enterprise’s command codesto its new master.
Who became Captain of the USS Enterprise-F isn’t known, and Admiral Elizabeth Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy) was apparently killed by the Borg. As was Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) of the USS Titan-A. So there was no succession ceremony for Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) when the Titan-A became the USS Enterprise-G inStar Trek: Picardseason 3.
Despite serving together on the USS Enterprise-D and E for a total of 15 years,Captain Jean-Luc Picard never permanently transferred command of the Enterprise to his First Officer, Commander Will Riker(Jonathan Frakes). Instead, Riker accepted a promotion to become Captain of the USS Titan inStar Trek: Nemesis. When Riker became Acting Captain of the Enterprise inStar Trek: The Next Generation’s “The Best of Both Worlds,” it was because Picard was assimilated by the Borg and turned into Locutus.
Will Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Show Pike’s Enterprise Succession To Kirk?
Maybe This Is How Strange New Worlds Will End
The introduction of Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) seems to beStar Trek: Strange New Worldslaying the foundation to show on-screen how Captain Kirk inherits the USS Enterprise from Captain PikeinStar Trek’s Prime timeline.Star Trek: The Original Seriesbegan with Kirk already installed as Captain and indicated that Jim only briefly met Fleet Captain Pike (Sean Kinney) before Chris was horribly disfigured in a delta ray accident.
However,Star Trek: Strange New Worldsretconned Kirk and Pike’s relationship, with Lieutenant Kirk, who is First Officer of the USS Farragut, making frequent visits to the Starship Enterprise.Star Trek: Strange New Worldsis set to continue for season 3 and 4, and, hopefully, with more seasons to come. It remains to be seen ifStar Trek: Strange New Worldswill show the pivotal canon moment of Kirk relieving Pike as Captain of the Enterprise before the prequel series ends.
Star Trek: Generations
Cast
Star Trek: Generations bridges the original Star Trek series with The Next Generation crew. Directed by David Carson, the film features Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) joining forces to stop a villain named Soran (Malcolm McDowell) from destroying a star system. The narrative explores themes of legacy and transition while introducing fans to a climactic crossover of iconic characters.
Star Trek
J.J. Abrams' 2009 movie Star Trek rebooted the iconic sci-fi franchise in a totally new timeline. When a Romulan ship travels back in time and alters the past, the lives of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the future crew of the USS Enterprise are drastically changed. In this new timeline, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) sets out for revenge on Spock, setting off a chain of events that reshape the entire universe.
