22nd March: Future birthday of Captain James T Kirk

Captain James T Kirk, will be born on this date in 2228. Here are some facts you may not know about him.

Photo by Marshall Astor

1. Born in Riverside Iowa, to George and Winona Kirk. The town of Riverside has adopted him as its "future son" and has erected a plaque proclaiming that it is his future birthplace.
2. The "T" stands for Tiberius. He is named for his grandfathers.
3. He had a brother, George Samuel Kirk, who is killed in the final episode of the first series, although Kirk does manage to rescue his sister in law, Aurelan, and his nephew, Peter.
4. Kirk also had an illegitimate son, David Marcus, who was killed by Klingons.
5. At Starfleet Academy, Kirk became the only student to defeat the Kobayashi Maru test, garnering a commendation for original thinking by reprogramming the computer to make the "no-win scenario" winnable.
6. He was known for bucking the system - he has a record of 17 temporal violations, and was also the first captain to go on trial (for the wrongful death of Ben Finney, for which he was exonerated).
7. His first assignment was as an ensign on the USS Republic. Then he served as a lieutenant on the USS Farragut.
8. When he received command of the USS Enterprise, he was Starfleet's youngest captain.
9. He was brought back from the dead (or the Nexus, anyway) by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and persuaded to help stop a madman from destroying the planet Veridian III. Kirk was killed on that mission, and buried on the planet.
10. A number of actors have portrayed spoof versions of Kirk, including Jim Carrey and James Belushi.