Star Trek screenwriter and producer Ronald D. Moore applauds Chris Pine’s “kickass” performance as Captain James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies. On his interpretation of Captain Kirk, Pine explains that he watched William Shatner’s performances in Star Trek: The Original Series to learn the show’s aesthetic, character relationships, and previously established facets, ultimately focusing on developing his portrayal of Kirk in the script. Set in an alternate Kelvin timeline, Pine’s Kirk embodies a rawer, less predictable embodiment of Shatner’s later, more recognized Captain Kirk.
Discussing the rebooted character in the Star Trek oral history, “The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years” by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, Ronald D. Moore praises Pine’s performance as the legendary Starfleet Captain, comparing him with William Shatner’s earlier, season 1 iteration in Star Trek: The Original Series. First aired in 1966, Shatner’s Captain Kirk was initially “edgier” and less seasoned than in later series and subsequent movies. Moore observes that Pine’s reboot-movie character picks up this similar quality. Read Moore’s quote below:
What I really liked about Chris Pine and that take on the character is that it harkened back to the first-season Kirk, who was a little bit more kickass; a little bit more of a temper, a little bit more of a wildcard, and was a little bit closer to Robert Conrad. I liked that Kirk. The Kirk who is parodied is the third-season Kirk. He’s more histrionic and broader. But the early and younger Kirk was a little edgier, a little more dangerous. A little bit more willing to throw a punch and kiss a girl. That was the take in the movie, and I liked that.
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Chris Pine’s Star Trek Movies Explained
Chris Pine stars as Captain James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ Kelvin Timeline Star Trek reboot movies, including Into Darkness and Star Trek: Beyond.
Chris Pine’s James T. Kirk Paved The Way For Paul Wesley’s Kirk On Strange New Worlds
Pine Played Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond.
The success of Chris Pine’s Captain James T. Kirk in J. J. Abrams’ Kelvin-verse movies proved that somebody other than William Shatner could carry the distinctive role. Cast as a younger version of the character, initially pre-Starfleet, Pine’s Kirk followed a different path to Shatner’s Kirk despite their many similarities. Pine’s reimagined character success paved the way for Paul Wesley as Lieutenant James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the Prime-universe character (originally played by William Shatner) before his captaincy and USS Enterprise command. With each actor bringing unique qualities and interpretations to the role, the character of Captain James T. Kirk is developed and renewed.
United in their portrayals by Captain Kirk’s own qualities of loyalty, commitment, morality, and love, there’s a clear scope for even greater depth and development in the future. For over forty years, William Shatner alone was Captain James T. Kirk, etching the character into universal legend. With Paul Wesley’s enthusiastic and open-minded Lieutenant, Kirk harkens back to Shatner’s portrayal but morphed with a ‘still learning’ vibe – he’s not quite Captain Kirk, yet. Chris Pine’s “kickass” Kirk in Star Trek 2009 leans a little darker and more chaotic through trial and trauma. Pine’s Kirk is younger, more vulnerable, intellectually active, closer embodying Shatner’s own earliest Kirk.
Star Trek (2009)
- Director:
- J.J. Abrams
- Release Date:
- 2009-05-07
- Cast:
- Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg
- Writers:
- Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
- Rating:
- PG-13
- Runtime:
- 127 Minutes
- Genres:
- Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure, Thriller, Space
- Budget:
- $150 million
- Studio(s):
- Paramount Pictures
- Distributor(s):
- Paramount Pictures
- Sequel(s):
- Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond
- Franchise(s):
- Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness
- Summary:
- Star Trek Into Darkness is being billed as an “action thriller” in which the crew of the Enterprise finds an unstoppable force of terror inside Starfleet that has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving Earth in a state of crisis.Captain Kirk has a personal score to settle, and leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. The crew is propelled into an epic chess game of life and death – love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices will have to be made for the only family James Kirk has left: his crew.
- Release Date:
- 2013-05-16
- Cast:
- Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Chris Pine
- Director:
- J.J. Abrams
- Rating:
- PG-13
- Writers:
- Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof
- Runtime:
- 2h 12m
- Genres:
- Sci-Fi, Action, Thriller, Adventure
- Budget:
- 190 million
- Studio(s):
- Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures
- Distributor(s):
- Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures
- Sequel(s):
- Star Trek Beyond
- prequel(s):
- Star Trek, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Nemesis
- Franchise(s):
- Star Trek
Star Trek Beyond
- Summary:
- In the Kelvin timeline of Star Trek Films, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the U.S.S. Enterprise crew return to fight a new enemy who puts everything they and the Federation stand for to the ultimate test. This third installment of the rebooted Star Trek films marked the 50th anniversary of the classic sci-fi franchise.
- Release Date:
- 2016-07-22
- Cast:
- Chris Pine, Idris Elba, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Sofia Boutella
- Director:
- Justin Lin
- Genres:
- Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
- Rating:
- PG-13
- Writers:
- Doug Jung, Simon Pegg
- Main Genre:
- Action
- Studio:
- Paramount Pictures
- Runtime:
- 122 minutes
- Franchise:
- Star Trek
- Prequel:
- Star Trek; Star Trek Into Darkness
- Cinematographer:
- Stephen F. Windon
- Budget:
- $185 million
- Distributor :
- Paramount Pictures
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
- Release Date:
- 2022-05-05
- Cast:
- Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Celia Rose Gooding, Rebecca Romijn, Bruce Horak, Anson Mount, Christina Chong
- Genres:
- Adventure, Sci-Fi, Action
- Seasons:
- 2
- Story By:
- Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
- Writers:
- Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
- Streaming Service(s):
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s):
- Star Trek
- Directors:
- Chris Fisher, Amanda Row
- Showrunner:
- Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman
Star Trek: The Original Series
- Cast:
- William Shatner, Gene Roddenberry
- Release Date:
- 1966-09-08
- Seasons:
- 3
- Genres:
- Sci-Fi, Action, Fantasy, Adventure
- Story By:
- gene roddenberry
- Writers:
- Gene Roddenberry
- Network:
- Paramount
- Streaming Service(s):
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s):
- Star Trek
- Directors:
- Gene Roddenberry
- Showrunner:
- Gene Roddenberry