Every William Shatner & Paul Wesley Kirk Promotion & Demotion Seen In Star Trek

Over the course of his Star Trek career, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) becomes one of Starfleet’s most accomplished officers. When Kirk was introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series as captain of the USS Enterprise, he was already well on his way to becoming a legend. Captain Kirk and his First Officer, Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), soon became pop culture icons and their original adventures spawned a massive franchise. After the end of Kirk’s five-year mission, James accepted a promotion and continued his career with a series of big-screen adventures.

Star Trek expanded beyond Captain Kirk’s USS Enterprise, shifting the focus to other captains and ships and starbases. But Star Trek: Strange New Worlds brought the focus back to the Starship Enterprise that will one day be commanded by James T. Kirk. Although Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his Enterprise crew, the show also introduces the young Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). As he works his way up the ranks, Kirk is already breaking records, despite being fairly early in his Starfleet career. Kirk received promotions quickly, cementing himself as a Starfleet legend, but he didn’t make it that far by always following the rules.

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Star Trek: Captain Kirk’s Entire Prime Universe Timeline, Explained

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4 Lt. Kirk Became First Officer Of The USS Farragut

The youngest first officer in Starfleet.

James T. Kirk joined the crew of the USS Farragut after graduating from Starfleet Academy, and he would soon become the youngest first officer in the fleet. Kirk worked hard after joining the Farragut’s crew, eventually breaking a record held by his father, Lt. George Samuel Kirk, for being the youngest first officer ever. In Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 6, “Lost in Translation,” Lt. James Kirk visits the USS Enterprise of Captain Pike.

Aboard the Enterprise Kirk doesn’t yet realize will one day be his, James connects with his brother, Lt. Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte), and reveals that he has been promoted to First Officer on the Farragut. Kirk’s quick ascension through the ranks causes some tension with Sam, who strives to impress their father but feels overshadowed by Jim. Before officially taking over the duties of the first officer, Kirk spent more time on the Enterprise shadowing Captain Pike’s Number One, Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn).

3 Kirk Became Captain of the USS Enterprise

The captain of the Federation flagship.

Although James T. Kirk’s official promotion to captain of the Enterprise in the Prime Universe has not yet been depicted on screen, he was serving as captain by the year 2265. Kirk took over command from Captain Pike and kept many of the same officers on board the ship, including Spock, Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), and Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett). While captain of the Enterprise, Kirk prevented the Romulans from invading Federation space in the classic TOS episode “Balance of Terror.” Kirk also became the first starship captain to be court-martialed, but the charges were proven to be false, and he was exonerated.

In 2267, Kirk fought a Gorn captain and only barely came out as the victor. That same year, the Enterprise encountered Khan Noonien-Singh (Ricardo Montalban) and his army of augments, and Kirk eventually left them stranded on Ceti Alpha V. (This would eventually come back to haunt him in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.) Kirk’s stint as captain of the Enterprise made him a legend in Starfleet, and he broke multiple records while commanding the iconic ship. In 2270, the Enterprise had completed its five-year mission and made its way back to Earth.

2 Kirk Became Rear Admiral and Chief of Starfleet Operations

Kirk finds himself unsuited for the admiralty.

After Captain Kirk’s five-year mission leading the USS Enterprise came to an end, he was promoted to rear admiral and accepted a position as Chief of Starfleet Operations at Starfleet Headquarters. Kirk held this position for two and a half years, but James hated being behind a desk, and he expressed a desire to command a starship again someday. When the entity known as V’ger threatened Earth in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Kirk used his tank to force his way back onto the Enterprise’s center seat once again.

Admiral Kirk took over command of the Enterprise again in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to prevent his old enemy Khan Noonien-Singh (Ricardo Montalban) from stealing the Genesis Device and using it as a doomsday weapon. Although Kirk successfully defeated Khan, Spock sacrificed himself to save the Enterprise. When Kirk learned that Spock’s katra lived on in Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), he commandeered the Enterprise (which was due to be decommissioned) and set out to save his best friend in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Kirk saved Spock, but the Enterprise was destroyed when it was boarded by Klingons.

1 Kirk’s Demotion to Captain of USS Enterprise-A

Back in the captain’s chair where he belongs.

After Kirk and his crew traveled back in time to find whales and save the world in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, they returned to Starfleet to face the consequences for stealing the Enterprise. In light of the crew’s actions, most of the charges were dropped, but Kirk still faced the charge of disobeying orders from a superior officer. Because of this, Kirk was demoted from the rank of admiral to the rank of captain, and given command of the newly commissioned USS Enterprise-A. The iconic Star Trek captain then commanded the Enterprise-A for the next seven years, after long ago realizing his place was in the captain’s chair, not behind an admiral’s desk.