What did you imagine became of James Kirk before seeing Star Trek Generations?

[Queen Mab]

This is a question for people who were fans of the Star Trek shows and movies, before the movie Star Trek Generations came out.

When watching Star Trek The Next Generation and Star Trek Deep Space Nine what did you imagine had happened to James Kirk? Obviously this might have changed over time with the release of Star Trek V and Star Trek VI and references through the shows.

Did you imagine he stayed as Captain of the Enterprise NCC 1701-A on another 5 year mission?
Did you think he became part of the Admiralty again?
Did you imagine he had another career?
Did you imagine he was considered a 'living legend' as he is later shown to be called by John Harriman or was less notable (Were his contributions to saving the Earth in 2286 not well publicised)?

So, what were they? And how did they change over time?

 

[Dukhat]

I just figured he’d died of old age.

 

[Qonundrum]

I had no clue what they would do with the character; I thought STVI made a wonderful bookend already.

In retrospect, it's refreshing because most of us who saw Kirk treated that way would be for the most part in lesser shock when seeing yesterday's heroes that were new when Kirk came about getting the same lackadaisical, generic, off-the-shelf scripting. Audiences may have not liked the original demise of Kirk, but it had more dramatic weight and a real sense of loss than what was officially released, overly long speech and all.

 

[Winterwind]

I never thought of Kirk's demise until Generations. I wasn't thrilled with what I saw on the screen but, well, at least he died for something unlike Tasha, Jadzia and Trip.

With the exception of Spock's death scene Star Trek really does have a lousy track record with main character deaths.

 

[Paul755]

I figured if Bones was still alive and kicking during TNG’s run, Kirk could be too.

I liked the idea that we never knew what became of him. Like Uhura and Checkov, lets you make up your own story.

Maybe he retired and reconciled with Carol. Or maybe he got into politics “President James T. Kirk”. Maybe he had his own private ship and just traveled the galaxy.

Not knowing is better than killing him off.

 

[Kor]

I figured he died when the Enterprise-A flew into the sun and exploded at the end of STVI:TUC.
Start at 2:30:

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Kor

 

[at Quark's]

I figured he died when the Enterprise-A flew into the sun and exploded at the end of STVI:TUC.
Start at 2:30:

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Kor

Thank you. Now I'm imagining the same ending scene,but with these slightly altered final lines :

This is the final cruise of the Starship Enterprise. This ship and her history are scheduled to become the care of another crew. To them and their posterity will we commit our future. The voyage we have begun, the journey to an undiscovered country, boldly going where no man, where no one, ...WILL DARE FOLLOW US! <mad hysterical laughing>

As for my own answer, I always assumed he'd either simply had died of old age , or gone missing during some heroic action, both at a point in time before TNG. This probably also because we did get to see Bones, Spock, and Scotty during TNG's television run, but never Kirk. Had he still been alive, I'd have expected him to turn up in some episode....

 

[C.E. Evans]

When TNG debuted, I imagined that Kirk had retired from Starfleet, maybe become a Federation ambassador, and then simply died of old age long before the Enterprise-D was commissioned (I saw McCoy still around at 137 as far more the exception than the rule for Humans).

By the time of Star Trek VI, however, I was actually content not knowing what became of Kirk and really wished they could have let the ending of that film be his send off. But noooooo....

 

[Alexander Corrino]

I never really thought much about Kirk's fate... I assumed he retired at some point and that was it.

 

[at Quark's]

When TNG debuted, I imagined that Kirk had retired from Starfleet, maybe become a Federation ambassador, and then simply died of old age long before the Enterprise-D was commissioned (I saw McCoy still around at 137 as far more the exception than the rule for Humans).

I also think it was intended that way. McCoy didn't exactly look as if he still had many years left.

 

[Beckerjr]

I never thought of Kirk's demise until Generations. I wasn't thrilled with what I saw on the screen but, well, at least he died for something unlike Tasha, Jadzia and Trip.

With the exception of Spock's death scene Star Trek really does have a lousy track record with main character deaths.

I "like" Tasha's death. It showed how dangerous the unknown could be. To many times characters get into super dangerous situations and always find a way out or are saved somehow. Death can and should be expected out exploring completely new places. Makes it more real.

 

[BillJ]

After contracting "McCoy's Syndrome", he died at Spock's hand chasing him down in what was then Klingon space.

I "like" Tasha's death. It showed how dangerous the unknown could be. To many times characters get into super dangerous situations and always find a way out or are saved somehow. Death can and should be expected out exploring completely new places. Makes it more real.

Too bad Denise Crosby didn't stand by her guns and ended up playing the awful Sela character. I guess we all need to be paid.

 

[Mojochi]

After seeing Bones on TNG, I kind of had thoughts that he might be around still, but after a while, just something about how they referred to that Enterprise era on TNG got me to start thinking he had died at some point along the way... Just the look on Riker's face when Scotty thinks Kirk's come to rescue him was enough to make me think Jim was nothing but history of a bygone era at that point

So ironically, while I wasn't a fan of how oversimplified the actual GEN death was, I actually didn't mind everything else about his fate, as I'd assumed something along those lines anyhow, dead, or missing, lost to space, more likely missing, because I never truly thought we were done seeing him, knowing Shatner was still working. Always suspected one last hurrah.

 

[MAGolding]

I sort of imagined that someday McCoy would turn over a body to see the face and say:

"He's Jim, dead!"

Or maybe in a desperate situation in the TNG era someone would say it was like "Kirk's Last Battle", implying that Kirk had died in some space battle.

 

[Vger23]

Happily retired...final fate left unsaid.

 

[Lord Garth]

I figured he retired. Or at least would stay that way until the next movie, whether it would've been a seventh TOS film or what we actually got.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Weirdly, I never thought of it until Generations. I've since read a few ancient futurefics that I'm sure would have coloured my opinion had I read them back in the day, where Kirk and company are old and have families.

 

[thribs]

That he sacrificed himself saving people. That’s the only way he would ever go out.

 

[Timo]

He was forced to retire, wrote his memoirs, and grew embittered when they were at first placed on the Science Fiction shelf, then demoted to Fantasy for Very Young Adults, and eventually turned into coloring books (again simply by placing them on a lower shelf).

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tim Thomason]

I figured he died when the Enterprise-A flew into the sun and exploded at the end of STVI:TUC.
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Kor

That's what you get for not having a helmsman. Step in there, Scotty!