Hey. I've been reading Geoff John's Green Lantern: Secret Origins and watching the Star Trek trailers and TV spots and just noticed something: John's Hal and Abram's Kirk are VERY similar! Check it out: 1°: They're both conceived, reckless, sarcastic, womanizing young men who also have a big heart and a natural sense of leadership. 2°: They're both affected by the death of their parents, especially the father. 3°: They both meet future important friends on a bar fight. 4°: They're both convinced to join a intergalactic protection force by a older member of the said force. 5°: They're both guided by an older member of the said force, who becomes their mentor. 6°: They both face off an enemy who comes back later on, more powerful than ever and eager to get revenge. etc, etc...
It's true, though, that Pine is playing a rebellious young guy who has to grow up and accept great responsibility in Star Trek and that is very much like Hal Jordan. My guess as far as his actual casting is concerned is that if Warners were serious they'd have hurried up and made him an offer before Trek premieres - there's been nothing in the industry buzz for the last several months to suggest that his asking price is going to go down on May 9th.
Do you think what happened to Hal in Emerald Twilight could happen to Kirk? Alter his character in the same way, meaning?
Being a big Hal Jordan fan who didn't like "Emerald Twilight" and favors the "space bug" retcon from Rebirth, I'd say, "No." I don't see a case where James T. Kirk would kill/wound Starfleet Officers to satisfy some insane plan to take his fight to insanely powerful figures, like Trelane or the Organians. I think the closest thing to "Emerald Twilight" for Kirk was Spock's death. He faced loss (as was later pointed out, his first time doing so) and attempted (somewhat selfishly, if it's possibly to do something selflessly for selfish reasons) to "fix" the problem. The events of Star Trek III is the furthest I see Kirk going, where the total "casualties" to Starfleet crew involved two guards being knocked unconscious and a third Starfleet officer locked in a closet. Oh and the sabotage of the Excelsior. In fact, that was carried out by Kirk's friends, who aided him, while Hal went to Oa alone. Not to harp on a 15 year old story, but I still feel "ET" disregarded Hal's character and was a poor reason for moving him off the stage (compared with Gerard Jones' original idea, which also would have resulted in Hal being something other than a Green Lantern, paving the way for a Kyle Raynor-ish character to take over the title of Earth's GL).