Kirks middle name

[LMFAOschwarz]

What is it exactly that inspires ones' use of their middle initial?

Everyone beats up on TNG's Leland T. Lynch for doing so, but James T. Kirk gets a pass for essentially doing the same thing. That's fascinating to me.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

Everyone beats up on TNG's Leland T. Lynch for doing so, but James T. Kirk gets a pass for essentially doing the same thing.

As far as I recall, James T. Kirk didn't feel the need to remind you that he was James T. Kirk every time somebody needed to talk to James T. Kirk ... slight difference, of course.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

That's a good distinction. Kirk was one who'd just as easily introduce himself with "Mine's Jim Kirk." as easily as "This is Captain James T. Kirk, commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise.". One did get the impression that Lynch would have used the 'T' even if he were addressing Miri.

 

[Gov Kodos]

It was an academy hazing name J.R.K.-Jerk.

 

[Melakon]

What is it exactly that inspires ones' use of their middle initial?

Everyone beats up on TNG's Leland T. Lynch for doing so, but James T. Kirk gets a pass for essentially doing the same thing. That's fascinating to me.

Lynch is an idiot because he formally identifies himself over ship's intercoms. Kirk gets a pass because he only does that in first contact situations and by subspace radio.

And yeah, why do people use initials to distinguish? People like John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, George W. Bush...

Then there's those using their full names.

"Hi! I'm Robert Louis Stevenson!"
"Hi! I'm Hans Christian Andersen!"
"Hi! I'm Philip Seymour Hoffman!"

 

[The Old Mixer]

The reason for George W. Bush using his middle initial is pretty obvious. His father also retroactively became George H. W. Bush for all time, though nobody used his initials when he was president or vice-president.

 

[BillJ]

It was an academy hazing name J.R.K.-Jerk.

That's actually pretty clever.

 

[Marsden]

It was an academy hazing name J.R.K.-Jerk.

That's actually pretty clever.

I agree, it works perfectly in universe without any of the gymnastics some explanations go through.

 

[scotpens]

What is it exactly that inspires ones' use of their middle initial?

Maybe he used the "T." to distinguish himself from all the other James Kirks?

 

[Gov Kodos]

It was an academy hazing name J.R.K.-Jerk.

That's actually pretty clever.

I agree, it works perfectly in universe without any of the gymnastics some explanations go through.

Thanks, I was thinking of it humorously, but in universe his habit of introducing himself with the T could be a habit acquired from back then of correcting his classmate comedians.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I was thinking of it humorously, but in universe his habit of introducing himself with the T could be a habit acquired from back then of correcting his classmate comedians.

A running gag in the novel trilogy, "My Brother's Keeper" by Michael Jan Friedman", has both Kirk and Mitchell teasing each other by calling each other faux middle names starting with the litter "R".

Similarly, my Dad and his brother used to call each other "Fezzo", dating back to when they were first dating girls and one of them wore a fez to a dance party. Somehow, even though only one wore the fez, the middle name was used on each other all through the decades.

 

[Green Shirt]

Then there's those using their full names.

"Hi! I'm Robert Louis Stevenson!"
"Hi! I'm Hans Christian Andersen!"
"Hi! I'm Philip Seymour Hoffman!"

"I am Groot!"

 

[Ithekro]

Well there is an easy one for the script. "R" and "T" are right next to each other on the typewriter.

 

[MarsWeeps]

A running gag in the novel trilogy, "My Brother's Keeper" by Michael Jan Friedman", has both Kirk and Mitchell teasing each other by calling each other faux middle names starting with the litter "R".

^This is the best explanation and one that I subscribe to. It's been years since I read the books but I from what I remember, it was Kirk who always gave himself the middle name starting with "R" - for example, Mitchell asks Kirk if he wants to play racquetball and Kirk replies "Racquetball is my middle name" or Mitchell says something to Kirk about being reliable and Kirk says "Reliable is my middle name."

There are several examples of that throughout the trilogy and when you see WNMHGB and notice the "R" on Kirk's tombstone, it makes perfect sense.

 

[Timewalker]

One other possible reason for using "Tiberius": Tiberius may have turned dark and corrupt after becoming Emperor, but his first career was in the Roman army, and he was a very capable general who had the respect of his men under his command, his friends, and his enemies alike.

 

[Marsden]

I was thinking of it humorously, but in universe his habit of introducing himself with the T could be a habit acquired from back then of correcting his classmate comedians.

A running gag in the novel trilogy, "My Brother's Keeper" by Michael Jan Friedman", has both Kirk and Mitchell teasing each other by calling each other faux middle names starting with the litter "R".

Similarly, my Dad and his brother used to call each other "Fezzo", dating back to when they were first dating girls and one of them wore a fez to a dance party. Somehow, even though only one wore the fez, the middle name was used on each other all through the decades.

A bunch of my cousin's friends renamed his middle initial P for

Spoiler: bad word

prick

, and then when the best man was toasted him and mentioned the middle initial, he last minute substituted "pretty nice guy"

 

[Commishsleer]

I don't know many of my friend's middle names.
It just doesn't come up in conversation that often.

Or maybe guys discuss middle names more often than girls?

I think arrogant supergod Gary Mitchell misremembered Kirk's middle name.

Maybe thats why Kirk says hes James T Kirk all the time - to remind everyone.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

It was an academy hazing name J.R.K.-Jerk.

That's actually pretty clever.

That's exactly what I was going for!