Give Captain Kirk A Grade On His Love Life

[KirksStuntMan]

You're an instructor at Starfleet Academy and your assignment is to grade Captain Kirk's love life with the numerous celestial bodies of the ST babes. Using the A to F scale, was he:

Astral Adonis
Big Bang Blazer
Celestial Charmer
Death Star Dud
Full Moon Flop

 

[Vulagr]

F.

Because he can't have a serious relationship with one woman. He simply isn't mature enough to be loyal to one woman and must pursue many different women. He's many things, but a mature man he's not.

Even more so in Abram's verse.

Full moon flop.

 

[KirksStuntMan]

F.

Because he can't have a serious relationship with one woman. He simply isn't mature enough to be loyal to one woman and must pursue many different women. He's many things, but a mature man he's not.

Even more so in Abram's verse.

Full moon flop.

That's interesting, because Shatner says that Kirk is an idealized version of himself. Poor Shatner must be a Full Moon Flop, too.

 

[jk82]

F.

Because he can't have a serious relationship with one woman. He simply isn't mature enough to be loyal to one woman and must pursue many different women. He's many things, but a mature man he's not.

Even more so in Abram's verse.

Full moon flop.

You beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing. Judging by his poor choices of women (i.e. Janice Lester or some scheming lab technician), he was also very naive and stupid when it came to love as a young officer. He is not suave, nor smart, despite his twinkling eyes and seductive smiles he is no James Bond. He gets a resounding F from me.

However I am puzzled why a course featuring discussions on someone's love life would be offered at the Academy. If such course did exist and I were unfortunately appointed the instructor, I would be happy if all my students get a big fat F.

That's interesting, because Shatner says that Kirk is an idealized version of himself. Poor Shatner must be a Full Moon Flop, too.

You are indeed correct. Mr. Shatner didn't do very well in this department himself. He finally found the love of his life at a young age of, 70. He is indeed not a good role model for the male species. So please don't try to emulate him. He is inimitable anyway.

 

[WRStone]

You know, I've vacillated a lot on this subject over the decades. For the first time I find myself with an entirely different opinion than any of the options listed.

I have to vote ...

M: Meh.

So the dude got lots of tail, big deal. It ain't the most important thing in life, trust me.

Was he a failure at relationships? Yeah.

Was he getting a lot of tail for his age? Yeah -- but every man I know was chasing every tail in sight at that age. Kirk was successful a lot more often, but it was part of what made him uber-cool.

But tail, relationships, either one ... they ain't the most important things in the world.

What's important is up to you to decide. Unless you're really shallow, the tail and even the relationships turn out to not be as important as you thought at the time.

So M for Meh. Yeah, whatever -- been there, done that (or would've liked to have done that). But it ain't the most important thing in the world.

Dakota Smith

 

[jayrath]

Oh, I don't know. On-screen he just kissed. And not even the network-banned "open mouth kiss." The most suggestive we ever got was when he put on a single boot, apparently after something or other. Maybe guest star Kathie Browne had a foot fetish? Who knows who those crazy sped-up people love!

So damn him for smooching, I guess. Or what, you wanted him to build a real relationship and date someone in the crew over the course of a season? NOT the sort of captain I would want in charge of 430. Picard tried that, and failed, and vowed never again to enter a relationship with someone under his command, because it messed with his command decisions.

Face it, captains can only date off-board.

So was his love life a failure? Yes. But by choice. Same with Picard, same with Janeway, who created a hologram boyfriend, for God's sake. I don't begrudge any of them the ocassional flirtation.

And remember that TOS was in the 60s, when you could get sex like turning on hot water. Compared to James Bond of that era, Kirk is a celibate priest.

 

[paudemge]

Kirk being a womanizer isn't really backed up by the episodes, but really the reason I would rate him a F is because he loves his job and ship too much to have serious relationship with a woman.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

You know, I've vacillated a lot on this subject over the decades. For the first time I find myself with an entirely different opinion than any of the options listed.

I have to vote ...

M: Meh.

So the dude got lots of tail, big deal. It ain't the most important thing in life, trust me.

....

Dakota Smith

M: should have meant "Man whore" for Kirk.

but I give him an "F"

Edit;
This thread should have had a poll?

 

[7thsealord]

And remember that TOS was in the 60s, when you could get sex like turning on hot water. Compared to James Bond of that era, Kirk is a celibate priest.

You could get sex in the 60s, you just couldn't show it or refer to it even indirectly on network TV.

By present-day standards, the limits on what could be shown back then were positively draconian. 'No open-mouthed kisses' doesn't even begin to cover it. You could bare the breast almost down to the nipple, but never EVER show the underside, and the navel was completely totally irrevocably off-limits. And anything other than a "completely normal" heterosexual relationship was never mentioned or implied E-VER.

It wasn't really a lot past when a couple could only be shown in bed if they were married, had separate beds AND one of them had at least one foot on the floor.

Also noting that the network, at one point, pushed very hard for the Enterprise to have an all-male crew, because a mixed crew implied a lot of "fooling around". No one there seemed to think of the implications of a same-sex crew on a long-duration mission at all.

Other factors to bear in mind.

First, there was GR's take on the character. Time and again, Kirk was noted as being 'married to the Enterprise' and, whilst he enjoyed the company of women, the Big E always came first. Think he even said so himself a time or three.

Second, 60's TV show thinking. If Kirk (or any other male lead) was in a steady relationship, there was the fear that this would impact his female fanbase. There would also be speculation on their "fooling around", which would also impact the 'Family Values' fanbase - who would also probably demand that they be decently married. Which, if done, would hit the female fanbase even harder and, if NOT done, would get the 'Family Values' types and the Bible Belt threatening to boycott whatever. Better to play it safe and just not go there.

No foolin', that is pretty much how the network / studio types would have been thinking back then.

 

[7thsealord]

Oops, sorry, somehow got a double post.

 

[AtoZ]

F.

Because he can't have a serious relationship with one woman. He simply isn't mature enough to be loyal to one woman and must pursue many different women. He's many things, but a mature man he's not.

Even more so in Abram's verse.

Full moon flop.

I disagree. The matter is subjective and highly open to interpretation. Your response is highly indicative of something else, and I'm not sure it has any real bearing with the character James T. Kirk.

I might submit.....the many females that were a part of Kirk's love life were mostly trashy, evil or highly questionable characters, aside from being "eye candy". Not sure how many of them were "mature"...if even "good".

 

[BillJ]

Why should I grade him on his when mine was a shamble for most of my life? Seems hypocritical.