James R. Kirk?

[TheLonelySquire]

In M J Friedman's My Brother's Keeper novels, the character of young James T. Kirk was in the habit of saying things like "Whaddaya mean, do I play raquetball? Raquetball is my middle name!" or "Trust me, Reliable is my middle name!" to young Gary Mitchell... Of course Gary would remember those, especially after becoming a god with supposed perfect recall.

Interestingly enough, the idea of R as the middle initial may have been retained as late as the writing of "The Changeling", where "Jackson Roykirk" is supposed to be so similar to the name of our heroic captain that a slightly hangoverish computer might get it wrong.

Timo Saloniemi

Timo,

Most people don't spell racquetball correctly. Do you play?

 

[TheLonelySquire]

James Rebel Kirk

 

[Dayton3]

I like the "Brother's Keeper" trilogy explanation best.

When seen it that light (Mitchell gave Kirk a series of middle nicknames starting with R-raquetball, reliable, rhino) it makes the tombstone in Where No Man Has Gone Before appear to be a lingering part of Mitchell's humanity peeking through at the end.

 

[ClayinCA]

I always liked that explanation, too. Kirk's horrified reaction after seeing the name on the tombstone is compounded if he's also reacting to the fact that Mitchell could still use an old nickname for Kirk even as he plans to kill him.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Real answer.........................

Roddenberry liked to give all his heroes the middle name "Rice'--no sh*t it's true.

But, during the regualr run of season one it slipped through as 'T' and that had to stuck.

Um.....not quite.

What Roddenberry had a penchant for was the name Tiberius. The full name of the Gary Lockwood character on "The Lieutenant" was William Tiberius Rice (the officer who was due to relieve him at the end of the series was named Christopher Pike. Or maybe Robert April, I need to double check that...).

Remember, more than a few months passed between the filming of "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and when regular production began, and something as sniggling as a middle initial wasn't seen as a big deal (especially when it's not the least bit unusual for a show's pilot to never be aired, since it's also not unusual for rather radical changes to take place during the transition to regular production, including wholesale changes to the cast; my suspicion is that, originally, they hadn't planned on airing either pilot, but were forced to because they were so short on airable episodes).

Not unlike Stan Lee forgetting Spider-Man's real name during the intervening time from Amazing Fantasy #15 and Amazing Spider-Man #1, the result being that Peter Parker, for one issue, becoming Peter Palmer.

 

[chancellorjake]

Reticulated
Reginald
Richelieu
Roger aka James "Jolly Roger" Kirk

 

[Nerys Myk]

James Ronald Reuel Kirk

 

[Therin of Andor]

Has it ever actually been stated onscreen that the "T" stood for "Tiberius"? I can't recall when. (Maybe in one of the movies?)

David Gerrold was on a panel at a big ST convention when the "Tiberius" name was coined, and he took the opportunity to use it in "Bem" (TAS). Gene Roddenberry used it in his TMP novelization and it was finally canonized in ST VI.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Gene Roddenberry used it in his TMP novelization and it was finally canonized in ST VI.

After reading that and watching the holy stone episode of Father Ted, I'm convinced that our fandom is of all SF followings most like the Roman Catholic Church.

Yea verily, on the fifteenth day did Roddenberry raise up Tiberius as the second name of Saint Kirk etc

 

[Mr. Fergy]

It's first mentioned in "BEM", then again in TUC.

Agreed. TAS first, the Star Trek:VI

 

[Kryton]

The Tiberius thing is also expounded upon at length in Roddenberry's own novelization of TMP.


R is for Roddenberry, of course.

 

[Elder Knight]

Not canon, of course, but I like the explanation in one of the novels that the "R" was some sort of personal insult Mitchell frequently used towards Kirk at the Academy.
James Retarded Kirk?
James Retrograde Kirk?
James Redneck Kirk?

Good point. Maybe the language has evolved so there's a very bad cussword that begins with "r," so it's the equivalent of "James F. Kirk" to us.

 

[Mr. Fergy]

I like "Re-Hash" for Kirk.

 

[erastus25]

In M J Friedman's My Brother's Keeper novels, the character of young James T. Kirk was in the habit of saying things like "Whaddaya mean, do I play raquetball? Raquetball is my middle name!" or "Trust me, Reliable is my middle name!" to young Gary Mitchell... Of course Gary would remember those, especially after becoming a god with supposed perfect recall.

Interestingly enough, the idea of R as the middle initial may have been retained as late as the writing of "The Changeling", where "Jackson Roykirk" is supposed to be so similar to the name of our heroic captain that a slightly hangoverish computer might get it wrong.

Timo Saloniemi

Timo,

Most people don't spell racquetball correctly. Do you play?

I don't know about Timo but I play, and I've noticed the same thing - only those who actually have racquetball experience do spell it right. I would be interested to see how it's spelled in the DS9 script when O'Brien and Bashir play.

 

[M'Sharak]

... "Whaddaya mean, do I play raquetball? Raquetball is my middle name!" ...

Most people don't spell racquetball correctly. Do you play?

I don't know about Timo but I play, and I've noticed the same thing - only those who actually have racquetball experience do spell it right. I would be interested to see how it's spelled in the DS9 script when O'Brien and Bashir play.

See for yourself:

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
"Rivals"
SETS

INTERIORS EXTERIORS
DEEP SPACE NINE DEEP SPACE NINE
CORRIDOR
HOLDING CELL
O'BRIEN'S QUARTERS
OPS
PROMENADE
QUARK'S
REPLIMAT
SECURITY OFFICE
RACQUETBALL COURT
CLUB MARTUS

M', has never played racquetball, but knows how to spell it correctly

 

[erastus25]

M', has never played racquetball, but knows how to spell it correctly

I admit to making a gross overgeneralization. I probably should have said that it seems those who play are more likely to spell it right.

 

[Nerys Myk]

James Risk Kirk. It not only his business, it's his middle name.

 

[Cyrus]

James Riberius Kirk

 

[Cary L. Brown]

In WNMHGB Kirk's tombstone read James R. Kirk.

Well we know his initial T was eventually revealed to stand for Tiberius.

Hmm. What could the R have stood for?

Rascal
Rogue
Ratfink
Rat Bastard
Redundant

Any ideas?

He used to beat his best friend Gary Mitchell at a game when they were both at the Academy (Kirk for Command School, Mitchell as a senior midshipman). He was so good that Mitchell declared that "Racquetball is your middle name!"

(No, seriously, I didn't make that one up... I think it was Michael Jan Friedman who came up with that one!)

 

[Cary L. Brown]

Has it ever actually been stated onscreen that the "T" stood for "Tiberius"? I can't recall when. (Maybe in one of the movies?)

It was most directly stated by General Chang during Kirk and McCoy's trial in "The Undiscovered Country."