...is dead, obviously. But what if he wasn't? What if somehow he survived the fall from the bridge? What would he do next? Would he stay in the Nexus? Would he leave with Picard (assuming he doesn't have to due to his injuries)?
If he did leave the Nexus, which I think is the most likely scenario (I can't see him being content to live a life which he now knows is a fantasy), what would he do with himself? At that time, biologically, he is younger than Picard - clearly age doesn't mean quite the same thing in the 24th Century as it does to us now (look at the 137-year-old Dr McCoy on the Ent-D!), and after the events of Generations Picard is put in command of the newest, most advanced ship in the fleet, the Ent-E, which he goes on to command into his 70s. So certainly Kirk is not too old to be in active service in Starfleet in the time he has just bamfed into.
Would he choose to return to Starfleet? In his own time he had retired from the service - would he choose to do as Scotty did and go off exploring on his own, or would he maybe settle somewhere? He'd obviously go out to find Spock, Bones and his other surviving friends - it'd be interesting for him to see Scotty again especially as the two have shared the same fate (suspended in time for 80-ish years). That doesn't mean he might not want to return to Starfleet, though - he retired once before and came back. He'd be very behind the times, obviously, but he is a very clever man, a fast learner and I'm sure he could be trained up to speed in a reasonably short time - if he wanted to be, that is.
So, that's the question - What Would Kirk Do?
(This post brought to you by having just re-watched 'Relics'.)
If he did leave the Nexus, which I think is the most likely scenario (I can't see him being content to live a life which he now knows is a fantasy), what would he do with himself? At that time, biologically, he is younger than Picard - clearly age doesn't mean quite the same thing in the 24th Century as it does to us now (look at the 137-year-old Dr McCoy on the Ent-D!), and after the events of Generations Picard is put in command of the newest, most advanced ship in the fleet, the Ent-E, which he goes on to command into his 70s. So certainly Kirk is not too old to be in active service in Starfleet in the time he has just bamfed into.
Would he choose to return to Starfleet? In his own time he had retired from the service - would he choose to do as Scotty did and go off exploring on his own, or would he maybe settle somewhere? He'd obviously go out to find Spock, Bones and his other surviving friends - it'd be interesting for him to see Scotty again especially as the two have shared the same fate (suspended in time for 80-ish years). That doesn't mean he might not want to return to Starfleet, though - he retired once before and came back. He'd be very behind the times, obviously, but he is a very clever man, a fast learner and I'm sure he could be trained up to speed in a reasonably short time - if he wanted to be, that is.
So, that's the question - What Would Kirk Do?
(This post brought to you by having just re-watched 'Relics'.)
