Spoilers Let's look at Kirk and his development

[Capt.Kirk]

I remember very well well the brash disrespectful know it all that kirk was in the 2009 film. He cheats, lies, insults people and rises to command . But as we see in the second installment titled into darkness, at the very end of the movie we see a major character development. He realizes that his actions have consequences and on top of that he must be a mature leader in order to be successful . By the time Star Trek beyond takes place, we see little to no bad elements of the old Kirk present. It is almost as if his death in into darkness was not a meaningless attack by JJ Abrams but symbolism that the old and disrespectful Kirk was a thing of the past. Nonetheless we have seen a powerful character development from cheating , eating an apple and making gun gestures to the old and brave new captain!!!!

If we look at the rebooted universe and the three films in particular as one unified whole, we can see, the wonderful character development that made the man a legend!!!

 

[Lance]

One of my favourite Kirk character development moments is actually in the 2009 movie, at the point where he offers Nero a lifeline near the end of the film. Remember that this was the guy who killed Kirk's father, the guy who had destroyed Vulcan, but Kirk (in a move that is a very 'Star Trek' moment), still offers the guy a peaceful "out". Nero turns it down, yes, and thusly deserves everything that comes to him afterwards. But Kirk, in that one subtle moment, finally shows the first sign of the man he is destined to become: a mature Starfleet captain with a healthy respect for all life, even that of a bitter enemy.

 

[stardream]

Kirk (and Spock's) character arcs are my favorite things about these movies along with the growth of the friendship between the three men. The explosions and special effects and actual storyline is just a backdrop which is unusual for me. Normally I take all of those things into account but for some reason with these movies I zeroed in on the characters.

We just watched TOS Shore Leave and I had forgotten how Shatner's Kirk described himself as a bit 'grim' during the Academy days and how he was bullied by the character of Finnegan. PineKirk is the complete opposite and if anything I could see him being the one to pick on a nerdy underclassman but we have to remember their origins and upbringing are very different.

It might be blasphemy but if they stopped with these movies right now I'd be ok with it.We have seen Kirk progress from brash upstart to something close to the mature TOS Shatner's Kirk in Beyond completing the circle... but if we to have another movie I hope they keep this up.

 

[Cyke101]

Whenever I bring up my dislike of Into Darkness, I find myself tempering it with just how well Kirk was handled in that movie, one of the few bright spots imo. Kirk's change in the movie is so gradual that it flies under a lot of people's radar, but it's true and classic character progression in traditional movie style -- that is, your main character at the start of the film should be a different person by the end of the movie.

Pike dressing down Kirk and the subsequent demotion felt like such an indictment of 2009 Kirk that it was almost satisfying to see a reverse: the way he was hastily promoted to captain in the first movie and he was shot down to XO almost just as quickly. But he spent the rest of the movie gradually learning maturity and taking a step back, and eventually responsibility by volunteering to sacrifice himself to Marcus in order to spare the crew. His death was the culmination of all that growth; he went from selfish funseeker to a man willing to lay his life down for an entire crew.

So Beyond was a great turnaround, to see that change in effect. He's had too much adventure to the point of routine. He's suffering from career burnout. He needs his Saturn Return. He sees a female crewmember and he simply nods in acknowledgement, rather than staring like a dog. He goes to the Commodore for advice and confides his frustrations to his superior. When they talk, he's not cracking jokes, he's seriously mulling his options. If the old Kirk was caught evesdropping on Jaylah, he would've deflected or feigned responsibility, showing that he didn't take the situation seriously; on the contrary, when he's caught, he bluntly tells her that her involvement is crucial to the success of the rescue. With all that on the line, let him have his motorcycle and Beastie Boys. He's a Kirk that knows how to prioritize business over fun now and thus balance the two.