I also have a warm spot in my heart for his fight with Spock in This Side of Paradise.
"And you've got the GALL -- ! -- to make Love to that Girl...!" Shatner and Nimoy were awesome. That wasn't their only fight, either. He fought Mirror Spock, too. And, in The Naked Time, he got backhanded across a table and did a fine job of flying.
Actually.....they were all pretty good...bad doubling and all..
Yeah. Yeah, they really were. And, let's not forget the most rousing Fight Music of all times, pumping in the background.
I recall Shatner had some hilarious passages in his autobiography about fights in real life and the momentary urge to use those Kirk maneuvers.
And how come no one remembers the fun in "The Gamesters of Triskelion" when Kirk took on the woman with the two big water balloons????
Kirk's finely-horned sense of tactics on display. What would they have done if Kirk had been assigned the Male drill thrall? That'd mess up his whole game.
Haha -- or maybe not -- he could still bring the flattery, right? To save his crew? I can see him holding up the shiny silver tray to show the thrall his reflection. "Now that...That's Handsome..." *KRANG*
I love the fight against Khan in Space Seed, with Shatner/Stunt Double climbing the backwall in engineering so he can scissor-lock Khan's neck, then later beat him with a lead pipe.
Yeah, that beatdown with the pipe -- I enjoyed how Kahn sloowwly bowed down to the floor as Kirk beat on him and graaadually fell asleep, showing just what a tough bastard he is.
Man...Imagine if we could've gotten a second Khan / Kirk brawl in The Wrath Of Khan. Shame they never met face to face in the sequel. "I, of course, remember you..."
I guess they tried to make up for that lack with the Kruge / Kirk brawl in STIII, but imagine if it was Kahn instead, against the backdrop of a planet exploding around them.
They did a rather good job of depicting Kirk against inhuman (or extrahuman) strength. Spock, Kahn, The Gorn, The Mugatu, Ruk, Flint...