This is partially a repost of mine from another thread, but it touches on an issue that is raised periodically.
In TWOK a lot is made of Kirk having "cheated" death throughout his career including his "cheating" on his Academy no-win scenario test. It all serves to paint a picture of Kirk as someone who cheats his way through life as opposed to someone who has never accepted the very real possibility of defeat. The film flat out states that Kirk has never really faced death.
It's a wrong minded reinterpretation of the Kirk character as he had been portrayed up to that point.
The notion offered up in TWOK that Kirk had never faced death is utter nonsense. Of course he has. Numerous times.
There were times he thought McCoy or Spock were lost and he had no hand in retrieving them. He faced what he believed was certain death for himself and his entire crew even if it didn't actually pan out that way.
According to TWOK he took the test twice already before he tinkered with the programming for a third test. So his likely reaction in facing a so-called "no win scenario" was already known by his superiors. The third time around displayed his predeliction to exhaust all conceivable possibilities to avoid a disastrous outcome.
It would have been different if Kirk had prepared for the KM test by tinkering with the program on his first try. That would have been a bad showing.
But the underlying thought behind the idea of Kirk being a sneak and a cheat is a reinterpretation of the TOS Kirk. TOS Kirk was depicted as intelligent and extremely resourceful as well as fast on his feet. He also remained well composed under pressure. Those are all commendable qualities in an officer and leader. But TWOK seeks to undermine that by trying to paint Kirk as a cheat.
So who is to say that TOS Kirk ever cheated or felt he had to cheat on such a test? The test itself would reveal that Kirk would have utilized all his abilities to think of a way to "win" the scenario and face the inevitable outcome in much the same way we saw him face what he believed was likely certain death at moments seen throughout TOS.
It's not cheating if you can think of a way out of a life threatening situation where there remains a very good chance you can certainly lose. Otherwise you're only honourable if you just sit back and gracefully accept death?
“Where No Man Has Gone Before” – When Kirk goes after Gary Mitchell there is a very real chance he isn’t coming back. He underlines this by ordering Piper to tell Spock to subject the planet to a lethal dose of radiation in the event they don’t hear from him within a given time frame. Yes, he was gambling on maybe defeating Mitchell and surviving, but it wasn’t a given.
“The Naked Time” – This was a race against time to save the ship that that could easily have been lost. What if Spock’s intermix formula hadn’t worked.
“What Are Little Girls Made Of?” Kirk could easily have assumed that if Corby’s android Kirk duplicate were successful in being accepted as the real thing than he (the real Kirk) could be eliminated. Kirk made more than one desperate gamble here in order to survive.
“Miri” – McCoy could well have failed in finding a cure and Kirk and the rest were very close to the end.
“The Corbomite Maneuver” – Kirk’s bluff helped stave off their deaths (or so they thought), but until Balok revealed his real self and his true motives the possibility of certain death was all very real to Kirk and his crew.
“The Conscience Of The King” – As a youth Kirk faced the very real possibility of being executed on Kodos’ orders.
“Balance Of Terror” – Anytime the ship goes into combat there is the distinct possibility that you’ll be the loser and not survive.
"The Galileo Seven" - The possibility was very real that Kirk had lost Spock, McCoy and the rest aboard the Galileo. If Spock hadn't taken his own desperate gamble then they would have certainly have been lost.
“Arena” – Kirk’s gamble paid off, but at any time face-to-face with the Gorn Kirk could have been killed.
“The Return Of The Archons” – Kirk was lucky he was able to drive the Landru computer nuts because if he had failed he and his crew would have been toast.
“Shore leave” – Kirk watched McCoy die. At the time he had no idea McCoy could and would be resurrected.
“Space Seed” – Kirk was lucky McGivers saved his life. But what if McGivers had had a bit more stomach and really sided with Kahn?
“A Taste Of Armageddon” – Kirk and his landing party took advantage of lax Eminian security and the element of surprise to stay alive. But what if the Eminians had been more on the ball such that escape had been impossible?
“The Devil In The Dark” – Kirk was lucky on two counts. One, his reaction time was faster than those who had died before and, two, that the Horta had a measure of compassion and intelligence. Otherwise Kirk could have been burnt to a crisp like those before him.
“Errand Of Mercy” – Kor could easily have hauled Kirk off to the Mind-Sifter or had him killed immediately when his true identity was revealed. He and Spock were done for if not for the Organians’ intervention, but they didn’t know that yet.
“Operation—Annihilate” – Kirk sees his brother dead and watches his sister-in-law die. He then witnesses Spock infected by the parasites. And he also faces the real possibility of having to destroy all life on Deneva if they can’t find a solution.
“Amok Time” - When he believed he was being strangled to death Kirk didn’t know McCoy had staged his apparent death.
“Mirror, Mirror” – Kirk was lucky twice. Mirror Chekov didn’t kill him right away and one of Checkov’s henchmen switched sides. Kirk was also lucky Mirror Spock had a measure of compassion as well as sufficient curiosity to understand what was going on. Mirror Spock could have promptly arrested Kirk (and the landing party) and had them summuraily executed on the spot.
“The Doomsday Machine” – When the transporter goes on the fritz while the clock is ticking off the final seconds it had to occur to Kirk, “Oh shit, I ain’t gonna make it.”
“Friday’s Child” – Once Akaar was dead Maab could have summuraily executed Kirk and his party. But Maab was cautious enough to wait to see how things would develop.
“The Deadly Years” – Kirk was very near death’s door when they found a cure, but what if they hadn’t found a cure?
“Obsession” – What if the transporter had been destabilized and failed while trying to retrieve kirk and Garraovick during the antimatter explosion—a very real possibility. That said this was really an unecessary risk since the whole thing could have been done remotely.
“The Gamesters Of Triskelion” – Kirk could have lost the three-on-one combat and the Providers could have reneged on their agreement.
“The Immunity Syndrome” – When the ship finally lost all power to escape they had no way of knowing they would be thrown clear of the blast destroying the giant amoeba. And earlier Kirk had to face the possibility Spock was already dead.
“A Private Little War” – The Mugato could have ripped Kirk’s throat out or smashed his skull or a cure mightn’t have been found in time.
“Return To Tomorrow” – What if Sargon hadn’t been as powerful as he was. Kirk’s body could really have died and Kirk’s consciousness lost forever.
“The Omega Glory” – Tracey was already set to kill Kirk so if he had won the combat Kirk was likely done.
“Bread And Circuses” – The Proconsul had condemned Kirk to death and (as far as Kirk knew) it looked inevitable. Although it looked like he was prepared to still make a fight of it till the end he’s lucky Scotty intervened when he did because it wasn’t likely Kirk could win the situation he was in.
“The Enterprise Incident” – McCoy says it aloud: Kirk was lucky the Romulans didn’t insist on performing an autopsy after Kirk had apparently died. At any point during the events something could have gone drastically wrong and Kirk and crew might never have made it home.
“The Tholian Web” – Kirk was trapped in intephase and powerless to help himself. He was entirely dependent on Spock and with no guarantee Spock would manage to retreive him. Kirk had to face the very real possibility he wasn’t going to survive.
“The Empath” – Kirk had to think the Vians would likely kill him as they certainly gave every indication of such.
Star Trek – The Motion Picture – The ship was set to self-destruct in the event they failed to reason with Vger—a very real possibility.
I also haven't counted events during TAS when Kirk could have died as well as a few other moments during TOS. But what we have here certainly isn't a picture of a man who has never faced death for himself, those close to him or those he is responsible for.
In TWOK a lot is made of Kirk having "cheated" death throughout his career including his "cheating" on his Academy no-win scenario test. It all serves to paint a picture of Kirk as someone who cheats his way through life as opposed to someone who has never accepted the very real possibility of defeat. The film flat out states that Kirk has never really faced death.
It's a wrong minded reinterpretation of the Kirk character as he had been portrayed up to that point.
The notion offered up in TWOK that Kirk had never faced death is utter nonsense. Of course he has. Numerous times.
There were times he thought McCoy or Spock were lost and he had no hand in retrieving them. He faced what he believed was certain death for himself and his entire crew even if it didn't actually pan out that way.
According to TWOK he took the test twice already before he tinkered with the programming for a third test. So his likely reaction in facing a so-called "no win scenario" was already known by his superiors. The third time around displayed his predeliction to exhaust all conceivable possibilities to avoid a disastrous outcome.
It would have been different if Kirk had prepared for the KM test by tinkering with the program on his first try. That would have been a bad showing.
But the underlying thought behind the idea of Kirk being a sneak and a cheat is a reinterpretation of the TOS Kirk. TOS Kirk was depicted as intelligent and extremely resourceful as well as fast on his feet. He also remained well composed under pressure. Those are all commendable qualities in an officer and leader. But TWOK seeks to undermine that by trying to paint Kirk as a cheat.
So who is to say that TOS Kirk ever cheated or felt he had to cheat on such a test? The test itself would reveal that Kirk would have utilized all his abilities to think of a way to "win" the scenario and face the inevitable outcome in much the same way we saw him face what he believed was likely certain death at moments seen throughout TOS.
It's not cheating if you can think of a way out of a life threatening situation where there remains a very good chance you can certainly lose. Otherwise you're only honourable if you just sit back and gracefully accept death?
“Where No Man Has Gone Before” – When Kirk goes after Gary Mitchell there is a very real chance he isn’t coming back. He underlines this by ordering Piper to tell Spock to subject the planet to a lethal dose of radiation in the event they don’t hear from him within a given time frame. Yes, he was gambling on maybe defeating Mitchell and surviving, but it wasn’t a given.
“The Naked Time” – This was a race against time to save the ship that that could easily have been lost. What if Spock’s intermix formula hadn’t worked.
“What Are Little Girls Made Of?” Kirk could easily have assumed that if Corby’s android Kirk duplicate were successful in being accepted as the real thing than he (the real Kirk) could be eliminated. Kirk made more than one desperate gamble here in order to survive.
“Miri” – McCoy could well have failed in finding a cure and Kirk and the rest were very close to the end.
“The Corbomite Maneuver” – Kirk’s bluff helped stave off their deaths (or so they thought), but until Balok revealed his real self and his true motives the possibility of certain death was all very real to Kirk and his crew.
“The Conscience Of The King” – As a youth Kirk faced the very real possibility of being executed on Kodos’ orders.
“Balance Of Terror” – Anytime the ship goes into combat there is the distinct possibility that you’ll be the loser and not survive.
"The Galileo Seven" - The possibility was very real that Kirk had lost Spock, McCoy and the rest aboard the Galileo. If Spock hadn't taken his own desperate gamble then they would have certainly have been lost.
“Arena” – Kirk’s gamble paid off, but at any time face-to-face with the Gorn Kirk could have been killed.
“The Return Of The Archons” – Kirk was lucky he was able to drive the Landru computer nuts because if he had failed he and his crew would have been toast.
“Shore leave” – Kirk watched McCoy die. At the time he had no idea McCoy could and would be resurrected.
“Space Seed” – Kirk was lucky McGivers saved his life. But what if McGivers had had a bit more stomach and really sided with Kahn?
“A Taste Of Armageddon” – Kirk and his landing party took advantage of lax Eminian security and the element of surprise to stay alive. But what if the Eminians had been more on the ball such that escape had been impossible?
“The Devil In The Dark” – Kirk was lucky on two counts. One, his reaction time was faster than those who had died before and, two, that the Horta had a measure of compassion and intelligence. Otherwise Kirk could have been burnt to a crisp like those before him.
“Errand Of Mercy” – Kor could easily have hauled Kirk off to the Mind-Sifter or had him killed immediately when his true identity was revealed. He and Spock were done for if not for the Organians’ intervention, but they didn’t know that yet.
“Operation—Annihilate” – Kirk sees his brother dead and watches his sister-in-law die. He then witnesses Spock infected by the parasites. And he also faces the real possibility of having to destroy all life on Deneva if they can’t find a solution.
“Amok Time” - When he believed he was being strangled to death Kirk didn’t know McCoy had staged his apparent death.
“Mirror, Mirror” – Kirk was lucky twice. Mirror Chekov didn’t kill him right away and one of Checkov’s henchmen switched sides. Kirk was also lucky Mirror Spock had a measure of compassion as well as sufficient curiosity to understand what was going on. Mirror Spock could have promptly arrested Kirk (and the landing party) and had them summuraily executed on the spot.
“The Doomsday Machine” – When the transporter goes on the fritz while the clock is ticking off the final seconds it had to occur to Kirk, “Oh shit, I ain’t gonna make it.”
“Friday’s Child” – Once Akaar was dead Maab could have summuraily executed Kirk and his party. But Maab was cautious enough to wait to see how things would develop.
“The Deadly Years” – Kirk was very near death’s door when they found a cure, but what if they hadn’t found a cure?
“Obsession” – What if the transporter had been destabilized and failed while trying to retrieve kirk and Garraovick during the antimatter explosion—a very real possibility. That said this was really an unecessary risk since the whole thing could have been done remotely.
“The Gamesters Of Triskelion” – Kirk could have lost the three-on-one combat and the Providers could have reneged on their agreement.
“The Immunity Syndrome” – When the ship finally lost all power to escape they had no way of knowing they would be thrown clear of the blast destroying the giant amoeba. And earlier Kirk had to face the possibility Spock was already dead.
“A Private Little War” – The Mugato could have ripped Kirk’s throat out or smashed his skull or a cure mightn’t have been found in time.
“Return To Tomorrow” – What if Sargon hadn’t been as powerful as he was. Kirk’s body could really have died and Kirk’s consciousness lost forever.
“The Omega Glory” – Tracey was already set to kill Kirk so if he had won the combat Kirk was likely done.
“Bread And Circuses” – The Proconsul had condemned Kirk to death and (as far as Kirk knew) it looked inevitable. Although it looked like he was prepared to still make a fight of it till the end he’s lucky Scotty intervened when he did because it wasn’t likely Kirk could win the situation he was in.
“The Enterprise Incident” – McCoy says it aloud: Kirk was lucky the Romulans didn’t insist on performing an autopsy after Kirk had apparently died. At any point during the events something could have gone drastically wrong and Kirk and crew might never have made it home.
“The Tholian Web” – Kirk was trapped in intephase and powerless to help himself. He was entirely dependent on Spock and with no guarantee Spock would manage to retreive him. Kirk had to face the very real possibility he wasn’t going to survive.
“The Empath” – Kirk had to think the Vians would likely kill him as they certainly gave every indication of such.
Star Trek – The Motion Picture – The ship was set to self-destruct in the event they failed to reason with Vger—a very real possibility.
I also haven't counted events during TAS when Kirk could have died as well as a few other moments during TOS. But what we have here certainly isn't a picture of a man who has never faced death for himself, those close to him or those he is responsible for.
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