I'm not saying that you're theory is impossible, merely improbable in my eyes. Since she was literally either in labor or holding her five minute old newborn in a medical shuttle for the entire movie and apparently was only spoken to by her husband, there is no evidence either way about what she was doing on the ship before heading down to sickbay to give birth. In an era where civilians did not really hang out on starships, it seems simpler to assume that absence of evidence to the contrary that she was in starfleet in some capacity or at least worked for starfleet. If she was another character giving birth in the 24th Century there would really be no way of guessing her status from what we saw. There aren't that many options in the 23rd however.
Relatives/Parents in Starfleet
- Thread starter The_Emperor
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I'm not saying that you're theory is impossible, merely improbable in my eyes. Since she was literally either in labor or holding her five minute old newborn in a medical shuttle for the entire movie and apparently was only spoken to by her husband, there is no evidence either way about what she was doing on the ship before heading down to sickbay to give birth. In an era where civilians did not really hang out on starships, it seems simpler to assume that absence of evidence to the contrary that she was in starfleet in some capacity or at least worked for starfleet. If she was another character giving birth in the 24th Century there would really be no way of guessing her status from what we saw. There aren't that many options in the 23rd however.
The George Kirk of STXI is based on Diane Carey's version, from "Final Frontier" (written years before and no relation to the movie) and "Best Destiny". There have been quite a few versions of the character over the years in novels and comics.But we do know that he possessed one sibling, which implies at least one common parent, or a adjacent test tube.
And was George Kirk Sr. even in Starfleet is the original universe? Or did he work in sales down at the hover car dealership?
In one of the older novels, Kirk Sr. was a ambitious Iowa politician, he made young James plow a corn field using a mule, for his media imagine.
I also dispute that Winona Kirk was a Starfleet officer. All we know is that she was on board with her husband when she came to term. She could've been a crewmember, a passenger, an officer, a civilian working on the Kelvin in some capacity, or whatever.
Also, STXI makes it clear that in the original timeline, George Kirk was a Starfleet officer who supported his son's Starfleet career - both by showing an officer George before the timeline change happens, and by having Spock state it out loud. Doesn't mean he couldn't also have been a local politician...
But they do - TOS features about as many episodes with friendly or neutral civilians aboard the Enterprise as it does episodes with enemy operatives aboard. Heck, "The Cage" already gives us that young couple in civvies that wander in the corridors, oblivious to their captain marching past them.
Timo Saloniemi
But they do - TOS features about as many episodes with friendly or neutral civilians aboard the Enterprise as it does episodes with enemy operatives aboard. Heck, "The Cage" already gives us that young couple in civvies that wander in the corridors, oblivious to their captain marching past them.
Timo Saloniemi
IIRC, the politician version of George Kirk was a member of the Keep Earth Human League, the Terra Prime of the 23rd century. It was Jim's rebellion against his racist father that spurred him to embrace other cultures and join Starfleet.
Not so sure about that.
The couple in question could have been regular crew who were simply off-duty (recreation?). Trek has always tended to be rather idiosyncratic about military traditions and procedures, but a common one in many services is not saluting when you are in civvies.
But I think it reasonable that civilians would often be onboard, given the TOS Enterprise's mission. Scientists, diplomats, technical types, dependants thereof - we saw all of those and more.
One fun thing to speculate on is that, despite all the changes in STXI, Jim Kirk might have been "meant" to be born in Iowa before those changes took effect, despite the mother being aboard a starship when the movie opens. That he wasn't born on Earth would then be due to the appearance of the timehole, and the subsequent diverting of USS Kelvin from her thus implied course to Earth, and finally a (most probably) somewhat premature birth due to the stresses inflicted on the mother.
If the Kelvin indeed was en route to Earth when the call came, we might claim that the timehole was relatively close to Earth (which is interesting as such because it fits the rest of the movie rather well) - and subsequently that the trip with Winona aboard might have been a relatively short one, a "return to the stables" type sortie that had no other mission objectives and might well have involved ferrying some random passengers from the former operating area of the ship to Earth. Winona might have been a non-Starfleeter who just arranged her schedules so that she met with the ship for this final stretch home, then.
Timo Saloniemi
If the Kelvin indeed was en route to Earth when the call came, we might claim that the timehole was relatively close to Earth (which is interesting as such because it fits the rest of the movie rather well) - and subsequently that the trip with Winona aboard might have been a relatively short one, a "return to the stables" type sortie that had no other mission objectives and might well have involved ferrying some random passengers from the former operating area of the ship to Earth. Winona might have been a non-Starfleeter who just arranged her schedules so that she met with the ship for this final stretch home, then.
Timo Saloniemi
Not just in off duty casuals, how many time have we seen kirk walking down a corridor without even a nod from the uniformed crewmembers he passed?
It might have been a standing order from Kirk that the crew would go about their business when he passed or entered a room.
Much of that was my general take on the situation. Kelvin was on a "milk run" in a area considered a backwater (despite the proximity of the Federation-Klingon border). Not very close to the UFP core worlds though.
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Not just in off duty casuals, how many time have we seen kirk walking down a corridor without even a nod from the uniformed crewmembers he passed?
It might have been a standing order from Kirk that the crew would go about their business when he passed or entered a room.
These early scenes of the corridors had a certain je ne sais quoi that was missing from later episodes.
Seriously, though, maybe it's the number of extras and variety of costumes. 
(The yellow ladder is a nice touch.)
(The yellow ladder is a nice touch.)
He's obviously the decorator.
Writers know that in order to give a character depth it is important to introduce a relative or friend from his or her background.
BUT the way they did it in all Star Trek series...they introduced a relative because they had nothing else to write about. I don't think, with the exception of Worf and possibly Riker, that introducing anybody's parents gave a fresh perspective on a character.
BUT the way they did it in all Star Trek series...they introduced a relative because they had nothing else to write about. I don't think, with the exception of Worf and possibly Riker, that introducing anybody's parents gave a fresh perspective on a character.
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