Why is Kirk so revered???

[Tim Thomason]

I have to point out that if lt.Tom Paris does “morale-boosting tours” by 2381 and there are voyager plates available in universe Janeway should be quite famous.

Absolutely. Voyager is nothing to scoff at. Rutherford even knows the sound of Voyager's warp engine (or is he imitating the classic Intrepid style?).

I think Sisko is the one getting praise in historical treatises (not to mention relic altars in Bajoran homes), but Janeway is the one getting gossipy holodramas and tabloid exposure. It's hard to judge one versus the other, but I think Janeway's impact on history will slide (although Prodigy may prove me wrong).

Interesting point to add, though, by the 32nd century, the Voyager seems to be the highly decorated flagship of the Federation, and there is no reference to an Enterprise or Defiant in sight. There may be something to the idea that Janeway's accomplishments as Captain have the Farthest reaching effects of all.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I think Picard should score some points for being a Professional Q Placater.

You would think so, but Lower Decks has already showed us that Q is pestering (or trying) multiple low-level Captains in Starfleet, and is more of a nuisance than a menace. Picard might get some brownie points for being the first.

 

[FederationHistorian]

Ah, yes…

Kirk, who survived Rura Penthe, exposed the Khitomer Conspiracy and paved the way for peace between the Federation and Klingon Empire despite his personal felling towards Klingons, ending 70 years of hostility in the process.

vs

Burnham, who committed mutiny and started a year long hot war with the Klingons, because she followed the textbook example of what Vulcans did over 200 years ago on a first contact, even though the Federation and Klingons were well beyond first contact at that point.

 

[fireproof78]

started a year long hot war

Nope.

Klingons wanted war, whether she acted or not.

Beyond that, Kirk has a lot more history behind his fame and notoriety, including having a Federation Broadcast show all based on his mission logs. Of course he is more famous.

 

[Greg Cox]

You would think so, but Lower Decks has already showed us that Q is pestering (or trying) multiple low-level Captains in Starfleet, and is more of a nuisance than a menace. Picard might get some brownie points for being the first.

FYI: a shorty story in the new STAR TREK EXPLORER magazine has Kirk running into Q back in the day.

 

[Tim Thomason]

FYI: a shorty story in the new STAR TREK EXPLORER magazine has Kirk running into Q back in the day.

Also hinted at in an old Strange New Worlds (anthology) story, in addition to being a thing throughout The Q Conflict comics.

 

[1001001]

FYI: a shorty story in the new STAR TREK EXPLORER magazine has Kirk running into Q back in the day.

Kirk tries to seduce the female Q?

 

[Tim Thomason]

Kirk tries to seduce the female Q?

I just scanned the story (All that Maddens and Torments), and the female Q doesn't make an appearance. It's movie era Kirk near the end of his life, too.

 

[Ragitsu]

Kirk tries to seduce the female Q?

Not enough soft focus; your Photoshop-Fu is weak.

 

[1001001]

Not enough soft focus; your Photoshop-Fu is weak.

What?

 

[Ragitsu]

What?

Like so ->

 

[XCV330]

Non sequitur. Your facts are uncoordinated

 

[FederationHistorian]

Nope.

Klingons wanted war, whether she acted or not.

Yes, she did.

It’s warrior culture, that seeks out conflict. Doesn’t matter if its against the Federation, Cardassians, Romulans or Tribbles. Conflict is key to the Klingon identity.

Kirk, Picard, Sisko, and Archer always tried diplomacy first. Burnham on the other hand decided to give them what they wanted and created a martyr in the process.

Imagine if any of the other captains behaved like Burnham upon the first sighting of a Klingon or a Klingon vessel.

 

[fireproof78]

Yes, she did.

It’s warrior culture, that seeks out conflict. Doesn’t matter if its against the Federation, Cardassians, Romulans or Tribbles. Conflict is key to the Klingon identity.

Kirk, Picard, Sisko, and Archer always tried diplomacy first. Burnham on the other hand decided to give them what they wanted and created a martyr in the process.

Imagine if any of the other captains behaved like Burnham upon the first sighting of a Klingon or a Klingon vessel.

They'd be found not guilty by a tribunal and reassigned a ship. Vs. Burnham who was sent to prison.

 

[1001001]

Like so ->

Nice.

I just googled an image and added some words.

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

They'd be found not guilty by a tribunal and reassigned a ship. Vs. Burnham who was sent to prison.

Well put.

Burnham, who committed mutiny and started a year long hot war with the Klingons, because she followed the textbook example of what Vulcans did over 200 years ago on a first contact, even though the Federation and Klingons were well beyond first contact at that point.

Except that didn’t actually happen, she did commit mutiny, that’s true, but Georgiou returned to the bridge and countermanded her order to use the “Vulcan Hello,” the Shenzhou never fired on them. If Georgiou had actually done what Burnham suggested, it might not have necessarily turned out the way it did.

 

[Vger23]

I think ultimately this ends up being a creative way of re-asking the age-old question of "who is your favorite captain?"

Few will be objective. Everyone will come up with reasons why their favorite is likely the "most revered" or should be.

The bottom line is that each show was written for the lead to be the hero and do amazing stuff. So, yeah....it's going to be pretty hard to say "Sisko deserved to be revered more than Kirk" or whatever, at least from any place other than our own biases.

The objective evidence is that, for whatever reason, Kirk appears to be more "revered" than the others. I think that's based on

(IN-UNIVERSE REASON): He was one of the original Starfleet heroes / pioneers / military leaders and we always look upon historical icons favorably.
(REAL LIFE EXPLANATION): Nostalgia is fun, and the writers / producers know that having Kirk references will make a lot of people smile fondly, except those who don't like / don't care about TOS...

 

[fireproof78]

(IN-UNIVERSE REASON): He was one of the original Starfleet heroes / pioneers / military leaders and we always look upon historical icons favorably.
(REAL LIFE EXPLANATION): Nostalgia is fun, and the writers / producers know that having Kirk references will make a lot of people smile fondly, except those who don't like / don't care about TOS...

Yup. I always took Kirk's 5 year mission as being historic in a way other captains had not, and it was well documented, taught about and shared broadly across the Academy.

 

[Dumbbell]

Michael Burham seems to be the superhero out of the group of Captians that we have witnessed.

It was precisely because Kirk was not a superhero that he earned our respect.

True, he was a relatively young captain at 32 years old, but he worked hard through all ranks from Midshipman to Lieutenant, then quickly from there to Captain and eventually Admiral. He earned his rank not by willy-nilly magic.

Spock and McCoy’s subordinate personalities also contributed greatly to our admiration of Kirk. Taken separately, each one was just a man; all three together, super.

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

True, he was a relatively young captain at 32 years old, but he worked hard through all ranks from Midshipman to Lieutenant, then quickly from there to Captain and eventually Admiral. He earned his rank not by willy-nilly magic.

That last part feels odd to say, and being a direct response to a comparison to Burnham, feels like an implication that her Captaincy is somehow not earned, which is entirely false.

None of the Captains listed in this thread earned their rank through “willy-nilly magic,” it’s not a distinction unique to Kirk.

Edit: @jackoverfull pointed out that it may be referring to Kelvin Kirk, which ‪‪‪‪would make sense.