Captain James T. Kirk died in Star Trek Generations, but his brief time in the Nexus may have left some part of the Starfleet legend behind.

A lingering question from Star Trek Generations is whether a part of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is still alive in the Nexus. Kirk appeared in Generations, the first Star Trek: The Next Generation feature film, to pass the torch to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D. Kirk and Picard’s historic team-up was Star Trek Generations‘ big draw to hook fans and bring general audiences into movie theaters.

How Kirk could meet Picard when they lived nearly a century apart in the Star Trek timeline was solved by the creation of the Nexus in Star Trek Generations. The Nexus was an energy ribbon that travels through space, and it was a temporal distortion where time has no meaning. Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), who lived in and escaped the Nexus, described it as like “being inside joy.” Captain Picard and Captain Kirk were both swept into the Nexus in Star Trek Generations and were shown idyllic lives they never lived. Picard saw a warm house filled with family that he never knew. Kirk was transported back to his rustic home on Earth where he could have a second chance with his love, Antonia. Both Captains of the Enterprise soon brushed off the Nexus and joined forces to stop Star Trek Generations‘ villain, Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell).

How Captain Kirk Could Still Be Alive In Star Trek Generations’ Nexus

Does Kirk have an echo?

Guinan appearing in the Nexus in Star Trek Generations despite having escaped it decades prior begs the question: Does Captain Kirk have “an echo” in the Nexus too? For that matter, does Captain Picard? An aspect of Guinan remained in the Nexus and appeared to Picard soon after he entered the other-dimensional energy ribbon. Guinan also knew that Kirk was in the Nexus and how/where Picard could find him. It’s possible anyone who enters the Nexus leaves a part of themselves behind even if they escape the temporal distortion. In that respect, there could be an echo of Captain Kirk still alive in the Nexus.

However, Guinan is an El-Aurian who is extremely long-lived, and her race of listeners have certain undefined abilities. Perhaps it’s because Guinan is El-Aurian that an echo of her remained in the Nexus, and perhaps the same thing doesn’t apply to humans like Kirk and Picard. The Nexus was really just a plot device to bring Kirk and Picard together in Star Trek Generations, and the temporal ribbon’s rules were deliberately vague and left unexplained. It’s unlikely Star Trek will ever bring back the Nexus to address the question of whether there are echoes of Kirk and Picard still within the space ribbon.

Will Star Trek Resurrect Captain Kirk?

Star Trek: Picard season 3 planted the seed for a Kirk resurrection.

Captain Kirk hasn’t been resurrected since his death in Star Trek Generations, unlike Jean-Luc Picard, who died at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 1 and immediately came back in a synthetic body. Kirk’s death has been treated as sacrosanct and, instead, Star Trek has introduced younger versions of James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies’ alternate timeline played by Chris Pine, and in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, played by Paul Wesley. William Shatner hasn’t portrayed Captain Kirk since Star Trek Generations, and it’s doubtful he will don Kirk’s uniform again.

Still, Star Trek: Picard has curiously teased that Captain Kirk’s resurrection is possible. Star Trek: Picard season 3 revealed that Kirk’s body was recovered by Section 31 after Star Trek Generations and is being stored in the Daystrom Station black site under the auspices of “Project Phoenix.” This hints that bringing Captain Kirk to life may be possible, although the question would be why? It remains to be seen whether Star Trek can or will find a way to bring the original Captain James T. Kirk back to life, or if the franchise will address the Nexus ever again.