Star Trek Generations gave Captain James T. Kirk one final adventure, and there was one last major milestone that happened before his death.
Summary
- Star Trek Generations showed the last time James T. Kirk sat in the Captain’s chair, this time aboard the USS Enterprise-B.
- The prologue of Star Trek Generations sees Kirk presumed dead after a rescue mission gone wrong.
- The film missed an opportunity to have Kirk aboard Picard’s Enterprise and meet Star Trek: The Next Generation’s crew members.
Star Trek Generations gave Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) a chance for one last adventure, but it also had one other milestone for the former Enterprise captain. As the first movie to feature the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Generations acts as a passing of the torch from the crew of Star Trek: The Original Series to the crew of TNG. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his USS Enterprise-D crew had already become iconic in their own right, but Generations brought their adventures to the big screen.
The prologue of Star Trek Generations opens with the now-retired Kirk, Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) attending the maiden voyage of the USS Enterprise-B. When the new ship gets pulled into an impromptu rescue mission, Kirk is presumed killed in action when a ribbon of energy tears through the hull. The story then jumps 78 years into the future and checks in with Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D as they celebrate the recent promotion of Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn). Captain Picard’s new mission to stop Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) from destroying the Veridian star eventually brings Jean-Luc into contact with Captain Kirk in a strange realm known as the Nexus.
Star Trek Generations Ending & Kirk’s Death Explained
Star Trek Generations not only passed the torch to the cast of The Next Generation, it also revealed the ultimate fate of Captain James T. Kirk.
Star Trek Generations Was The Last Time Kirk Sat In The Enterprise Captain’s Chair
Before the main storyline of Star Trek Generations gets underway, Kirk sits in the captain’s chair on the Enterprise one last time. Soon after Captain Kirk first boards the Enterprise-B, he looks longingly at the center seat, no doubt remembering all of the adventures he had as Captain of the Enterprise. As Kirk, Scotty, and Chekov tour the newly commissioned ship, they are bombarded with questions from reporters and introduced to the new crew members of the Enterprise-B. Among these new officers are Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck) and Ensign Demora Sulu (Jacqueline Kim), daughter of the Enterprise’s former helmsman Hikaru Sulu (George Takei).
After the Enterprise-B receives a distress call from a ship transporting El-Aurian refugees, Captain Harriman orders his crew to answer it as they are the only ship within range. As the Enterprise is not yet prepared for a mission of this magnitude, Captain Harriman seeks counsel from Captain Kirk. When the Enterprise crew attempts to escape the gravimetric field they have been pulled into, Kirk briefly sits in the captain’s chair as he issues orders. But Kirk quickly accepts that he is not the Captain of this Enterprise, and he soon returns the seat to Harriman, volunteering to go to deck 15 to help the Enterprise escape. This part of the ship then suffers a hull breach and Kirk is presumed dead.
Star Trek Generations Blew It By Not Having Kirk Aboard Picard’s Enterprise
It’s always fun when a character from Star Trek: The Original Series returns in any capacity, but it’s especially fun to see them on the new featured ship or space station. Over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s seven seasons, several characters from TOS visit the USS Enterprise-D. Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Scotty, and Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) all visit Picard’s Enterprise in various episodes. Even Spock’s father Sarek (Mark Lenard) gets to pay a visit to Picard’s iconic ship. However, Captain Kirk never gets the chance in Star Trek Generations.
In Star Trek Generations, the saucer section of the Enterprise-D crash lands on the planet Veridian III. In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) reveals that he retrieved the saucer section and rebuilt the Enterprise-D.
While Captain Kirk never made an appearance in TNG, Star Trek Generations would have been the perfect opportunity for Kirk to come aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Scotty, in particular, had some interesting critiques for the Enterprise-D when he visited, and it would have been fun to see what Kirk had to say about Picard’s ship. Kirk could have met more of the crew members of the Enterprise-D and offered his own opinions on the ship, which is very different from Kirk’s own Enterprise. The Enterprise ships of TOS and TNG were just as important as any of the characters, and Star Trek Generations missed the perfect opportunity to have Kirk step foot on yet another iteration of the iconic ship. Kirk could have even given Picard’s captain’s chair a try.
