How many people did William Shatner's Captain Kirk kill in Star Trek

Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the adventures of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series laid the foundation for each Star Trek film and TV show that followed. In many ways, Captain Kirk and his crew were cowboys, flying around the galaxy by the seat of their pants, a model of exploration that gave Kirk a reputation for fighting – and sometimes killing – his enemies. From the Romulans to the Klingons to the Gorn, Captain Kirk has crisscrossed the galaxy facing some of the greatest enemies the Federation has ever known.

Despite three seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series and six Star Trek combat-worthy films, Captain Kirk has admirably made a habit of leaving former enemies alive whenever possible. Sure, Jim can give them a classic two-fisted punch, but more often than not, William Shatner's Captain Kirk chose no to kill. Captain Kirk of Star Trek: The original series He was a maverick who often laughed at protocol and wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, but he nevertheless exercised more restraint than is often appreciated.

Captain Kirk killed 574 people in Star Trek

It seems like a lot, but it's less in practice

Captain Kirk's total kill count is, depending on how you count, at least 574 people. That's a surprisingly large number, but to begin with, it's worth defining what “people” means in the context of Star Trek. For this count, a person is any sentient being, be it humanoid or a Dikironium cloud creature. It is also worth defining that We're counting Kirk's direct kills. The erasure of Edith Keeler's (Joan Collins) existence, while tragic, does not count as a death, since it was not directly Kirk's intention. The crew of the D7 Klingon ship that is destroyed when Captain Kirk gives the order to fire Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1's “Errand of Mercy” tells us that Captain Kirk ordered their deaths.

In fact, that Klingon D7 battlecruiser is responsible for the vast majority of Captain Kirk's deaths: fully crewed D7-class Klingon ships have a crew complement of 430. Another 100 deaths occurred when Kirk forced the Zetarians out of one crew. in Star Trek: The Original Series' “The Lights of Zetar.” Compared to others Star Trek captains who have blown up several starships, Captain Kirk's record appears remarkably clean. He may not have been a pacifist, but Captain Kirk only killed 15 named characters in Star Trek: The original series and his films.

Despite his reputation as a fighter, Captain Kirk avoided killing enemies whenever possible.

The longer he was captain, the less Kirk used lethal force

Perhaps the most important aspect of Captain Kirk's confirmed kills is that they were not evenly distributed across William Shatner's area. Star Trek appearances. In the first season of Star Trek: The original seriesCaptain Kirk kills five people on top of the crew of the Klingon ship D7. In three of the Terms of Service films and Star Trek: The Animated SeriesCaptain Kirk doesn't kill anyone. Despite Captain Kirk's habit of going against Starfleet rules and protocols, he killed fewer and fewer as he went along. Star Trek continued.

This matters because Star Trek: The Original Series laid the foundation for the rest Star Trek. At the same time that Captain Kirk matured and killed less, Star Trek how a franchise was doing the same. William Shatner's Captain Kirk set the standard for all subsequent Starfleet captains, and part of that standard was moving away from killing. Captain Kirk was never one to walk away from a fight, but on the other side Star Trek: The Original Series and beyond, he learned how to deal with these fights while leaving his enemies alive.