“Feet of Clay, Will of Iron, Heart of Gold”

Growing up, I was never what you would call a “Kirk guy.” I much preferred Mr. Spock, the quintessence of cool.

But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the good captain quite a bit. He was handsome, charming, clever, compassionate and scrappy—the perfect man for the center seat and an ideal complement to the brains of this particular operation, my man Spock.

Over the ensuing 40 years since The Original Series aired, a certain mythology has sprung up around Kirk, due in no small part to a fandom that has both fed (and devoured) the legend. Some of the assertions are quite interesting, from an anthropological point of view:

• Kirk was an irresistible ladies man: A night with him left any woman a sated and subdued wench, desperate to do whatever he asked—a la an older and perhaps even more legendary hero, James Bond. [This one’s been contributed to by fan fiction writers, mostly female, who’ve made Kirk the focus of their fantasies {not that there’s anything wrong with that in and of itself}; some of them simultaneously elevate and emasculate ol’ James T. by creating a Mary Sue-ish heroine to rival/surpass him … or worse, try keeping him solely to themselves on a certain psychological/emotional level by placing him in a ‘profound’ sexual relationship with Spock, thus devaluing all the women with whom Kirk slept/had a romance—except the one writing the slash, of course.]
• Kirk was an ass-kicking, name-taking badass in hand-to-hand combat, with unrivalled brawling abilities and an unblemished record in such contests.
• Kirk could not be defeated in a starship engagement: His mind was too keen; he never made mistakes; he was the ultimate tactician.

Pretty cool, eh?

Too bad it’s all bullshit.

None of these takes are even remotely valid, and one need only refer back to the episodes and movies themselves to set such flights of fancy to … err … flight.

• More than a few women weren’t at all impressed with Kirk, or turned the tables on him to use our dashing young captain for their own purposes—a favorite Kirk (and, for that matter, Bond) tactic, if I recall correctly. Lenore Caridian, Nona, Miranda Jones, the Romulan commander, Scalosian monarch Deela, and Martia (among others) all thought of Kirk as either a convenience … or an inconvenience. [As to those who espouse the idea that Kirk had a “one true love,” well … he did. Thinking, however, that she had any name other than Enterprise is to entirely miss who he is.]
• Here’s a brief (and hardly comprehensive) list of people who whipped Kirk’s ass in a straight fight: Finnegan, Khan (if you conveniently neglect the pipe, that is), Spock (more than once), Ronald Tracy and Garth of Izar. Kirk a bad dude? Granted … but not an invincible one, by any means.
• While without question a brilliantly innovative combatant, Kirk does make his share of boneheaded errors, any one of which could have proven fatal, if not for incredible good fortune (and, of course, conveniently facile script writing). He underestimates the Romulan Commander (“Balance of Terror”), leaves an impulse vent open in combat with a cloud creature that had boarded a starship to kill a decade past (“Obsession”), and, worst of all, refuses in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to raise shields as a commandeered Reliant closes to point-blank weapons range—an act of unconscionable negligence that cost numerous lives and would have resulted in certain court martial (and probable condemnation to a military prison) if the culprit had been anyone but James T. Kirk.

Does any of this detract from his legend? Yes.

Does it diminish the man himself?

Not if you understand the “reality” (to use the term very loosely, considering our subject) of whom he truly was. Kirk’s greatest strengths [or assets, if you’re writing chick and/or slash fic] were not tangible. He was a leader and a winner: He got it done, somehow, some way … yet unlike later ‘heroes’ (such as Sisko and Janeway), did it using faith and heart, without descending into the ethical gutter. He found a way … and always managed to make it the right way.

I’ll take that legacy over the legend anytime.