He was a stage actor who didn't understand that the camera changes everything. You don't need to overemote so the back seats can see you. The subtlest look is picked up by the camera. If he recognized that he would have been 10x the actor. Still the best Star Trek captain though haha.
Wonderful. TOS Kirk has been misunderstood for decades! Shatner's Kirk was a brilliant, intuitive, and authoritative Star Fleet officer. We wouldn't be having a 50 year celebration of Star Trek if he wasn't. PS I notice all these clips are from my #1 favorite TOS. “The Corbomit Maneuver”
Yeap, he's much better of a starship Captain then that stupid, cheesy next generation childish stuff. Ole picard there, all he does is flip his hands over his head and saying engage make it so. The Original Star Trek Series will ALWAYS BE THE ONLY BEST STAR TREK OUT THERE!
@@danbasta3677 oh shut up Picard is brilliant. He’s had some of the most AMAZING scenes in the whole of the ST fandom!! What about all the fights against the Borg? Or defending Data’s sentience and self-awareness? What about ALL the times he’s jeopardized his career because he refuses to blindly follow orders? Picard is a fantastic captain and a brilliant man. Smart. Tactical. Accomplished. I wonder if you’ve even watched TNG or just blindly hate on it.
@@TheFrog767 I totally agree. He bitches about Shatner stealing his lines etc. He got way more to do than Chekov, Uhura, etc. He's just one of the group Dee called 'the 7 dwarves'
Gene Roddenberry had been an army officer, airline pilot and police officer before becoming a writer. Like former naval officer Robert Heinlein, he grounded his futuristic stories in real-life understanding of command positions and how people react in military organizations.
Which is something the newer trek, even Strange New Worlds which I love, is sorely lacking. Everyone says what they think, everyone is buddies and jokes during a crisis. In TOS and especially TNG, that kind of familiarity took seasons to develop.
And yet Gene still couldn't envision a future with intelligent, professional, capable people being able to function competently without being commanded by a superior authority sitting in a big chair.
Star Trek always required a well-versed thespian type to take on the role of Captain. So many episodes with strange anomalies where Kirk or Picard would become emotional, deranged, brainwashed, etc. It was an entire catelogue of emotions that I feel only only those types had the flexibility to convincingly pull off.
Yeah, Kirk offered Nero help, when he refused, Kirk orders his crew to fire. I was like "what?" when I seen that in theaters. Offer help, but they better not refuse, or else I will unleash my wrath!
Up until then though, I really enjoyed the film. Then I spotted more on rewatch. But if you turn your brain off, the Abrams films were still enjoyable. It just Star Trek used to be more intelligent sci-fi than what the late 2000s and modern day has made it.
I know he gets criticized for over-the-top acting. But, he is a well-educated actor with early training as a classical Shakespearean actor. It shows. As opposed to most contemporary male actors mumbling their lines (a criticism often made by English actors towards Americans) he projected authority, emotions, and cadence that stood out. One of a kind..
Shatner got into the habit of emotional shortcuts in performance under the time pressure of filming -- telling us what he was feeling, instead of making us feel it. Doing shtick rather than playing the reality of each scene. But when he put out his A-game he was very good.
He was always a great actor. I never found his performances as over-acting, except when he intentionally did it in other programs for humorous purposes. I could only think of one scene in the whole of Star Trek where he "over-acted", and I think that scene required him to do it, but the scene taken out of context could be seen as over-acting.
The willingness to bend the rules was written into the character as he developed part of his growth from being on his own having to make critical decisions without being able to contact his superiors much of the time
I remember when Kirk was giving the eulogy for Spock in the movie and his voice cracked ever so briefly during the line "He was the most....human." The pause before he says the word 'human' and the voice inflection was masterful.
After the hatchet job the Picard series has done to Picard as a character, with characters constantly belittleling him etc, Kirk comes out far and away as the better of the two Star Trek captains. I can no longer take Picard as having any of the traits mentioned of Kirk here.
Picard showed his weakness in "I, Borg." Given the chance to destroy the Borg he passed & thus is responsible for all the death & destruction committed by the Borg from that point. Capt Kirk would have pulled the trigger on the Borg & saved billions of lives.
I'm not sure why Picard and TNG get such high praise. Even Sisko and DS9 are better Trek entries. People say, "oh, you have to get into season 2 for TNG to get good." I didn't have to wait for TOS or DS9 to "get good".
@@24framedavinci39 Agree. Honestly, if it weren't for Data and Worf I don't think I would have watched TNG past season 2. It has its moments of brilliance but it's definitely overrated as a series and Picard as a captain.
When it comes to Star Trek, there's only one man I really want in the command seat of the bridge, and here he is, in one of the best episodes of the show, facing a no win scenario with the brilliance that shows us why he is the Captain.
If you look up his background, you will see that William Shatner started his acting career as an extremely well-regarded stage Shakespearean actor. He appeared in many Shakespearean plays and received exemplary reviews.
TOS towers above all the recent "treks," it's so sad to think our culture has lost the ability to create great shows like this; ditch the fancy sets and SFX and bring back the writing, and acting!
The ship had just been condemned to destruction by a powerful alien vessel and the situation looked hopeless so at 0:30 this was Kirk acting to maintain crew order and composure by displaying it himself with his own words and vocal tone. It was his "if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs" moment. It’s what great leaders do during such moments.
Just like in the episode Court Marshall, when he was on the stand defending his actions, stating that he did everything his experience and training required him to do if he were to save his ship, and NOTHING is more important than my ship.Excellent episode of Star Trek!
I don't see why people say Shatner "over-acted." Everyone in the series could be accused of the same. Many like him had theatre training. It was the style of a lot of the shows at the time. He was an incredible Captain and deserves a lot more respect for it than he gets. The original Kirk, Spock and McCoy - they will always be the foundation of Star Trek for me.
I think people are over critical of him because they're sitting on their computers, tablets, and phones at home. It's easy to criticize somebody who's living their dreams and you're well, just watching. I'd like to all his critics do better, if given the chance the show, the movies, everything would have been dead in the water along time ago. Shattner whether people like it or not set the standard if he didn't portray Kirk like he did. Who knows all the other captains after him would have been the same. I like Picard but can you imagine all captains acting like him? I always thought while he was a good starship captain he came off a little prickish sometimes honestly. But you can see Kirk in Janeway, Sisko, and now you get to see pre Kirk in Pike. Let's face it Kirk is the beginning and probably will be the end...
I bet the theater training, where your audience is sitting fifty feet away sometimes, is part of the sense that he's exaggerated compared to todays actors who likely cut their teeth on small screen.
@@williehouff4944 I love how all of the Captains are different. But I also love that Janeway, to me, is the best of both Kirk and Picard, with female influence and perspective thrown in.
If you look at any of the scenes in which Shatner is supposed to have "over acted" it's in an insanely mind bending stressful situation no one can relate to.
@@captainjefferies9047 or, Captain Kirk's body is overtaken by a madwoman, or he is infected with the alcohol virus, or he is split into good Kirk and dark Kirk. Usually, it's written into the script that Kirk goes nutty. Even then , there are so few really over-the-top scenes, and I love them all!
I have used “on my personal authority as Captain of the Enterprise”, “I have guards around the grain, I have guards around the Klingons” and “I wonder what Star Fleet command will say about that” as leadership mantras throughout my career to much success.
@@speedracer1945 Not hardly. Lucy sold her studio Desilu to Gulf and Western, which at the time also owned Paramount, and immediately merged the two operations since they shared the same block of real estate. This was right after Star Trek’s first season on the air. All subsequent Star Trek productions were Paramount properties. The studios had a contract with NBC to air the show then. It was never a hit during the NBC years and was lucky to last three seasons. CBS did not obtain ownership of Star Trek until quite recently when they bought Viacom, which itself had acquired Paramount many years before. Gulf and Western disappeared a long time ago. And the OP’s statement that I Love Lucy paid for Star Trek is not untrue but stretches logic nearly to its breaking point.
What I loved about Space Seed was that you really saw Kirk in action. I love the scene when Spock pesters Khan with questions until he blows his top. Then Khan realizes Kirk was testing his patience.
Chris Pine's Krik, although greatly acted, was never Kirk to me. The writing made him out to be irresponsible, childish, and sometimes our right dumb. Beyond was the closest we got to real Kirk, and even then. But Chris did a great job with what he was given, and at times, he does actually seem like Captain Kirk.
The scripts were well written, and it would appear that each character took their role very seriously. Now, back to the reality of which we now live in...
The Captain Kirk of the series and the outrageously exaggerated character we've come to know are two completely different people. Captain Kirk was an incredible captain and a very capable man. The parody of him is goofy and does not show who he really was.
@@starship1701 Not a single parody, but the image that has been cultivated over the years of this character. The best example, a condensed version of how the public views Kirk in general was encapsulated in this early clip from Family Guy - ruclips.net/video/SzNkvffsdpo/видео.html
Shatner is quite a different character than Kirk. He did indeed establish the role well. With outstanding performances in many scenes. But he was also comically hamfisted and incompetent in many other scenes. And sometimes a narcissistic, arrogant, obnoxious ass off camera. He deserves much of the negative criticism he's received over the years.
Kirk had something no other captian had,he seem to know more than every crew member did about the ship,he would never say I am willing to entertain suggestions.
The Capt. Kirk did turn to Spock for analysis and suggestions. But he knew the Enterprise inside and out. Great t.v. series and they had microwaves on the ship!!! Wow.
There's a certain story-telling reason for that. The Original Star Trek only had William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley as the stars - which means the other characters were rarely central to the plot. In subsequent Trek series', the entire bridge crew were main characters, meaning that they had to be involved in one way or another every so often.
You left out the part from "The Doomsday Machine" when he talks back to an unfit superior officer who is needlessly sending his crew to their deaths over a vendetta.
I'm a natural born leader but just watching star trek all of them including Archer. One thing you have to do is show the people under you your appreciation. Whether you fail or succeed, you also have to keep it together even when nothing is going your way. That's Kirk he can be easy going, a hard ass if he has to, but he never took his crew for granted he owed them that....
Still the greatest Star Trek Captain of ALL time, in ANY time, no matter from which outer or inner universe. Great job Mr.Shatner. Forever a TV Legend.
A Starship staffed with a full international crew (including a Vulcan)... Captained by a calm, intelligent, physically and psychologically fit Canadian in his prime. Perfect!!!
The actor is Canadian. The character is essentially American. Actors and characters are different people. Easy for audiences to confuse, I suppose, since screenwriters seem to no longer understand the difference.
I know the nationality of the actor who plays the captain, but the OP was referring to the characters, unless you're suggesting Leonard Nimoy is a Vulcan... :)
I have long thought that were I to teach a leadership class I would use legendary fictional characters as my curriculum Kirk would be one of the featured characters, note this all from one episode
I did EVERYMAN in college as a Student Play. I was Everyman & worked with a bunch of our small school ensemble. We all noticed that the Director was couching all of his acting advice in terms of STAR TREK. Funny thing- it worked. We were familiar with all aspects of such a widely syndicated program. Sort of a common denominator 🖖
Notice how Kirk knocks Bailey into line by referring to him as a navigator than by his real name. Kirk was the best true leader out of all of the other Starfleet captains with Picard a close second followed by Sisko then Janeway.
You comment was great until you mentioned that cheesy next generation stuff and all the other cheesy garbage that followed it. The ONLY BEST STAR TREK OUT THERE IS THE ORIGINAL STAR TREK SERIES, IT RULES MAN!
Now I just finally realized how much inspiration Mass Effect took from Star Trek. Although I've never watched the show before I would very much like to.
The original show was great. I think so were The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. They each had their dud episodes like any show, but they were few and far between. Great movies too. The reboot ones were a lot dumber, but still enjoyable.
Captain James Tiberius Kirk is the Captain of all captains. Even The Sisko looks up to him. People have called Kirk a cowboy which he is ( A born leader, courageous, tough-minded, trusts his instincts, knows when to talk or use cowboy diplomacy and won't back down from the right thing to do ever) but that's because they don't understand him and won't bother to try. After all, Star Trek was molded after the famous Western tv series "Wagon Train" in a format called "Wagon Train to the stars", so no other mold would fit Kirk but to be a space-faring cowboy, like the 1930s comic and serial versions of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers The best episodes of the first seasons show this off magnificently: The Man Trap, Where No man has gone before, The Naked Time, Dagger of the Mind, The Menagerie, The Conscience of the King, Balance of Terror, Court Martial, Space Seed, A Taste of Armageddon, The Alternative Factor, and Operation--Annihilate! all show Kirk as a hero of the final frontier in the same way that James Arness played Matt Dillon, John Russell played Dan Troop or Eric Fleming portrayed the Trail boss Gil Favor in Rawhide. The later seasons move away from this and try to push political commentary instead of space adventure and discovery, thus Kirk gets turned into a Casanova but for certain episodes like Amok Time, Journey to Babel, Doomsday Machine, The Obsession, Patterns of Force, The Ultimate Computer and The Enterprise Incident. As a result, Kirk is turned into a Casanova not as tough as he used to be. Not until DS9 and Voyager do the old space western flavor return with gutsy commanders who can tough it out while not looking silly. Will Riker from TNG hits it now and again while Sisko is Kirk in another color and Janeway at her best is James Kirk in feminine form with all the empathy and intrepidity thereof. Janeway's XO Chakotey deserves mention as does Tom Paris at his best. Every best episode of DS9 and VOY or even ENT could have been done by the TOS crew; from the appearance of the USS Defiant and the Dominion War to Janeway's liberation Seven of Nine and the final battle to get home, all of the best Berman-era Star Trek characters owe TOS James T Kirk for showing them how it's done.
The movie reboots often times ignored just how good of a Captain Kirk really was. He knew what he was doing, and rarely went by the seat of his pants, and when he did, he had years of training and experience beneath him guiding him.
Captain James T. Kirk : After a whole century, what will a Romulan ship look like, Mr. Stiles? I doubt if they'll radio and identify themselves. Stiles : You'll know, sir. They're painted like a giant bird of prey. Captain James T. Kirk : I had no idea that history was your specialty. Stiles : Family history. There was a Captain Stiles in space service then; two commanders; several junior officers. All lost in that war, sir. Captain James T. Kirk : THEIR war, Mr. Stiles. Not yours.
The fact that this whole episode is just a bottle episode but as entertaining as a normal one shows how amazing the actors and writing aree in TOS. Ya, TOS might be too dramatic for today's standards but you can't deny the fact, that TOS had some very advanced and futuristic thoughts both scientifically and philosophically for its time.
Kirk commands and delegates. He doesn't control or supervise. He doesn't coach or support. He doesn't train or instruct. So he only demonstrates one corner of adaptive leadership. This evidently works well with the type of people he leads - highly motivated, highly confident, highly skilled professionals, the best of the best of Starfleet. But it would likely serve him poorly if he attempted to lead anyone else.
The nutjobs that hate on the Shat because of this idea that Hollywood actors ACTUALLY have to be the character they portray on TV, never seem to figure out that he was an actor in the '60s. But he built that character and inspired a generation of us Fanboys. Always enjoyed this Character
James T. Kirk will always be my idea of what a Captain of a Starship could be, must be - what real authority should be. Shatner played him to the hilt consistently and is perfection in the role. The only time mankind had equal in real history was during the age of sail, which a ship would have been out of touch with the mainland for as much a year or two. Read Captain Hornblower or Captain Aubrey, both gives the same feeling. Recently I realized that I really needed to go back and buy the original series and the movies. Doing that soon.
When I was in the Army I had a Platoon Sergeant that took a battery-powered TV to the field just for STAR TREK. He pretty much turned into Kirk. He saved one guy's life in the field, & fended-off some Evil Civilian Petty Bureaucrats for me. Great guy!!🖖
Never cared for the character Mr Bailey. He was a bit unbelievable as part of the bridge crew. Many times it was if he thought he should be in command. I expect they were attempting to add a little personality to the bridge crew but it just did not come off as believable for a military vessel.
A very good adventure SciFi show for its time. Nothing like it before. Shatner was the star of show so it focused mainly on him. Everyone else were supporting. But then the 6 other supporting became popular and got their own following. The prime directive was followed only when needed or necessary for drama & story. That's why t.o.s. & continuing spin-offs are so well beloved. CANCELED after 3 seasons but lives forever in tv & movie land.
Burk- According to what I've read, the reason for the cancellation was that the Network believed the audience wasn't there due to the way the viewership was counted at the time. In fact, when researchers looked back on it years later, they found that ST:TOS was reaching EXACTLY the audience the Network wanted- the 20-35 demo.
@@mdbruffy Here's the story. The NBC network nitwits wanted Gene Roddenberry to make Star Trek a space comedy. Gene outrightly refused to do so. So, NBC, exacted revenge and shifted the show from time slot to time slot, day to day so that the Nielson ratings would go down and they would have a reason to cancel the series. Just to show you that NBC there was dumber than two sticks and a rock, after the final season episode in the third season was aired, which, was prempted many times until the early week of June, 1969, a month later the moon landing in July of that year, sparking even an earlier preditiction by Edith Keeler in the first season episode of Star Trek, City On The Edge Of Forever. If the Original Star Trek series could have been given yet another season, the show would have had gone through the roof in popularity and the sky was no limit. As stated before, NBC was dumber than two sticks and a rock.
I like Picard's character, but that ONE speech ("risk is our business") is better that all the Picard speeches combined. Shatner is DEFINITELY underrated by some.
Watching Star Trek as a young kid all of these actors were role models of mine. The reason I turned out the way I did with tolerances and acceptance toward people the way I have!
Someone once told me that each member of the crew represented different perspective to Kirk, Spock - Logic, Bones - Emotion, Scotty - Negativity etc. has anyone else heard this?
💫✨ I’ve heard similar . . . With Bones & Spock balancing Kirk’s acute intuition of how and when to act on a hunch & spontaneity. Now, Scotty - Negativity intrigues me. I can really concede to that when something “appears” as if there’s no solution, as Scotty would state the facts of a situation! I’d suggest that the idea that Kirk DID NOT believe in a “No Win Situation” was nurtured further by the fact that he referred to his Chief Engineer as a/the “Miracle Worker” and that explores the concept of Kirk’s Idealism. ‘There’s always another alternative - a fighting chance at life!’ So, my analysis would result in : Scotty - Idealism. IMHO only regarding TOS command crew as respects the members and their contributions to the character of the unflappable Capt James T. Kirk, the OG 🐐 to ever command the Starship Enterprise : NCC-1701 : Thanks for bringing this up, @harryc1971! 💫✨
It was also a very different Hollywood in the1960s. . The majority of males in the industry had served in the military at some point, and quite a few had seen action in WW2 or Korea. There was consensus on how a "leader" was supposed to act in dangerous situations.
It's clips like this that really highlight how bad the caricatures of Kirk seen in shows like Family Guy are and how *parody* influenced the reboot series *more* than the real thing did.
So true! Ug, I hate some of the stuff that they did. But I don't consider it canon, so I usually don't let it bother me, only when someone starts extolling it, or calls Chris Pine, Captain Kirk( a sacrilege if there ever was one) , do I get super worked up. lol
Would have loved to see this series go at least one more year, seven would have been awesome. When it went into syndication in the 1970's I and others would watch it two or three times a day at college.
Kirk has this rep as a shoot first ask questions later cowboy....but it's really not true. Yes, he's violated orders and has made mistakes. But he admits those and takes consequences. He does understand that he's representing the UFP and acts accordingly.
![Cody Johnson - I'm Gonna Love You (with Carrie Underwood) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yy9PuYMU29g/mqdefault.jpg)
Shatner deserves a far better reputation for his acting. He was excellent as the best Star Trek captain.
He was a stage actor who didn't understand that the camera changes everything. You don't need to overemote so the back seats can see you. The subtlest look is picked up by the camera. If he recognized that he would have been 10x the actor. Still the best Star Trek captain though haha.
Wonderful. TOS Kirk has been misunderstood for decades! Shatner's Kirk was a brilliant, intuitive, and authoritative Star Fleet officer. We wouldn't be having a 50 year celebration of Star Trek if he wasn't.
PS
I notice all these clips are from my #1 favorite TOS. “The Corbomit Maneuver”
Maureen Tuohy ... Agreed and well said.
Yeap, he's much better of a starship Captain then that stupid, cheesy next generation childish stuff. Ole picard there, all he does is flip his hands over his head and saying engage make it so. The Original Star Trek Series will ALWAYS BE THE ONLY BEST STAR TREK OUT THERE!
Agreed 100%.
@@danbasta3677 agree
@@danbasta3677 oh shut up Picard is brilliant. He’s had some of the most AMAZING scenes in the whole of the ST fandom!! What about all the fights against the Borg? Or defending Data’s sentience and self-awareness? What about ALL the times he’s jeopardized his career because he refuses to blindly follow orders? Picard is a fantastic captain and a brilliant man. Smart. Tactical. Accomplished. I wonder if you’ve even watched TNG or just blindly hate on it.
Superb. William Shaterner at his very best. Captain Kurt is my favorite character. Wooooo!
1:00 - One of those "That's my goddamn captain!" Scotty moments.
Kirk has always been my fav captain. What amazes me is how Kirk like William Shatner’s life has been.
Best Captain on the Bridge!
I've heard snobs denigrate Shatner's acting ability for decades. Yet his work is still standing. I think most of it is jealousy.
he's such a underrated actor, he's also wonderful in the twilight zone.
@Norman He consistently says Shatner is a great actor and one of his early role models.
Yes he was born for the role and sulu should have had a red shirt on and then a quick exit first episode.
he's fine
@@TheFrog767 I totally agree. He bitches about Shatner stealing his lines etc. He got way more to do than Chekov, Uhura, etc. He's just one of the group Dee called 'the 7 dwarves'
Gene Roddenberry had been an army officer, airline pilot and police officer before becoming a writer. Like former naval officer Robert Heinlein, he grounded his futuristic stories in real-life understanding of command positions and how people react in military organizations.
Indeed well said
Which is something the newer trek, even Strange New Worlds which I love, is sorely lacking. Everyone says what they think, everyone is buddies and jokes during a crisis. In TOS and especially TNG, that kind of familiarity took seasons to develop.
And yet Gene still couldn't envision a future with intelligent, professional, capable people being able to function competently without being commanded by a superior authority sitting in a big chair.
@@pwnmeisterage that's not how a team works. No matter which century.
@@pwnmeisterage they are in deep deadly unexplored space. Not in some safe suburbs of Earth. Have you even ever watched the show? LMFAO
When a 1960's TV show with cheap effects has 1000x better writing than modern day sci fi!!
Babylon 5 notwithstanding. Wait...
It's over 20 years old.
@@johngregory4801 Chekov would disagree. Oh wait, Alfred Bester would dispute Chekov. Battle Royale Sci-Fi Death Match of the Ages ensues!
@@michaelnguyen823 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Because plot is matter, not a btight picture
FWIW, Star Trek's effects were pretty state of the art for 60's TV. Look at Buck Rodgers made over 10 years later.
Outstanding actor perfect for that role.
Well excuse me, I don’t seem to recall asking you a question.
Star Trek always required a well-versed thespian type to take on the role of Captain. So many episodes with strange anomalies where Kirk or Picard would become emotional, deranged, brainwashed, etc. It was an entire catelogue of emotions that I feel only only those types had the flexibility to convincingly pull off.
Yes 🥂 perfect
Kirk: "It's time for action, gentlemen."
Baily: "Fire everything, captain?"
Kirk: "This isn't an Abrams film."
Nice.
Yeah, Kirk offered Nero help, when he refused, Kirk orders his crew to fire. I was like "what?" when I seen that in theaters. Offer help, but they better not refuse, or else I will unleash my wrath!
Up until then though, I really enjoyed the film. Then I spotted more on rewatch. But if you turn your brain off, the Abrams films were still enjoyable. It just Star Trek used to be more intelligent sci-fi than what the late 2000s and modern day has made it.
@@jerobriggs6861 Nero did destroy Vulcan, killing countless people.
I know he gets criticized for over-the-top acting. But, he is a well-educated actor with early training as a classical Shakespearean actor. It shows. As opposed to most contemporary male actors mumbling their lines (a criticism often made by English actors towards Americans) he projected authority, emotions, and cadence that stood out. One of a kind..
Shatner got into the habit of emotional shortcuts in performance under the time pressure of filming -- telling us what he was feeling, instead of making us feel it. Doing shtick rather than playing the reality of each scene. But when he put out his A-game he was very good.
2022
The guy is 95, and has actually gone to space. What have his critics done?
He may have had some over the top performances in Star Trek, but his acting greatly improved over the years thereafter.
He was always a great actor. I never found his performances as over-acting, except when he intentionally did it in other programs for humorous purposes. I could only think of one scene in the whole of Star Trek where he "over-acted", and I think that scene required him to do it, but the scene taken out of context could be seen as over-acting.
Given good direction and writing, Shatner's acting can be brilliant.
The best thing about Kirk is he always stood up for his crew and always did what was best for them. Tough but fair. But never cruel.
Shatner is the greatest Captain. Smart, funny, direct, risk taker and not above bending the rules a bit.
And no Shakespeare, except in Kang mouth.
The willingness to bend the rules was written into the character as he developed part of his growth from being on his own having to make critical decisions without being able to contact his superiors much of the time
I remember when Kirk was giving the eulogy for Spock in the movie and his voice cracked ever so briefly during the line "He was the most....human." The pause before he says the word 'human' and the voice inflection was masterful.
Another great moment was when he said "Let's get the hell out of here" in that ragged voice at the end of City on the Edge of Forever.
That's why he is a great actor.
People love Picard, but Kirk is supremely awesome in his own regard, being the first captain to set all the standards afterwards.
After the hatchet job the Picard series has done to Picard as a character, with characters constantly belittleling him etc, Kirk comes out far and away as the better of the two Star Trek captains. I can no longer take Picard as having any of the traits mentioned of Kirk here.
Kirk is 100 times the captain Piccard is, put them at sea on man o wars and see who wins!
Picard showed his weakness in "I, Borg."
Given the chance to destroy the Borg he passed & thus is responsible for all the death & destruction committed by the Borg from that point.
Capt Kirk would have pulled the trigger on the Borg & saved billions of lives.
I'm not sure why Picard and TNG get such high praise. Even Sisko and DS9 are better Trek entries. People say, "oh, you have to get into season 2 for TNG to get good." I didn't have to wait for TOS or DS9 to "get good".
@@24framedavinci39 Agree. Honestly, if it weren't for Data and Worf I don't think I would have watched TNG past season 2. It has its moments of brilliance but it's definitely overrated as a series and Picard as a captain.
When it comes to Star Trek, there's only one man I really want in the command seat of the bridge, and here he is, in one of the best episodes of the show, facing a no win scenario with the brilliance that shows us why he is the Captain.
Yes, in this great episode, "The Corbomite Maneuver", Kirk defeats a Kobayashi Maru scenario.
Outside of Janeway, Kirk is the captain I would follow.
@@Cyberium - No way in hell I would follow Insaneway.
If I had to choose it would be Kirk, Riker or Archer.
picard all day, although I like kirks character better.
Bollywood ! Is one ! Thing ! Bezos ! Rockets ! Another !!
Shatner was great casting. As well written as Kirk was in many episodes, Shatner always brought out more then what was written.
If you look up his background, you will see that William Shatner started his acting career as an extremely well-regarded stage Shakespearean actor. He appeared in many Shakespearean plays and received exemplary reviews.
TOS towers above all the recent "treks," it's so sad to think our culture has lost the ability to create great shows like this; ditch the fancy sets and SFX and bring back the writing, and acting!
The ship had just been condemned to destruction by a powerful alien vessel and the situation looked hopeless so at 0:30 this was Kirk acting to maintain crew order and composure by displaying it himself with his own words and vocal tone. It was his "if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs" moment. It’s what great leaders do during such moments.
Just like in the episode Court Marshall, when he was on the stand defending his actions, stating that he did everything his experience and training required him to do if he were to save his ship, and NOTHING is more important than my ship.Excellent episode of Star Trek!
@@danbasta3677 silver star with cluster,,,,medal of honor,,,purple heart of galiant victory,,,,,lolol classic episode
"if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs"
You obviously don't understand the gravity of the situation. 😁
@@BedsitBob That is what they would like you to think but the man acting upon his wisdom prevails .
If is one of the greatest poems. Sad so few know it.
I don't see why people say Shatner "over-acted." Everyone in the series could be accused of the same. Many like him had theatre training. It was the style of a lot of the shows at the time. He was an incredible Captain and deserves a lot more respect for it than he gets.
The original Kirk, Spock and McCoy - they will always be the foundation of Star Trek for me.
I think people are over critical of him because they're sitting on their computers, tablets, and phones at home. It's easy to criticize somebody who's living their dreams and you're well, just watching. I'd like to all his critics do better, if given the chance the show, the movies, everything would have been dead in the water along time ago. Shattner whether people like it or not set the standard if he didn't portray Kirk like he did. Who knows all the other captains after him would have been the same. I like Picard but can you imagine all captains acting like him? I always thought while he was a good starship captain he came off a little prickish sometimes honestly. But you can see Kirk in Janeway, Sisko, and now you get to see pre Kirk in Pike. Let's face it Kirk is the beginning and probably will be the end...
I bet the theater training, where your audience is sitting fifty feet away sometimes, is part of the sense that he's exaggerated compared to todays actors who likely cut their teeth on small screen.
@@williehouff4944 I love how all of the Captains are different. But I also love that Janeway, to me, is the best of both Kirk and Picard, with female influence and perspective thrown in.
If you look at any of the scenes in which Shatner is supposed to have "over acted" it's in an insanely mind bending stressful situation no one can relate to.
@@captainjefferies9047 or, Captain Kirk's body is overtaken by a madwoman, or he is infected with the alcohol virus, or he is split into good Kirk and dark Kirk. Usually, it's written into the script that Kirk goes nutty. Even then , there are so few really over-the-top scenes, and I love them all!
"Are you explaining, Mr Bailey? I haven't requested an explanation" 🥶🥶
And the look on Uhura’s face while Kirk was saying that…
And to think how he's reached the ripe old age of 90, got "spaced" out, can still cry a man's tears, and isn't too old to learn.
Best captain. Best ship. Best show.
I have used “on my personal authority as Captain of the Enterprise”, “I have guards around the grain, I have guards around the Klingons” and “I wonder what Star Fleet command will say about that” as leadership mantras throughout my career to much success.
Kirk was THE MAN . I watched everyday when i was a kid to repeats on WWDC - DC 20 . Also i love lucy paid for star trek ty lucy n desi
How did I Love Lucy pay for star trek?
Desiu productions but she sold it to CBS since she knew nothing of the business , now Desi created the Untouchables and other shows in the 50s
@@speedracer1945 Not hardly. Lucy sold her studio Desilu to Gulf and Western, which at the time also owned Paramount, and immediately merged the two operations since they shared the same block of real estate. This was right after Star Trek’s first season on the air. All subsequent Star Trek productions were Paramount properties. The studios had a contract with NBC to air the show then. It was never a hit during the NBC years and was lucky to last three seasons. CBS did not obtain ownership of Star Trek until quite recently when they bought Viacom, which itself had acquired Paramount many years before. Gulf and Western disappeared a long time ago.
And the OP’s statement that I Love Lucy paid for Star Trek is not untrue but stretches logic nearly to its breaking point.
@@stantheman9072 correct
What I loved about Space Seed was that you really saw Kirk in action. I love the scene when Spock pesters Khan with questions until he blows his top. Then Khan realizes Kirk was testing his patience.
William Shatner made this dhow
They don't make trek captains like this anymore 😔
Chris Pine's Krik, although greatly acted, was never Kirk to me. The writing made him out to be irresponsible, childish, and sometimes our right dumb. Beyond was the closest we got to real Kirk, and even then. But Chris did a great job with what he was given, and at times, he does actually seem like Captain Kirk.
I meant out right dumb. Mistyped it as our right.
I love this collection. There are wonderful things to learn from this great work. Thanks a lot, waiting for more...
From A struggling actor who was living in pickup truck and to see him in Warth of Khan, was... emotional. Definitely my fav. Also loved T J Hooker.
Kirk is the best Captain ever. Seriously. I love him.
Kirk was the best captain in the fleet, always was and always will be.
The scripts were well written, and it would appear that each character took their role very seriously. Now, back to the reality of which we now live in...
The Captain Kirk of the series and the outrageously exaggerated character we've come to know are two completely different people. Captain Kirk was an incredible captain and a very capable man. The parody of him is goofy and does not show who he really was.
What parody?
@@starship1701 Not a single parody, but the image that has been cultivated over the years of this character. The best example, a condensed version of how the public views Kirk in general was encapsulated in this early clip from Family Guy - ruclips.net/video/SzNkvffsdpo/видео.html
Shatner is quite a different character than Kirk.
He did indeed establish the role well. With outstanding performances in many scenes.
But he was also comically hamfisted and incompetent in many other scenes. And sometimes a narcissistic, arrogant, obnoxious ass off camera. He deserves much of the negative criticism he's received over the years.
@@EazyCheeze No it's actually Kevin Pollak's impression.
That look on Uhura's face is priceless at 1:34! Like you done messed up now!
1:34 I always got a kick out of Uhura looking like she's wishing Baily would just shut up lol.
Yea still the best captain!
Kirk had something no other captian had,he seem to know more than every crew member did about the ship,he would never say I am willing to entertain suggestions.
what does he say at 0:08 though? "Have all the department ... meet me on the bridge?" I welcome any suggestions that might make sense :)
you are right,he welcomed them,how often did he follow other's advise?I will keep that in mind,when this becomes a democracy
he said, "department heads" i.e the senior staff.
The Capt.
Kirk did turn to Spock for
analysis and suggestions. But he knew the Enterprise inside and out. Great t.v. series and they had microwaves on the ship!!! Wow.
There's a certain story-telling reason for that. The Original Star Trek only had William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley as the stars - which means the other characters were rarely central to the plot.
In subsequent Trek series', the entire bridge crew were main characters, meaning that they had to be involved in one way or another every so often.
You left out the part from "The Doomsday Machine" when he talks back to an unfit superior officer who is needlessly sending his crew to their deaths over a vendetta.
oh shit i remember that, then the superior officer kills himself and saves the day because kirk reminded him of what it meant to be a leader
That is the ultimate Kirk moment. He relieves a superior officer, because Kirk.
One of the best episodes and my favorite of the 2nd season.
Love to work under a leader like him !
The world needs more leaders like Captain Kirk.
unless your job is security
I'm a natural born leader but just watching star trek all of them including Archer. One thing you have to do is show the people under you your appreciation. Whether you fail or succeed, you also have to keep it together even when nothing is going your way. That's Kirk he can be easy going, a hard ass if he has to, but he never took his crew for granted he owed them that....
He was a great captain. He's the type of leader I would follow and support. As for his acting, I think he's amazing.
Agreed on all points
Still the greatest Star Trek Captain of ALL time, in ANY time, no matter from which outer or inner universe.
Great job Mr.Shatner.
Forever a TV Legend.
What did you think of the ROCK IT MAN?!!🤠🖖
Kirk also speaks(and thinks) faster than other Captains
Kirk lives ❤ forever 🖖
A Starship staffed with a full international crew (including a Vulcan)... Captained by a calm, intelligent, physically and psychologically fit Canadian in his prime. Perfect!!!
I thought he was from Iowa or Idaho. I'm too lazy to look it up.
The actor is Canadian. The character is essentially American.
Actors and characters are different people. Easy for audiences to confuse, I suppose, since screenwriters seem to no longer understand the difference.
I know the nationality of the actor who plays the captain, but the OP was referring to the characters, unless you're suggesting Leonard Nimoy is a Vulcan... :)
@@ChickSage But if OP was talking about the characters... Jim Kirk (the character) was from Iowa!!!
@@aerospacematt9147 Thank you, I get those two mixed up sometimes heh :)
Love William Shatner and looked up to him for the last 50 years
I have long thought that were I to teach a leadership class I would use legendary fictional characters as my curriculum Kirk would be one of the featured characters, note this all from one episode
I did EVERYMAN in college as a Student Play. I was Everyman & worked with a bunch of our small school ensemble. We all noticed that the Director was couching all of his acting advice in terms of STAR TREK. Funny thing- it worked. We were familiar with all aspects of such a widely syndicated program. Sort of a common denominator 🖖
Captain Kirk was my everything xx
Kirk , Spock and McCoy were all part of a ego. Kirk the super ego , Spock the ego and McCoy the Id .
He's my everything too, Claire. I ❤️ him so much.
He had a part in "Judgement at Nuremburg" as a Captain in the U.S.Army. Spring training before the timeless Kirk role? The world may never know.
Yes that's right and many other roles that showed his dramatic talent as well. He's a brilliant actor. He has instinctive comic timing too.
Excellent collection of clips, but this isn't nearly long enough to do Kirk justice, check out McMahonHaters "Hurt" tribute.
I never understood why people would meme on Kirk accentuating every syllable to a comedic effect
Superb actor
Notice how Kirk knocks Bailey into line by referring to him as a navigator than by his real name. Kirk was the best true leader out of all of the other Starfleet captains with Picard a close second followed by Sisko then Janeway.
All I remember about TNG was Picard holding endless meetings.
Romulan2469 .... Is it me or does Bailey look a lot like the professor from Gilligan's Island?
@@manco828 flips his hands over his head and saying engage make it so. That next generation stuff is stupid and cheesy. Hate it.
You comment was great until you mentioned that cheesy next generation stuff and all the other cheesy garbage that followed it. The ONLY BEST STAR TREK OUT THERE IS THE ORIGINAL STAR TREK SERIES, IT RULES MAN!
Totally agree
No this is incorrect. kirk was a frat boy who never knew what he was doing. Haven’t you seen the new Star Trek movies? 🤦🏾♂️
There are some out there who will not appreciate the sarcasm of this genius comment
We don't talk about those movies
@@tylongkicks8821 What movies?
@@possiblepilotdeviation5791 Abrams Star Trek Universe
@@tylongkicks8821 Again, what movies?
Now I just finally realized how much inspiration Mass Effect took from Star Trek. Although I've never watched the show before I would very much like to.
Have you now?
The original show was great. I think so were The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. They each had their dud episodes like any show, but they were few and far between. Great movies too. The reboot ones were a lot dumber, but still enjoyable.
At least the newer films I mean. Not the newer TV shows. I hate them.
The look on Scotty’s face at 1:00 was “Say it brother”
An exemplary example of Kirk's leadership qualities. Keep up the great work!!
Love it! Leadership and masculinity defined! This was what men were made of
He looks like a leader, but then. William Shatner is an Aries , born leaders.
hocus pocus stars bullshit on a sci fi show wtf
Tyson Jandreau LOL u said it
Jack, you're right, Aries are born leaders...forget the butthurt Non-Aries guys above
@@aspiknf Idiotic astrology
no wonder spock trusted kirk, he was the best leader
Captain James Tiberius Kirk is the Captain of all captains. Even The Sisko looks up to him. People have called Kirk a cowboy which he is ( A born leader, courageous, tough-minded, trusts his instincts, knows when to talk or use cowboy diplomacy and won't back down from the right thing to do ever) but that's because they don't understand him and won't bother to try.
After all, Star Trek was molded after the famous Western tv series "Wagon Train" in a format called "Wagon Train to the stars", so no other mold would fit Kirk but to be a space-faring cowboy, like the 1930s comic and serial versions of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers
The best episodes of the first seasons show this off magnificently: The Man Trap, Where No man has gone before, The Naked Time, Dagger of the Mind, The Menagerie, The Conscience of the King, Balance of Terror, Court Martial, Space Seed, A Taste of Armageddon, The Alternative Factor, and Operation--Annihilate! all show Kirk as a hero of the final frontier in the same way that James Arness played Matt Dillon, John Russell played Dan Troop or Eric Fleming portrayed the Trail boss Gil Favor in Rawhide.
The later seasons move away from this and try to push political commentary instead of space adventure and discovery, thus Kirk gets turned into a Casanova but for certain episodes like Amok Time, Journey to Babel, Doomsday Machine, The Obsession, Patterns of Force, The Ultimate Computer and The Enterprise Incident. As a result, Kirk is turned into a Casanova not as tough as he used to be.
Not until DS9 and Voyager do the old space western flavor return with gutsy commanders who can tough it out while not looking silly. Will Riker from TNG hits it now and again while Sisko is Kirk in another color and Janeway at her best is James Kirk in feminine form with all the empathy and intrepidity thereof. Janeway's XO Chakotey deserves mention as does Tom Paris at his best.
Every best episode of DS9 and VOY or even ENT could have been done by the TOS crew; from the appearance of the USS Defiant and the Dominion War to Janeway's liberation Seven of Nine and the final battle to get home, all of the best Berman-era Star Trek characters owe TOS James T Kirk for showing them how it's done.
I will still never get why anyone would prefer a bald French guy over Captain James T. Kirk.
The movie reboots often times ignored just how good of a Captain Kirk really was. He knew what he was doing, and rarely went by the seat of his pants, and when he did, he had years of training and experience beneath him guiding him.
This was the very first regular episode filmed. Really well written, well directed and top notch acting by everyone.
Congratulations you finally will make it to the final frontier!
Kirk is a personification of being a captain. It' is Shatner that gives him the qualities of leadership.
Kirk is The Legend that all other Starfleet Captains follow.
Captain James T. Kirk : After a whole century, what will a Romulan ship look like, Mr. Stiles? I doubt if they'll radio and identify themselves.
Stiles : You'll know, sir. They're painted like a giant bird of prey.
Captain James T. Kirk : I had no idea that history was your specialty.
Stiles : Family history. There was a Captain Stiles in space service then; two commanders; several junior officers. All lost in that war, sir.
Captain James T. Kirk : THEIR war, Mr. Stiles. Not yours.
The fact that this whole episode is just a bottle episode but as entertaining as a normal one shows how amazing the actors and writing aree in TOS. Ya, TOS might be too dramatic for today's standards but you can't deny the fact, that TOS had some very advanced and futuristic thoughts both scientifically and philosophically for its time.
Kirk commands and delegates. He doesn't control or supervise. He doesn't coach or support. He doesn't train or instruct. So he only demonstrates one corner of adaptive leadership. This evidently works well with the type of people he leads - highly motivated, highly confident, highly skilled professionals, the best of the best of Starfleet. But it would likely serve him poorly if he attempted to lead anyone else.
The nutjobs that hate on the Shat because of this idea that Hollywood actors ACTUALLY have to be the character they portray on TV, never seem to figure out that he was an actor in the '60s. But he built that character and inspired a generation of us Fanboys. Always enjoyed this Character
Captain Kirk was the youngest of all the Star Trek captains and the most confident!
James T. Kirk will always be my idea of what a Captain of a Starship could be, must be - what real authority should be. Shatner played him to the hilt consistently and is perfection in the role. The only time mankind had equal in real history was during the age of sail, which a ship would have been out of touch with the mainland for as much a year or two. Read Captain Hornblower or Captain Aubrey, both gives the same feeling. Recently I realized that I really needed to go back and buy the original series and the movies. Doing that soon.
Excellent analysis, Kathleen! All a great captain needs is "a ship and a star to steer her by"!
@@raymondsearch5289 Thank you. I did buy the original series and I am enjoying them as much as 70 as I did at 16. That amazes me.
When I was in the Army I had a Platoon Sergeant that took a battery-powered TV to the field just for STAR TREK. He pretty much turned into Kirk. He saved one guy's life in the field, & fended-off some Evil Civilian Petty Bureaucrats for me. Great guy!!🖖
Kirl really too charge in the Corbmight maneuver.
My Favourite Star Trek series. Watched them all during my school years.
It was really a delight to see Kirk mature into the role over the course of the Kelvin Timeline films.
James T. Kirk for president in 2024. 🗽 🇺🇸
Can't Shat was born in Canada. :)
@@leftcoaster67 Darn there's always a fly in the ointment, oh well. 😟
I’ve often wondered what happened to Bailey.
I always thought he was the best Captain. Archer is a close second.
You choose a great episode to highlight Kirk.
Never cared for the character Mr Bailey. He was a bit unbelievable as part of the bridge crew. Many times it was if he thought he should be in command. I expect they were attempting to add a little personality to the bridge crew but it just did not come off as believable for a military vessel.
The more I watch this old stuff and watch Discovery, the more I like both more and more.
This is the reason why his crew follow him to the end of the Universe!
A very good adventure SciFi show for its time. Nothing like it before. Shatner was the star of show so it focused mainly on him. Everyone else were supporting. But then the 6 other supporting became popular and got their own following. The prime directive was followed only when needed or necessary for drama & story. That's why t.o.s. & continuing spin-offs are so well beloved. CANCELED after 3 seasons but lives forever in tv & movie land.
Kirk.Spock.McCoy.Scotty.Uhura.Sulu.Chekov.
Burk- According to what I've read, the reason for the cancellation was that the Network believed the audience wasn't there due to the way the viewership was counted at the time. In fact, when researchers looked back on it years later, they found that ST:TOS was reaching EXACTLY the audience the Network wanted- the 20-35 demo.
@@mdbruffy Here's the story. The NBC network nitwits wanted Gene Roddenberry to make Star Trek a space comedy. Gene outrightly refused to do so. So, NBC, exacted revenge and shifted the show from time slot to time slot, day to day so that the Nielson ratings would go down and they would have a reason to cancel the series. Just to show you that NBC there was dumber than two sticks and a rock, after the final season episode in the third season was aired, which, was prempted many times until the early week of June, 1969, a month later the moon landing in July of that year, sparking even an earlier preditiction by Edith Keeler in the first season episode of Star Trek, City On The Edge Of Forever. If the Original Star Trek series could have been given yet another season, the show would have had gone through the roof in popularity and the sky was no limit. As stated before, NBC was dumber than two sticks and a rock.
Weird seeing Uhura in command gold
In space he is the Best Captain of all time.
I like Picard's character, but that ONE speech ("risk is our business") is better that all the Picard speeches combined. Shatner is DEFINITELY underrated by some.
💫✨ 🎬🎭 I unswervingly agree with you! 🎬🎭 He portrayed that scene brilliantly!!! 🎬🎭
Watching Star Trek as a young kid all of these actors were role models of mine. The reason I turned out the way I did with tolerances and acceptance toward people the way I have!
Someone once told me that each member of the crew represented different perspective to Kirk, Spock - Logic, Bones - Emotion, Scotty - Negativity etc. has anyone else heard this?
💫✨ I’ve heard similar . . . With Bones & Spock balancing Kirk’s acute intuition of how and when to act on a hunch & spontaneity. Now, Scotty - Negativity intrigues me. I can really concede to that when something “appears” as if there’s no solution, as Scotty would state the facts of a situation! I’d suggest that the idea that Kirk DID NOT believe in a “No Win Situation” was nurtured further by the fact that he referred to his Chief Engineer as a/the “Miracle Worker” and that explores the concept of Kirk’s Idealism. ‘There’s always another alternative - a fighting chance at life!’ So, my analysis would result in : Scotty - Idealism. IMHO only regarding TOS command crew as respects the members and their contributions to the character of the unflappable Capt James T. Kirk, the OG 🐐 to ever command the Starship Enterprise : NCC-1701 : Thanks for bringing this up, @harryc1971! 💫✨
Corbomite Maneuver. Love that episode
It was also a very different Hollywood in the1960s. . The majority of males in the industry had served in the military at some point, and quite a few had seen action in WW2 or Korea. There was consensus on how a "leader" was supposed to act in dangerous situations.
It's clips like this that really highlight how bad the caricatures of Kirk seen in shows like Family Guy are and how *parody* influenced the reboot series *more* than the real thing did.
So true! Ug, I hate some of the stuff that they did. But I don't consider it canon, so I usually don't let it bother me, only when someone starts extolling it, or calls Chris Pine, Captain Kirk( a sacrilege if there ever was one) , do I get super worked up. lol
Would have loved to see this series go at least one more year, seven would have been awesome. When it went into syndication in the 1970's I and others would watch it two or three times a day at college.
💫✨ Logical 🖖 Thinking 💫✨
Damn! "The Corbomite Maneuver" is SO good!
My heroe since i was a kid.
Kirk has this rep as a shoot first ask questions later cowboy....but it's really not true. Yes, he's violated orders and has made mistakes. But he admits those and takes consequences. He does understand that he's representing the UFP and acts accordingly.
Kirk > Picard any day all day
Shatner and Connery....you can't beat the original.
💫✨ 🐐 OG’s ; NO QUEs! 🐐 💫✨
Old school leadership
Geez... Shatner and MR. Kelly... amazing actors. Hats off and salutes to both of them.
For me, it was always Kirk. He was a great leader and the Enterprise always came first.
Yes, he did read that script well, didn't he.......