Since his introduction in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films.
The death of James Kirk's father, Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), aboard the USS Kelvin drastically altered Jim's life in the Kelvin timeline of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, but the elder Kirk has yet to be introduced in Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). Not only has the show already made James' brother, Lt. Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte), a fully realized character, but Strange New Worlds also has the opportunity to introduce more of the Kirk family.
6 Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth)
James T. Kirk's Father
So far, Lt. George Kirk has only appeared on-screen in Star Trek (2009) as the First Officer aboard the USS Kelvin, under the command of Captain Richard Robau (Faran Tahir). At the age of 29, George had become the youngest First Officer in Starfleet by 2233, a record his son James would later beat. In the Kelvin universe, Lt. Kirk sacrificed his life to save the rest of his crew in a battle with the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana). However, in Star Trek's Prime universe, George Kirk survived at least long enough to see his son James take over command of the Starship Enterprise.
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George Kirk truly believed in the ideals of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, and his Starfleet career often kept him away from his family. Even at a young age, James came to understand how important his father's job was, which inspired him to later Starfleet. James followed directly in his father's footsteps, pursuing a command position in Starfleet, while his older brother, Sam Kirk, became a scientist. Sam felt his father had somewhat "old-fashioned" views regarding success, leading him to be a bit jealous of his younger brother's success.
5 Winona Kirk (Jennifer Morrison)
James T. Kirk's Mother
Although Winona Kirk appeared in the opening scenes of Star Trek (2009), even less is known about James and Sam's mother than their father. Winona was aboard the USS Kelvin in 2233 with her husband, Lt. George Kirk, and while her presence on the ship suggests that she, too, was a Starfleet officer, this has not been confirmed. Either way, Winona and her sons spent much of their lives following George as he moved from posting to posting.
Like her husband, Winona believed in Starfleet, and told her sons that their father spent his days "helping people who really need it."
In Star Trek's Kelvin universe, Winona Kirk was in labor when the villainous Romulan Nero attacked the USS Kelvin and was evacuated aboard a medical shuttle. She spoke with her husband just before the destruction of the Kelvin, and they decided on the name James Tiberius in George's final moments. At some point after the events of the film, Winona returned to Earth and later remarried, settling down in Iowa.
4 Unnamed Stepfather & Unnamed Uncle
James T. Kirk's Stepfather & Uncle
Sometime after George Kirk was killed aboard the USS Kelvin in Star Trek (2009), Winona Kirk remarried a man whose name remains unknown. This man became James and Sam's stepfather, helping raise them in Riverside, Iowa. The young James once stole his stepfather's Corvette, prompting the man to angrily call his stepson and demand that he return home. Although Star Trek (2009) reveals very little about Kirk's stepfather, his language in this scene suggests he may have been controlling and possibly even abusive (this is confirmed in the novelization of the film).
Greg Grunberg voiced James T. Kirk's stepfather in Star Trek (2009).
According to dialogue from Star Trek Generations, James Kirk also had an uncle who owned a farm in Idaho. Kirk spent time at this farm in the 2280s, where he met and fell in love with a woman named Antonia (Lynn Salvatori). James ultimately chose to end the relationship in 2284, prioritizing his Starfleet career. When Kirk was pulled into the Nexus, he experienced a version of the reality where he was retired and living with Antonia. Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) soon exit the Nexus to save Veridian III from Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell).
3 Lt. George Samuel Kirk (Dan Jeannotte)
James T. Kirk's Older Brother
Thanks to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, James' brother Sam has grown into an interesting character in his own right. Although Star Trek: The Original Series established that James had a brother in "Operation — Annihilate!," Sam was killed off in that same episode. Sam was born sometime before 2233 in Riverside, Iowa, and ed the crew of the USS Enterprise in 2259, under the command of Captain Christoper Pike (Anson Mount). Sam served in the science division as a xenoanthropologist and regularly went on away missions.
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While serving on the Enterprise, Sam helped his brother and Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) identify new extradimensional lifeforms in Bannon's Nebula, and he later faced off against the Gorn. By 2265, Sam was married and had three sons, as he witnessed his brother take command of the Enterprise. Sam then transferred to the Earth Colony II research station and soon began working as a civilian research biologist. Sam and his wife were tragically killed by flying parasites on Deneva Prime in 2267, although their son, Peter (Craig Hundley), survived.
2 Sam Kirk’s Family
James T. Kirk's Sister-In-Law & Nephews
Sam Kirk's wife, Aurelan (Joan Swift), appears in Star Trek: The Original Series' "Operation — Annihilate!," living with her family at an Earth colony on Deneva Prime. By the time Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise arrive, Aurelan has already been attacked and infected by the flying parasites that killed Sam. When James finds Aurelan in their family home, she is distraught and screaming about an unknown assailant. Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) is forced to sedate her and bring her and her unconscious son, Peter, back to the Enterprise.
According to dialogue from "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," Sam and Aurelan had two other sons, but they had apparently ed away by the time of "Operation — Annihilate!," as Dr. McCoy mentions that Peter is the last surviving member of Sam's family.
Aboard the Enterprise, Aurelan tells Captain Kirk what happened as best she can, revealing important information about the parasites that came to their planet eight months before. Although Aurelan tries to fight against the parasite inside of her, she eventually succumbs to the pain, dying aboard the Enterprise. Although they are too late to save Aurelan, Captain Kirk and his crew figure out how to destroy the parasites in time to save Sam and Aurelan's son, Peter.
1 David Marcus
James T. Kirk's Son With Dr. Carol Marcus
As revealed in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, James Kirk was romantically involved with Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) throughout the 2250s. Their romance was a complicated one, as Carol was a scientist who spent her days in a lab, while James was off exploring the galaxy. Despite this, Jim and Carol had a son named David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), who was born around 2260. Carol raised David, immersing him in her life of scientific research, and although she told David about his father, she never encouraged the two to meet.
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David followed in his mother's footsteps and, by 2284, the two were working together on Project Genesis. In 2285, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) sought out the Genesis Device in his quest for vengeance against Kirk, and David met his father. David came to respect his father after seeing Kirk battle Khan, and told James that he was proud to be his son. By the time of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, David was assigned to the USS Grissom to study the planet created by the explosion of the Genesis Device.
Modern Star Trek continues to explore the life and family of the iconic Enterprise captain.
When Klingons arrived to steal the Genesis Device, they threatened David and his team, including Lt. Saavik (Robin Curtis). When David lunged to protect Saavik, the Klingons killed him. This led Kirk to develop even stronger feelings against the Klingons, which arose in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. While Star Trek: The Original Series may not have revealed much about James T. Kirk's history, modern Star Trek continues to explore the life and family of the iconic Enterprise captain.
