Exactly 40 years later, Star Trek has just given James T. Kirk his greatest legacy yet. To be captain of the USS Enterprise is undoubtedly to be one of the most important figures in Starfleet, given the celebrated ship is the Federation’s flagship. James T. Kirk is one of the best captains in Star Trek history, and he leaves behind him a legacy of exploration and discovery that is almost unparalleled.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The new Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series is set centuries later, at the tail-end of the 32nd century. This is a time of change in the Star Trek timeline, when the Federation was re-establishing itself after a galactic catastrophe known as “the Burn.” In the aftermath of Earth’s decision to rejoin the Federation, Starfleet Academy is reopening in San Francisco. The campus honors Kirk in so many different ways – there’s even a James T. Kirk Pavilion – but it isn’t until episode 2 that we see Kirk’s true legacy.
Captain Kirk Succeeded in His Strangest Mission
To understand Kirk’s strangest legacy, you have to understand the delightful story of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. One of the most whimsical Star Trek stories of all time, this saw Captain Kirk and his crew travel back in time in a desperate attempt to save the Earth from destruction. The planet was threatened by an alien probe that had been sent to Earth because the humpback whale had gone extinct; whalesong had actually been intergalactic communication all along, and aliens had come seeking their friends now the whales had gone silent. Kirk ultimately brought whales back to the 23rd century.
But did the humpback whales actually survive now they’d been brought forward in time? Delightfully, Starfleet Academy episode 2 reveals they are still on Earth in the distant future, because there’s a wonderful scene in which the Betazoid student Tarima heads down to communicate with the whales. Telepaths and empaths, Betazoids are able to speak to the whales just as easily as Spock did in The Voyage Home; it’s quite likely Tarima was actually checking in on Earth’s other sentient species, trying to get a sense of what life on Sol 3 really is like.
At first glance, the whales are just another fun Star Trek Easter egg in the 60th anniversary show. But they’re far more than that, because they confirm James T. Kirk’s enduring legacy. The crew of Kirk’s Enterprise brought an entire species back from the brink of extinction, and they seem to be very common indeed given there’s an underwater observation room at Starfleet Academy dedicated just to viewing them. It’s probably the best legacy an explorer like Captain Kirk could have.
What do you think of Starfleet Academy? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Prime Video -
Image Courtesy of Netflix
