You shouldn’t even have to ask who won between James T. Kirk and The Borg Queen in the finals of the March Madness tournament
Here’s a rule of thumb; don’t bet against The Captain in any popularity contest. Not only did James T. Kirk win the 2020 Star Trek March Madness tournament, but he won it going away. With the exception of Kirk’s Final Four matchup against Spock, Kirk never dropped below 62% of the vote each round, and four times broke 70% of the vote each time. Only Data (38%) and Spock (48%) were able to drag down Kirk below 70% of total votes per round.
The Borg Queen proved that the Borg are definitely the most popular villain in all of Star Trek history, but she was still no match for Kirk. It really does go to show you how transcended Kirk has been in modern times and part of that success should go to not just William Shatner but to Chris Pine as well.
For many fans, Pine was the only Kirk they’ve ever seen in a movie theater. That’s not only a lofty weight to carry, but a telling reality to how rebooted characters could continue the legacy and fandom of a character to a new generation. While most fans would probably want new characters and more modern settings, if you’re a fan of a beloved character maybe wanting more reboots is a good thing.
Yet, it also brings up the notion of getting new content to maybe one day find a character who can unseat Kirk. After all, the Borg Queen didn’t come into play until 1996, some 30 years after the series started. So it’s important to continue to push the series forward, and onward and not just taking part in reboots and prequels.
So congratulations to everyone who voted for Kirk and to the other several thousand of you who voted. James T. Kirk is your official winner of the 2020 Star Trek March Madness tournament.