Viewers complained that Captain Kirk was too jolly

Captain Kirk wasn’t as stern as some fans liked

Captain James T. Kirk is a name synonymous with dedication and duty. He had a command presence aboard the Enterprise, and no one questioned his control of that ship. On Star Trek: The Original Series, Kirk was the leader, and there was never any doubt about that. Though he would have a few laughs here and there with the crew and his closest friends, he never gave the impression that he was anything but dedicated to his career. But there were some viewers that thought he should be a little sterner.

At the beginning of the third season of Star Trek: The Original Series, Gene Roddenberry wrote a memo to all parties involved with the series regarding the characters and possible changes to them. Apparently, some fans had written in to complain that Kirk was too “jolly” and always seemed to be seeking the friendship and approval of his subordinates. (The Trek Files-Memo dated April 18, 1968)

Fans liked Captain Kirk best at his toughest

Roddenberry went on to write that the fans liked Kirk best when he was at his toughest, but there is another group of fans who enjoyed the humorous side of Captain Kirk. I know I’m one of them as some of my favorite episodes are those that involve the captain and the crew in comical situations, i.e. The Trouble with Tribbles and A Piece of the Action. Even when the episode didn’t revolve around humor, the moments of levity within a darker episode were always welcome to me.

Roddenberry added that the fans liked contrasting scenes in the captain’s cabin that revealed Kirk wasn’t as tough as he seemed, much like the scene in Balance of Terror where Kirk is torn about the decision he needs to make to save Enterprise and the crew. So fans wanted to see Kirk wrestle with his decisions and to seem uncertain. But they also wanted him to be really tough.

The funny thing is Kirk had already been established as a tough no-nonsense captain by the time the third season rolled around. Drama often overshadowed humor in the series, and though Kirk could be considered easygoing at times, for the most part, he was anything but jolly. And as for when he was at his toughest, some of the best episodes that reflect that are Balance of Terror,  Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, The Corbomite Maneuver, The Doomsday Machine, and A Taste of Armageddon.