History Main / TheKirk

* [[TheHero Sonic]] in SonicTheHedgehog.

* [[TheSmartGuy Tails]] in SonicTheHedgehog.

->''"[[CaptainsLog Captain's Log]], stardate 8675309: Once again I find myself faced with an impossible dilemma. Do I save the planet [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Pupolon]] by rescuing the [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe High Priestess]], despite her Klingon captors doubtless waiting in ambush? Or do I ignore their plight and, by letting it be destroyed, obey the [[{{Alien Non-Interference Clause}} Prime Directive]] and get the {{Aesoptinum}} needed to protect TheFederation? My friends and officers [[TheSpock Spock]] and [[TheMcCoy McCoy]] have been [[DebateAndSwitch debating this at length]], with no clear answer."''

Rounding out the archetypal FreudianTrio with TheSpock and {{the McCoy}}, TheKirk must balance these opposing personalities while being able to take their advice and choose between them (or literally, [[TakeAThirdOption choose "between them"]]) without being overcome either by emotion or dispassionate logic, representing what in [[SigmundFreud Freudian psychology]] is called {{the ego}}.

Usually, TheKirk is TheCaptain or a similar leader who needs to be practical rather than emotional or distant. However, it's not impossible for a show to have TheMcCoy or TheSpock as the leader, albeit they'll have to be far more ideologically flexible than they would otherwise.

* ''[[DoctorWho The Doctor]]'' has fallen into this {{trope}} so far, he can no longer be deduced as either an [[AntiHero anti-hero]] or [[AntiVillain anti-villian]]. He will give his life (but has not been able to, yet.) to save anyone, any race (minus the Daleks), and planet, or any specific cascade inspired by certain snake haired monsters of Greek mythology from an alien race known to exterminate any other race... You get the idea.

** Ben himself is TheKirk alongside Gwen and Kevin, especially in the first season. Strangely, Gwen and Kevin barely fit as the TheMcCoy and TheSpock respectively (both are intelligent and emotional) and can switch the roles depending on the situation.

->''"[[CaptainsLog Captain's Log]], stardate 8675309: Once again I find myself faced with an impossible dilemma. Do I save the planet [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Pupolon]] by rescuing the [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe High Priestess]], despite her Klingon captors doubtless waiting in ambush? Or do I ignore their plight and, by letting it be destroyed, obey the PrimeDirective and get the {{Aesoptinum}} needed to protect TheFederation? My friends and officers [[TheSpock Spock]] and [[TheMcCoy McCoy]] have been [[DebateAndSwitch debating this at length]], with no clear answer."''

-->''"[[CaptainsLog Captain's Log]], stardate 8675309: Once again I find myself faced with an impossible dilemma. Do I save the planet [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Pupolon]] by rescuing the [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe High Priestess]], despite her Klingon captors doubtless waiting in ambush? Or do I ignore their plight and, by letting it be destroyed, obey the PrimeDirective and get the {{Aesoptinum}} needed to protect TheFederation? My friends and officers [[TheSpock Spock]] and [[TheMcCoy McCoy]] have been [[DebateAndSwitch debating this at length]], with no clear answer."''

-->''"There has to be [[TakeAThirdOption a better way...]]"''

-->''"[[CaptainsLog Captain's Log]], stardate 8675309: Once again I find myself faced with an impossible dilemma. Do I save the planet [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Pupolon]], or by letting it be destroyed obey the PrimeDirective and get the {{Aesoptinum}} needed to protect TheFederation? Or do I ignore their plight and save the [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe High Priestess]], despite her Klingon captors doubtless waiting in ambush? My friends and officers [[TheSpock Spock]] and [[TheMcCoy McCoy]] have been [[DebateAndSwitch debating this at length]], with no clear answer."''

** Which makes Carter a good fit for the new leader in ''StargateAtlantis,'' replacing another [[TheKirk Kirk]] figure, Dr. Weir. The leader of the main team, Sheppard, tends a bit toward [[the McCoy]]-ish in his thinking, though he does have the [[TheKirk Kirk-ish]] role in picking the proper course of action out of [=McKay=]'s stream-of-consciousness TVGenius-ness, Ronon's rashness, and Teyla's more [[TheMcCoy McCoy-ish]] tendencies.

* In the ''[[GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse Global Guardians]], Guardsman is the TheKirk, even though he's not the team leader. Achilles, the actual team leader, is TheSpock, while Arachne and Ultra-Man are TheMcCoy.

Rounding out the archetypal PowerTrio with TheSpock and {{The McCoy}}, TheKirk must balance these opposing personalities while being able to take their advice and choose between them (or literally, [[TakeAThirdOption choose "between them"]]) without being overcome either by emotion or dispassionate logic, representing what in psychology is called the ego.

* HarryPotter is very much this, with Ron as his [[TheMcCoy McCoy]] and Hermione as TheSpock. Initially played straight, but the dynamic is played with in later books.

* This {{trope}} is named for [[TheCaptain Kirk]] of ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. Notably, the original [[TheCaptain Kirk]] took a lot of third options like TheKobayashiMaru, but other times these decisions were likely to make many races angry in the future, leading some to think dick move.

*** ''[[StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]'' had Sisko act more like the entire {{power trio}} by himself.

* Mal in ''{{Firefly}}'' can be pretty emotional and [[AntiHero amoral]] in his own right, but has the virtue (much as he'd deny it) of listening to his crew before making a decision, but being brave enough to take unpopular decisions regardless.

* Carly in ''{{iCarly}}'', the centre of the trio that includes {{the Spock}} like Freddie, and {{the McCoy}} type Sam.

* According to co-writer Roberto Orci, the 2009 ''StarTrek'' film maintains this {{trope}}, but swaps [[TheCaptain Kirk and [=McCoy=]:
-> "[=McCoy=] in a way represents for us, or represented for us, the extremes of [[TheKirk Kirk]] and [[TheSpock Spock]]. If [[TheSpock Spock]] is extreme logic, ... extreme science, and [[TheCaptain Kirk]] is extreme emotion and intuition, here you have a very colorful doctor, essentially a very humanistic scientist. So he, in a way, is literally and figuratively a representation of two extremes that often served as the glue that held the trio together."
* [[StarWars Obi-Wan Kenobi]] displays elements of this {{trope}} in the Prequel Trilogy, alongside [[AntiHero Anakin Skywalker's]] TheMcCoy with various members of the Jedi Council serving as TheSpock. In the Original Trilogy, [[TheHero Luke]] serves as TheKirk to [[TheLancer Han's]] TheMcCoy and [[BadassPrincess Leia]] or [[TheObiWan Obi-wan's]] TheSpock in ''ANewHope'', but the dynamics start to twist up from there.

* [[PlayingWithFire Tahu]] often fills this role in ''{{BIONICLE}}''. Although his {{Nakama}} is considerably bigger than a PowerTrio, the two Toa he is most commonly seen interacting with are the emotionally distant [[TheSpock Kopaka]] and the compassionate [[TheMcCoy Gali]]. He is often reluctant to listen to either of them, however.
** [[YourMileageMayVary This depends on your point of view.]] Some may view [[MakingASplash Gali]] and [[BoisterousBruiser Pohatu]] as {{the Kirk}} of the team, due to their efforts to maintain peace between the [[TheMcCoy impulsiveness of Tahu and Lewa]] and the [[TheSpock reasoning of Kopaka and Onua]].

** Of course, much of the time by-the-book Blossom and the equally bull-headed and proud "let's just punch them" Buttercup wound up arguing stubbornly while Bubbles was the one who brought them back together...

* Ben has an alien form in ''{{Ben 10 Alien Force}}'' that takes this concept more than a little too literally...
** For anybody reading this wondering who, Alien X.

[[caption-width-right:300:[[WilliamShatner I...can't...de...cide...but-I-must]]]]

* [[PlayingWithFire Tahu]] often fills this role in ''{{Bionicle}}''. Although his {{Nakama}} is considerably bigger than a PowerTrio, the two Toa he is most commonly seen interacting with are the emotionally distant [[TheSpock Kopaka]] and the compassionate [[TheMcCoy Gali]]. He is often reluctant to listen to either of them, however.

* Alyosha of ''TheBrothersKaramazov'', who, oddly enough, was played by William Shatner in the movie version.

* ''Tom Corbett, SpaceCadet'': Tom is a classic Kirk, settling arguments between his two teammates almost every time they have to do anything, and almost always rightly.
* HarryPotter is very much this, with Ron as his [=McCoy=] and Hermione as TheSpock. Initially played straight, but the dynamic is played with in later books.

** What do you mean? Out of the Animorphs Marco and Ax are the two most logical. Both are occasionally given to bouts of emotion overwhelming logic (understandable seeing as they're both teenagers) but out of the group they're definitely both closer to the Spock end of the scale than the [=McCoy=] end.
*** A better example from Animorphs would be Jake, with Rachel and/or Cassie at the [=McCoy=] end, depending on whether the story is about saving things or killing them.

* This trope is named for Kirk of ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. Notably, the original Kirk took a lot of third options like TheKobayashiMaru, but other times these decisions were likely to make many races angry in the future, leading some to think dick move.
** And like The [=McCoy=], there is a lot of GenerationXerox between the series, giving each their own Kirk.
*** ''[[StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' had Jean Luc Picard, albeit he was more philosophical and Spock-ish than Kirk at times. Will Riker resembled Kirk much more in personality, at least before he [[GrowingTheBeard grew the beard]].
*** ''[[StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]'' had Sisko act more like the entire power trio by himself.

*** ''[[StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'' of course had Archer, with T'Pol and Trip filling in the Spock and [=McCoy=] roles, respectively.
* ''[[DoctorWho The Doctor]]'' has fallen into this trope so far, he can no longer be deduced as either an anti-hero or anti-villian. He will give his life (but has not been able to, yet.) to save anyone, any race (minus the Daleks), and planet, or any specific cascade inspired by certain snake haired monsters of Greek mythology from an alien race known to exterminate any other race... You get the idea.
* Believe it or not, Jack O'Neill of ''{{Stargate SG-1}}'' wasn't really his quartet's Kirk; that honor fell to Samantha Carter and occasionally Daniel.
** Which makes Carter a good fit for the new leader in ''StargateAtlantis,'' replacing another Kirk figure, Dr. Weir. The leader of the main team, Sheppard, tends a bit toward the [=McCoy=]-ish in his thinking, though he does have the Kirk-ish role in picking the proper course of action out of [=McKay=]'s stream-of-consciousness TVGenius-ness, Ronon's rashness, and Teyla's more [=McCoy=]-ish tendencies.

*** And the GenreSavvy [=McKay=] makes sure to [[LampshadeHanging point this out]], comparing Sheppard to Kirk.
*** Sheppard fully ascends to Kirkdom in the last season. Woolsey is TheSpock, while Teyla & Ronon are TheMcCoy.

* Carly in ''{{iCarly}}'', the centre of the trio that includes the spock like Freddie, and the Mc Coy type Sam.

* According to co-writer Roberto Orci, the 2009 ''StarTrek'' film maintains this trope, but swaps Kirk and [=McCoy=]:
-> "[=McCoy=] in a way represents for us, or represented for us, the extremes of Kirk and Spock. If Spock is extreme logic, ... extreme science, and Kirk is extreme emotion and intuition, here you have a very colorful doctor, essentially a very humanistic scientist. So he, in a way, is literally and figuratively a representation of two extremes that often served as the glue that held the trio together."
* [[StarWars Obi-Wan Kenobi]] displays elements of this trope in the Prequel Trilogy, alongside Anakin Skywalker's {{The McCoy}} with various members of the Jedi Council serving as TheSpock. In the Original Trilogy, Luke serves as TheKirk to Han's TheMcCoy and Leia or Obi-wan's TheSpock in A New Hope, but the dynamics start to twist up from there.

* In ''OrderOfTheStick'', Haley and Roy take this role. V is TheSpock; Elan and Durkon are {{The McCoy}}. Belkar is just there.

* In the ''[[GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse Global Guardians]], Guardsman is the TheKirk, even though he's not the team leader. Achilles, the actual team leader, is TheSpock, while Arachne and Ultra-Man are {{The McCoy}}.

[[caption-width-right:300:[[WilliamShatner I...can't...de...cide...butImust]]]]

[[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KirkInTheMiddle.jpg]]
[[caption-width:300:[[WilliamShatner I...can't...de...cide...butImust]]]]

* The Doctor of ''[[DoctorWho]]'' has fallen into this trope so far, he can no longer be deduced as either an anti-hero or anti-villian. He will give his life (but has not been able to, yet.) to save anyone, any race (minus the Daleks), and planet, or any specific cascade inspired by certain snake haired monsters of Greek mythology from an alien race known to exterminate any other race... You get the idea.

* [[PlayingWithFire Tahu]]often fills this role in Bionicle. Although his {{Nakama}} is considerably bigger than a PowerTrio, the two Toa he is most commonly seen interacting with are the emotionally distant [[TheSpock Kopaka]] and the compassionate [[TheMcCoy Gali]]. He is often reluctant to listen to either of them, however.

-->''"[[CaptainsLog Captain's Log]], stardate [[FiveFiveFive 555]]1701: Once again I find myself faced with an impossible dilemma. Do I save the planet [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Pupolon]], or by letting it be destroyed obey the PrimeDirective and get the {{Aesoptinum}} needed to protect TheFederation? Or do I ignore their plight and save the [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe High Priestess]], despite her Klingon captors doubtless waiting in ambush? My friends and officers [[TheSpock Spock]] and [[TheMcCoy McCoy]] have been [[DebateAndSwitch debating this at length]], with no clear answer."''

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]
* Mu La Flaga is TheKirk in GundamSeed, but interestingly, is placed in a secondary position, with TheMcCoy as his commanding officer and the SergeantRock-ish [[TheSpock Spock]] as an equal. This makes his meadiating efforts difficult to say the least.

Rounding out the archetypal PowerTrio with TheSpock and {{The McCoy}}, TheKirk must balance these opposing personalities while being able to take their advice and choose between them (or literally, [[TakeAThirdOption choose "between them"]]) without being overcome either by emotion or dispassionate logic.