Änderungen
=Spätere Karriere=
Kirk was an intensely driven individual who loved the outdoors. A personal challenge that nearly cost him his life was free-climbing the sheer El Capitan mountain face in Yosemite National Park on Earth. ("Star Trek V: The Final Frontier") He was an accomplished equestrian, and kept a horse at a mountain cabin that he owned during his first retirement. Another companion at his mountain cabin was Butler, his Great dane. He sold the cabin sometime after his return to Starfleet. ("Star Trek: Generations")
Kirk kehrte im Jahr [[2284]] zur Sternenflotte zurück (''"[[Star Trek VII: Treffen der Generationen]]"'') und wurde staff instructor im Rang eines [[Admiral]]s an der [[Sternenflotten-Akademie]]. Kirk war unzufrieden mit seiner Bodenpersonal-Rolle und nahm den aktiven Dienst [[2285]] wieder auf als [[Khan Noonien Singh]] die [[USS Reliant]] entführte und die [[Genesis Sonde]] stahl. Dabei starb Kirks enger Freund [[Spock]], als er in einem strahlenverseuchten Raum Reparaturen ausführte, ohne die das Schiff zerstört worden wäre (''"[[Star Trek II: Der Zorn des Khan]]"''). Upon learning that Nachdem er erfahren hat, daß Spock's ''katra had survived'' überlebt hat, stahlen Kirk and his senior officers of the und seine früheren Offiziere von der USS Enterprise stole the ship from Earth Spacedock in order to recover the re-animated body of das Schiff aus dem [[San Francisco Flottenwerft|Erde Raumdock]] um den wiederbelebten Körper von Spock from the vom [[Genesis Planet and bring it to VulcanPlaneten]] nach [[Vulkan]] zu bringen, where Spock was brought back to life when body and katra were reunitedwo Spocks Körper und Geist wiedervereinigt wurden. Kirk ordered the befahl die Zerstörung der Enterprise's destruction in the incident to prevent its capture by Klingons, um ihre Übernahme durch [Klingone]n zu verhindern. (''"[[Star Trek III: The Search for Auf der Suche nach Mr. Spock]]"'') Kirk and his officers und seine Offiziere s was charged with nine violations of Starfleet regulations and subsequently surrendered for court martial for their actions in appropriating the Enterprise, but in light of their actions all charges where dismissed with the exception of one charge against Admiral Kirk, of disobeying a superior officer. Kirk was found guilty. The Federation Council was nonetheless so grateful for Kirk's role in saving Earth (from the devastating effects of an alien probe which was causing massive environmental damage while attempting to communicate with an extinct species of whale) that Kirk was merely sentenced to reduction in rank to Captain and assigned command of the second Starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A). ("Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home") Kirk commanded this ship for a further seven years.
His carreer culminated in his escorting of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon to Earth for a peace conference in 2293. Kirk carried the bitterness for his son's murder for years, and opposed Gorkon's peace initiative. He especially resented the fact that he was chosen as the Federation's olive branch. During that mission, assassins from among his crew killed the Chancellor. Kirk (along with McCoy) was subsequently arrested and wrongly convicted for the murder of Gorkon by Federation and Klingon forces conspiring to block Gorkon's initiatives. Sentenced to the infamous Rura Penthe penal asteroid, known throughout the galaxy as the "Aliens Graveyard" and reputed to be escape proof, Kirk and McCoy rapidly escaped. He took the Enterprise to Khitomer to prevent another assassination attempt, this time on the Federation president, and saved the historic Khitomer Conference from further attacks. Kirk retired from Starfleet a second time about three months after the Khitomer accords were signed. ("Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country")