Summary
- Walter Koenig criticizes Captain Kirk's death in Star Trek Generations on The 7th Rule podcast.
- Koenig praises William Windom's performance in Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Doomsday Machine."
- Koenig believes Captain Kirk should have had a heroic ending.
Walter Koenig calls the way Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) died in Star Trek Generations "unforgivable". Koenig reprised Pavel Chekov in the opening scene of Star Trek Generations, and, like William Shatner, it was the last time Walter canonically portrayed his iconic Star Trek character. Koenig currently joins The 7th Rule podcast for a monthly review of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes with hosts Cirroc Lofton and Ryan T. Husk.
On The 7th Rule podcast's review of Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 6, "The Doomsday Machine", Cirroc Lofton, Ryan T. Husk, and Walter Koenig were impressed with guest star William Windom, who played Commodore Matt Decker. Traumatized by the planet-killer robot wiping out the crew of the USS Constellation, Decker goes on a suicide mission to destroy the Doomsday Machine. Koenig contrasted Decker's ultimately heroic sacrifice with the underwhelming way Star Trek Generations killed off Captain Kirk. Check out Walter's quote and watch The 7th Rule video below:
It makes me think [of] Star Trek: The Next Generation’s first movie… the way they wrote off Captain Kirk was, I think, just unforgivable. He should have died trying to save the ship… He dies on a bridge or something, and he falls down, and he’s dead. If they’re going to kill off somebody as important as Captain Kirk, then it should be heroic.
Now, WIlliam Windom, his mind is going and he’s in bad shape, but at least you understand why he’s doing this and you can feel for him. He has an extraordinary sense of guilt because his crew was all killed. Now, I really think it wouldn’t have taken that much… that Kirk should have had a heroic ending. Could’ve, should’ve. If he was going to die, he should have died trying to save the ship or something of that nature.
Why Walter Koenig Is Right About Captain Kirk's Star Trek Generations Death
Kirk's death didn't satisfy anyone
Walter Koenig is a writer who understands good storytelling, and he's right about Captain Kirk's death in Star Trek Generations not befitting a hero of Kirk's stature. Killing off Kirk was a mandate from Paramount as part of passing the Star Trek movie franchise from Captain Kirk's original crew to Star Trek: The Next Generation's cast. However, writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga, as well as producer Rick Berman, created a scenario where Kirk dies in an underwhelming fashion while teaming up with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) to stop madman Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell).
What's significant about Kirk's death is that it has stuck for 30 years.
It's disappointing that Star Trek Generations didn't conjure a way for Captain Kirk to step aboard Captain Picard's USS Enterprise-D and see the next generation of his beloved Starship Enterprise. William Shatner also didn't get to interact with the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast other than Patrick Stewart. However, what's significant about Kirk's death is that it has stuck for 30 years, and Star Trek has not canonically resurrected William Shatner's Captain. But Walter Koenig understandably takes umbrage that guest star Commodore Decker in Star Trek: The Original Series went out on a bigger blaze of glory than Captain Kirk did in Star Trek Generations.
