Star Trek once had an Evil Kirk aboard the USS Enterprise, and it was all sorts of confusing

Captain James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner) was known to be brave, decisive, and respectful to his crew members aboard the USS Enterprise. However, in Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, episode 5 titled ‘The Enemy Within’, due to the transporter malfunction, the captain is split into two people: one good and one evil. The whole episode is an interesting watch, thanks to Shatner’s brilliant performance, but it does leave you with questions about Captain Kirk’s innate personality.

‘Evil Kirk’ is the perfect antagonist to the episode as the malicious and impulsive captain. While we also see various questionable versions of Kirk in other episodes (like the Mirror Universe version), this one in particular stands out because, technically, this version is still a part of Kirk’s personality. While one Kirk is left with the good parts, the other, which is a more forceful version, has all the negative attributes.

Captain Kirk’s two versions

The USS Enterprise was set to beam up a technician from planet Alfa 177, who had magnetic ore in his clothing, which led to a transport malfunction. When Captain Kirk is beamed up, he appears disoriented. Commander Montgomery Scott (played by James Doohan) takes him out of the transporter room.

The ‘evil Kirk’ appears shortly after and walks around the ship. Scott and others realize that two versions of Kirk exist on the ship because of the transporter’s malfunction. Mr. Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) decides not to bring back the other crew members on the planet until they fix the issue to avoid splitting them as well.

The ‘evil Kirk’ creates havoc on the ship as he gets drunk. He se*ually assaults Yeoman Janice Rand (played by Grace Kee Whitney). In an attempt to escape from him, she scratches his face with her nails. ‘Evil Kirk’ attacked anyone he deemed a threat. When Rand reported the assault to the bridge, ‘good Kirk’ was shocked. He appeared like a broken version of himself.

Mr. Spock advised him that he should not let the crew members know about the existence of another version of him, as it may undermine his authority. So instead, he ordered the crew to find his 'imposter'. During a showdown between the two Kirks, Spock manages to immobilize ‘evil Kirk’ using the Vulcan nerve pinch.

The crew noticed that the health of both the Kirks started deteriorating. ‘Evil Kirk’ managed to escape and pretended to be ‘good Kirk’ and headed to the bridge to take command of the ship. After an intense face-off, ‘good Kirk’ told ‘evil Kirk’ that in order to live, they must combine as one. Scott had repaired the transporter, and Kirk was finally one being, and the other crew members from the planet were beamed up.

Star Trek, which relied on science fiction, left the audience perplexed. For one, how did they manage the quick rectification of the transporter? On a human level, the episode brings forth the many flaws of a man and leaves you wondering if the antics of the captain are really a part of him.

A take on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the episode makes you look deep into Kirk’s complex character. The part where he assaults Yeoman or chooses violence to harm crew members is disturbing. It showcases that Kirk’s alter ego is very much a villain in comparison to the valiant hero we know him to be. Therefore, while this is one of the more fascinating episodes in the series, doubts about Kirk’s true personality are left to the imagination of the audience.

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