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The Mistyping of James Tiberius Kirk

nightwatcher

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James T. Kirk ENTP.

Kirk seems most commonly mistyped ESTP on this site, occasionally ENFP and ENFJ (Kirk a J??). It blows me away that no one else here correctly types him ENTP when he’s one of clearest examples of that type.

Oh man, how do I begin to undo this colossal typing error? Look, any other character I might disagree with you on is yours, okay? I’ve thrown out my share of wild guesses on this site, but Kirk ain’t one of em. No way is he an ESTP or any kind of J. At least the few people who type him ENFP are in the ballpark. The guy is totally Ne dominant. Sure he’s “well-devoloped” like many exceptional characters and has good use of other functions outside his type, but come on. He’s always the big idea/theory/imagination guy who turns to Spock to check the scientific validity of his speculative Ne plans and theories; virtually every episode features this kind of exchange between them.

And remember all the headaches he gave poor, practical Scotty with his fancy ideas to get them out of whatever mess they were in. One of my books even uses their arguments to illustrate the differences between the N and S veiwpoints. Kirk (N) represents a focus on possibilities, the big picture, the brilliant idea. He’s “the quintessential Intuitive, whose focus is squarely on the possibilities, the not yet tried, a master of the Great Idea.” (S) Scotty’s first instinct is to rule out Kirk’s plans as unworkable: “I canna’ change the laws of physics, Capn’. I gotta have more TIME.” Kirk often has to get through Scotty before his Great Idea can be applied to the system, and when they’re in a life and death crisis, Scotty can’t afford to totally dismiss Kirk’s ideas; he has to flesh out them out and find a way to implement them.

If Kirk wasn’t an ENTP the crew never would have lived through the original series. There are a thousand examples, but recall the “Mirror, Mirror” episode where they get trapped in the other universe. In typical Ne fashion, Kirk is the one who theorizes that they were beamed aboard a different Enterprise in a parallel universe. Or consider him in “The Wrath of Kahn,” how he matches wits with Kahn and outfoxes him despite Khan’s mega IQ. Also recall that Kirk was the only one to ever beat the training simulation by cheating and reprogramming it; that’s totally ENTP. No one’s better at thinking outside the box than James Tiberius Kirk.

And typing him ENFP because he has a romantic side is like typing him ESTP because he can fight. Neither Fi or Se are in his first 2 functions, though he certainly uses them at times (plus who wouldn’t look more F next to Spock?) His most dominant functions are Ne supported by Ti, which equals ENTP.

Please, someone tell me I’m not the lone voice on this.
 

Totenkindly

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I'll agree that he's ExTP.
I'm not willing to commit to more.

(I think Kirk's type is also confused because Shatner comes across as more ESTP. If you get an ESTP trying to play an ENTP, then you ... see an ESTP trying to be weirdly N.)

it'll be interesting to see what others say.
 

Geoff

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He's inclined to act first, and use his fists quite often. He also has a bit of a temper. He's very competitive (he cheated to pass that silly can't be passed Starfleet test, right?)

That pushes me back towards ESTP a bit.
 

Eric B

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Sanguine/Choleric (ENTP: Get Things Going-Theorist) or Choleric/Sanguine (ESTP: In Charge-Improviser) Social Skills/Leadership skills, respectively. That's how I find it helpful to determine a person's type. I figure he would be some sort of mix of those two "extroverted" temperaments, though not sure which. So I just called up a Trekkie friend of mine, and she said Sanguine/Choleric. He basically likes people (i.e. informing), yet must have his own way (Pragmatic/structure-focused. Sanguine in the latter place would be just as aggressive, but not as critical, and more willing to work with others). So that would suggest ENTP.
I can't really think of him in terms of the cognitive functions, but Ne sounds like it would fit. Se kind of would too, but that might be more shadowy (negative connotations like indulging in wine, women and song, or whatever).
 

The_Liquid_Laser

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He's not easy to type, because I think what the writer's had in mind is not exactly what Shatner is portraying. (And maybe the director is somewhere in between.) If you look at Kirk on paper he's an ENTP. Cheating to beat the Kobayashi Maru is exactly how an ENTP operates.

If you look at how Shatner portrays him, then he's ESTP. He has the "In Charge" interaction style that ESTP's have, while ENTP's have a "Get Things Going" interaction style. And to put it plainly he spends a lot of time punching things and then getting the girl. That's the ESTP modus operandi.

So overall I'd say he's ESTP, but he sometimes thinks like an N. There's also the third option that he's ENTJ which is a type that has characteristics of both ESTP and ENTP, but overall I'd say he's ESTP.
 

Mondo

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I would go for T over F for Kirk for the following reason:
And typing him ENFP because he has a romantic side is like typing him ESTP because he can fight. Neither Fi or Se are in his first 2 functions, though he certainly uses them at times (plus who wouldn’t look more F next to Spock?) His most dominant functions are Ne supported by Ti, which equals ENTP.

I'm going for ENTP that is something I feel strongly convinced of.
 

nightwatcher

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I'll agree that he's ExTP.
I'm not willing to commit to more.

(I think Kirk's type is also confused because Shatner comes across as more ESTP. If you get an ESTP trying to play an ENTP, then you ... see an ESTP trying to be weirdly N.)

it'll be interesting to see what others say.

Shatner seems like an ENTP to me even when he’s not playing one. The other day I watched him in an old “Thriller” episode playing a likely ESTP and had the same impression. He has that dreamy, speculative expression, tone of voice and aura that strike me as very Ne. He doesn’t come across as someone who’s living solely in the Se moment with his mind only on what’s right in front of him.

Plus he’s written 10 Star Trek novels. Okay, he had some help, but still… Somehow it’s hard to imagine an ESTP co-writing Star Trek novels, or even being a Trekkie, though I’m sure there are some out there.


I could see that. ENTP stands for Enterprise!

Excellent point. I believe that settles it.
 

comicsgurl

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Plus he’s written 10 Star Trek novels. Okay, he had some help, but still… Somehow it’s hard to imagine an ESTP co-writing Star Trek novels, or even being a Trekkie, though I’m sure there are some out there.

There are probably a lot more than you think - I think it's best not to judge all ESTPs as simply "doing" folks who can't write. I'm sure many write, and do (think of all the business and self-help books out on the market). And co-writing? Co-writing is one of the easiest things you can do, depending on who the (famous) person is. It's all about ideas, baby! Shatner might dictate his ideas, or he might scribble down a few notes of what he'd like to see. Then a writer writes what Shatner wants. Shatner reads it over, makes adjustments and edits, and voila - he "co-wrote" a book. I doubt he has the time to sit down and just write a book, with all his acting and commercial deals.

Not nagging on you, though - I love me some Shatner, and I'm a Trekker from way back. But co-writing a book shouldn't be a determining factor of whether someone is a Sensor or an iNtuitive. In the real world there are several ways to co-write something, and any type can co-write.

And truthfully, Shatner might have some very strong intuitive processes. But is intuitive his default? I don't think so. I think he can draw on his intuition when he acts and I think he can draw upon it in different circumstances, but I don't think it's who he truly is.
 

Geoff

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There are probably a lot more than you think - I think it's best not to judge all ESTPs as simply "doing" folks who can't write. I'm sure many write, and do (think of all the business and self-help books out on the market). And co-writing? Co-writing is one of the easiest things you can do, depending on who the (famous) person is. It's all about ideas, baby! Shatner might dictate his ideas, or he might scribble down a few notes of what he'd like to see. Then a writer writes what Shatner wants. Shatner reads it over, makes adjustments and edits, and voila - he "co-wrote" a book. I doubt he has the time to sit down and just write a book, with all his acting and commercial deals.

Not nagging on you, though - I love me some Shatner, and I'm a Trekker from way back. But co-writing a book shouldn't be a determining factor of whether someone is a Sensor or an iNtuitive. In the real world there are several ways to co-write something, and any type can co-write.

And truthfully, Shatner might have some very strong intuitive processes. But is intuitive his default? I don't think so. I think he can draw on his intuition when he acts and I think he can draw upon it in different circumstances, but I don't think it's who he truly is.

Agreed. SPs should and can make great authors.
 

edcoaching

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The biggest indicator for Kirk being ENTP is his move to reprogram the Academy computers (The Kobayashi Maru, mentioned in Wrath of Khan) so that he was the first cadet to NOT have the Klingons destroy his ship. That's the Ne "there is always an out" that so marks the careers of ENTPs. Never tell them something can't be done.

ESTPs are also ingeneous, but it is usually with the materials right in front of them--not that they couldn't reprogram computers but usually their solutions are more in-the-moment. I've been married to one for 27 years and he can solve any immediate problem with a length of rope, two bobby pins and a match, but the Kobayashi would be faced by him as a depressing have-to and what-can-I-learn-from-it, not something to beat.

There are tons of fabulous S authors out there--an example would be Laura Ingalls Wilder, since you can just about make cheese after reading Little House on the Prairie. Usually their imagination kicks in from reality as opposed to from warp drives and Prime Directives.

Edcoaching
INFJ and a Trekkie from the beginning...
 

Ghost of the dead horse

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ENTP seemed rather strange typing for him. He always seemed like the archetypal SP to me. Going first into recon missions, hands-on, battling .. ok , granted, it's not strange behavior for an ENTP at all. ESTP that I know do study and spend time alone learning from books and other sources much like me. ENTP like experiencing most of everything from first person perspective.

Sadly, I don't know many ENTP friends.. or perhaps, maybe many of my numerous ESTP friends are actually ENTP?

Kirk does invent interesting theories every now and then, very true. I think that makes it possible to type him as an ENTP, tho ESTP seems almost as likely choice.. to the point I can't say anythign with certainty.
 

Sinister Scribe

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I'd say ExTP for Kirk... definately. It's interestingly balanced out by an ESFx for McCoy and an ISTJ for Spock.
 

Jack Flak

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Composite! I win. ESTP personality, ENTP job performance.
 

Mal12345

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"There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (1 members and 1 guests)"

Interesting. Usually on these old threads there aren't any guests lurking around.

Captain Kirk is an ENTJ personality type. The OP thinks ENTP, and all over the internet I've seen him typed as ENFP. But ENTJ is Kirk's type. This can be difficult to detect because Shatner is a Feeling type.
 

Carpe Vinum

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Captain Kirk is an ENTJ personality type. The OP thinks ENTP, and all over the internet I've seen him typed as ENFP. But ENTJ is Kirk's type. This can be difficult to detect because Shatner is a Feeling type.

I can see ENTJ, especially in TOS and reboot films. I see Kirk and Spock as the classic ENTJ/INTJ patnership. King Arthur needs a Merlin.
 

Kanra Jest

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I can see ENTJ, especially in TOS and reboot films. I see Kirk and Spock as the classic ENTJ/INTJ patnership. King Arthur needs a Merlin.

"You. You can't even break rules, how would you be expected to break bone?" - Khan, to Spock (Khan = INTJ)

Spock is seemingly always ISTJ

Kirk on the other hand .. reckless, impulsive, yet clever. On the fence but I have a hard time seeing him ENTJ. Some elaboration is required.
 

Doctor Cringelord

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Has anyone actually watched the show? I don't understand where the "shoot first, ask questions later" thing comes from. Sure, compared to Picard and Sisko, he might come across as more impulsive and brash, but generally he tends to show great restraint and is a pretty good tactician. He's not as long term thinking as Picard, but there's still some thought and strategy to his moves, even when acting on the fly. He's a good improviser when he needs to be, however (something I think was more of a weak spot for Picard, who had good improvisers like Geordi working under him).

His finger is always on the trigger, but he shoots as a last resort.

If any Captain was "shoot first" it was Jonathan Archer.

Good example: The Corbomite Maneuver. It's that navigator Lieutenant dude who is wanting to blast blast Balok's ship, while Kirk is cool as a cucumber and treats it like a Poker game--a master at bluffing when outgunned.

He has plenty of opportunities to kill and ask questions later, i.e. fight with the Gorn in Arena. He refuses to kill the Gorn captain, which shows someone thinking about the potential ramifications--hardly characteristic of a "shoot first" mentality. While partly due to being an honorable guy who refuses to kill an unarmed and injured opponent, it also might be Kirk thinking about the potential diplomatic blunder...letting the Gorn live paved the way for potential negotiations and truce with the Gorns. Killing him would likely lead to escalation in conflict and I think Kirk knew this.

Granted, part of his restraint I think comes from having two really great advisors--Spock as the voice of cool and calm logic, and McCoy as the moral center. Both seem to temper Kirk and help him see the bigger picture.

Does he take risks? Sure. But highly calculated risks, i.e. travelling into the past to harvest humpback whales from 20th century Earth.

Another good example is Star Trek II, when if anything, Kirk's refusal to "shoot first" is what gets them into trouble in their first battle with the USS Reliant. Notice how he continues to analyze and ponder why Reliant is not responding to hails, and even refuses to raise shields when quoted standard procedures by Saavik.

Not to mention how whenever he has to deal with an "evil computer," he usually out-logics them and causes them to malfunction.

I think he's a Perceiver, but I have never been 100% convinced on ESTP.
 
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