While George “Samuel” Kirk isn’t the most memorable Star Trek character, his impact on the story is important even without his familial ties to a famous Starfleet captain. Samuel’s first appearance in The Original Series was also his last. He died in season 1, episode 29, “Operation – Annihilate!” due to a flying parasite that quite literally drove him mad with the urge to dive into the nearest heat source. In season 1, episode 3, “Ghosts of Illyria,” the Enterprise crew of Strange New Worlds encountered something similar. However, unlike La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Samuel was unable to overcome the urge making him want to jump into the hottest, brightest light he could find.
Samuel’s death was a harbinger of worse things to come, but it was mostly forgotten by fans who had hardly gotten a chance to know him in the first place. Years later, and Samuel is making a comeback to the story that once left him behind. Here’s what fans know so far and what may yet be in store for the next chapter of Samuel’s life. Hint: it’s not being portrayed by William Shatner in a mustache.
Civilian Work Turns Deadly on Deneva
Samuel’s presence in the story predated his physical appearance in Star Trek. All it took was Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) encountering a mad scientist trying to bring to life advanced androids in The Original Series. James brings up his brother Samuel as a test in season 1, episode 9, “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”. He’s trying to determine whether the android version of himself built by Dr. Roger Korby (Michael Strong) really knows as much about him as its creator claims. The dialogue they exchange makes a quick reference to James’ traumatic experiences on Tarsus IV. Moreover, fans learn that Samuel and his family were there to see James off on his five-year mission.
Samuel left his brother with plans of settling with his family and working as a civilian research biologist on the Earth Colony II research station. A year later, the Enterprise crew got a distress signal that cases of severe mental distress they’d been tracking through planets like Levinius V and Ingraham B had finally made their way to Deneva. An otherwise unremarkable planet, it was where Samuel had settled with his wife Aurelan and three sons. It’s also where most of them died after being exposed to flying parasites, except for Samuel’s son Peter who Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) managed to save after barely doing the same for Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Samuel’s death was as random as it was unremarkable, and his name faded into fandom history.
Lt. Commander Kirk of Starfleet
New Star Trek movies and TV shows haven’t always been faithful to the original canon. For better or for worse, they’ve made changes to various characters for the sake of bringing old faces back to life in new and compelling ways. Samuel has always worked in the field of science, specifically with biology. So, Strange New Worlds brought him to life as a Starfleet officer.
Fans were a little thrown when Samuel (Dan Jeannotte) showed up in the series premiere, considering he’d been very dead the last time they’d seen him. Some were thrilled at the implications of his presence pointing toward the eventual arrival of his little brother James (Paul Wesley). Many others were in anticipation of getting to know more about Samuel and what kind of character Strange New Worlds would reveal him to be. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait very long.
Samuel turned out to be a curious person with a laid-back personality who was close to Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Out on the field, he could be ruled by impulse. In season 1, episode 2, “Children of the Comet,” he touches an alien object before anyone can confirm it's safe to do so. In moments of stress, he could be ruled by emotion, which often left him clashing with Spock (Ethan Peck) over his logic-first mindset in even the scariest situations. However, having his own personality didn’t stop Samuel from being defined by his relationships.
Family & Friends of Samuel Kirk
Star Trek fans never learned much about Samuel’s relationships with his wife Aurelan or his three sons. They had the unpleasant experience of watching her fight desperately for her life in The Original Series before her untimely death. Poor little Peter was devastated at learning the fate of his family before being carted off to. . .well, no one knows where he ended up after being cured. While a deleted scene suggests he’d been adopted by a couple that worked alongside Samuel and then later joined Starfleet, Star Trek canon doesn’t support either theory.
Therefore, Samuel’s most important relationships ended up being with Christopher and James. It was Christopher’s personal request that landed Samuel a position on the Enterprise crew. The two were even close enough for Samuel to suggest that Christopher grow a mustache of his own, and if that’s not a sign of true friendship, then nothing is. In turn, it was Samuel’s personal recommendation that convinced Christopher to work with his little brother. He called James a “huge pain in the ass,” but assured the other man that James is as “fine a captain as Starfleet has.” Spoken like true a big brother – with both sarcasm and sincerity.
Samuel played an integral role in season 1 of Strange New Worlds. His story isn’t exactly spin-off material, but that doesn’t mean his presence can’t continue to be important. Samuel was a science officer, with a curiosity that drove him into new parts of the galaxy just like anyone else in Starfleet. In The Original Series, his death was the catalyst for space hijinks on Deneva. In Strange New Worlds, he was a laid-back character with an impulsive streak learning about himself and those around him.
Samuel appeared in enough episodes to be considered recurring even though the series didn’t give him much to do aside from reacting to situations around him. He at least got to do more than die in a semi-dramatic fashion. Regardless, it will be fun to see if he comes back for season 2 and where the story will take him next. Only time will tell if the road of Samuel’s character development will end on Deneva once more or if Star Trek will boldly explore a more adventurous alternative.