The Autobiography of James T. Kirk (46 page)

JAMES T. KIRK WAS REPORTED KILLED IN ACTION
shortly after completing this manuscript. He was aboard the new
Enterprise
, and helped save it from destruction. The report said he was blown out of the ship when the hull was ruptured. His body was never recovered.

But he is not dead.

I will justify that statement in a moment. First, I take fault with some of the logic in his manuscript. He wonders whether he helped more people than he hurt. But it is a matter of objective fact that due to his efforts, four major interspecies wars were avoided. The innocent billions whose lives were saved by his actions far outnumber those who fell by his hand. This does not even include all the discoveries the ships under his command made, which have gone on to improve the quality of life for all the citizens of the Galaxy.

He has many regrets about not having a family of his own. From my own perspective, James Kirk pushed me toward an acceptance of my humanity, and by extension, an acceptance of myself as a whole. I learned from him many things, especially how to joke, and always felt his watchful eye over me. I know that I was not the only crew member to feel this way. He was our father, and though it violates my philosophy to say so, we loved him for it. His children are the crew members who revered him and carry his legacy now to the limits of known space. His family lives on.

In addition, his work and accomplishments make him one of the greatest men who ever lived. That is objective fact; as a Vulcan, I am incapable of hyperbole.

But his story is not over, because, as I said earlier, he is not dead.

This is not the first time I have said this, and many individuals believe that I have no proof, and that I am indulging my human half’s need for “wishful thinking.”

But it is not. I know this logically; it is actually my Vulcan half that has the proof.

One of the effects of my people’s ability to mind-meld is a permanent connection between the mind of the Vulcan initiating the meld and that of the subject. From moment to moment, I am only vaguely aware of these connections; our mental disciplines keep them compartmentalized and away from our daily thought processes.

But one thing we are always certain of is when a connection is lost when someone dies.

Over the years, I have experienced the death of the Horta on Janus IV, and of Dr. Simon Van Gelder, and of Gracie the whale. The experience was akin to a building at night with its windows lit. And then one light goes out. You know whose light it is; you feel them gone.

I had mind-melded with James T. Kirk on several instances over his lifetime. His light still burns. He lurks in the recesses of my mind. Sometimes, I try to focus on him, to try to determine where he is. I do not believe he knows, but I can sense his emotional state. Wherever he is, he is happy.

I do not believe in an afterlife, but I will let my human half indulge in some wishful thinking.

He will return.

David A. Goodman was born in New Rochelle, New York. After graduating from the University of Chicago, he moved to Los Angeles in 1988 to write on the television sitcom
The Golden Girls
. Since then Goodman has written for over fifteen television series, including
Wings
,
Dream On
,
Star Trek: Enterprise
, and
Futurama
(for which he wrote the Nebula Award–nominated
Star Trek
homage “Where No Fan Has Gone Before”). But he is probably best known for his work on
Family Guy
, for which he served as head writer and executive producer for six years and over one hundred episodes. He is the author of
Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years
. He lives in Pacific Palisades, California, with his family.

First and foremost, I’m incredibly indebted to Dave Rossi, who came up with the idea for this book, and who, along with John Van Citters, made me an author. Both also made huge contributions to the manuscript. Thanks also to Andre Bormanis who pointed out what really could have happened on Psi 2000, as well as giving me an indispensible email lecture on ion pods; Mike and Denise Okuda for all their work providing the time-line and then giving their permission for me to depart from it; Richard Doctorow for the Wellington quote; John Scalzi for writing “Redshirts”; Simon Ward, my editor at Titan; Rosanna Brockley at becker&mayer!; Russell Walks for his amazing illustrations; and endless appreciation to my editor at becker&mayer!, Dana Youlin, for her hard work, guidance, and considerable talent at both writing and intimidation.

To my friends Mark Altman, Chris Black, Adam-Troy Castro, Manny Coto, Howie Kaplan, Dan Milano, Peter Osterlund, Mike Sussman, and Austin Tichenor because they read my work; Seth MacFarlane, whose professional patronage allows me this sideline. Thanks to the writers and directors of the canon, especially Brannon Braga and Rick Berman for admitting me to the club; and to William Shatner, for obvious reasons. And to my two cousins Michael Kaufman and Mike Metlay, whose example jump-started this interest in me.

To my sisters Ann Goodman and Naomi Press, my brother Rafael, my nieces Julia and Emma, my nephews Josh and Steven, my sister-in-law Crystal, my brothers-in-law Steve Press and Jason Felson, my in-laws Phyllis and Bill Lowe, and my father-in-law Fred Felson (who holds the record for buying copies of my last book to give as a gift). Thank you all for your love and support. To my mother, Brunhilde Goodman, for her inspirational life, and her guidance in mine. And finally to my delightful and astounding children Talia and Jacob, and my lovely and loving wife Wendy, who are probably only going to read the acknowledgments and that’s okay.