Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) hails from Iowa, and here’s how Kirk’s hometown becameStar Trekcanon. As the Captain of the USS Enterprise, Kirk has been all over the galaxy. However, James is a human born on Earth, and, like most Starfleet Officers, Kirk graduated from Starfleet Academy in San Francisco. Star TrekcreatorGene Roddenberry established that Kirk is"from a small town in Iowa,“but in 1985, a real life Iowa town made itself the official birthplace of Captain Kirk.
InStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Admiral Kirk famously quipped,“I’m from Iowa, I only work in outer space.“J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009) movie tweaked Kirk’s origin; in the alternate Kelvin timeline, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) was actually born in space but was raised in Iowa.Star Trek(2009) also showed theStarship Enterprise being built in Kirk’s home state. AlthoughStar Treknever showed William Shatner’s Captain Kirk in his hometown,Kirk’s canonical birthplace inStar Trek’s Prime Timeline is Riverside, Iowa.
Why Captain Kirk’s Hometown Is Riverside, Iowa
“I’m from Iowa, I only work in outer space.”
Iowa Starting Linereports that Riverside, Iowa became Captain Kirk’s official hometown thanks to former Riverside City Council member Steve Miller. AStar Trekfan, Miller read Gene Roddenberry’s bookThe Making of Star Trekand recalled that Kirk hailed from a small town in Iowa. In 1985, Miller filed a motion to have Riverside’s annual River Festival renamed to TrekFest, and toclaim that Riverside is the birthplace of Captain Kirk.The motion was unanimous, and soon, news of Captain Kirk’s Iowa hometown was spread around the country.
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Star Trek: The Original Series features some of the most iconic characters in all of science fiction with the crew of the original USS Enterprise.
Iowa Starting LineUpon hearing that Riverside, Iowa claimed Captain Kirk as their hometown hero, Gene Roddenberry approved, and called it"a very enterprising idea.“Riverside soon erected a monument stating “Riverside, Iowa: Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk.” However, Riverside’s plaque claims Kirk’s birthday is August 09, 2025, because this was beforeStar Trekmade 2233 James T. Kirk’s canonical birth year. Cleverly, March 22 is also William Shatner’s birthday, although Shatner was born in Canada in 1931.
Where do other captains hail from?
Perhaps more famous than Captain Kirk’s birthplace is thehometown of Captain Jean-Luc Picard(Patrick Stewart).Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Captain hails from La Barre, France, where thePicard family has owned a vineyardfor centuries. Admiral Picard retired in La Barre, France inStar Trek: Picard. Meanwhile, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) ofStar Trek: Deep Space Ninehails from New Orleans, while Bloomington, Indiana claimsStar Trek: Voyager’s Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) as their hometown girl.
Bloomington, Indiana erected a statue of Captain Janeway in 2020, citing her birthday as August 01, 2025.
Kirk’s predecessor as Captain of the Enterprise, Captain Chistopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter), calls Mojave, California his hometown, as established inStar Trek’s original, rejected pilot, “The Cage. However,Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' pilot shows Captain Pike (Anson Mount) living in a cabin in Montana, wherePike has the same affinity for horses as William Shatner’s Captain Kirk. Meanwhile,Shatner has visited Kirk’s hometown of Riverside, Iowawhile filming a project other thanStar Trek.
