One of Captain Kirk replacing Jeffrey Hunter's Captain Christopher Pike.

In Star Trek's "Where No Man Has Gone Before," the Captain of the Enterprise's grave, complete with a tombstone that reads, "James R. Kirk."

Star Trek Season 1's Tombstone Was A Production Error

Gene Roddenberry Gave An Explanation For "James R. Kirk"

"James R. Kirk" was simply an early mistake by Star Trek's set and props department. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was only the second hour of Star Trek produced, and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was the only Star Trek actor from the original pilot, "The Cage," to return. Captain Kirk himself was a new character at this point, and the error of "James R. Kirk" is indicative of Star Trek finding its way in its early days. Star Trek writer and story editor D.C. Fontana later offered an explanation, as seen in Memory Alpha:

According to D.C. Fontana in the introduction for Star Trek: The Classic Episodes 1, when the mistake was discovered, Gene Roddenberry decided that if pressed for an answer on the discrepancy, the response was to be "Gary Mitchell had godlike powers, but at base he was Human. He made a mistake."

Star Trek's visionary creator Gene Roddenberry waves off "James R. Kirk" as an example of Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell's flawed humanity, in-universe. Roddenberry's explanation is also fascinating since Mitchell's evolution was an influx of psychic abilities. Yet Gary was still susceptible to human error, such as being mistaken about the middle initial of his best friend, Captain James T. Kirk.

Early Star Trek Episodes Had Many Canon Inconsistencies

Star Trek Was Still Finding Itself In Season 1

When watching Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, fans must be willing to accept several errors and inconsistencies in what later became established Star Trek canon. Much of Star Trek sprang fully formed from Gene Roddenberry's imagination from the get-go, but numerous aspects of Star Trek were developed and added as the series continued on NBC. For example, Leonard Nimoy gradually invented Spock and the Vulcans' logical behavior, and Spock was markedly more emotional before Nimoy locked into Vulcan culture.

Starfleet uniforms in Star Trek's "Where No Man Has Gone Before" are noticeably different, which makes its placement as the third episode aired visually awkward. "Starfleet" also wasn't the original name for the Starship Enterprise's governing body, and it was referred to by many names like "Space Fleet" and even "United Earth Space Probe Agency." It was producer Gene L. Coon who created the United Federation of Planets and the Klingons, among numerous other tropes, when he ed Star Trek.

Captain Kirk's Middle Name Was Confirmed In Star Trek VI

Star Trek: The Animated Series Coined "Tiberius"

Captain James T. Kirk's middle name was made official canon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country when "James Tiberius Kirk" was spoken aloud by General Chang (Christopher Plummer) during Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy's (DeForest Kelley) Klingon trial. Star Trek: The Animated Series originally coined "Tiberius" as Kirk's middle name, but Star Trek VI is what made "Tiberius" stick.

Gene Roddenberry considered the Saturday morning Star Trek cartoon apocryphal, and "Tiberius" remained unofficial until Star Trek VI finalized Kirk's middle name.

Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 8, "The Changeling" has a subtle nod to "James R. Kirk." In "The Changeling," the robot probe Nomad confuses Captain Kirk with its creator, Jackson Roykirk (Marc Daniels). The similarity between "James R. Kirk" and "Jackson Roykirk" is an ersatz cover for one of Star Trek: The Original Series' earliest visual mistakes.

Kirk's First Enemy Gary Mitchell Can Return To Star Trek

Will Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Bring Back Gary Mitchell?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introducing the younger Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) also means characters from his past can reappear played by someone new, including Gary Mitchell. Star Trek's "Where No Man Has Gone Before" established Kirk and Mitchell were close friends since Starfleet Academy. Kirk making the choice to kill his unstable and dangerous psychic friend to save the Starship Enterprise and his own life was the Captain's first Star Trek tragedy.

However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds can reintroduce Gary Mitchell in happier times years before his psychic transformation. Perhaps Mitchell is stationed on the USS Farragut, where Kirk is now First Officer. This can set the stage for Kirk bringing Mitchell aboard the Enterprise when he becomes Captain. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds can also tease Mitchell not knowing or mistaken about Kirk's middle name being Tiberius, which would set up why he created a "James R. Kirk" tombstone in Star Trek: The Original Series.