George Samuel “Sam” Kirk is a scientist - a xenoanthropologist and research biologist - who serves as a lieutenant, junior grade, aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, where he is a member of the life sciences department under Lieutenant Spock. Like everyone, he has his issues. Having a well-respected father and a precocious, accomplished younger brother racing ahead of you isn't easy. Sure, sometimes, Sam - known to “absolutely no one” as George - might let himself feel morose and bitter about it, but for the most part, he’s a happy, reliable, stand-up guy everybody likes. Everybody except half-human, half-Vulcan officers going through a thing. But Sam is self-aware enough to know himself and strong enough to want to do better when he feels like he’s fallen short. He once found himself threatened by the Gorn on a crashed ship, and his reaction at the time wasn’t one he was proud of. So the next time he had the chance to face the Gorn, he volunteered, eager to put things right, which proves one thing above all others. He may not be his father. He may not be his brother. But he is most definitely a Kirk.