When Did Kirk Have A Son Before Star Trek II?

Summary

David Marcus was likely born between 2260-2265 and had no relationship with his father, Admiral Kirk.
Lt. Spock may not have known about Kirk's involvement with Carol Marcus until events in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 could reveal David Marcus' birth and address long-standing questions about his character.

David Marcus (Merritt Butrick) was introduced in the second Star Trek: The Original Series movie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but the question of when Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) had a son who was an adult by 2285 could be answered by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. David and Carol were the masterminds of Project Genesis, technology that could terraform dead worlds for the United Federation of Planets. Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán) stole the Genesis Device as part of his revenge plot against Admiral Kirk and the Federation, but the technology also had a dark secret thanks to David Marcus.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock revealed that the Genesis Device's matrix was unstable and David lied about it because the younger Marcus was under pressure to complete Project Genesis. Tragically, David was killed by Klingons led by Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) on the Genesis Planet, which was rapidly on the verge of self-destruction. However, Kirk's son died heroically to protect Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who was resurrected by the healing energies of Genesis. The loss of his son haunted Admiral Kirk and exacerbated his hatred of the Klingons. However, given the retcons made by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the answers about David Marcus' birth may be forthcoming.

Merritt Butrick appeared in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 before his tragic death in 1989 at the age of 29.

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When Did Kirk & Carol Marcus Have David?

David was born at some point prior to Star Trek: The Original Series

David Marcus was in his early-to-mid 20s during Star Trek II, and he died just months later in Star Trek III. Both films were set in 2285, so the latest David could have been born was 2265, which is about when James T. Kirk becomes Captain of the USS Enterprise. But David was likely born between 2260-2265, likely when Kirk is still stationed aboard the USS Farragut and serving as its First Officer.

David was seemingly aware of who his father was, but he had no relationship with Admiral Kirk.

Once David was born, Carol raised him as a single parent with her surname because she didn't want him "gallivanting around the galaxy with his father." David was seemingly aware of who his father was, but he had no relationship with Admiral Kirk, and they, apparently, rarely saw each other. Still, David Marcus' exact date of birth and the circumstances of his birth have yet to be definitively established by Star Trek.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 introduced a similar scenario where Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) raised her son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), away from his father, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).

How Spock Could Know About Kirk & Carol Marcus

Spock just met Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan operated under the assumption that Admiral Kirk and Captain Spock knew nearly everything about each other after being best friends for over two decades. However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds throws some wrenches at this belief. Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Lt. Spock officially meet in Star Trek canon in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 6, "Lost in Translation." Kirk and Spock are introduced by Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), whom James also befriended.

It's possible Spock wasn't privy to the details of Kirk's relationship with Carol during their early years of knowing each other.

Of course, Spock and Kirk's friendship could evolve in real-time as Strange New Worlds continues, and this may be how Spock learns about Jim and Carol Marcus. But it's also possible that Kirk's relationship with Carol is a private matter, and Spock merely pieced together the Admiral's past with Dr. Marcus in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Just as Captain Kirk didn't know about Spock's fiancee, T'Pring (Arlene Martel), in Star Trek: The Original Series, it's possible Spock wasn't privy to the details of Kirk's relationship with Carol during their early years of knowing each other.

After all, Kirk and Spock aren't actually friends yet in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Strange New Worlds Season 3 Can Answer Big Questions About Kirk's son

Star Trek fans may witness David Marcus' birth

The one person aboard the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds who knows about Carol Marcus and Lt. James T. Kirk's pending fatherhood is Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong). James told La'an that he is in an "on-again/off-again" relationship with Carol, who is pregnant, during Star Trek's first-ever musical episode. Kirk and La'an share romantic feelings, but James decides he can't act on them out of respect for Carol and their future child.

Strange New Worlds season 2 takes place in 2259, and Carol Marcus may appear in Strange New Worlds season 3. It is therefore possible that Strange New Worlds could depict Carol giving birth to David, thereby establishing his birthdate and actual age in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In that case, Lt. Spock could also learn about Kirk, Carol, and David in Strange New Worlds season 3, and Star Trek fans may even witness the moment when Carol tells Kirk to stay away from their son so Dr. Marcus can raise David on her own. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 could definitively answer questions about David Marcus that Star Trek has harbored for over 40 years.