Star Trek’s two most iconic captains, James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard, are both based on the same literary character, Royal Navy officer Horatio Hornblower, but this still allows for their biggest differences. Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek in 1964, a series centering on Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Jean-Luc Picard captains the fifth iteration USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which takes place decades after the evens of the original series. Both captains also appear across multiple films, and there’s even an alternate reality Kirk in 2009 Star Trek’s Kelvin Timeline. The themes of the Horatio Hornblower novels are ever present in both Kirk and Picard, as are many shared traits, but Hornblower’s depth simultaneously allows for differing interpretations in both captains.

Television westerns like Wagon Train quickly became audience favorites in the 1950s, giving rise to a new form of entertainment enjoyed from the comfort of one’s home. Before creating Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry wrote scripts for many of these westerns, including Bat Masterson, Highway Patrol, and Have Gun – Will Travel. He leveraged his success in the popular genre to pitch his new space series to the networks as  “Wagon Train to the stars,” replacing the wagons with starships and the rifles with phasers. The popular western, along with the voyages of misadventure in Gulliver’s Travels, may have influenced Star Trek’s premise, but Roddenberry drew inspiration from a different literary source for the show’s protagonist.

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In his original Star Trek pitch, Roddenberry describes Captain Robert M. April (later changed to James T. Kirk) as a “space-age Horatio Hornblower.” The fictional Napoleonic Wars–era Royal Navy officer is the protagonist of a series of novels and stories from English author C.S. Forester, the first coming in 1937. Hornblower is an intelligent, duty-driven leader whose career in the Royal Navy is punctuated by courageous feats of extraordinary skill and cunning, but despite his accomplishments, and the admiration of his crew, the introspective captain is continually burdened by fear and self-doubt.

Star Trek Generations Kirk Picard

The themes of Horatio Hornblower’s adventures are evident in Star Trek’s two most iconic captains, James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard. Like Hornblower, these men often find themselves in remote areas having to rely on their vessel, loyal crew, and superior intellect to resolve military and diplomatic crises. Hornblower’s rise through the ranks of the Royal Navy goes hand in hand with his strong sense of duty and loyalty to the empire. His loyalty is tested, however, when his obligation to carry out orders conflicts with his responsibility to protect his crew. This is a balancing act both Kirk and Picard must maneuver. The brash, stubborn Kirk regularly disobeys orders, especially when the safety of his crew is at stake. While Picard is more of a calculated leader, he too is not afraid to place a morally desirable outcome over the orders of Starfleet. Hornblower, Kirk, and Picard are men of action, but Picard more closely resembles Hornblower’s introverted, intellectual nature, a result of the network desiring a more action-driven protagonist for Kirk’s television debut.

One way to inject more action into the Star Trek television series and films is to have the captains lead landing parties, something Horatio Hornblower rarely does in the novels. Depicting Kirk and Picard awaiting their crew’s return while second guessing their decisions, like Hornblower, would be far less entertaining than their adventures on land. The Kelvin Timeline Kirk, while still a brash man of action, is perhaps the only Star Trek captain to truly embody Hornblower’s insecurites and self-doubt. However, like Hornblower, Kelvin Kirk is still able to take decisive action while maintaining a calm, confident demeanor around his crew.

C.S. Forester’s fictional Royal Navy officer Horatio Hornblower is anything but a two-dimensional character, which explains how he could serve as inspiration for two differing Star Trek captains. and Picard are able to share certain characteristics with each other while bringing their own unique approaches to the captain’s chair. Despite the inspiration for Roddenberry’s characters, Kirk and Picard truly go where no man has gone before. After all, Hornblower never had to deal with an alien race stealing his first officer’s brain or parasitic aliens infiltrating his crew.

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