Kirk Summation: Difference between revisions

 

Different from the [[Last Second Chance]] in that here the hero is trying to shame or reason with the villain to make him turn back, whereas in that trope the hero is offering the villain help, healing, or redemption. When the villain rejects this trope, you have a [[Shut Up, Kirk]].

 

* Anime tend to use a much more abbreviated form of this: in ''[[Dragon Ball]]'', Goku begins the final phase of almost every battle by offering his opponent "one last chance" to recant his evil ways.

* Judai/Jaden on ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' loves these, usually couching them in terms of "the true meaning of the game". His opponents hardly ever buy it. In the original Japanese it's not so bad, but in the English version it always comes across as ridiculous given the situation, which someone always [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]]: i.e. "You know Jaden -- he loves giving this speech."

* In ''Star Trek: Nemesis'' Jean-Luc Picard delivers a Kirk Summation to a hologram of his clone, Shinzon, in his ready room during a lull in a space battle, appealing to his better nature. Shinzon goes for genocide anyway.

* Po of [[Kung Fu Panda]] does this in both movies. He tells Tai Lung why Tai wasn't ready to have the Dragon Scroll, and tells Shen to let go of the past. Neither works in the slightest, showing that the villains are beyond redemption.

 

== Literature ==

{{quote|'''Wedge:''' Circular thinking. I'm honorable because I kill the enemy, and I kill the enemy for the honor. There's nothing there, Cheriss. Here's the truth: I kill the enemy so someone, somewhere -- probably someone I've never met and never will meet -- will be happy. [...] I told you how I lost my parents. Nothing I ever do can make up for that loss. But if I put myself in the way of people just as bad as the ones who killed my family, if I burn them down, then someone else they would have hurt gets to stay happy. That's the only honorable thing about my profession. It's not the killing. It's making the galaxy a little better.}}

** The [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] has many, many examples. Basically, any time a New Republic-era Jedi faces a Sith, expect a Kirk Summation.

* High-King Kallor of the ''[[Malazan Book of the Fallen]]'' once boasted to Caladan Brood of the many kingdoms he had raised, ruled, and then destroyed. He asked if Caladan could understand what that meant. And Caldan calmly replied "Yes. You never learn."

 

* Kirk did one of these in just about every episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]''. [[Star Trek: The Next Generation|Picard]] was inordinately fond of them as well.

** Kirk actually ''does'' succeed against a [[Talking the Monster to Death|non-automated]] foe, at least once: [[The Empire|The Terran Empire]] in "Mirror, Mirror", when he convinces [[Beard of Evil|Spock]] that ''"In every revolution, there's one man with a vision!"'' Unfortunately for him, [[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|later events]] show that things went badly without him there to defeat the enemy by more [[Unnecessary Combat Roll|traditional]] means.

** In the novel ''I, Q'', Picard faces off against his own evil side in the form of Locutus of Borg and gives such a speech. When Q can't see the point, Data suggests that he thinks Picard is [[Talking the Monster to Death|trying to talk Locutus into committing suicide.]] To which [[Deadpan Snarker|Q replies]]:

{{quote|'''Q:''' Yeah, and if that doesn't work, maybe the Easter Bunny will save us.}}

* [[All the Tropes Wiki Drinking Game|Brutally subverted]] in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'':

{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Faith:}}''' Oh yeah? Give me the speech again, please. "{{spoiler|Faith,}} we're still your friends. We can help you. It's not too late."

'''Jason''': [[Captain Obvious|She's evil!]]

'''Tommy''': [[Shut Up, Kirk|Yeah. And so am I.]] }}

 

== Video Games ==

* The ''entire party'' delivers one of these before the final battle in ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]''. Translator [[Woolseyism|Ted Woolsey]] realised that this was probably getting a bit excessive, and gave {{spoiler|[[Big Bad|Kefka]]}} the now-immortal line "[[Shut Up, Kirk|This is sickening!]] [[Lampshade Hanging|You sound like chapters from a self-help booklet!]]" in response.

* In ''World of Warcraft'', Tirion Fordring gives a Kirk Summation to the Lich King several times, including during the Argent Tournament and during the final fight with him in Icecrown Citadel. In ICC, Tirion offers a swift death for the thousands the Lich King has tortured and slain. The Lich King responds with a [[Hannibal Lecture]], to which Tirion replies with a [[Shut UP, Hannibal]], shortly before being frozen in ice and taken out of the fight.

 

== Web Comics ==

* At the end of the "Dangerous Days Ahead" [[Story Arc|arc]] from ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'', Torg [http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20020715 tries one of these on Aylee]. Luckily {{spoiler|it turns out not to be the real Aylee}}.

* ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]--'' Bob, who has a good track record at [[Talking the Monster to Death|talking monsters to death,]] tries this on [[Big Bad|Fructose Riboflavin.]] His speech is simple, polite, even sympathetic, but absolutely [["The Reason You Suck" Speech|devastating.]] But he's hit Riboflavin too [[Berserk Button|close to home,]] and rather than backing down, Riboflavin [[Villainous Breakdown|becomes violently furious,]] because he knows everything Bob said is [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20100914.html true.]

 

== Web Original ==

* Delivered in ''[[The Salvation War]]'' by Michael to {{spoiler|Yahweh at the beginning of his coup attempt}}, though it's from a villain, albeit an [[Anti-Villain]] at this point, rather than a hero.

 

== Western Animation ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Drama Tropes]]

[[Category:Harbinger of Asskicking]]

[[Category:Speeches and Monologues]]