Cadet Kirk became Captain Kirk in basically one day. In the 2009 film Star Trek, Chris Pine’s “Kelvin Universe” version of James T. Kirk rose to the rank of captain at, like, warp 10. But, it turns out, this kind of thing can totally happen in the Prime Universe, too. Here’s how Trek canon — via Lower Decks — just unpacked and doubled-down on the idea that, yes, you can become the captain of a starship overnight. Spoilers ahead for Lower Decks Season 3, Episode 2, “The Least Dangerous Game.”
