People may have already mentioned this in comments, but as I read down I wondered: why do people write Kirk as though he were dumb? And then I thought, "well, he's blonde and athletic and confident and smooth," and frankly, I'm having a hard time thinking of characters like that who also happen to be geniuses. Greg House is a misanthropic ass with a bum leg, Tony Monk is crippled with OCD, Holmes is a cocaine addict, Lex Luthor is bald... Of course, Kirk has his own unique set of issues, but I think people see blonde oversexed Iowan and conclude he must chew hayseeds in his spare time, not reprogram hopeless simulations.