Being a starship captain was his first, best destiny.
Every morning brought a new horizon, though neither seemed to exist in the endless vacuum that was space. His ship was the newest in the fleet, and the absolute furthest from headquarters. He'd been awarded a highly coveted mission, a mission he'd been yearning for. Many starship captains clawed at the senior officers of Starfleet, pelting them with their personal achievements and ribbons of awards, desperately hungry for the significant five year mission that would catapult a single starship into the depths of the unknown.
Captain Kirk knew, however, that he did not want the mission if his resume alone would win it for him. Who could desire an unstable mission such as this if the fleet didn't even faith in your abilities based off merit and intuition alone? He would let his imagination piece together what uncharted space may hold for a curious mind like his, but alone, this is what he did to chase after the mission.
After all, he was content with his present situation. He had a sturdy ship, a remarkable crew - and they were still studying the mysteries of space, just not the unknown bits out there - thataways.
His calmness in the face of competition was the reason why he was so fantastically ecstatic as he, his crew, and his ship were unanimously chosen to venture down this historic path. They'd had such successful away missions to nearby planets, stars, and comets surrounding Federation territory; it was simply common sense on why Kirk and the Enterprise would be drafted for this. Captain Kirk stood strong on the head of the bridge, his heart racing in anticipation as he gave the order to his helmsman to take them out. The first day in the 1,825 day mission.
Three years later, he found himself in the same position on the same bridge, his mind infinitely vaster to the past years' experiences. Every challenge he found himself placed in, every challenge his ship seemed to face, they could overcome. Not even Starfleet themselves could predict the magnificence of what was laying beyond Federation lines.
He looked around the bridge, to the crewmen he soon came to know as friends. The lone non-human in the room, the first officer and science officer, was briefing a newly signed ensign on the regulations of bridge duty. His communications officer was filing the report of their latest find to send back to headquarters, something not to be received for half a month. The expanse of this galaxy alone marveled him, their solitary location mirroring his excitement. He smiled to himself and took a deep breath.
They had already made it past the halfway mark of this remarkable mission, the ship entirely in tact and his crew largely untouched. They'd made leaps in scientific discoveries, and bounds in the name of what the future could hold.
What could possibly go wrong?