Star Trek

It was a mistake. His middle name is Tiberius.

ooooh you know what the T stands for! Like it's some sort of secret.

Tecnically the "R" did come first, but other than it being engraved on the stone, there is no other referrence to "R" at all, written or spoken. The "T" (for Tiberius) has since been established through multiple presidence has Cpt. Kirk's middle name.

And from Memory Alpha:

According to D.C. Fontana in the introduction for Star Trek: The Classic Episodes 1, when the mistake over the middle initial was discovered, Gene Roddenberry decided that if pressed for an answer on the discrepancy, the response was to be "Gary Mitchell had godlike powers, but at base he was Human. He made a mistake."

You have to read the My Brother's Keeper trilogy - Republic / Constitution / Enterprise by Michael Jan Friedman which discusses all of this, as Kirk reflects upon the death of his former friend; following immediately on from the events of Where No Man Has Gone Before.

At one point Kirk says "R*********!!! - that's my middle name" to a suggestion by Mitchell. I won't spoil it for anybody who hasn't read it yet. Later on within these books other reasons for the R are offered up and it becomes a bit of a standing joke between them.

These books are great. They bridge the gap between the second pilot and the subsequent series in a highly effective manner.

Highly recommended (all three of them)

^^ It's been several years since I've read that trilogy. I had forgotten about Mitchell using R as a joke.

 I was just making a joke ,man. Maybe you should try to not seem like such an ass.

Why does EVERY single discussion on these forums turn into a string of insults?

Relax, people. It's not that big of a deal. Don't get so defensive.

O-tay!  I don't remember the "R."  This is my first time on this site.  Guess I'll never sleep again if it's true that one can view old episodes here.  I've only been online for a couple months, but this will make it worth the time and expense.

It stands for Resurrected - as Kirk should be!!!

Yeah!  Thanks for today's laff.  I'll use that one.

A very good and highly astute observation my friend. At the final moment there was perhaps just that slightest glimmer of the person that once was - and what better way of signalling it.

But did he mean it as a cry for help or sarcastic joke? Ultimately, we'll never know and it really doesn't matter. He was tragically lost before he even set foot on that planet ...

Yes, but unlike Anakin Skywalker, Gary Mitchell didn't return from the Dark Side. SO didn't. He meant  the R. as a Sarcastic Joke.

The name Tiberius didn't appear till the Animated Series....Maybe Gary didn't watch the animated series.

Perhaps, but the "T" was there in the original series - regardless of what it stood for.