[wally_bert]

She got a bum deal.

[Dr. Franklin]

She got a bum deal.

Yes, but IMHO, demoting, and then removing Grace Lee Whitney's character as Kirk's love interest shortened the show's prime time run. Roddenberry never wanted Kirk permanently domesticated, just to have a series of flings. In The Wrath of Khan we learned that Kirk had a son, but then he was killed off just as quickly. Kirk as a family man, or even a father, was never really permitted by "the creator". It was perfectly OK for Kirk's family to be dying in the story line though. Sam Kirk was found dead in the final episode of Season 1, Operation -- Annihilate!