#stoppit brain

So if Jim were to, in a moment of maudlin stupidity (one assumes immediately after he made some kind of costly mistake as captain), wish he’d never been born, and some alien were able to either grant it that wish, or put him in some kind of virtual or alternate reality where it WAS true...

There are very likely some Tarsus IV implications.

Did Jim help save any number of people? A couple of kids, maybe? Well, they aren’t around anymore, because Jim wasn’t there.

Certainly because he wasn’t involved, Kodos’ daughter would’ve killed Kevin Riley, at the least. Thomas Leighton (arguably) wouldn’t have lived to create a synthetic food source that could END FAMINES on entire planets!

Jim wasn’t on the Farragut as a lieutenant, so the Glow Cloud from Tycho IV decimates the Enterprise crew

Spock dies because no one was willing to stand up to Starfleet to divert course for Vulcan during his pon farr

Basically, everyone on board the Enterprise died like, 17 times over because Jim wasn’t there

There are so many WORLDS Jim has also saved by intervening, investigating, and going “I won’t stand for this tomfoolery.”

Return of the Archons

whatever the affair was that earned him the Palm Leaf of Axanar

IDK, zillions more

Even if we aren’t counting deaths...

Jim befriended Spock and where would Spock be without that? At the very least, court-martialed because of the Talos IV incident.

Where would Bones be without Jim? Miserable and terrorizing everyone, and possibly alcoholic...

Eh, I’m too lazy to come up with more, but imagine the Enterprise with someone else as captain! The sunshine and camaraderie that are missing in that image!!

Basically, James Tiberius Kirk has saved everyone’s bacon at some point or other, and while it’s completely understandable for him to get upset at the loss of a couple crewmembers, his presence has made his universe a much better place for those around him.