Well, Kirk can imagine a whole nation wanting to kill you. He has (well, had) the Klingons to deal with. Not that he ever had any authority over them in the first place. He nods at Aang.

"...I'm afraid I wasn't thinking of it quite like that. I don't have powers, so my perspective is different. However, now that you've brought that up, I can understand why many of them, why you would be hesitant. It's interesting to think on. As it is, we're still working on a constitution - a framework for a shipwide government. I think it will be ready soon. I'll have to check with Mister Petrelli."