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Star Trek's 10 most heartbreaking movie moments

The moments that made even Vulcans shed a tear.
 Star Trek Explorer #12. Courtesy of Titan Comics
Star Trek Explorer #12. Courtesy of Titan Comics | Star Trek Explorer #12. Courtesy of Titan Comics
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1. Spock's death | The Wrath of Khan

The most devastating moment in Star Trek history is Captain Spock's death in The Wrath of Khan. Khan's attack severly damages the Enterprise's warp drive, and the ship is minutes away from destruction by the Genesis Device.

Spock makes a decision that defines his character in its entirety. He goes inside the engine room flooded with radiation, knowing the exposure will kill him, despite Dr. McCoy's best effort to stop him.

With Scotty and McCoy watching in horror, Spock repairs the warp drive himself, manually. He saves the ship at great cost. Spock, isolated from Kirk by the engine room's glass wall, is dying of radiation exposure. The parting between Spock and Kirk is one of the most powerful scenes in film history.

Spock, nearly blind and dying, straightens his uniform so he can face his captain one last time with dignity. “Don’t grieve, Admiral, it is logical,” he says to Kirk. "The needs of the many outweigh..."

"The needs of the few," Kirk whispers.

"Or the one," Spock explains.

Spock's final words: “I have been and always shall be, your friend... live long and prosper," characterize their bond as something greater than logic and emotion, human and Vulcan. 

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