10 MORE Star Trek Moments That Broke Our Hearts

8. Sito's Not Coming Home - Lower Decks

In hindsight, Sito Jaxa's death feels inevitable. She is clearly a symbol for all of the Starfleet officers who never get the limelight, though are equally as important as the senior staff. Long before Mike McMahan gave us the comedy of Lower Decks, there was Lower Decks.

The episode, arriving as it does in The Next Generation's final season, seemed an odd choice to shift the focus to an almost entirely new group of officers. Of course, that was the point - take what the audience knows, and flip it through a new lens. 

Shannon Fill is outstanding as Sito Jaxa, the Bajoran officer who is desperate to prove herself after the events of The First Duty. Her confrontation with Picard, her relationship with Worf, and even her interactions with the Cardassian soldier all display a brave, fiercely loyal Starfleet officer. 

Too many redshirts get killed in Trek for it to make a difference every time, which is where Lower Decks comes in. Sito's death hits as hard as it does because the audience has time to get to know her, understand where she came from, and root for her. The episode, now infamous, serves as one of Trek's finest hours, and an absolute kick to the heart.