12 Most Heartbreaking Moments In Star Trek

12. Turning Death Into A Fighting Chance For Life - Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

When Star Trek III was released in cinemas, fans had followed the crew of the Enterprise for twenty years, enjoying their ups and downs and watching the ship transform from the version in the Original Series to the beautifully redesigned model of the Motion Picture.

The ship had taken heavy damage in the Wrath of Khan but few expected the sad fate of the old girl in this second sequel. The Enterprise is as much a character in Star Trek as Spock or Kirk and to lose her was akin to losing one of them.

Tricking the Klingons to board the ship, the grieving Kirk finds his way out of the no win scenario yet again. But this film offers Kirk the heaviest cost of his career. He had already lost Spock and yet now had the chance to get him back. To do this, he doesn't just lose his beloved ship, exploding in a fiery act of resistance to the would-be invaders, but he also loses David, the son he only recently came back into contact with.

The Wrath of Khan and the Search for Spock both explore the themes of aging and death. For Kirk, David was the chance at a family and being a father. Losing him in such a violent way to then be forced to destroy the Enterprise herself was devastating for fans. He may have saved the day but the cost, for once, may have been too high.