10 Sci-Fi Movie Deaths That No One Saw Coming

Some of the deaths on this list were necessary for narrative momentum, whilst some are simply gory shocks that viewers have a hard time calling unnecessary because they’re so damn effectively scary.

But there’s one which was simply pointless, and it’s the demise of Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Generations.

No, no spoiler warning for this one, because Kirk deserved to go out better than the embarrassingly sudden and unexpected death he ended up with in this lesser movie instalment of Gene Roddenberry’s iconic franchise.

Given that the earlier Wrath of Khan had successfully offed Spock with a death that offered pathos and poignancy galore, it’s not unreasonable that Kirk would be given the same send-off later in the series.

But dying whilst fighting off Malcolm McDowell’s boring lesser villain Soran? It’s an afterthought which felt tacky and doesn’t work onscreen, lacking the gravitas of even Spock’s temporary demise.

Many may blame famous screen ham William Shatner’s delivery for spoiling the scene, but real Kirk heads know that hammy theatrics were the order of the day to salvage this ill-fated moment and the cheesy over-acting is the only thing to recommend about this poorly planned scene.