Star Trek: 10 Best 'I'm Dead And I Know It' Moments

8. Nero - Star Trek

Star Trek Nero
CBS

J.J, Abrams' 2009 Star Trek film was a rip-roaring adventure that breathed life back into the franchise.

While it was tonally very different from what had come before, it gave youth and energy to Star Trek again, something that was badly needed. The main villain of the piece was Eric Bana's Nero, the surprisingly casual Romulan miner, struggling to deal with the grief he feels.

This film introduced the Romulan supernova that has gone on to play a huge role in Star Trek: Picard. However, here the blame is laid entirely at Spock's feet, with Nero seeing his inability to prevent the disaster as deliberate. His quest for vengeance sees him destroy Vulcan, cause the death of George Kirk, and obliterate a Starfleet armada.

However, his deeds catch up with him when the younger version of Spock crashes the Jellyfish ship into the Narada, detonating the red matter aboard, creating a black hole. Kirk, bound by protocol, offers Nero the opportunity for rescue, which the Romulan flatly refuses.

The final shot of Nero shows his eyes closing as the bright light grows to consume him. With all credit to Bana, he plays the moment like a man consumed not by the singularity, but by the pain and rage in his heart.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"