2. Does The Series Go Full Circle?
During the touching scene between Kirk and Spock by the warp core at the end of
Into Darkness, I thought for a second that this question would be a moot point. But thanks to a Tribble experiment, Bones managed to save Kirk from death and save this article. Thank you, Dr. McCoy! Our introduction to the new incarnation of
Star Trek was the emotional opening minutes of that film, Nero's attack on the U.S.S.
Kelvin, captained by George Kirk, Jim's father. In a heartbreaking turn of events, George has to stay behind to protect the evacuating crew members, sacrificing himself so the others - including his wife and newborn son - can live the rest of their lives. A major theme in the first two films was Jim Kirk learning to accept the responsibilities of being a Starfleet captain. There's a scene in
Star Trek that illustrates this: right after Kirk cheated on the Kobayashi Maru test. Spock explains that the purpose of the test is to experience fear, fear in the face of certain death and learning how to maintain composure and control of your crew. This theme is addressed again in
Into Darkness when Kirk willingly exposes himself to radiation in order to fix the
Enterprise's warp core, showing that he could readily put his crew's well-being in front of saving himself. For a guy who claimed he didn't believe in no-win scenarios, it was a big step. I've got a theory about what could possibly happen in
Star Trek 3. I believe that James T. Kirk will be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice, and no blood procedures can save him. It may seem like a bold move, but Abrams (who, remember, is a producer on this film) has shown he's not afraid to make the bold move. He did destroy Vulcan in the first movie. It's possible that the climax for
Star Trek 3 could mirror the opening of
Star Trek, bringing the franchise full circle, only with more emotional involvement since we would have spent three full movies with this cast.
Into Darkness introduces Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve), who in the original series, is a main love interest for Kirk and the mother of his son. While Abrams smartly did not overly-pursue a romantic relationship in the second film, he did plant the seeds for some development to their relationship during the third. A subplot of
Star Trek 3 could be Kirk settling down with Marcus and learning he's about to become a father. And if you've seen the first film, you probably know where I'm going. The
Enterprise is under attack. There's no way to save the ship. Everyone's evacuating. Marcus, about to give birth to her child, is waiting for Kirk to join her. Only the son of George Kirk has to do what his father did. He has to stay behind and fight off the enemy so everyone else can live. He faces fear in the face of certain death. He has to sacrifice himself so that the others - including his wife(?) and newborn son - can live the rest of their lives. It seems to me that's what they're building towards. We live in a Hollywood where Batman (seemingly) dies in a nuclear explosion and Tony Stark throws a missile through a worm hole. At this point, anything is possible. If the filmmakers went this route, it would be a heart-wrenching, emotionally draining finale for a trilogy. It'll be interesting to see if this is what happens. Now for something that's a little ways down the line...