Top 20 Iconic Moments in Sci-Fi Films

3. Spock Dies (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, 1982)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhcR-w-56tA Ok, so he came back later, but at the time, we didn€™t know that was going to happen. We€™d all heard the rumors that he was going to die in this movie, but when we saw Spock get €œkilled€ in the beginning, most of us thought, €œAh, cute, they were just joking with us.€ Then came that final moment. Say what you will about William Shatner€™s acting, but he was really, completely, fully perfect as an actor in this scene, as was Leonard Nimoy. Those final moments, with Kirk unable to even touch his best friend as he dies, were some of the most touching ever put to film for a science fiction movie, and rank as some of the most emotional drama in any film in the late 20th century.

2. The Chest-Bursting Alien (Alien, 1979)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuapyExYJBI This is one of those moments where, if I ever get hold of a time machine, I shall go revisit. I would love to be able to be in a theater of people who have no idea what€™s about to happen as a man on screen starts coughing. That most of the actors also had no idea what was about to happen makes this an even more impressive scene. Even now, knowing full well what€™s going to happen, it holds up very well as a very visceral and impressive scene. Definitely one of the best moments ever captured on film from any genre. Click "next" below to read the final entry...
 
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Chris Swanson is a freelance writer and blogger based in Phoenix, Arizona, where winter happens to other people. His blog is at wilybadger.wordpress.com