10 Best Star Trek Fight Scenes

8. Spock Vs. Kirk - Amok Time

star trek spock fighting kirk tos the original series amok time
CBS

This is one of those fights that instantly entered the cheesy fisticuffs hall of fame, regardless of the enormous emotional weight behind it. Frankly, when people think of fight scenes from The Original Series, this is often one of the first two that they think of. This is due, in no small part, to Theodore Sturgeon's iconic score.

The clash of the Lirpas, the tearing of Kirk's shirt, the re-use of the Romulan helmets to save on ear costs - this scene has it all. So much credit must go to Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, both of whom treat the scene with all sincerity. The recent revisit to the arena in the Strange New Worlds episode Spock Amok added both a bit of fun to the original fight, and a little more depth with further exploration of Spock and T'Pring's relationship.

After all that, this fight scene remains epic for, not only did it show Spock 'killing' his captain and friend, but it lead directly to Spock's joyous outburst on finding that Kirk had, in fact, survived. For both humour, and pathos, the Amok Time clash is one of the greats.

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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"