10 Most Divisive Star Trek Moments

5. Killing Captain Kirk

Captain Kirk death Star Trek
Paramount Pictures

Star Trek: Generations has got the reputation of being the film that put the bridge on the Captain. And to be fair, that is 100% correct. However, the film was given the somewhat daunting task of passing the baton from the Original Series crew to the Next Generation crew.

Had the Original Series crew's tenure finished with The Undiscovered Country, the fans would most likely have been fine with that. The ending to Star Trek VI is very nearly perfect. The signatures that come up on screen at the end, while potentially a bit much (though still copied by Avengers: Endgame!), are the cast's way of ending their service with style.

Having Kirk return for Generations, while a solid addition to the script (the cottage scene is perfect), though his ending seems like an anti-climax for one of the most action-orientated captains in the fleet.

However, one way of looking at this is that there was never going to be a death scene that would have pleased everyone. Having Picard bury Kirk though was a beautiful moment of passing the torch.

Contributor
Contributor

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"