10 Most Intense Star Trek Scenes

2. Sisko's Log - In The Pale Moonlight

Sisko Pale Moonlight
CBS Media Ventures

It feels almost clichéd now to include this scene on any TrekCulture, such is the number of times it has popped up. Simply put - there's a reason it's here. One cannot discuss intense Star Trek scenes without including the one speech that changed the franchise forever.

Here was a captain admitting to serious crimes. The Romulan Empire had been tricked into joining the war. Several people were dead. Garak's mouth was now a different shape. Had Star Trek betrayed its ideals? Avery Brooks delivers this final monologue to the camera, forcing the audience to hear his words. There's no one else in the room to absorb the impact of what he's saying so it's like an actor on stage, holding the audience's eyes, refusing to let go.

It's uncomfortable. It's stark. It's something one could never imagine Kirk, Picard, or Janeway doing and saying - but then again, that's what Deep Space Nine brought to the franchise. It may have been easy to be a saint in paradise, but Sisko didn't live in paradise, did he?

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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"