10 Star Trek Moments You Never Saw Coming
4. He Knows, Doctor. He Knows
Here's the thing - for the future to return to normal, Edith Keeler had to die. However, The City On The Edge Of Forever goes to great pains to establish her as a character. So, when that moment does come, did anything really think that Kirk would be able to stand back and let the inevitable occur?
McCoy burst through the door of the Mission, initially overjoyed to see Spock and Kirk again. From across the street, Edith sees the three men embrace, stepping out into the path of a speeding car that she fails to notice. McCoy spots her and begins to move, only to be held in place by Kirk. The car hits her, killing her instantly. McCoy, horrorstruck, turns to Kirk and demands to know if he understands what he's done.
He knows, Doctor. He knows.
Spock's line is full of repressed emotion. The three men are badly shaken by their participation in historical events, even if they do manage to set the future to rights again. These events were set in stone and couldn't be altered. Still, that final scream from Keeler's mouth was as shocking as any explosion that ever rocked the bridge of the Enterprise.