10 Star Trek Moments You Never Saw Coming

4. He Knows, Doctor. He Knows

Star Trek The Original Series The City On The Edge Of Forever
NBC

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.

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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"