Star Trek is about the human experience in as much as it is about different alien species interacting with humanity. It isnt the technology, the alien planets or the starships that make Star Trek an enduring television experience; its those characters who allow us to explore the various facets of life through their eyes. Sadly, that sometimes includes those diversely different moments of hardship or other painful episodes in their lives that represent various types of the saddest things that can happen to people. Though their suffering may be tragic to witness, at the worst of times, the best in people can be witnessed as they endure these hardships, making Star Trek a true human drama. Listed below is a handpicked sampling of some of the most truly heartbreaking moments from across the entire Trek spectrum that shows these characters at their worst moments but highlights the best of their respective natures. While most have to do with loss, they are all a specific type of loss unique to each character, but are still universal moments that we can all either empathize with or relate to, and in short, makes watching Star Trek a universally personal experience that we can all share.
12. Death Of Lieutenant Tomlinson - Balance Of Terror - TOS
Balance of Terror is one of those fan-favourite episodes that strikes a fundamentally resonant chord in viewers, particularly in those who have served in the military or have lost loved ones who have served. As much as Starfleet is about exploration, there is also the military side of Star Trek that sometimes is diluted in respect of Gene Roddenberrys utopian vision of the future. In this episode, the USS Enterprise is called to defend the border between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. It starts with a wedding between two crew members interrupted by the ships alert status. During the course of the encounter, Lieutenant Tomlinson, in charge of Weapons Control is killed in the line of duty and the episode ends with Doctor McCoy reading out the casualty report and announcing Tomlinsons death. Finally we see Captain Kirk holding the Weapons Control Officers fiancée in a paternal embrace as the screen fades from view. Military service is probably the noblest service a person can offer his country. A serviceman or servicewoman offers their lives as collateral in upholding principles of national duty. When a country decides upon a course of action that has international ramifications, it is often the military that enforces that national will; it is often the military who suffers for that decision. The same value can be seen in this episode. In defending the Federation from the Romulan incursion into its space, the crew of the Enterprise are placed in harms way to maintain the integrity of those borders and to uphold the security of the United Federation of Planets. Lieutenant Tomlinson pays the price for that security and the citizens of the Federation are safe for another day. The death of a serviceman is always tragic, but this is a particularly saddening moment when the dead serviceman is somebodys fiancée.
John Kirk is a Teacher-Librarian and currently a History/English Teacher with the Toronto District School Board.
But mostly, John teaches Geek.
Comics, Sci-Fi (Notably Star Trek), Fantasy and Role-Playing and table-top games all make up part of John’s repertoire, There is a whole generation of nerds-in-embryo who rely on him to make sense of it all, to teach that with great power comes great responsibility, that the force will be with us always and that a towel IS the most useful thing to have in one’s possession.
When John isn’t in the classroom, he can be found in his basement writing comic reviews for www.popmythology.com and features for Roddenberry Entertainment's www.1701news.com.
