3. Vulcan Is Destroyed
By the time Star Trek movie franchise was revived in 2009, we as an audience had seen it all. The destruction of the Enterprise. (Twice) The death of Kirk and Data. The resurrection of Spock. Time travel. (Twice) The Klingons. The Borg. The Romulans. God (of course, that turned out to be a bit pants) So in 2009, with a fresh new take on the franchise and an ingenious sequel / prequel / reboot in one, I didnt think there was much that could surprise me. I was even looking forward to seeing old events revisited and / or presented with a new spin. I got that the universe was different and the history of six TV shows and movies could and would play out a little differently. I still did not expect Vulcan to be destroyed. Neros attack on the planet and the death of Spocks mother was bold and daring and truly draw dropping. For all my acceptance of change, I realised just how ready this universe was to play by its own rules. And it was brilliant. It added an element of drama that made you think anyone could die. Earth could be next. The destruction of Vulcan was the moment I feel the film was ready to live and die by. And it succeeded.