Star Trek: 10 Captains That Totally LOST IT
5. James Kirk (The Other One) Lashes Out
Even an alternate reality couldn't keep these two titans apart. Decades after the dramatic climax of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Kirk's nemesis returned in Star Trek Into Darkness, albeit with a different name. And face.
When the mysterious John Harrison kills Admiral Pike in a brutal attack on Starfleet Headquarters, Kirk chases him all the way to the Klingon homeworld. Kirk leads an away team in an attempt to capture his mentor's murderer, but it goes horribly wrong. Harrison unexpectedly saves the team and surrenders to Kirk.
Not realising it's all part of a much bigger scheme, Kirk accepts his surrender...only to deliver a savage punch to the face. Then another. And another. Harrison barely blinks, seemingly resistant to the violent assault. Undeterred, Kirk's ire drives him on, and the man's lack of reaction only seems to enrage him further.
It's Uhura's desperate shout of 'Captain!' and Harrison's mocking repetition of the title that finally brings an end to Kirk's violent outburst. All the while, poor Spock watches on as if he has absolutely no idea what to do.
His look may well have mirrored the shock of many viewers. 2009's Star Trek had established some differences in the Kelvin Timeline's Kirk. His lack of a father figure had resulted in a more volatile and less focused young man. So while the eruption wasn't entirely out of character for this Kirk, it was still shocking for many fans to see a Starfleet captain lashing out after accepting a fugitive's surrender.
What wasn't a shock was Harrison's later reveal:
My name is Khan...
We know, Khan, we know.