When it comes to Star Trek, the frantic nature of exploring the final frontier and protecting the prosperity of the future provides excitement. For many, that’s the allure — or at least what got them initially hooked. But it’s the quiet moments that set the franchise apart and allow it to endure. While I love the battles of the Dominion War, the barroom brawls of “The Trouble With Tribbles,” and the temporal onslaught of “Year of Hell,” it’s the character moments that keep me coming back year after year, decade after decade.
These moments may feature the whole crew, or may simply involve a likely (or unlikely) pairing. They may be uplifting or they may be sad. They may be reflective or decisive. Regardless of the details, they add depth to the Star Trek universe and allow us to feel a stronger connection to the story, and to see ourselves in the characters.
While there are hundreds of moments to choose from, I’ve selected two of my favorites from each series as a sampler to spur you on to share yours:
The Campfire Scene from Star Trek V
Spock and Amanda in “Journey to Babel”
The Final Poker Scene in “All Good Things…”
Remembering Data in Nemesis
Miles and Julian in “Extreme Measures”
Kira and Odo in “Children of Time”
Tom and B’Elanna in “Day of Honor”
Harry’s “To The Journey” Speech in “Endgame”
Hoshi and Phlox in “Fight or Flight”
Archer and Hernandez in “Home”
These are the moments in Star Trek that have made it part of my life for so many decades, and why I’m driven to share it with everyone through discussion after discussion in my podcasts. We’ve barely scratched the surface. Which quiet moments connect with you?
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C Bryan Jones is founder and publisher of the Trek.fm podcast network, host of The Ready Room and Hyperchannel, and co-host of The Orb: A Star Trek Deep Space Nine Podcast. Here on Earth, he lives in Tokyo where he’s Editor-In-Chief of The Journal, the magazine of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. He can also be be found on Twitter (@cbryanjones) and his personal website cbryanjones.com.