10 Episodes That Are Perfect For A Good Cry | Star Trek
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00:00You know that moment when you get in that mood and you just want to watch something
00:03that kind of helps you get the waterworks going?
00:05Well, that's what these episodes are for.
00:07Not just to make you sad, because crying is not always a sad thing, but certainly to stir
00:14those emotions inside you that might make your vision a little bit blurry for a while.
00:19I'm Sean Ferrick with Trek Culture, and here are 10 Star Trek episodes that are perfect
00:24for a good cry.
00:26Number 10, the city on the edge of forever.
00:28Perhaps one of, if not the, most iconic doomed romances in the franchise, the brief encounter
00:33between James T. Kirk and Edith Keillor is a love story that continues to reverberate
00:37almost 60 years after hitting our screens.
00:40In true time travel agony, there are no real winners here, at least not when it comes to
00:45those most directly involved.
00:47McCoy's horror at Kirk's actions speaks volumes.
00:50From his point of view, with absolutely no context, his captain deliberately prevents
00:54him from saving Keillor's life.
00:56If you know what you've done, he knows, Doctor.
00:59He knows.
01:00It's a devastating moment in the episode and in the history of Kirk himself.
01:04The fact that it all comes about so quickly, after a number of red herrings, still manages
01:09to shock the viewer right to this day.
01:11When one watches the episode in full knowledge of the events to come, it becomes more tragic
01:15seeing Kirk falling in love with the woman he knows must die.
01:20As grim as the outcome is, there is a certain beauty in this story, one that is perfect
01:26for breaking down those walls.
01:28Number 9.
01:30Star Trek III The Search For Spock
01:32Following on from the incredible trauma-fest that was Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan, this
01:36film sees its own fair mixture of sorrow and loss, but what really gets the waterworks
01:41going is the hope that it offers along the way.
01:44Kirk's mission to save his two best friends, for McCoy is suffering just as much as Spock
01:48is running out of time, leads him to the final mission of the USS Enterprise.
01:53On top of that, he loses the son he had only just come to know as he is forced to hear
01:58the murder over the comms.
02:00However, despite both of these huge losses, Spock and McCoy themselves are saved.
02:05That final scene on Vulcan, as the crew stands by and James Horner and Alexander Courage's
02:10music swells, might just be enough to open that emotional dam.
02:14Jim.
02:15Your name is Jim.
02:18Chopping onions.
02:20Number 8.
02:21The Offspring The death of a child may just be the most
02:25devastating loss that one could ever feel.
02:28What happens when the parent is not capable of emotion, but still has to endure it?
02:33Such is the painful resolution to The Offspring, featuring the introduction of, and subsequent
02:38death of, Data's daughter, Lal.
02:41Data achieved on his first attempt at building a positronic brain, that which his own father
02:46could not, a being capable of emotion, but one that wasn't murderously insane.
02:51Lal was sweet and innocent, brimming with curiosity, but those feelings quickly overpowered
02:56her.
02:57While the logistical ramifications were being discussed by Starfleet on the matter, Data
03:00discovered that Lal was on the verge of a system shutdown.
03:04There is nothing to be done, so he passively watches as Lal begins to deactivate.
03:07She does give him a beautiful parting gift.
03:10She tells him that she loves him, and though she knows he cannot return the feeling, she
03:14will feel it for both of them.
03:15Though it would be years before he would experience true emotions, Data does incorporate
03:20her feelings into his own neural net.
03:22In a way, he grants her a measure of immortality.
03:25Meanwhile, the audience sobs.
03:277.
03:28The Bonding
03:30Jeremy Astor's story is not one of just a single loss, but two, as his deceased mother
03:35does come back to him, in a way.
03:38Lieutenant Marla Astor is killed on an away mission by a remnant of a long-ended war,
03:42making her death pointless.
03:44Explaining the guilt of this, the world's inhabitant attempts to recreate the happiness
03:48that Jeremy felt with his mother, though through illusion.
03:51Jeremy's initial utterance of the words, I'm all alone now, is enough to break even
03:55the most hardened hearts, but Picard's assurance that on the Enterprise, no one is alone will
04:00definitely do the trick.
04:02The episode raises a poignant question – what choice do the families of Starfleet officers
04:06really have when it comes to the dangers of space travel?
04:10Jeremy certainly never chose to be in a position of mortal danger, Lieutenant Astor, on the
04:13other hand, would know the risks that come with the uniform.
04:16Worf's attempt to bond with Jeremy by the end does offer some hope for the boy's future,
04:21and only confirms Picard's promise.
04:23Though Jeremy wouldn't return again in the next generation, this episode was a strong
04:26attempt to show how grief could be handled in the 24th century.
04:306.
04:31The Visitor
04:32Losing a parent at any age can be a loss beyond words, but in the Star Trek world, they weren't
04:37satisfied with only traumatising poor Jake once.
04:40No, no, they left the young man in a state of utter limbo, knowing that Ben was alive,
04:44but trapped in subspace.
04:45Jake's life's work becomes saving his father, taking over everything up till the
04:50point of obsession.
04:51His writing comes to an end, and his marriage dissolves, all while Ben can only watch from
04:55mere pockets of time together.
04:57Their final meeting, where a dying Jake assures Ben that he can change everything by ending
05:02his life while they're together.
05:04The love between these two men is almost unbearable to watch, as both Brooks and Tony Todd deliver
05:08masterful performances.
05:10From their final scene together to Ben's realisation that the plan did, in fact, work,
05:15pledging his now-teenaged-again son, The Visitor is an emotional rollercoaster of an episode,
05:20taking the audience through the absolute wringer.
05:23If there was ever an episode of Star Trek that truly displayed the love between fathers
05:27and sons, it's this one.
05:295.
05:30It's Only a Paper Moon
05:32The late Aaron Eisenberg turned in the performance of his career in this late-stage episode of
05:36Deep Space Nine, where he displayed the horror and trauma of the Dominion War and its effect
05:41on him.
05:42The scene shared between Nog and Vic Fontaine, as all of the house lights are brought down
05:46and the crowds of the 1950s vanish into thin air, is devastating in its impact and delivery.
05:52Nog, in losing his leg, felt the harsh reality of his situation.
05:56He was not invulnerable, nor was he safe, he could die at any moment, and it terrified
06:00him.
06:01Eisenberg spoke about his experiences after this episode aired, in which several veterans
06:05reached out to him, saying that he had given a voice to some of their fears.
06:09It truly is an episode and a story that is guaranteed to help whatever's been bottled
06:13up inside come out into the real world, even if it takes a visit to Las Vegas to get it
06:17done.
06:184.
06:19Pathfinder
06:20The closing scenes of Pathfinder offer one of the most instantly memorable tear-jerking
06:25reunions in Star Trek history.
06:27In an episode that fits the theme of this article perfectly, Voyager finally makes direct
06:32two-way contact with Starfleet Command.
06:34The choice to focus on Barclay for the bulk of the episode belies the emotional hit that
06:39comes from the signal reaching the Delta Quadrant.
06:42His struggles are a fascinating look into the life of a man obsessed, much as the audience
06:46may have found itself becoming.
06:48The addition of Commander Troi adds that note of familiarity to proceedings, something that
06:52fans could enjoy before the last scene.
06:55Admiral Parris telling his son, thousands of light-years away, that he's proud of
06:58him and that he misses him, never fails to break even the stoniest of hearts.
07:03Tom Parris' tumultuous relationship with his father had been teased for the show's
07:06run, so seeing this one moment was enough to reduce the audience to tears.
07:10Keep a docking bay open for us, magic.
07:133.
07:14Similitude
07:15It would be almost easy, in the years that have passed since the episode's release,
07:19to consider Similitude as a bit of a melodramatic episode.
07:22The entire plot revolves around the death of a main character, sort of.
07:26What truly sells the episode is the performance by Connor Trenere.
07:29Sim effectively is Trip, so as the audience is watching him struggle to come to terms
07:34with his fate, really, they are watching one of the main characters offer themselves up
07:38as the sacrificial lamb.
07:39The escape attempt only dials this up to 11, but is delivered in such a pitch-perfect way
07:44that it's hard not to be affected.
07:46The episode's score goes a long way towards breaking hearts as well, and that lone woodwind
07:50melody ringing through the silent halls of Enterprise.
07:53Archer's determination floxes grief to Paul's realisation of Trip's true feelings, and
07:58everything just lands in the episode.
08:00Be wary of pairing this episode with a good bottle of wine, because it's likely to leave
08:04you bawling into your glass.
08:072.
08:08Tears of the Prophets
08:09The death of Jadzia Dax remains, to this day, one of the most shocking and upsetting moments
08:14in Star Trek.
08:15For a main character to be killed in so simple a manner is bad enough, but with the episode
08:19already teasing that Dax and Worf are about to start a family, this one really affects
08:23the audience.
08:24When Jadzia does get a chance to say goodbye to Worf, it's also shockingly quick and violent.
08:30This was a move that affects even the most casual fan of the series – Terry Farrell's
08:33performance is so likeable throughout Deep Space Nine, and her relationship with Worf
08:37and Sisko just works so well.
08:40Though Star Trek had certainly employed shocking character deaths before, the writing and delivery
08:44here cut through any resolve not to burst into floods of tears each time.
08:49Jadzia's final words to Worf, only to be followed by his roar of anguish, warning the
08:54Klingon dead that a warrior is on their way, is both steeped in Trek lore and works as
08:59a stand-alone moment.
09:00It's emotional just thinking about this episode.
09:03Number 1 – The Inner Light
09:05The Inner Light is a seminal episode, one that clearly strikes chords with so many fans.
09:11True, it did find its place on a recent list of Oberated episodes, but that doesn't disqualify
09:15its power to break the viewer into tiny little pieces.
09:18There are so many moments in the episode that combine to devastate, and that final scene
09:24Picard, standing in his quarters, barely able to understand what has just happened to him,
09:29is handed the small box by Riker.
09:31Opening it, he lets his number one know with a tilt of his head that he needs to be alone,
09:36then reveals the flute that he had spent so many years learning to play.
09:40Those closing notes over this episode, floating like a dirge through space, are enough to
09:45get the waterworks going on any Trekkie, whether they be long-term fans or first-timers.
09:50The Inner Light often finds itself turning up on so many lists for so many reasons, but
09:55today, let it be the episode that warms, breaks, and then carefully mends your heart, all in one go.
10:01Anyway, I'm off to ball into a glass of rosé.
10:05Folks, I hope you enjoyed this list.
10:06Thank you so much.
10:08Thank you to the lovely Philip Magnus who edited this into something watchable.
10:12Much appreciated.
10:14Whatever you do in the next time it is until I see you again, make sure that you look after yourself.
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10:25I'm at Sean Farrick on the various socials, too.
10:28You are wonderful.
10:29You are awesome.
10:30You are all of these things.
10:31You deserve the best.
10:33Thanks very much, folks.