Heartwarming / Star Trek (2009)

The 2009 movie offers plenty moments of heartwarming, particularly the first ten minutes. *sniff*
WARNING: Spoilers are off.

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Film:

"Live long and prosper."

• One particular moment right at the beginning of the film: The shuttle with newborn James T. Kirk and his mother is flying away from the battle, when a missile from the Narada locks on to it. The missile gets within a few feet of the shuttle, when suddenly a phaser beam from the Kelvin blows it away, letting the shuttle escape to safety. George Kirk knows he's going to die in this fight, but he is NOT going to let those bastards get his wife and son.
• It's small, but Kirk giving his motorcycle away to a random worker. Sure, he wouldn't need it anymore, but he didn't even ask for any money; he just saw that the guy liked it, and simply tossed the keys to him.
• McCoy is about to board the Enterprise, leaving a stunned Kirk behind, when he stops, sighs and goes back to sneak him on-board. It truly demonstrates the extent of their friendship that he's willing to risk everything to make sure his friend gets to come along. It also ends up saving them all, and Earth too.
• Kirk looking in awe at the Enterprise for the very first time (despite being sick as a dog due to the vaccine given to him by McCoy.)
• Spock's relationships/"moments" with his mother and Uhura.
  • Especially with the latter. After the destruction of Vulcan, Spock struggles to remain stoic in front of everyone, his father included, and since he doesn't want everyone to see him like that, he leaves. Uhura follows him, and they share a tender moment in the lift. In short, Uhura hugs him while Spock buries his face into her shoulder, looking like he's going to cry. Anyone who thinks their relationship is Strangled by the Red String has to consider this scene, with the normally stoic Spock has no problems with breaking down in front of her, showing just how far their relationship has come off-screen.
  • Sarek and Spock: "Because I loved her." That is all.
• "Your father was Captain of a Starship for Twelve minutes. He saved eight hundred lives, including your mothers. And yours. (beat) I dare you to do better."
• The whole meeting between Kirk and Spock Prime, as the elderly Vulcan expresses the closest thing to joy he will allow himself to demonstrate when he realises that he's looking at another version of his oldest friend, as though James T. Kirk alone is the Hope Bringer even though Spock Prime has never met this Kirk before. This meeting ends with an exchange that speaks to the notion that as much as things change they stay the same:
  Kirk: Where you came from... did I know my father?
  Spock Prime: Yes. You often spoke of him as being your inspiration for joining Starfleet.
  • Also:
  Kirk: You know, going back in time, changing history, that's cheating.
  Spock Prime: A trick I learned from an old friend. [gives Vulcan salute] Live long and prosper.
• Spock Prime quoting his death scene — "I have been, and always shall be, your friend." — at Kirk.
  • Not just his death scene, but one of the essential truths of a life over two centuries long. Consider also that in Spock Prime's timeline, Kirk Prime has been gone for almost a century. (Kirk Prime was presumed dead 2293, Spock Prime left his own reality in 2387.) No wonder he finds it so "remarkably pleasing" to see Kirk again.
• Also at the end, this little dialogue between Kirk and Pike when Kirk becomes the captain and takes command over the Enterprise.
  Kirk: I relieve you, sir.
  Pike: [smiling] I am relieved.
• Spock meets Spock Prime.
  Spock Prime: Since my customary farewell would appear oddly self-serving, I shall simply say... [shows Vulcan salute] Good luck.
  • Spock Prime's entire reasoning for not coming with Kirk back to the Enterprise, when he could have just explained everything — that he wanted Spock and Kirk to have the experience that would build their friendship. Think about it. Spock Prime's faith in his friendship with Kirk is so strong he's willing to bet countless lives on the fact that Spock and Kirk will be able to work together and pull through — and he's vindicated.
  • Spock Prime appears to have struck a balance between his Vulcan and Human sides. Listen to the way he speaks to his younger self. It's not as controlled or logical as it used to be in the classic days of the Original Series; even more obvious with these two quotes:
    Alternate!Spock: How did you persuade him to keep your secret [about being from the future]?
    Spock!Prime: He inferred that universe-ending paradoxes would ensue should he break his promise.
    Alternate!Spock: You lied.
    Spock!Prime: Awwww... I... I implied.
    
    Spock Prime: Spock, in this case, do yourself a favor. Put aside logic; do what feels right.
• Hearing Leonard Nimoy do the monologue, set to the original fanfare, followed by the theme music from the Original Series. Any lifelong Trekkie will tell you that that's one of the most powerful moments in the entire movie.
• After the Enterprise successfully defeated Nero and the day is saved, Keenser (Scott's little alien sidekick) is shown having joined the Enterprise crew as an engineer, under Scotty no less.
  • Blink and you'll miss it, but after Scotty and Jim beam to the Enterprise, Keenser actually makes a small noise and looks visibly saddened.

Behind the Scenes/Other:

• In the novelization of the movie, at the very end where the Enterprise is about to warp out, the transporter flares to life.... and a rather puzzled-looking beagle trots out. Most adorable punchline to a Brick Joke EVER.
  • The ongoing comic series takes this further with Scotty looking depressed at the transporter, when his elbows hits the console and the beagle reappears, much to his delight.
• It didn't actually end up in the movie, but the scene that the writers wrote for William Shatner (in hopes he would do a cameo) is really quite lovely. Check it out here.
  • It becomes a tearjerker when you examine it more closely. When Spock Prime shows this recording to Kelvin Spock, he's using a pendant as the playback device. He likely put the recording in the pendant, an item easy to hold onto, easily carried, and easily dismissed by others. And the fact that he still has possession of it means that he had it with him during Romulus' destruction and managed to hide it from Nero (who would have definitely taken it from him if he knew what it was). Spock's been wearing Kirk's message this whole time and probably has been for years!
• Spock and Uhura in the Captain's chair.
  • According to Roberto Orci, the Spock/Uhura romance is one of the key reasons that J. J. Abrams decided that he wanted to direct the film.
• The bloopers on YouTube, when Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto perform a smooth high-five and rebound after a take is just so flawlessly bromantic that it hurts. If you look at what they're wearing and the characters involved, they just finished shooting the scene where Kirk provokes Spock into an unstoppable rage.
• Karl Urban's performance as McCoy, both for getting to appear in a franchise he's loved since childhood and delivering a performance that captured the spirit of DeForest Kelley so well it moved Leonard Nimoy to tears.

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