Tear Jerker / Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

• Chancellor Gorkon's death is gutwrenching, especially when you consider people in both Starfleet and the Klingon Empire worked TOGETHER in order to assassinate him because they didn't want him to make an alliance between their two governments!
  • His last words are heartbreaking: "Don't let it end this way, captain..." Kirk, who expressed bigotry towards the Klingons in his own personal log due to (three of) them murdering his son David, stands there shocked with cognitive dissonance. Instead of cursing him in his last breath, Gorkon was begging Kirk to save the peace process. Kirk bitterly observes later that "Gorkon had to die before I realized how prejudiced I was" and regretted not taking him at his word from the get-go.
• "Second star to the right...And straight on 'til morning." Manly Tears were shed.
  • After Star Trek: Generations was released, VI became doubly poignant because fans realized it really was the last time the crew would adventure together. Then there's the "Sign Off."
• Merritt Butrick's cameo in the form of a photo that Kirk keeps in his quarters. The film was after he had died of AIDS complications.
  • In-Universe, Kirk unable to reconcile his son David's death.
• More like a Fridge Tearjerker, but how Valeris's betrayal affects Spock. She's second only to Saavik when it comes to Spock's proteges. He tried his best to teach her how to have hope, but she wasn't good enough to live up to it. She didn't just betray him as a Starfleet officer. She didn't just betray him as a Vulcan. She betrayed him as a surrogate daughter. That's a hard blow for anybody.
  • Her betrayal gets him openly angry, causing him to smack the phaser out of her hand. Meaning he's angry enough for it to crack that Vulcan calm. Oh yeah, he is PISSED, and it is tragic, because it means that he trusted her that much.
  • And then he's still horrified after being forced to dig the conspirators' identities out of her mind. These sequences feature some of Leonard Nimoy's best acting in the whole franchise.
    • Why would Spock perform what amounts to Mind Rape? Because the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Kirk needed those names to prevent an interstellar war, which outweighed the mental security of one Vulcan and the self-respect of another Vulcan.
  • Imagine how heartrending it would have been had it been Saavik, as Meyer wanted.
    • Part of the original idea for having Saavik be involved would have been because of David's death, making Kirk's forgiveness of the Klingons that much more poignant.
  • There's even shots of other crewmembers on the bridge reacting in horror as Valeris cries out from the anguish of being mind-raped.
  • And the reason for that mind meld: Valeris threw Spock's own earlier logic back at him. She has made this choice and, as a full Vulcan, did so with a fully sound mind and logical reasoning. Meaning that she found logic to racism and hatred, because to those who embrace these things, there is always "logic" to their choices. It's no wonder that Spock feels so betrayed.
• The fact that among the conspirators was Admiral Cartwright, a relatively minor (though friendly) character who had previously appeared in one of the more popular Star Trek films may come as a slap in the face to some fans. Brock Peters, his actor, was saddened by this turn, too. It's a sad reminder that bigotry and hate can come in any form, and it's hit home by Cartwright being played by a man best known for playing an innocent man caught on the wrong side of both.
• Kirk's reaction to finding out that Spock felt the need to vouch for him over the mission to escort Gorkon to Earth. He's visibly angered and disturbed that Spock thought he wouldn't follow his orders to the best of his abilities whatever his personal feelings might be.
  Kirk: You should have trusted me.
• The look on Spock's face when Kirk retorts "Let them die!" To see the normally-stoic Vulcan shocked and horrified at his friend's words truly underscores the callousness and bigotry of Jim's statement.
  • When he shot the scene, William Shatner had Kirk wince afterwards in a "Why would I say that?" manner that, unfortunately, got cut by Nicholas Meyer.
• At the Klingon trial, Bones defends his failure to save Gorkon as best he can, but finally breaks down and looks around for support as he makes his final attempt. It doesn't help Chang depicts him as a drunk old doctor.
  McCoy: My God, man! I tried to save him! I tried to save him! I was desperate to save him! He was the last best hope in the universe for peace.
• This movie is when the Klingon Empire starts to slowly die. From what we later see on TNG and DS9, the Empire will never regain its glory, and it falls into the hands of corrupt politicians who drive it into the ground. In many ways, Chang and Azetbur's fears come true. According to ENT, the Klingons eventually join the Federation and, as pointed out here and especially on DS9, the Federation assimilates cultures until they're just a hollow copy of humanity.
• Being allowed to get away with more, the novelization expands Martia and Kirk. He doesn't resist her kissing because he knows it's a way to escape Rura Penthe (like he used to do in the main series). They spooned, and she keeps leering at him and touching him after, and he feels guilty and violated.
• Kirk and Spock's scene over the regrets they've had in their lives (Kirk letting his emotions rule him, Spock being too logical), and both fearing they've gotten too old to be useful in the universe.
• The novelization also has a moment where Kirk would rather die in battle than have to face getting older and retiring. Even without the knowledge of his death in the next film, it's rough.
  • The novelization also adds an increased justification for Kirk's unyielding hatred towards the Klingons. Shortly before the events of the film, Chang's Bird-of-Prey attacks the planet Sidau, where Carol Marcus is working. She spends the better part of the film's events in a coma, with Kirk not knowing if she'd awaken. Meaning that, in addition to Klingons having killed Kirk's son, the Klingons came very close to killing the mother of his son as well.

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