What TOS moment has the greatest emotional impact

Despite having seen the epsiodes hundreds of times it still brings a lump to my throat and gets me all misty eyed when at the end of the Galileo 7 we hear :

SULU: Whatever it was, Captain, it just burned up in the atmosphere.

UHURA: Captain, transporter room just beamed up five persons.... Alive and well.

Anyone else have a TOS moment that has that effect on them ?[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

No lumps in the throat or teary eyes, but one of the better character moments comes in "Bread and Circuses" between McCoy and Spock locked in a cell, separated from Kirk.

The chemistry between Kelley and Nimoy is in full play.

And Edith's death in "The City on the Edge of Forever" really juices it up by letting us know when it's about to happen.

 

First moment that comes to mind: Spock's momentary flash of jubilation when he discovers that Kirk is still alive in "Amok Time."

"Jim!"

Honorable mention: Spock leaving Zarabeth behind, to face a lifetime of lonely exile, in "All Our Yesterdays."

 

Kirk and McCoy devastated when Edith Keeler died....... it haunted Kirk ever since.

 

I know some of you find it intrusive on Spock's part, but . . .

"Forget . . . forget" to conclude Requiem.

 

The bit in "Is There in Truth No Beauty" where Spock is possessed by the Medusan, who soliloquizes on just how isolated and alone humanoid beings are . . ..

(Funny how many of these moments involve Spock. Or maybe not.)

 

The camera pulling back from McCoy as he surveys the violence, an instant after Tyree has begun killing his opposition.
(From ''A Private Little War.'')

 

Capt. Kirk: Matt, where's your crew?
Matt Decker: On the third planet.
Capt. Kirk: There IS no third planet!
Matt Decker: Don't you think I know that? There was, but not anymore!

 

The ones that come to mind for me

The funeral scene at the end of Balance of Terror especially since the marriage at start was cut short and they weren't able to be married.

Two scenes from City on the Edge of Forever - one mentioned when Edith is killed and the very end when Kirk says let's get the hell out of here. First time I had ever heard a curse word on TV. I would have seen it in the early70s so a shock for me as a young 'un.

 

Yes to Spock having to leave Zarabeth Also when McCoy is dying in The Empath and Spock is really tender and comforting towards him. It was very touching given the nature of their relationship.

 

To me, one of the most powerful moments in the whole series is at the end of "The Menagerie, Part I," when Kirk says, "Lock him up," and then you can see how tortured he is over the whole situation.

Kor

 

My thoughts exactly

 

I've got two...one is a no-dialogue scene from "The Way to Eden", when they find Adam's body and the poison fruit that killed him. There's just something haunting about the soft, sad rendition of "Stepping Out" that accompanies the scene.

One of my other favorites is this one from "The Ultimate Computer":

 

The two gold standards are "He knows Doctor" and "Let's get the hell out of here." from City on the Edge. I'll also second "Forget" from Requiem. Speaking of Requiem, Shatner's line delivery on "We put on a pretty poor show" is extremely well done on the impact scale.

One I don't see mentioned often in this category is in Journey to Babel. The silent moment where Spock places his hand on the door to his quarters after his mother has stormed out is killer.

I'm also a fan of Kirk's plaintive "Bones, Bones..." from Operation:Annihilate. Another line reading that Shatner just nails.

 

Wow. Thanks to all of you. Trek TOS clearly had many exceptionally well written emotional scenes that totall worked.

 

Two of my favorites are:

Matt Decker's "Don't you think I know that..." from DM.

Charlie's exit at the end of Charlie X.

 

"He knows, Doctor. He knows."

 

The scene in "Journey To Babel" where Spock's mother pleads with him to save her husband's life. She recites the pain of his childhood, reminding him how she suffered with him. Nevertheless, he refuses to abandon his duty as acting captain and she ends up slapping her son's face before storming out. Spock then goes to the door and lowers his head in... sadness, shame, regret....?

Of course, being the nerd I am, I always wonder why the door doesn't open!

 

I think she hit him harder than Dr. M'Benga did in "A Private Little War"