Think about all of the things he has seen, all of the worlds he has explored, all of the green women he has slept with, and when he is faced with death, it shocks even him, to the extent that all he can say is, “Oh, my.” I’m not sure how popular this scene is among the Star Trek Zeitgeist, but I imagine it’s probably hated. I, however, love it. Feel free to tell me how I’m wrong in the comments.
I always took it as surprise that he wasn’t dying alone, because Picard was there with him.
In Star Trek V, he has that whole thing about how even as he was falling from El Capitan, he knew he wouldn’t die because Spock and McCoy were with him, and “I’ve always known, I’ll die alone.”
Although it’s not depicted, the fact that Kirk had to personally go to the deflector controls and the fact that afterwards, they had to ask if anyone was in there, it strikes me that that area is not normally manned and as a consequence, Kirk was alone there when the explosion hit. He may very well have believed himself to be dead and in some sort of heaven while in the Nexus, until he met Picard and left to help stop Soran.
Later, lying there on the rocks of Viridian III, Picard at his side as he slips away, what’s left to him is surprise that, despite his expectations, in the end, he wasn’t alone after all.
I found it very powerful.
You have come very close to making one of the worst parts of Trek almost not shit. I don’t know what that is but it’s something. Kudos.
You get me, mah Trek! That’s what it was all about. He faced death so many times in his life, but when it came, he wasn’t alone, but he was with another captain, someone who might have become a friend, but who understood his burdens and regrets. The whole movie is about the similarities between Picard and Kirk, because they each lost or gave up family, love and friendships for their obsession.