Thread:Rodangizzardcrusher3/@comment-26687285-20160822213306/@comment-26687285-20160831221823

While i agree with most people that trying to recreate a famous Trek moment like the sacrifice from Khan this early on in the new series feels a bit rushed, i againg submit that they could have gotten away with it if they had done it, not as a bit of gratuitous fan-service, but to do something different with that concept. They could have used this moment to service Spock's character arc, as he now realizes how valuable and loyal Kirk is and how much he must care for them to sacrifice himself. This could have led to Spock deciding to return the favor by risking everything he has to try and bring Jim back through hunting down Khan. That way the scene would have meant something more than a pointless repeat of the "Warp Core" scene, and i wouldn't have minded a repeat of that scenario.

I'm glad you mentioned The Force Awakens, because while that film shares a few of the problems that this one has (come on J.J., did you really have to include the Jedi training ball, the holographic chess set, the cantina band or the 12 parsecs line again!?), i was willing to forgive about 95% of it simply because of the Han Solo death scene. Finally a big pop-culture franchise has the stones to kill off a beloved character and stick with it! (take notes Marvel, this is how it's done). I was so happy with that decision that it significantly improved my viewing experience. The only thing i really had a problem with (besides the forced callbacks) was Starkiller Base. Not that it existed necessarily (superweapons are kind of a staple of the SW stories), just that it gets destroyed in the first movie right out of the gate. It would have been better if they had shown it secretly being built or (as Mike Stoklasa suggested) unveiled in the climax of this part, and saved it's destruction for the second or third film.