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Beautiful 'Star Trek' short film gives fans the Kirk and Spock farewell they truly deserve

Unification takes William Shatner’s Kirk on a journey through the afterlife to see Spock one last time.

OTOY/Youtube

Kirk and Spock, together again.

Even if you’re not into Star Trek, you’re probably aware of the legendary friendship (or more, depending on who you ask) shared between Captain James T. Kirk and Spock. It’s part of what made their separate deaths—Kirk’s being in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations and Spock’s only being a thing mentioned in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond—so bittersweet for many fans.

But now, grieving trekkies can finally get some closure, thanks to a fan film that’s not only an epic, Easter egg-filled crossover spanning the vast canon of Star Trek, but a tearjerking love letter to the two characters who first made the show so special in the first place.

In 765874 – Unification, created by the VFX studio OTOY (Westworld, American Gods), we first see a well known Kirk quote written on the screen:

“How we deal with death is as least as important as how we deal with life”

Then Kirk (William Shatner’s face, but body doubled by actor Sam Witwer) appears, and travels through the afterlife running into a TON familiar faces (including Saavik, Sorak and Yor, to name a few) all leading to Spock (Leonard Nimoy, Lawerence Selleck) on his deathbed. Thirty years later, these two friends finally get the goodbye they deserved before departing the mortal plane forever.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Unification not only achieved amazing technical feats, blending CGI, AI, and practical effects, but also had William Shatner and Susan Bay Nimoy (Nimoy’s widow) serve as executive producers to help ensure accuracy. According to Screenrant, both Witwer and Selleck studied and mimicked Shatner/Nimoy's exact movements for Kirk/Spock, a physical performance enhance by a combination of physical and digital prosthetics.

The result? A ton of happy tears from fans.

“71 years old, I'm sitting watching with tears streaming down my face. Thank you.”

“The long overdue farewell we have waited far too long for. It's so nice to see that there are still people out there who understand Star Trek and are keeping it alive.”

“Who knew 9 minutes of Star Trek with no dialogue would be some of the most powerful!!”

Aside from the fan service of it all, people found the short film to be very a cathartic mediation on death.

“My mother died just after this past New Year’s Eve, and the last thing she said to me was , “Oh , hello “! This is so special to me thank you so much!”

“I am 71 and terminal. I pray that when my time comes, I can have my world's version of this experience. THANK YOU!!!!!”

“My father passed away a few weeks ago and I've been struggling to let my emotions out. This well and truly did it. Been sobbing away.”

Truly, there’s something here for hardcore fans and newbie trekkies alike. Kudos to all the makers of Unification, who boldly helped the legacy of Stark Trek live on in the coolest way possible.

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James Doohan, the original 'Star Trek' Scotty, once saved a suicidal fan's life

The actor called it “the best thing I have ever done in my life.”

William Forsche/YouTube

Actor James Doohan shares how a fan reached out for help.

When people become famous, they know fans are going to want things from them all the time—autographs, selfies, shoutouts, handshakes and hugs. But what about when a fan reaches out in distress?

Canadian actor James Doohan, who played the lovably surly ship mechanic Scotty on the original "Star Trek" television show and films, received a harrowing note from a fan once. It's hard to know when to take a letter from a stranger seriously, especially when you're a famous actor, but he did.

"I got a fan letter from a young lady—it was a suicide note," he shared in an interview. "So I called her. I said, 'Hey, this is Jimmy Doohan—Scotty from Star Trek,' I said, 'I'm doing a convention in Indianapolis. I want to see you there.'"

The woman came to the convention, and Doohan said he couldn't believe what he saw. "Definitely suicidal," he said. "Somebody had to help her somehow, you know. Obviously, she wasn't going to the right people."

Doohan told the young woman that he was going to be at another convention in two weeks, and then another two weeks after that, and that he wanted to see her at each one of them. And sure enough, she showed up at all of them, despite them being held all over the country.

"That went on for two or three years, maybe 18 times. And all I did was talk positive things to her," he said. "And then all of a sudden, nothing. I didn't hear anything. I had no idea what was happening because I really never saved her address, right?"

Miraculously, eight years later, Doohan got a letter from the woman.

"I do want to thank you so much for what you did for me," it read, "because I just got my master's degree in electronic engineering."

Doohan said the story brought tears to his eyes every time he talked about it. "You know, to me, it's the best thing I've ever done in my life," he said.

Though Doohan passed away in 2005, his legacy as the OG Scotty—and as a caring public figure who went the extra mile for a struggling stranger—lives on.

Watch him tell the story:

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Even the Vulcans are smiling: Say hello to 'Star Trek's' first female director.

For months, the biggest news surrounding "Star Trek" was whether Quentin Tarantino would write and direct the next installment. Instead, "Star Trek" is getting its first female director. And it's about time.

Though details are still emerging, it appears that Clarkson, a veteran director of episodes of acclaimed shows like "Jessica Jones" and "Orange Is the New Black," will direct the fourth installment in the J.J. Abrams-led film reboot of the long-standing science fiction series.

Abrams is also reportedly co-producing the film with a woman, bringing back Hollywood veteran Lindsey Weber, who co-produced the last Trek film in 2016.

[rebelmouse-image 19476687 dam="1" original_size="500x327" caption="GIF from "Star Trek."" expand=1]GIF from "Star Trek."

"Star Trek" has a long history of inclusion.

50 years ago, the original "Star Trek" made history with the first interracial kiss on TV. Gene Roddenberry's future was one where humanity had moved beyond divisions of race and gender. It's easy to forget now, but one of the show's main heroes was of Russian origin, during the height of the Cold War. And George Takei's "Sulu" is considered one of the first positive on-screen portrayals of an Asian-American.

[rebelmouse-image 19476688 dam="1" original_size="500x288" caption="GIF from "Star Trek."" expand=1]GIF from "Star Trek."

That theme has been continued throughout Trek's various iterations. When "Star Trek: The Next Generation" premiered, the series' famous prologue "Where no man has gone before" was replaced with the gender neutral "Where no one has gone before."

GIF from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

The newest show in the series canon "Star Trek: Discovery," has pushed inclusion even further, featuring a black woman as the series lead, a more racially and culturally diverse cast, prominent LGBTQ characters, and more diverse talent behind the scenes as well.

"Star Trek has always been pictorial of diversity and inclusion and universality," star Sonequa Martin-Green said before Discovery's premiere.

[rebelmouse-image 19476689 dam="1" original_size="500x250" caption="GIF from "Star Trek: Discovery."" expand=1]GIF from "Star Trek: Discovery."

Greater inclusion in Hollywood is the right thing to do and it leads to better entertainment for all of us.

The question foremost on most fans' minds is whether the movie or TV show they're watching is going to be any good. All the inclusion and diversity in the world won't amount to much if no one pays attention.

That's why it's all the more encouraging to see films like "Black Panther," "Wonder Woman," and "Get Out" find groundbreaking success both commercially and critically.

[rebelmouse-image 19476690 dam="1" original_size="366x272" caption="GIF from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."" expand=1]GIF from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

People want to see more diverse stories told from a broader range of people and places. It also just happens to be the right thing to do. And that should give Star Trek fans, and people who care about greater inclusion in Hollywood, a lot to be excited about.

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70 members of Star Trek's cast and crew just wrote an epic anti-Trump letter.

Donald Trump's controversial candidacy for president is meeting resistance in unusual places.

People and organizations around the world have been speaking out publicly against him — including the Arizona Republic, which broke a 126-year tradition of endorsing Republicans, and USA Today, which broke a 34-year tradition of not endorsing any candidate.

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

Trump is openly and unapologetically misogynistic, racist, and intolerant. He wants to build a physical wall on the Mexican border, he wants to deport Muslims, he's joked about the assassination of Hillary Clinton, and he once made fun of a disabled reporter. And that's just a list of his greatest hits.

The latest group to speak out against The Donald is a coalition of over 70 writers, actors, directors, and producers spanning across 50 years of the "Star Trek" franchise.

In an unapologetically frank open letter, published to a Facebook page called Trek Against Trump, "Star Trek" actors, directors, producers, and crew members expressed their political stance that Donald Trump represents the opposite of everything "Star Trek" stands for and should not be allowed anywhere near the presidency.

Star Trek has always offered a positive vision of the future, a vision of hope and optimism, and most importantly, a...

Posted by Trek Against Trump on Thursday, September 29, 2016

"We cannot turn our backs on what is happening in the upcoming election," the letter reads. "Never has there been a presidential candidate who stands in such complete opposition to the ideals of the Star Trek universe as Donald Trump."

The letter was signed by J.J. Abrams (director of the 2009 "Star Trek" reboot), Scott Bakula (the captain from "Star Trek: Enterprise"), Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry (son of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry), many members of the late Leonard Nimoy's family, and many more.

Above all, Trek Against Trump urges people to get out and vote this November — and to make sure your vote actually counts:

"The resolution of conflicts on Star Trek was never easy. Don’t remain aloof –vote! We have heard people say they will vote Green or Libertarian or not at all because the two major candidates are equally flawed. That is both illogical and inaccurate. Either Secretary Clinton or Mr. Trump will occupy the White House. One is an amateur with a contemptuous ignorance of national laws and international realities, while the other has devoted her life to public service, and has deep and valuable experience with the proven ability to work with Congress to pass desperately needed legislation. If, as some say, the government is broken, a protest vote will not fix it."

The letter includes a link to Rock the Vote, a nonprofit organization that helps people register.

While "Star Trek" hasn't always been overtly political, it's a franchise that was built on a philosophy of humanism, inclusiveness, equality, and an idealistic vision for a peaceful future.

Trek Against Trump is not wrong about Trump's political views being in direct opposition to the values of "Star Trek."

GIF via "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."

Whether on TV or movie screens, "Star Trek" has always valued diversity, multiculturalism and tolerance — the opposite of walls, deportations, and hateful rhetoric. This is a show that featured the first interracial kiss on television and counted Martin Luther King Jr. among its fans. In fact, the entire basis of Vulcan philosophy is "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" (abbreviated as IDIC).

"Star Trek" takes place in a society without greed or the idolization of wealth.  

"We’ve overcome hunger and greed, and we’re no longer interested in the accumulation of things," Capt. Jean Luc Picard says on "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

In contrast, Donald Trump, announced his candidacy for president in a rambling speech that included the phrase, "I'm really rich!"

GIF via "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

When you're standing in the way of the values of "Star Trek," you're probably standing in the wrong place.  

The fact is, "Star Trek" has spent 50 years painting a beautiful vision of a future without hate, greed, or intolerance.

As Bryan Fuller, who is spearheading the new "Star Trek" TV series "Star Trek: Discovery," tweeted with his endorsement of #TrekNotTrump, if we ever want to live in the future that "Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry envisioned, electing Donald Trump is not the way to get us there.

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