I’m still not over Kirk becoming vulnerable and opening up to La’an, sharing something about his childhood just to explain himself because he didn’t like her thinking that he was a player, and La’an listening with a smile and validating him, and thanking him for doing what he’s doing because “I promise you, it is important when Starfleet helps those who need it. I know because I was helped too.”
Also La’an literally going out of her way to ask if he was injured because she was worried. People seem to focus on “it isn’t her James” but the thing is, her James died so this version of James Kirk could exist. Captain Kirk heard about the world La’an came from, and he wanted to live in it. He didn’t want to be a soldier and spend his life fighting; he wanted to be an explorer and live in a world where war wasn’t imperative. He wanted his brother to live.
Captain Kirk helped her back then (even though he didn’t have to), and seeing and hearing that Lieutenant Kirk would do the same thing is painful because it’s a reminder of what she’s lost, but he’s also a reminder that it was worth it.
Every time, La’an speaks to him, she’s reminded of qualities Captain Kirk had. She feels a pull towards him, and he’s offering to spend time together, but she is afraid to take him up on that offer. She’s afraid of what could happen if she spends more time with him.
and I honestly couldn’t ask for a better scene
