What’s the last movie that made you cry?
I’m a softie. I am a crier; particularly lately, as I find myself falling in love with the world. And as corny as this may sound, I found myself getting a little choked up during a recent re-watch of Superman (2025) with Sierra.
I wrote about the potential social impact of Superman shortly before it’s released last year, noting how desperately we needed the breath of fresh air that Superman—a good guy who is simply doing good because it’s the right thing to do—provided in the middle of Donald Trump’s America.
The truth is, I don’t know if Sierra got as much out of that movie as I did. I would like to think she did; she holds a lot of the same political views that I do, perhaps even more fiercely than I do. But I remember watching that movie, specifically toward the end when Metropolis is getting torn apart. There’s a part where Superman is going building by building, trying to save people. He stops a structure from crushing a woman in a car, gets her out of the way just as the building collapses, and then you see the silhouette of Superman rising out of the shadows of the debris.
That’s the moment that gets me. It goes back to that feeling of hope. Hope eternal. Hope emerging out of the darkness. I didn’t really look over at Sierra so much as she just saw me getting choked up. It’s so corny, I know.
This next one might be a little corny too, but the ending of the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series premiere—an episode titled, appropriately enough, “Strange New Worlds”—gets to me every time.
In the episode, Captain Christopher Pike, still dealing with the traumatic knowledge of his own future, is called back into space to respond to a planet that has developed a warp-capable bomb, threatening total annihilation. It’s no accident that the people on this particular world resemble early 21st-century Earth, technologically speaking. Because these aliens discovered antimatter and warp technology as a fallout from Starfleet’s actions in Star Trek: Discovery, Pike basically says to hell with the Prime Directive and dares the leaders of both factions to lay down their arms and unite to join the United Federation of Planets.
I’ve always been now to play by the rules—I guess I’ve always been a bit of a “goodie-goodie.” But the truth is, I believe that doing what’s right is more important than following the rules. As Captain Picard once argued while confronting the Edo god in “Justice,” there can be no justice as long as laws are absolute. I believe that. There have to be exceptions to the rules every now and then.
I think I connect deeply with characters like Pike because they exhibit that “strength in gentleness” mentality—very much like Optimus Prime. Though, if we’re being honest, you don’t always see that raw strength in Pike; he’s almost a little too soft at times. But when he makes that stand, it represents the audacity of potential.
Something about that dream, that challenge, that dare to be greater than you already are—that kind of stuff inspires me. I know it sounds cheesy, but everybody has to have something that inspires them in their lives, and I guess mine is… Star Trek.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to put on any rubber ears. Besides, my Starfleet uniform shirt is way too small now anyway.
P.S. — Level Five Transporter Accident
Speaking of Strange New Worlds, the brand-new episode drops today, and it’s the one we’ve all been waiting for: “Level Five Transporter Accident”—aka the Muppet episode. Need I say more? I know what I’ll be watching this morning before I sit down to write the review. Stay tuned!
Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Having crossed the 1,000-day milestone, I’m now charting the territory beyond. The mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like 👍, comment and subscribe below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media and check out my recent posts!
- Batman – forever, and ever and ever 
- Rob Reviews Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 4.8 Orders of Magnitude
- The View from 1,100 Days
- Money, mindset, and the middle ground 
- Episode 3.7 The Sustainability of the 4th Quarter is LIVE!
AI art created by Google Gemini
The article “Why the Good Guys Still Make Us Cry: Superman, Captain Pike, and the Audacity of Potential” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
Leave a Reply