That's a good way of explaining his arc, thank you for that. I think it ultimately comes down to comparison for me, because WRATH OF KHAN had an incredibly affecting, emotional death, and INTO DARKNESS trying to homage it can't help but feel lesser, even if it has its own context aside from KHAN. Does that make sense?
I can see what you mean but I guess that the headcanon overrules a good bit of it for me.
For me I have always felt (until Beyond, somewhat) a very strong sense of loss and tragedy around the Kirk character. Part of the tragedy is that he cannot--and perhaps never will, even in Beyond and future movies--have the closeness with Spock that he did in the original series. HE is, in my opinion,
aware of that loss, not just from what Old Spock told him, but from what he FELT, very intensely, in the mind meld. To me, that is part of his pain and anger when Spock throws him under the bus in STID: he is seeing that all the hope he thought there was at the end of ST2009 to make things exactly the same as they were in the original universe was a lie.
He went into that engine core partly to save the ship and partly because I think he literally no longer wanted to live...but at least he would be able to go out in a way more dignified than an outright suicide. He got scared at the end as natural instinct will typically cause in all except THE most disturbed and unhealthy individuals, as he felt that his fate was sealed. And Spock...I think that this is a version of the character that has made fundamentally different decisions about his human half. He has no home but Earth, and would suspect his place of residence is there. And I also think that the question at the beginning of ST2009 about pursuing Kolinahr was indirectly answered: he is now firmly against it. This Spock would probably consider it disrespectful to his mother and the human side of his heritage to do so.
Now admittedly I don't accept Zach Quinto to the same degree as I do Chris Pine. Pine had the advantage of being able to play a
severely, tragically altered version of the character. I see no reason to hold him to the same close comparison to Shatner.
We'll never see my theory confirmed onscreen, I don't think...but to me it was telling that it came right out in the Star Trek Beyond trailer that Kirk had a direct question about his identity. And while I won't give spoilers, I saw that the man who was "reborn" out of that engine room has made progress. But I think it's always going to dog him, that question about who he is and whether some of that was permanently destroyed by Nero versus what he has been able to learn how to integrate from the meld since his death and rebirth.
For Chekov, I'm hoping they'll do something like mention he's been promoted to a different position on another ship (maybe even Captain?). I think that'd be a really nice, respectful sendoff for him.
I would accept that too--but, it does occur to me that making certain members of the crew have to realize that because of all that Nero did to the timeline, there was another very untimely loss compared to the prime universe...there IS story material there. I would not bring Walter Koenig into it as Jev suggested though, and I would handle any references to it in a private, solemn, dignified way as a certain other thing was in Beyond. Kirk should have strong feelings after how things went down in Beyond.
THAT SAID--I think the point about having the Yelchin family say what they want done is a very good one. Absolutely consult them. Even though I think I see a story that fits in with the themes of tragedy and loss caused long-term by Nero, if the family wants it handled as an offscreen promotion, then their word should be law. I can absolutely put aside my personal "authorial" preferences for their wishes.
