How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Quote #7
[In a hallucination, Sarek sees his newborn son Spock for the first time.]
SAREK: So human.
Here's Spock's whopper of a memory, though it's hard to imagine him actually recalling the moment of his birth. Regardless, the key takeaway here is that Spock's personal trauma is his shame over his half-human heritage.
Quote #8
MCCOY: Jim, try to be open about this.
KIRK: About what? That I've made the wrong choices in my life? [...] I know what my weaknesses are. I don't need Sybok to take me on a tour of them.
As for Kirk, he has no interest in a personalized VR walkthrough of his worst memories. He can visit them whenever he wants, thank you very much. While you might attribute this refusal to mere macho posturing on Kirk's part, the truth is that Kirk—who has no shortage of past personal tragedies—has no interest in going backward. He only goes forward.
Quote #9
MCCOY: I was wrong. This "con man" took away my pain.
KIRK: Dammit, Bones, you're a doctor. You know that pain and guilt can't be taken away with the wave of a magic wand.
We think it's hilarious to imagine a doctor having any sort of special insight into "pain and guilt." "By God, Jim," McCoy might say, "his guilt readings are off the chart!" Jokes aside, Kirk is completely correct here: there are no easy solutions when it comes to matters of the mind or heart.