Summary
It can be a daunting prospect to deliver a truly greatStar Trekseries finale, which is why a handful have failed to perform to expectations. Occasionally, outside factors can impede the writers' abilities to write a satisfying finale, as a cancelation by the network can abruptly bring aStar TrekTV showto an end.Star Trek: DiscoveryandStar Trek: Enterprisewere afforded the opportunity to respond creatively to their cancelation, with differing results. However,Star Trek: The Original Seriesexisted at a time when the concept of a series finale was yet to be widely established.
It was really in the 1990s when the idea of aStar Trekseries finale took hold, as network television became more writer-led. The success ofStar Trek: The Next Generationand its spinoffs meant that, byseven seasons ofStar Trek,TNGwas afforded the luxury of canceling itself. These 1990s series finales are among some of the best-loved episodes ofStar Trekever, as they have thrilling stakes and also give their hugely talented casts one last chance to shine.
Star Trek: The Animated Series, Season 2, Episode 6
“All Good Things…”
Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 7, Episodes 25 & 26
“What You Leave Behind”
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 7, Episodes 25 & 26
Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5, Episode 10
12 Best Star Trek Season Finales Ranked
In its impressive nearly 60-year history, the various Star Trek series have delivered some truly excellent season finales.
8"Turnabout Intruder"
Star Trek: The Original Series
“Turnabout Intruder” is a fairly weak episode ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesthat also acts as the show’s de-facto finale. In its defense,the series finale was not an established feature of network television in the late 1960s, which is why “Turnabout Intruder” isn’t designed as a fitting conclusion toTOS. However, even with that in mind, it has a dated, and sexist, storyline about Janice Lester (Sandra Smith) swapping bodies with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) so that she can become afemale starship captain. It’s hardly a story that serves as a fitting farewell to theTOScast.
Star Trek follows the U.S.S. Enterprise on its five-year mission to explore the galaxy, led by Captain James T. Kirk and First Officer Mr. Spock. The crew confronts a variety of challenges, including Klingons, Romulans, and genetic supermen, as they search for new life and civilizations.
“Turnabout Intruder” provides William Shatner with a chance to play a different side of Captain Kirk, and also showcases the Enterprise crew’s loyalty, as they refuse to follow Lester’s orders. However, the dated plot and disposable nature of “Turnabout Intruder” makes it a poor finale forStar Trek: The Original Series. Thankfully, the Enterprise crew’s movie revival would lead to a far more fitting farewell inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
7"The Counter-Clock Incident"
Star Trek: The Animated Series
In many ways,Star Trek: The Animated Seriesgot a better finale than its live-action predecessor. “The Counter-Clock Incident” brings things full circle by teaming up twocaptains of the starship Enterprise, James T. Kirk and Robert April (James Doohan). However, the stakes involved in the team-up do undermine the occasion of theTASfinale, somewhat. The titular “Counter-Clock Incident” involves the Enterprise flying into negative space, which forces the crew to age backwards.
Star Trek: The Animated Series follows Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and the crew of the Starship Enterprise as they embark on new adventures across the galaxy. This animated series, released in 1973, continues the iconic science fiction stories of exploration and discovery from the original Star Trek television series.
The climactic scenes where Kirk and his crew are crawling around on the floor like babies undermines them in a far more substantial way than anything inStar Trek: Enterprise’s controversial finale. Thankfully, the older Robert April is also aged backwards, to an age where he can command a starship and ultimately save the day.“The Counter-Clock Incident” is as ageist as “Turnabout Intruder” was sexist, but theStar Trek: The Animated Seriesfinale has more fun with its central premise, and a sense of passing on the torch, that makes it the superior finale.
Now played by Adrian Holmes, Admiral Robert April has become a recurring character inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
6"These Are The Voyages…"
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise’s finale is notorious among fans for undermining the cast by bringing back Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). It’s a fair criticism, given thattheEnterprisecharacters as seen in “These Are The Voyages…” are holographic replicas, not the real deal. Also, controversial was the death of Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer), which co-writer Brannon Braga had intended as a heartbreaking moment but, in execution, it just angered fans. For all the problems withEnterprise’s finale, it does at least try to end the story of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula).
Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.
Because the show was canceled,theStar Trek: Enterprisefinale skips ahead to the founding of the United Federation of Planets. Given that this was always whatEnterprisewas building to, it makes sense for the finale to deliver that pay off even if the long road to getting there was curtailed. It’s just hugely unfortunate that the culmination of Archer and his crew’s adventures are overshadowed by a tribute toStar Trek: The Next GenerationandEnterprise’s more beloved franchise stablemates.
Brannon Braga apologized to the cast ofStar Trek: Enterprisefor the finale in the 2013 Bluray special featureIn Conversation: The First Crew
I’m Glad Star Trek Is Showing More Love To Scott Bakula’s Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is now getting some long overdue recognition from new Star Trek and its heartwarming to see shoutouts to Scott Bakula’s show.
5"Life, Itself"
Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery’s finalewas never intended as the show’s ending, which does count against “Life, Itself” in some respects. That being said, Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) coming face to face with the alien race that seeded all humanoid life in theStar Trekuniverse is bigger than anything in theTOS, TAS, andEnterprisefinales. As a de-facto finale for the entire series, “Life, Itself” works as an ending for theDiscoverycrew, as their quest for the Progenitors' technology gives many of the characters a greater grasp of what matters to them the most.
Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
Ironically, if “Life, Itself” had gone out as originally intended afterStar Trek: Discoverywas canceled, it may be regarded more highly.There’s a neat thematic symmetry to Burnham’s journey beginning with the Battle of the Binary Stars, and ending between the primordial black holes. Unfortunately, a contrived epilogue that gives theDiscoverycrew one last chance to pat themselves on the back and allows the writers' room to wrap up a dangling thread fromStar Trek: Short Treksmakes this an uneven and unsatisfying conclusion to the series.
4"Endgame"
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager’s endingbrings Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the crew back home to the Alpha Quadrant. However,Voyager’s season finale is seriously hampered by the show’s outdated approach to episodic storytelling.Voyagercould have built a multi-episode arc about the crew making one last-ditch attempt to escape the Delta Quadrant. Recurring elements like the Pathfinder Project certainly gaveVoyagerthe chance to build up to the crew’s return home. Instead, audiences get “Endgame”,a feature-lengthVoyagerfinale that ends before the crew even makes it into Earth’s orbit.
The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they’ve never faced before.
It’s an odd decision to spend so much time in the alternate future where Voyager gets home too late, but completely avoid showing how the crew readjusted to life on Earth in the primeStar Trektimeline. There’s a lot of great material in “Endgame”, from present and future Janeway collaborating to save Voyager to the final battle with the Borg Queen (Alice Krige). However,the oddly abrupt ending preventsStar Trek: Voyager’s finale from being truly great.
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3"The Last Generation"
Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Picardmay have been uneven in terms of quality over its three seasons, but the final episode,“The Last Generation”, is the best finale ofthe modern franchise. TheStar Trek: Picardfinale, written and directed by Terry Matalas, manages something that’s almost impossible; it gives everyone a chance to shine. “The Last Generation” is a fond farewell to Patrick Stewart and his belovedStar Trek: The Next Generationco-stars, while also setting up Starfleet’s next generation. No character feels short-changed as Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D face the Borg Queen for one final time.
Star Trek: Picard follows retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, twenty years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis. The series delves into Picard’s life post-Starfleet, as he navigates a new chapter filled with unresolved past events and new challenges.
“The Last Generation” is a thrillingStar Trekaction movie that has genuine emotion at its core. Picard’s fight to save Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son he’s only just met, is beautiful, and is given monumental stakes given that his love and acceptance is the only thing that can break Jack’s Borg processing.“The Last Generation” is exciting, emotional, occasionally hilarious, and full of warmth. Everything you could want from aStar Trekseries finale, basically.
2"What You Leave Behind"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s series finale is epic and intimate, which is the perfect reflection of the show itself. “What You Leave Behind” bringsDS9’s Dominion Warto a shattering conclusion, leaving Cardassia Prime a devastated warzone, mirroring the state of Bajor at the show’s beginning. TheDS9finale also fulfilled the tragic destiny of Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), Emissary of the Prophets, who gave his life to seal Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) and the Pah-wraiths in the Bajoran Fire Caves. However, amidst all the fire and brimstone in “What You Leave Behind”,DS9’s overriding themes of family and friendship prevail.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.
From the melancholic goodbye between Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and Colonel Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) to the emotionally restrained farewell between Garak (Andrew J. Robinson) and Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), there’s a palpable feeling of finality. Arguably,Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s finale is too good, as its resolution has so far put off Alex Kurtzman from returning to the show and its characters.“What You Leave Behind” is the most conclusive ofStar Trekseries finales, paying off seven years of storytelling. It’s one of the reasons whyDS9remains such a satisfying viewing experience more than 30 years after its premiere.
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1"All Good Things…"
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “All Good Things"is the gold standard ofStar Trekseries finale, even 30 years after it aired. Riffing on Charles Dickens’A Christmas Carol, Captain Picard is split across his past, present, and future to deal with a threat to all creation.The only constant in these three time zones is Picard’s crew, who remain loyal to him throughout his life. Picard’s final test isn’t so much whether humanity is deserving of its place in the stars, but whether the Enterprise-D’s captain can appreciate the smaller things.
Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they embark on interstellar explorations, seeking out new worlds and civilizations.
TheStar Trek: The Next Generationfinale is a celebration of seven years of television that never feels indulgent or self-congratulatory.“All Good Things” honors the journey of theTNGcast, while looking hopefully toward the future, as all good series finales should do.TNGwas never a serialized show with a clear endpoint. However, “All Good Things” wraps up the relationship between Q (John de Lancie) and Picard, while giving him the family he’s always denied himself; his crew. It’s for those reasons that “All Good Things” remains the greatestStar Trekseries finale.
Each of theseStar Trekseries finales are available to stream on Paramount+.
