Series with the best finale

[Bad Thoughts]

...Another question: Is Trip as volatile as Scotty?

I think at the very least Trip's a meaner drunk than Scotty.

...I live in my own little world where Terra Prime was the final episode and the crew had many nice adventures afterwards.

Yep, this for sure! Terra Prime was STE's real finale. TaTV was just Star Trek's version of a Seinfeld finale: It didn't fit and just made everything awkward.

Well, Riker and Troi were the only real characters in the episode. Everything else was dancing lights.

 

[ALF]

Can I has The Undiscovered Country for TOS finale, too? I adore Star Trek VI and thought it was a mighty fine way to say goodbye to that crew.

Agreed that TNG's All Good Things was a very satisfying conclusion. And brilliant to bring back Q for that. It is such a crazy trip to see the season 1 uniforms/set/lighting delicately recreated, warts and all!! And Denise Crosby - wonderful and fitting to have her back. The whole thing was just terrific. When SPCTRE posted this:

... I got a little flashback to the original airing and recalled jumping up and applauding when the Enterprise blasts that Klingon ship to pieces. Future Riker: "Hold on. I'll see if I can get the Klingons' attention."

As most ENT fans know, Demons/Terra Prime is the 'true' finale. And it ain't too bad. In fact it's great how it deals with xenophobia on Earth.

Voyager's finale gets a bad rap but I enjoyed it... although it is highly derivative of TNG's finale.

Too bad about DS9's finale. Kind of ends on a bit of a bummer note... not sure why they had that ending in mind - maybe at that point the likelyhood of following with films was high? Great series, but that ending tho... hmm. I like it, it's just so damn dark. But hey - so was DS9 in general.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Can I has The Undiscovered Country for TOS finale, too? I adore Star Trek VI and thought it was a mighty fine way to say goodbye to that crew.

If you do, don't you need to take Nemesis as TNG's finale?

 

[LadyT'Anna]

Now you have me curious, T'Arwen. Why do some posters hate Trip?

Charles Tucker demonstrates that people from the south-eastern portion of the United States, with southern accents on top of that, and play the harmonica, are intelligent thoughtful and capable people.

Well, this drives some folks just plum crazy.

Yep, I think you're right. As a native, I can tell you that Trip's accent does not represent the norm in Florida. But for Pensacola? Yeah, it's pretty spot-on.

No kidding, T'Girl. :/ And my goodness, Jeffe525, let's connect one of these weeks; I have relatives in Pensacola. Small world!

 

[Jeffe525]

Can I has The Undiscovered Country for TOS finale, too? I adore Star Trek VI and thought it was a mighty fine way to say goodbye to that crew.

If you do, don't you need to take Nemesis as TNG's finale?

Yes, you would. Sorry, Bill, I wish we could count TUC as TOC's finale, but that would also mean we'd have to forsake All Good Things for Nemesis. While I actually liked Nemesis, It's still a deal breaker.

I like where your heads at though. It was a valiant effort.

 

[Jeffe525]

Charles Tucker demonstrates that people from the south-eastern portion of the United States, with southern accents on top of that, and play the harmonica, are intelligent thoughtful and capable people.

Well, this drives some folks just plum crazy.

Yep, I think you're right. As a native, I can tell you that Trip's accent does not represent the norm in Florida. But for Pensacola? Yeah, it's pretty spot-on.

No kidding, T'Girl. :/ And my goodness, Jeffe525, let's connect one of these weeks; I have relatives in Pensacola. Small world!

Sorry, T'Anna. I should've been more clear. I'm a Florida native, but I don't live in Pensacola. I'm in Tampa Bay, about 5-6 hours away. It's a very diverse state, and I'm afraid we don't mix with the panhandle folk much. I've only been up there a few times myself.

 

[Tosk]

Too bad about DS9's finale. Kind of ends on a bit of a bummer note... not sure why they had that ending in mind - maybe at that point the likelyhood of following with films was high?

The opposite, I would say. Hence the amount of wrap-up that the finale delivers.

 

[M.A.C.O.]

I consider TUC to be TOS' finale. Since the show was abruptly cancelled in it's third season. Also TOS has the fewest hours of entertainment, compare to the other 4 series. I think it rounds out better if you include the movies.


TNG's finale is AGT. I don't hate Nemesis, but TNG movies didn't really service the continuing story of TNG. First Contact being the exception, I'd argue. AGT wraps up everything we the audience loved about the show, and ends with the crew doing something we'd always seen them do, playing poker.


DS9's finale was good, but what brings it down, for me at least, is the Pah'Wraiths/Dukat/Kai Winn subplot. Honestly the Pah'Wraiths/Dukat/Winn thing was a distraction to what had become the main driving force of DS9, The Dominion War. And it felt tacked on to Sisko's ever changing "destiny" as the Emissary. His ultimate destiny was to fall into a flaming chasm and exist as a spirit for an unspecified period of time? Idk, maybe if it was executed better, I would have liked it better.


VOY finale was a waste. Largely because half of the two parter is derivative of TNG's AGT, and the fact that the alternate future we spent so much time with was wiped out/will never exist thanks to Future Adm Janeway's meddling. Things would've been so much better if they spent time on Earth (via epilogue) to show the VOY crew how much things have changed since they were gone. Also show the former Maqui members of the crew acclimating to life after their cause was lost and essentially forgotten about by the people of the Fed.


The finale of ENT is Demons and Terra Prime, and they are fantastic episodes. TATV makes me want scream.

 

[eyeresist]

Now you have me curious, T'Arwen. Why do some posters hate Trip?

Charles Tucker demonstrates that people from the south-eastern portion of the United States, with southern accents on top of that, and play the harmonica, are intelligent thoughtful and capable people.

Well, this drives some folks just plum crazy.

But he never even graduated from college!

 

[topcat]

TNG finale is Star Trek Generations, A fair good bye to the ship and crew and forced relocations for everyone.

TOS had no real ending, just TMP as a good bye to the old ship. See the trend?

DS9 and Voyager were craptastic ends to television misery. Voyager and DS9s dominion seasons were thought by many to the finale for trek itself.

Enterprise series finale turned the whole series into a really bad holo deck fantasy that made Rikers Jazz bar episodes seem GOOD.

 

[eyeresist]

DS9 and Voyager were craptastic ends to television misery. Voyager and DS9s dominion seasons were thought by many to the finale for trek itself.

I think DS9's later seasons are regarded fairly positively, though I admit the quality of the standalone episodes did decline.

Interesting idea that the movies were the "final episodes".

 

[Scotchy]

All Good Things, but I must say Voyager's Engame Borg combat (armor, transphasic torpedoes) comes in second.

 

[Bagofmostlywatr]

I haven't seen most of Voyager, and don't ever plan to, but I caught a repeat of Endgame on daytime TV by accident, and to be fair, it's a really good episode. It makes you think about what's going on (is Adm Janeway telling the truth to her younger self?), it's got a good bit of action, and it wraps the story up.

TNG's ending didn't really feel like an ending, just a case of "We're going to go on boldly going, we're just not going to take you with us", I appreciate we all knew at least one film was going to follow, but it didn't really find some loose ends and tie them up. Yes, it showed a happy future for the characters, but one that might not have happened.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Yes, it showed a happy future for the characters, but one that might not have happened.

Do you mean that "All Good Things" showed a happy future for the characters, or that Generations did?

 

[DonIago]

I'm amused that folks love AGT (which I do think is a really good episode, just not as great as I think it's being made out to be) despite it containing elements which people consistently disdain with regards to later entries in the franchise:

1) It's almost entirely a Picard episode. Yes, the others get their moments, but it's definitely Picard-centric.
2) Reset button ending. Yes, Picard remembers what transpired, but nobody else does. There's pretty much no reason to believe the future timeline as shown will come to pass, or even something particularly similar.
3) Time travel (of sorts). 'Nuff said?

Again, I do consider it a pretty great episode, and it's a fine enough way to end the series, but I'm a DS9 man all the way, and ending their series with a multi-part arc and spending time recognizing everything they'd been through at the end clinches it for me despite the arguable weakness of the Prophets storyline.

 

[Vandervecken]

I'm amused that folks love AGT (which I do think is a really good episode, just not as great as I think it's being made out to be) despite it containing elements which people consistently disdain with regards to later entries in the franchise:

1) It's almost entirely a Picard episode. Yes, the others get their moments, but it's definitely Picard-centric.
2) Reset button ending. Yes, Picard remembers what transpired, but nobody else does. There's pretty much no reason to believe the future timeline as shown will come to pass, or even something particularly similar.
3) Time travel (of sorts). 'Nuff said?

Again, I do consider it a pretty great episode, and it's a fine enough way to end the series, but I'm a DS9 man all the way, and ending their series with a multi-part arc and spending time recognizing everything they'd been through at the end clinches it for me despite the arguable weakness of the Prophets storyline.

Eh, AGT is ok but not great. I don't mind it being Picard centered, and I don't mind the reset button, and I have zero problem with a good time travel story. For me it was its overemphasis on technoargybargy to save the day (another disdain-worthy episode attribute).

Frankly I'm not that wild about any of the 4 endings (TOS not having one), but I would say Endgame is actually the best stand-alone, wrap-em-up ep. I'm tempted to consider TMP the finale for TOS, though, in which case...it's still endgame.

 

[MrEscape]

All Good Things easily the top one for me. Followed by Endgame being second, both of these were really enjoyable in their own way. Does make me wonder what if they just ended Voyager with them carrying on through the Delta Quadrant or wherever instead of reaching home, just wish they spent time on Earth properly before the series ended though.

EDIT: To save reposting, I'd like to add What You Leave Behind as third place. I don't watch as much DS9 as the other series but I still find it very good. The last episode wrapped everything up well but in hindsight the way that Sisko's path through the end went does feel a bit underwhelming afterwards. But all in all a very solid episode.

TOS and Enterprise's one I'll leave for the imagination as to my thoughts there (Assuming that TATV as the finale I mean.)

 

[Seven of Five]

All Good Things easily for me, though What You Leave Behind gives it a run for its money.

The Undiscovered Country is also a great film, and a fitting end to the TOS saga (after its somewhat flat original ending.)

Endgame and These Are The Voyages are both a mess.

 

[STEPhon IT]

"All Good Things..." was the only series finale which was satisfying for me, especially when the entire season was quite stale. The exploration of existence, Q reverting back to what Roddenberry envisioned, Picard getting a glimpse of a possible future, making amends for his 3 existences and learning to be a better person because of it. This was a special story which cemented the legacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I wish the rest of the spin-offs had that kind of brilliance, but all of them failed to capture the point of their individual journeys.

DS9 was to make the Bajorans become members of the Federation, and have peace with the Cardassians. That never happened which destroys the whole point of the goal for Star Fleet. An Epic failure from the producers tied with their war-happy carnage of shit.
Voyager tried too hard to be an All Good Things... wannabe and anything done in that episode didn't make much sense at all. Good riddance.
Enterprise finale was a complete slap in the face for anyone who worked on that series. Instead of creating a genuine story for Archer's crew, I got a bizarre lost TNG episode where Riker, who looks nothing like he did in TNG appeared old, and fat along with a haggard Troi who also was not convincing; wastes precious time on a holodeck about the crew. It was more like an alternate universe lost episode based on the TNG episode "Parallels". Archer and his crew should've had a last great adventure to at least get a picture where Star Trek would head to Captain April's era. It was appalling. Like DS9, the series never really had a point.
For me, this is why "All Good Things..." was the best of the finales. It garnered and appreciated every element of the series and never wavered. DS9, Voy, and Ent. couldn't even do that right.

 

[STEPhon IT]

VOY finale was a waste. Largely because half of the two parter is derivative of TNG's AGT, and the fact that the alternate future we spent so much time with was wiped out/will never exist thanks to Future Adm Janeway's meddling. Things would've been so much better if they spent time on Earth (via epilogue) to show the VOY crew how much things have changed since they were gone. Also show the former Maqui members of the crew acclimating to life after their cause was lost and essentially forgotten about by the people of the Fed.

I would've preferred Voyager to wrap up unfinished business between the Kazon and the Ocampa; have Kes return to send Voyager back where it all started 70,000 light years to battle an eminent threat, possibly the female caretaker and the rogue Ocampas, where the Kazon and Ocampa join with Voyager; together to defeat the bad guys and finally make peace with the Kazons.