Trek.com's "Finale" poll

[ichab]

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StarTrek.com recently did a "Finale" poll and their results looked like this.

1.) ALL GOOD THINGS-TNG ..............................37%
2.) ENDGAME- VOYAGER ..............................34%
3.) WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND- DS9......................20%
4.) THESE ARE THE VOYAGES- ENTERPRISE............5%
5.) TURNABOUT INTRUDER- TOS..........................4%

In my view, TOS shouldn't even be in the poll as that wasn't a true finale. It was simply the last episode of the season before the show was canceled.

I'd also have to give the edge for best finale to DS9 as it was a great story that didn't require time travel or the holodeck . Thoughts?

 

[R. Star]

Despite Turnabout Intruder just being the last episode of the season it was in, it was still better than TATV.

That said, I'd put things in this order.

What You Leave Behind... great conclusion to the most epic story arc in Trek history, and actually had something of an epilogue for the series.
All Good Things... stunning single episode, definitely ended TNG on a high note.
Endgame... I don't even like it that much, but yeah... this is how comparatively weak the rest of the finales are.

And my thoughts on the other two are already on record.

 

[BillJ]

All Good Things... - Incredible wrap up to the series.
Turnabout Intruder - Criminally underrated episode.
Endgame - Infuriating.
These are the Voyages - Jolene Blalock summed it up best.
What You Leave Behind - Zzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Lance]

I do agree, Turnabout Intruder isn't the same kind of narrative ("closing the book", as they say) as the others. It isn't a fair comparison, but it is TOS's finale, for better or worse. Personally I've come around to thinking of TAS as an extension of TOS... and therefore, I tend to think of The Counter-Clock Incident as being TOS's 'true' finale. It feels a lot more like one too, what with the Enterprise's very first captain coming back for a visit and all. Makes for a much more satisfying ending.

 

[R. Star]

Yeah, I have nothing against the episode itself, just... the discussion is about best finale. Turnabout Intruder was just another episode that could've gone anywhere in the season, so.. not that good as a finale.

 

[Lance]

What do you think about All Our Yesterdays as a potential replacement 'finale'? Sometimes I do think its hardcore exploration of the 'big three' as characters (seperating Kirk from the group and forcing McCoy and Spock into a survival situation) feels more fitting as a finale-of-sorts than Turnabout Intruder, which as you say feels a lot like it could have been any old episode in the middle of the season.

I've seen the theory suggested elsewhere on TrekBBS that, as well as being something of a 'new beginning' of Star Trek, The Motion Picture also feels a lot like the finale that TOS never got to have. Spock's character arc as seen throughout the original series (emotion vs logic) is basically wrapped up in a neat little bow in that movie.

 

[M.A.C.O.]

I consider All of Our Yesterday's to be a finale worthy of TOS the series.

All Good Things a great end to TNG run.

What You Leave Behind had a powerful and tragic ending to the Dominion War. The Emissary, Prophets and Pah Wraiths parts i could do without.

Endgame felt like AGT and a quick fix to getting VOY home. I don't mind the Borg getting their teeth kicked in again. However I would've liked to have seen the crew actually make it back to Earth and see the Federation that haven't been apart of for 7 years. That's really all i wanted.

ENT ended with Demons and Terra Prime. TATV? I don't know what you mean.

 

[Lance]

ENT ended with Demons and Terra Prime. TATV? I don't know what you mean.

Whenever I give ENT a complete watch now I don't even watch These Are The Voyages anymore. I just stop with Terra Prime.

 

[TheSubCommander]

I would have ranked them like this:


1.) ALL GOOD THINGS-TNG
2.) WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND-DS9
3.) ENDGAME- VOYAGER
4.) THESE ARE THE VOYAGES- ENTERPRISE
5.) TURNABOUT INTRUDER- TOS

 

[R. Star]

ENT ended with Demons and Terra Prime. TATV? I don't know what you mean.

Whenever I give ENT a complete watch now I don't even watch These Are The Voyages anymore. I just stop with Terra Prime.

I wish you were right. It would've been better that way. Le sigh.

 

[Mage]

All Good Things was a great double episode, but we all knew it wasn't the finale and didn't really feel like one. Endgame was pretty crap. Good SFX, the stuff set in the future was interesting, but then it all went downhill. Can't consider Turnabout Intruder a true finale. TATV..... never mind.

So, to me, that leaves What You Leave Behind. Yes, the episode had flaws, sure some thing felt a bit rushed. But I've seen it a few times now, and it still gets me. The

 

[R. Star]

All Good Things was a great double episode, but we all knew it wasn't the finale and didn't really feel like one.

To be fair, they -knew- they'd have movies coming up. So they just ended on an epic episode rather than a conclusion. Which they accomplished well regardless of what you think about the TNG movies. None of the other episodes have this excuse. Might be an interesting poll if you replaced TUC with Turnabout Intruder.

 

[1001001]

I think All Good Things... was just about perfect. By far my favorite.

Endgame was not as bad as some people think, IMHO. I do think it was too abrupt, and did not deliver on Voyager's homecoming.

What You Leave Behind...by that time I was watching just to see how it ended. Meh.

These are the Voyages, well I think it might have made an interesting stand alone episode, but as a series finale it was poorly conceived.

Turnabout Intruder doesn't count, IMHO.

 

[Tiberius]

TATV isn't an Enterprise episode. It's a TNG episode where Riker goes onto the holodeck and plays with recreations of the NX01 crew. if TATV is an Enterprise episode, then Relics is an episode of TOS. Demons/ Terra Prime is the real finale of Enterprise.

And as for the finale of TOS? Star Trek 6.

 

[feek61]

For me it is:

TNG
TOS
ENT
VOY
DS9

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I find it difficult to compare these, because each attempts to achieve something different as a series finale. TI is just the last episode, so achieves nothing as a finale. ST VI is a decent goodbye to the cast, suggesting the separate directions that they will go in while giving them one last adventure. AGT bookends TNG as a series while suggesting that there are further adventures to be had. WYLB wraps up all DS9's complex stories and gives new directions to all the character. It's thrilling, but also it's exhausting to watch. Endgame seems content to bring the narrative to a conclusion with one fantastic adventure, one that is almost unbelievable (in context) but has big fireworks. It's not much of a goodbye, and we can imagine Harry Kim being an ensign until his death. TATV is more of a franchise finale than a series finale. However, I think it commits the St. Elsewhere faux-pas: it's not a dream, but still, Enterprise has been reduced to a work of the imagination.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

For me it would be:
1. "What You Leave Behind" - The most natural conclusion, with the crew parting and moving onto other things at the end of the war, with each of them getting their own little farewell montage.

2. "All Good Things" - Despite the time-travel / dream plot I liked how it harked back to "Encounter at Farpoint".

3. "Endgame" - This is where things get difficult. Not a huge fan of this finale as by this time I wasn't watching VOY (but seeing what's left it is the only option for third place). By the time it aired time-travel was beyond tired, the super-ship was pointless, the Borg were further de-clawed, and after they get back to Sol we get no conclusion for the characters. Neelix was only in one scene (too many) though.

4. "Turnabout Intruder" - Honestly I can't remember the last time I saw this episode, but even TOS at its worst was better than ENT's finale.

5. "These Are The Voyages" - Awful. The craming in of the TNG plot element was pointless, the needless killing off or Trip was just infuriating, jumping forward six years made no sense (especially when no one has been promoted). Anytime I think of ENT, I blank this episode from memory--it brought down a decent season.

 

[Push The Button]

I've seen all of these, except for the DS9 finale. All Good Things was a great end to TNG's television phase, well written and very entertaining. It is sad that the majority of the TNG movies were so disappointing.

And yes, These Are The Voyages was awful.

 

[ichab]

All Good Things was a great double episode, but we all knew it wasn't the finale and didn't really feel like one.

To be fair, they -knew- they'd have movies coming up. So they just ended on an epic episode rather than a conclusion. Which they accomplished well regardless of what you think about the TNG movies. None of the other episodes have this excuse. Might be an interesting poll if you replaced TUC with Turnabout Intruder.

If movies are being considered you'd then have to say that Nemesis was really TNG's finale since that was their last one and they all go their separate ways. But I don't think many TNG fans will buy that one.


If I was to give my own order it would be

1.) DS9--The arc leading up to this was great and the conclusion didn't disappoint.
2.) TNG--Very complex and interesting though at this point I was starting to get weary of time travel episodes.
3.) Voyager--A very distant third. Wasn't much of a fan of this show to begin with and another Time Travel/Borg episode didn't help.
4.) Enterprise--A salute to the cast for being professionals and still coming to work for what had to have been a huge slap in the face. Just another reminder of how far the franchise had fell and who deserved every bit of blame thrown their way.

 

[Lance]

If movies are being considered you'd then have to say that Nemesis was really TNG's finale since that was their last one and they all go their separate ways. But I don't think many TNG fans will buy that one.

I would. As much of a downer as it is, I did like the moment where Riker recalls his first meeting with Data. A nice little nod back to the very beginning. It's a shame they didn't include the real final ending with Picard's new first officer though, as it had a much more upbeat feeling, plus an overt reference to Farpoint station.

Certainly I think The Undiscovered Country deserves to be considered as TOS's finale more than Turnabout Intruder.