I think Discovery will be the first unplanned series finale in the franchise since Turnabout Intruder and These are the Voyages, 2 of Trek's most infamous episodes (yes I know they did some hasty reshoots or whatever once cancellation was announced but the point remains). And this week's episode was pretty filler. It's not a good look for next week.
Spoilers Season 5 Episode Preview Thread
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TAS didn't have a proper series finale either. Plus I'd argue, for all its flaws, These are the Voyages was trying to be a series finale. Or rather, a finale for all of Berman Trek, which is why it comes across so badly.
Still, Prodigy was canceled before Discovery, even if it's only going to air its finale afterward.
I read the French spoilers for Prodigy's finale and it seems like they had a fitting end.
As for TAS, could've fooled me with it being an unplanned finale with Robert April being in the episode.
Every season of Discovery has had a finale where it felt like the series could've ended right there.
Season 1 --> Replace the Enterprise scene with the cut scene of Georgiou being recruited into Section 31, and we know where everyone ended up, there's a sense of closure, and the series could stop right there. If the cliffhanger with the Enterprise was amputated, it looked like DSC could've been a one-season series.
Season 2 --> Control is defeated. Discovery jumps into The Future. Pike, Number One, Spock, and Tyler tie up any loose ends. Then it ends with the Enterprise. Spock sees the last signal from Burnham. Pike is ready to take the Enterprise out on its next adventure. You can go straight into SNW. DSC could end right here, leaving The Future an open-ended mystery.
Season 3 --> Discovery proves itself to Future Starfleet, Osyraa's defeated, Saru decides to spend some time on Kaminar, and Burnham's promoted to Captain. If you think of the endgame of Discovery as "Burnham becomes Captain!", the series could stop right there. The original goal has been met. Of course, I'm someone who wanted to actually spend some time with Burnham as Captain, so I'm glad it didn't end there. But it could have.
Season 4 --> Discovery saves the galaxy by successfully communicating with Species 10-C. Tarka is defeated. Starfleet goes easy on Book. Earth has rejoined the Federation, following Ni'Var's lead from earlier in the season. The series could've stopped here.
See the pattern?
So, no, I'm NOT worried that the final episode of Discovery will be another "Turnabout Intruder" or "These Are the Voyages". That's just not what this series is and has never been how it works.
What I'm expcting is that the addendum added will put a button on the series. Nothing more.
Contrast this to ENT where during the first two seasons they acted like it would last seven and meandered, then the third season was a massive "Star Trek Does 9/11" detour, then they only had the fourth season to cram everything in that they wanted to have in. If they'd used the time during the previous seasons more wisely, S4 wouldn't have felt like Cram Season. To the point where TATV had to jump six years ahead to address the formation of the Federation.
Season 1 --> Replace the Enterprise scene with the cut scene of Georgiou being recruited into Section 31, and we know where everyone ended up, there's a sense of closure, and the series could stop right there. If the cliffhanger with the Enterprise was amputated, it looked like DSC could've been a one-season series.
Season 2 --> Control is defeated. Discovery jumps into The Future. Pike, Number One, Spock, and Tyler tie up any loose ends. Then it ends with the Enterprise. Spock sees the last signal from Burnham. Pike is ready to take the Enterprise out on its next adventure. You can go straight into SNW. DSC could end right here, leaving The Future an open-ended mystery.
Season 3 --> Discovery proves itself to Future Starfleet, Osyraa's defeated, Saru decides to spend some time on Kaminar, and Burnham's promoted to Captain. If you think of the endgame of Discovery as "Burnham becomes Captain!", the series could stop right there. The original goal has been met. Of course, I'm someone who wanted to actually spend some time with Burnham as Captain, so I'm glad it didn't end there. But it could have.
Season 4 --> Discovery saves the galaxy by successfully communicating with Species 10-C. Tarka is defeated. Starfleet goes easy on Book. Earth has rejoined the Federation, following Ni'Var's lead from earlier in the season. The series could've stopped here.
See the pattern?
So, no, I'm NOT worried that the final episode of Discovery will be another "Turnabout Intruder" or "These Are the Voyages". That's just not what this series is and has never been how it works.
What I'm expcting is that the addendum added will put a button on the series. Nothing more.
Contrast this to ENT where during the first two seasons they acted like it would last seven and meandered, then the third season was a massive "Star Trek Does 9/11" detour, then they only had the fourth season to cram everything in that they wanted to have in. If they'd used the time during the previous seasons more wisely, S4 wouldn't have felt like Cram Season. To the point where TATV had to jump six years ahead to address the formation of the Federation.
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TATV was a planned finale. Indeed, it was originally written in the third season to serves as a series finale should the show be cancelled that year. When it wasn't it was shelved until a year later when Enterprise was cancelled, the TATV script was pulled out, rewrites were done to make it more compatible with the fourth season, and it was then filmed.
The finale is 86 min long, so actually a 2-parter 
It led directly into
Children of Mars and the PIC S1 flashbacks
So Enterprise pulled a Babylon 5 with their series finale?
Is that confirmed? That's actually good news!The finale is 86 min long, so actually a 2-parter
I was really wondering anyway - since Paramount+ decided to shift to a sort of "tv movie model" (starting with the S31 movie) - why not just make a Discovery movie as a finale?
Would be IMO a lot cheaper than a whole season, but also than a "generic" movie as they have already cast, sets & assets.
That's actually a myth. Or at least it was with Doctor Who, where their decision to do four specials in 2009 instead of a typical (for the time) season of thirteen episodes actually cost more money to produce.
Would that not be for flying production and a Routemaster to Dubai?
According to RTD's book The Writer's Tale the increased budget was a concern BBC expressed to him about the 2009 specials vs a regular season, even before they knew any story details or plans to travel to Dubai. Apparently it has something to do with the fact that each special would have to have its own budget as opposed to a season having one budget which gets allocated across the various episodes of the season.
This has been speculation since that episode.
We'll see. I for one wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't come in to save the day, but we'll see Rayner offered command of it and attached to the Academy as a training vessel.
Although.... Come to think it.... I think Rayner will be offered command of Disovery, with Michael and Book going off simply being happy.
The last trailer.....
only two preview photos for the finale
https://blog.trekcore.com/2024/05/new-star-trek-discovery-series-finale-photos-life-itself/
https://blog.trekcore.com/2024/05/new-star-trek-discovery-series-finale-photos-life-itself/
The title "Life, itself" seems to imply to me that we will get some kind of big answer to the meaning of life. Or maybe we go back in time and witness the Progenitors creating life in the galaxy? Maybe Discovery uses the Progenitor tech to bring Book's planet back or create a new planet?
Easy money.
I am afraid that is what will happen especially with that title but I hope we don't get that because I hate that ending. It just feels like a cliche when the main character turns out to be the most important thing in the universe. And to have Burnham literally become the Creator of the universe would be way over the top IMO.
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