Star Trek Series Finales Review

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customers as well so on today's show we're going

to be looking at the best the worst and some

then possibly how these series should have ended

looking at the best and worst series finales

across the board here so once again we will not

have an l car for this episode nor a replicator

but stay tuned in november for reviews from some

other uh trekkie stuff So, hoo boy, all good

things must come to an end, and unfortunately

that means Star Trek. So, we look across the

series. We have the original series, TNG, DS9,

Voyager, and Enterprise. Which do we think had

the best? Which do we think had the worst? I

think one of the best from an action standpoint

was Voyager. And I know you guys are going to

say I'm giving Voyager a, like, hand job, but

there are flaws with that episode because it

wraps up just a little too nicely, for example.

It would have been nice if it had been ambiguous.

Will they get home eventually, but it's hopeful.

Um, so... That or one more episode. That or just

one... A television movie would have been a great

send -off for that, actually. Did not like how

that one ended at all. Yeah, it's like well since

they got shaft From a movie. Oh, yeah, and they

pretty much like hey, they've killed the Borg

and all that crap so It's just oh I like I Like

a lot of the action in that episode. I really

think it's great, but I don't like how Everything

is resolved in five minutes right at the end

they get through the wormhole They blow the board

transwarp network. The Queen is like must have

been something you assimilated and Falls to pieces

and I'm like, all right, that's cool. Give me

ten more minutes It would be nice to see them

talk to their families or something or something.

Yeah Just like hey, we're home fuck off It's

uh, I mean really to me there there's kind of

just no contest it's It's the All Good Things

Next Gen episode. I mean close second I would

give maybe to DS9, but you kind of have to count

like the entire 10 episodes leading into it,

because it kind of, you know, it didn't just

have a finale, it had kind of a, you know, epic

tale at the end. But I mean really it's the the

next gen just the you know, the the whole premise

of it was just phenomenal the you know Different

time periods and just you know, yeah, it was

just yeah that I mean that one was just really

well done I felt the most emotionally satisfied

Yeah Steve what do you think? For the for the

best one. Mm -hmm. Yeah, I would I would I'm

kind of torn here because Some of them wrap up

really nice and then some of them I think it

was the cop out or stuff like that I like voyagers

ending for the fact that it's Very action II

and it kind of Take I love the aspect of the

time travel, but I think all good things did

it better and it I really like All Good Things

much more than any of the other endings because

it starts out there. Even though you get to see

a lot of stuff replayed, it's nice to see things

go back to the first season before the encounter

at Farpoint. To see the beginning of time, to

see the full circle with Q and with his trial.

Have the president and a possible future Had

everything worked out with you know, like the

enterprise and all that kind of stuff so But

I think that a lot of that episode was really

nicely done I love the the the fact that it did

time travel, but I also love the fact that It

showed them In the present trying to work towards

not having that particular future now that they

know what it is because of the car Yeah But it

had a lot of moments with Q kind of playing God

Well, and it was it was actually satisfying like

You know like said like you said, you know They

actually went back and they touched on these

things that they set up and you know, and it

felt like Not any rap not I want to say wrapped

up but I mean it felt like it was actually like

encompassing and like it actually felt like You

know the the ending to a to this long journey

and like it was like said it was actually satisfying

That's where like where German yet had a lot

of action and some neat things But the way that

it leaves you off is just like you just kind

of like oh really you're stopping there Like

I just wasn't satisfied Now yeah, I could definitely

get behind that One of the other ones I think

that had a good finale But I don't like I don't

like how ambiguous it left this one in particular

was DS 9 I'd like to know what the hell happened

to Cisco truly. That's yeah I know in the books

they bring him back to fight the Borg when the

Borg take over and all that shit he comes back

from the from the the prophets or whatever didn't

he become a god and that's more or less that's

like yeah or some stupid shit like that and that

was well that's no different than having jane

way you know dying comeback and all that kind

of stuff in the books too and they did that with

kirk so i mean you can't really count the books

yeah because honestly i have not read a good

trek novel yet um though that might be a future

topic but lord knows i don't have time to read

um Yeah, although I will say DS 9 hadn't had

a fairly intense wrap -up Yeah, I like to be

like it like it felt like a war story. That was

fucking cool Well, yeah, but like I said, but

when I say DS 9 though I kind of feel like you

have to include like I said the last like whatever

like five or seven episodes or whatever It is

who's labeled literally labeled part one part

two, you know, because it is and it is this like

big war story More or less, you know, not more.

It's definitely not less because I mean, it was

a Cold War for so long. And by the end, it's

like, all right, this is like. This is it, you

know. Well, it's yeah, it's I think it's what

nine a nine parter, basically. It's really long.

I mean, you have to watch the whole thing just

to understand. I tried watching the last episode

when I was looking through before watching some

of that earlier that season. And I'm like, I

have no idea what's going on. So I went back

and watched them. after doing a little bit of

research on when that started because some of

the episodes I just kind of skipped but I did

find it very enjoyable but I kind of still to

the TNG just because you know and like Dodd said

I I want to know what the hell happened to Cisco

yeah there's just something about that particular

ending just You have this awesome war story.

Like I said, it's been going on for X amount

of episodes It should have this fantastic payoff

and it doesn't I Wonder why that is any theories?

I Don't really know I mean that's I I almost

wish that they would have done something else

with this character or or make him Exempt I don't

know from their their whole Mess of the prophets.

Honestly, that's one of the things I didn't really

care for with DS 9 and making him Oh, you're

you're one of the prophets now blah blah blah

or the emissary or whatever they call them I

don't know. I'm not very well versed in DS 9

lingo. I mean throughout the series they call

them the emissary to the prophets. But I mean,

yeah, I mean more or less the idea I think what

they were alluding to at the end was that, you

know, he went in to become a prophet. Which I

was all right with, but I kind of wished that

they would have given him something higher in

length or something and showed him kind of go

on. Now... We've talked about some really good

ones, obviously. Which ones sucked? The other

ones? Okay, but why did they suck? See, the Enterprise

one was just... it was bad. Like, I don't know.

The idea of doing the kind of... Epilogue story

like often times frustrates me in general that

that story framing device, but then like literally

just making it Like the footnote to a mediocre

TNG episode. It's like really they don't they

didn't get their big, you know mash ending, you

know, no they got to be like Ryker watching the

History Channel for access a footnote to an episode

that was all right. I was I was so in agreement

with what you just said. I watched that episode

and then I got to that end part. I'm like WTF.

And I I'm like, what the hell is this? This is

not this is not a good ending. And I agree. It's

not a. It stood fine, well on its own. It didn't

need to be tied to TNG. I mean, there was one

episode that was tied to First Contact. Right.

Which is arguably one of the best episodes. The

Borg episode. Yeah. Which, which I agree, it

was one of the better episodes. And because of

that previous time travel into TNG, it threw

everything off. Yeah. Which kind of leaves that

to wonder how that's affected by the rebooted

series. But again, technically Enterprise is

still canon. Well, technically it is but that

Borg element from first contact is not Well,

it's it's a ripple. I mean, I would guess it

is technically as well. I Would argue not but

again, that's different subject Only because

the TNG crew is totally different and did possibly

didn't go back time So but it's time travel that

came before it but that gets all wibbly wobbly.

Yeah, that's that's another slippery slope But

yeah, I would I would definitely say that Enterprise

didn't have a very good ending, but I wouldn't

say it's the worst, only because the original

series never actually had a true ending. Yeah,

it kind of just stopped. It just it was like,

OK, we're out of money. You're done. Yeah. Do

you think it was budget that made that episode

suck or you think is the fact of, oh, fuck, we

don't have anything prepped. We are getting canceled.

Think they knew they were getting canceled getting

into the third season which is a lot why a lot

of the stuff kind of got off the wall With that

seat Where and think off at the end of enterprise?

I think they knew it was getting canceled anyway,

too So that was just their way of oh, yeah enterprise

was almost canceled at the end of season three

So, you know that they they had to know going

into season four that like yeah, this is probably

it I mean they had some ideas for what they would

do in season five I think they were gonna try

to get more into like bridging, you know original

series You know type stuff like the city on the

edge of tomorrow and stuff It seems like there

was a an episode about that or the city in the

clouds or something like that some sort of like

little origin stories to bridge that kind of

stuff but yeah, at least they went into it knowing

oh okay well this is probably it which you know

had that episode just been a season finale i

wouldn't have disliked it so much like if it

had just been a you know a season finale and

then then you know the next season you know they

get it you know carried on i i wouldn't it wouldn't

have bothered me nearly as much but it bothered

me that that was its final episode Yeah, like

for me I felt I feel kind of ripped off because

that show started to get not bad Yeah, well it's

because they handed over the writing reins to

Manny Cotto and you know and sort of took it

away, you know let Berman and Braga kind of Distance

more for it, you know people that had you know

burned out on ideas Manny Cotto was young and

fresh and a fan and had interesting stories to

tell But that's that's all my opinion Yeah. Another

one that I was disappointed in, well, I want

to talk about Voyager for just a minute. Once

again, I feel like a broken record. It's one

of those episodes where I feel it's about 60

% that's kind of bullshit and 40 % I'm okay with

this. I liked how they set things up. For this

just because I like the idea they made the board

the final enemy that they'd have to cross to

get home But it felt just a little too convenient

that say seven of nine wouldn't have known about

this Because you know she knew everything about

the board and always discovering new shit like

every other week One of one thing that felt really

out of place to me was the appearance of the

Chakotay Seven of Nine relationship. That felt

very out of place to me and very underdeveloped.

Yeah, it kind of dropped suddenly. It seems like

a lot of people's stories didn't get resolved

unlike with, at least with All Good Things and

TNG. You knew it was Picard's story. Right. And

it was everyone's. And you got this emotional

closure for it. With voyagers it didn't feel

like Janeway story really I mean there were all

there were a lot. Yeah. No, you're right. Voyager

was definitely a lot of It was a lot of people's

stories, which is why it felt so disappointing

to me and that whole like Well, I would like

to at least you know, see some people hugging.

I don't know. I think It just it seemed like

okay and then No, that's it, alright. Um, yeah,

it's just, ugh. However, though, I did like the

fact that they brought back the original Borg

Queen. Yeah, that was cool. I'm trying to think

of what else really kind of worked in that episode.

I like... Like the fact that you got to see some

characters really a static to go home and they're

willing to risk everything for it Yeah, I remember

Harry Kim being particularly enthusiastic Tom

Paris. Yeah them and Although it kind of sucks

that Neelix decided to stay home in the Delta

Quadrant, but I obviously see why Well, he didn't

he wasn't was it the Delta right? Were they in

the Delta Quadrant or they did they make it?

I don't know I guess they were still kind of

yeah it was basically it was the first group

of Tlaxians that they ran across since it's like

really you're just gonna stay with them because

that's the first group of Tlaxians that you've

seen in like seven years seven years like all

right yeah that's like you were kind of annoying

anyway you stay there fuck you earth don't want

you um yeah I mean it I would have liked to have

seen I don't know I would have liked to have

seen Him go with them, but I can see why he stood

even if it was kind of a weak thing I think the

writers just wanted him out of there because

I didn't know what he would do back on earth

I think Which sucks because I think Ethan Phillips

is a wonderful actor Oh, yeah, I mean, you know,

they said nothing against Ethan Phillips, you

know And there's there's plenty of actors that

you know that I think they're fantastic. I just

didn't like their character It's not their fault.

There's the way their character was written,

you know, yeah, so um, but things I didn't like

about that episode They got a little too powerful

too fucking quickly. Ablative armor and fuck

you plot torpedoes. Now the ablative armor was

a really cool idea, even if it did remind me

of the 1989 Batmobile. And it felt like the future

Janeway, it felt like it was an accomplishment

that wasn't earned. Like like they give the explanation

it took them another 25 years. We lost another

X amount of people to you know Get us home now.

I can go back and fix that mistake or Whatever,

but that's 25 years. They would have grown together

as a family more people would have been born

on Voyager And a generational ship and I think

it would have meant more if they had set course

to go home and you give them one television movie,

make it the big event, if you will. And maybe

if you want to revisit the same plot, that's

okay, but you have two hours to develop it. And

I know the series finale, was that one or two

parts? I forget. I think they were all two -parters.

Yeah. And it seems like it wrapped up too quickly.

And I think a show like that, for seven years

of history, only TNG seemed to get it right.

Although DS9 got it mostly right because it felt

like such a huge thing. I was wrong. Enterprise

actually was only a single episode. I guess another

reason why I kind of felt like just a season

finale instead of a series finale. Yeah, it just

kind of dropped the ball. And technically the

original series never got a true series finale

quote unquote. You know what? Honestly, I like

to look at the series finale of Enterprise. is

the last two episodes before it, Demons and Terror

Prime, because that is kind of like a two -parter

and it's a bit more about things that are actually

relevant within that show. Instead of doing a

callback to another show. I don't remember what

happened with the animated series, truthfully.

I don't think it really mattered. No, they kind

of just, you know. We're done. It only ran once

a season, so... Those are episodic one -offs

anyway, they didn't really matter. Yeah. Do you

think if there's any other ones that really deserve

mentioning that are worth it? Star Trek series

finales always seemed... To be a big television

event with the exception. I think of voyagers

wasn't hugely publicized and from what I remember

and I don't remember Enterprises either. I remember

vague trailers from UPN I remember when when

TNG aired its series finale. It was on entertainment

tonight It was a big deal TV stations were talking

about it Yeah, I mean it was it was a I mean

it was a big deal it was it was well done and

it was an important Yeah, that's I Just think

if there's any other ones that really raise kind

of the bar in terms of it I really think the

best one of all of them is without a doubt TNG

It's the one that feels the most complete and

do you think? What do you think the other series

were lacking? Obviously with time with like enterprise

and surprise cancellation for the original series

What do you think stopped Voyager from getting

emotionally satisfying and everything else? I

think maybe Voyager could have I don't know had

an extra 20 some minute showing them maybe getting

debriefed at a star base and meeting with Maybe

the Enterprise crew or something, you know, just

Even though it would be still kind of crossing

over or something it you know Maybe ask her into

a star base to be briefed or something and having

them all kind of going their separate ways and

saying their last goodbyes or something That

could have been something that could have helped

that series go along Similar to how DS 9 did

it except for the only thing again with DS 9

is where the hell is Cisco I Would have liked

to have seen him go back to maybe the Defiant

or or get promoted Yeah, that thing with Odo

is kind of a fuck -off too Yeah, I like that

either. I really loved his character. That was

kind of a slap in the face, honestly I'm gonna

go join the big pile of goo. Bye Not that unsurprised,

you know Surprising really, you know, but you

think his love for Kira would have made him stay

Yeah, again he is a big pile of goo Who doesn't

have feelings I Don't know it seems to be like

Star Trek. They're either really good or really

bad Or there's something wrong with them almost

inherently and I'm trying to think of other sci

-fi series that have Really shitty series finales

One that comes to mind for me in particular is

the X -Files No, a lot of people didn't like

the ending to Battlestar It's us really but in

the fuck off Yes, spoilers, I'm sorry the moratorium

has been over for that for years. So if you haven't

seen the ending of BSG fuck off You know other

shows that like Like, I want to say like Terminator

the Saracen Chronicles. It's ending like, I...

It's frustrating because it kind of leaves off

unfinished, but at the same time at least it

did answer some questions. It answered questions

and introduced new questions and left a few questions

unanswered, so it's not like completely satisfying,

but it wasn't like 100 % unsatisfying. Yeah,

it's... I think my problem is it felt like such

a sequel, babe, but at the same time... That's

Terminator and the future's uncertain. So in

a sense, it could make sense if you wanted it

to. How do you have other sci -fi shows that

are really unsatisfying ending? The Lone Gunmen,

that was another unsatisfying ending because

they got cancelled. And that got resolved in

an X -Files episode. So most of the ones that

have unsatisfying endings are the ones that got,

you know, cancelled. although there is like the

flip side of that uh like alf oh yeah with the

tv movie well no yeah they ended up making the

tv movie but the final episode was alf gets taken

away by the government like the government shows

up and they take them away and that's how the

show ended because they didn't like and then

eventually they did get that t because they're

like you know you realize that we left this like

fun family show off with, like, Alf taken away

to be, like, dissected, right? Yeah, I can only

imagine what went through people's minds when

they decided to have that meeting. There was

something that I read on Cracked a couple of

months ago. It's really, really depressing, but

funny. It was called depressing endings to certain

television shows. And have you guys ever I think

the show's called Saint Elsewhere? And each episode

ends with a heartbeat monitor and something hooked

up to it. At the end of the series, it's a kitten

hooked up to the heartbeat monitor, and then

it goes to a flat line. That, I think, is the

most depressing ending to a television series

ever, but it's technically the credits, so it

doesn't really count, but still, dead kitten.

You like to have apples um and I guess if you

wanted to explore into other realms of disappointing

endings there was one One anime series I can

think of this Specifically the ending was so

bad the guy went back and fixed it Neon Genesis

even I'm gonna say Evangelion. That's it Yeah,

what what the fuck end of Eva? I still think

is awesome personally But a lot of people didn't

like what it did to certain characters, the fact

that it was a bloodbath. Yeah. And with the new

rebuild of Avah, I'm still on the fence about

that one. So I don't know, I find with sci -fi

and stuff like that, it's very hard to please

everybody. No, well, you can't please everyone.

Well, I think there are certain shows that ended

well and people were satisfied with them. Because

you look at things like, say, Breaking Bad, almost

universally loved. Endings to shows like... I'm

trying to think of other shows that ended on

a really, really, really positive note. I think

people liked Cheers. Cheers' ending. Oh yeah,

Cheers, Mash. Yeah, Cheers, Mash. Seinfeld was

unsatisfying. Once again, X -Files. Millennium

ended okay, I think. But, I don't know, it seems

like with Star Trek, I think maybe we're a little

more critical than most, I think. And I'm not

precisely sure why that is. So I guess I've kind

of run out of steam with this one because there's

only so much you you can really say Because it

depends on budget and time I think to make these

things well I mean, I think enterprise could

had a fantastic send -off if they've been given

another season To develop what things we're gonna

build to with DS 9 it needed another 15 minutes

Voyager needed another episode or a television

movie to really finish it off. I would've been

okay with another 15 minutes, but yeah, another

episode or movie would've been good. TNG, it

was perfect. Yeah. It answered everything you

wanted to and you felt satisfied. You really

felt like everybody grew in that episode, even

Q, which I think is a big deal. And with the

original series, it needed another season. Yeah,

easily. Now, Star Trek continues... which is

a fan project run by Vic Mignola. It picks up

five seconds after the last episode ends. So

it's not even a true series finale either, it's

a continuation. So, I don't know. I'd like to

see another series finale for Star Trek. Obviously

we need a new television series to get on the

air. or another series of movies to end. Because,

well, I guess if we're talking about series finales,

could we talk about Nemesis? Because, technically,

that was the end of it. That was TNG's send -off,

but done terribly. It's just... No, let's leave

it at all good things. Yeah, all good things

I would have happy it and if never another Trek

film at that point I Mean I'm glad they did but

had they not made another film that would have

been a perfect send -off I Think for TNG if we're

if we were gonna talk movies Generations would

have been a shit send -off first contact would

have made no sense I like First Contact. Oh yeah,

I love it, but it would make no sense as a series

finale. Insurrection was a long episode of TNG

that would fit somewhere in the fifth season.

I was about to say, it was a good mid -season

finale. Yeah, but certainly not theatrical. And

Nemesis, that would be a good season finale of

the show, being that, you know, the whole data

and before... That's a subversion movie. Nemesis

to me almost felt like they were trying to create

Wrath of Khan for Next Gen. But it never quite

worked. Well, they were, but they were sending

off everybody on their own direct, and Ryker

and Troy on their own ship, and Crusher to headquarters,

so. And, you know, down to a lot of parallels.

I mean, you got the old person, even though we

never established this person, who has a grudge

against Kirk and, you know, Picard. And, like,

even down to the final battle, like, you know,

they meet, like, when the ships are having their

battle, they meet in, like, a nebula or whatever,

and they do the same sort of, like... There's

a lot of, like, kind of notes that are really

similar between those movies. And it always felt

to me like they were trying to make Next Gen

Wrath of Khan. I don't think Next Gen ever needed

their own Wrath of Khan. I think First Contact

was their best. Yeah, no, I don't think it needed

it either. I'm just saying that's what it felt

like they did to me Yeah, that makes sense Yeah,

so I guess ultimately What's the best? What's

the worst Steve? We're starting with you again

Okay, I would say again TNG the best season finale

or race finale hands down just as it wraps everything

up all nice and it doesn't leave you wanting

more at the end you kind of get the gist that

that the journey continues and everybody's you

know evolved and fine with it and it's just showing

the the possibilities at the end whereas it it's

kind of a messed up toss -up between the other

ones just because of different reasons. I can't

say that any of the other ones were perfect by

any means. I mean, I'd kind of throw them all

in the bad list for whatever reason that we've

already mentioned. And Leo, what about you? Well,

it's pretty cut and dry to me. Best is obviously,

you know, best of TNG, you know, all good things.

and worst even though the original series had

a non -ending of literally just kind of I gotta

give it to Enterprise it's no contest because

that one was just such a slap in the face I thought

it was worse than a non -ending it was insulting

I'm gonna have to go with exactly what you said

myself like it felt so betraying and it felt

like like the writers could have done more and

like maybe their attempt to make us happy was

to tie it into TNG. But in the end, I think that's

what pissed us off the most, because their voyage

has meant nothing. And, you know, I believe,

I forget exactly, it may have been Jillian Blaylock

and Connor Trenier, but a couple of them walked

out of the first read through of that script.

They got up and walked out of their room. Said

I think it was those two but it may have been

someone else but there was definitely somebody

on the cast that said You know Got mad and just

walked out of the room It's almost like saying

it's almost a slap in the face of the actors

and I could see that being that they're like

Oh, we don't trust you guys to end this show

very well. So we're bringing in TNG veterans

Yeah, you know what? I kind of imagined someone

walking into the holodeck Just walking into that

meeting room going, guys, I got it. Holodeck.

And that's what people walk in. That's what I

imagine happened in that room that day. Someone

just got pissy. But yeah, it sucks that that

show never got a proper show. I don't think that

show gets enough respect. It gets slagged on

a lot. And undeservedly. I mean, like you said,

in the second season, there was some nugget of

good episodes. Starting to show up and the third

season got much better in the fourth season.

I thought took a great new direction You know

with the the stories that they were telling and

the idea of the little sort of mini arcs They

sort of felt like little movies You know and

it wasn't like necessarily the season -long arc

that if you came in partway through it Then you

were completely lost and there was no way you

were gonna catch up But you know it kind of was

like it was like Doctor Who Stories, you know

where they last like some somewhere one episode

somewhere two somewhere three, you know Just

a little like, you know enough time to really

kind of tell an interesting story And yeah, it

was really starting to get good directions towards

the end So guys, that's our thoughts on the best

and worst series finales Really hope you guys

will give us your thoughts on this. So once again

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