Which of these season finales left your heart pumping, the tears flowing, or the tummy rumbling?
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00:00Now, let's get a couple of things clear from the off. First, we have already done a list of the
00:05greatest cliffhangers in Star Trek. You know, those ones where right at the end it's like,
00:10oh no, ah, cut to black. That is not this list, although there will be entries that might seem
00:17like they fit on both, but we'll go into those in each of the entries, don't you worry. Now,
00:22what we're also not doing here is the final episodes of each particular show. Again, that's
00:30another list. So, what we're doing here is going through the season finales that absolutely smashed
00:38it. Right, does that make sense? Let's find out. I'm Sean Ferrick for Trek Culture and here are the
00:4410 greatest Star Trek season finales. Number 10, Hope and Fear, Voyager Season 4. The closing episode
00:51in one of Star Trek Voyager's Stronger Seasons, sees a resolution of sorts of the antagonism between
00:56Seven of Nine and Captain Janeway. For the entire year Seven had struggled with the individuality
01:00that had been thrust upon her. Here, faced with the choice of returning to the Collective,
01:04she finally accepts her home among the Voyager crew. The introduction of Arturus may be a bit of a
01:10Ray Wisex Machina at this stage in the season, but the performance is solid and the Dauntless is a
01:14stellar design, one that returned in Star Trek Enterprise and was the basis for the new Dauntless in
01:20Prodigy. It also gave a slipstream drive, something that would serve as crucial plot points in future
01:24episodes. Despite the high stakes of the episode, it truly feels like a character piece, focusing on
01:29the two female leads of the show. Their chemistry is undeniable and without treading well-worn ground,
01:34it's all the more impressive when we know what was happening behind the scenes at the time. Hope and
01:39Fear firmly establishes Seven's choice to stay with her new family, her new Collective, and despite the
01:45tragedy of Arturus's position, one feels that Seven and Janeway's resolution is the true happy ending
01:50of the season. Number 9, The Neutral Zone, The Next Generation, Season 1. The first season of The
01:56Next Generation had more ambition than achievement, but it did bring Star Trek back to TV for the first
02:02time in over a decade. Heading into 1988 with a writer's strike looming, there needed to be a hook
02:07in the finale that would guarantee viewers would return to the sophomore year. Thankfully, The Neutral
02:12Zone manages this with gusto. The looming threat by the eponymous region of space, as well as the
02:17frozen humans thawing and causing hassle for the crew, combine to set the stage for a wonderfully
02:21dramatic return of the Romulan Empire. Mark Olimo, offering his second role in Trek, as well as his
02:27deliberate slow style of speech, simply oozes arrogance sitting aboard the enormous warbird,
02:33We are back. With that assurance, Starfleet's lives are about to get much more complicated, and the
02:38stage was set for many more encounters with these Vulcan offshoots, as well as the initial hints
02:43of the Borg storyline. While the season is often maligned, also by myself, the final episode is one
02:49of the true standout finales of the franchise. Number 8, Supernova Part 2, Prodigy, Season 1.
02:56Star Trek Prodigy's first season came to a close with perhaps more catharsis than anticipated, as the
03:02show relocated from the Delta to Alpha Quadrants, and the USS Protostar itself was destroyed. It was a risky move,
03:08one that had the chance of falling flat with its main audience. While Prodigy is not a kids-only show,
03:14how might they react to Hologram Janeway going the way of the Dodo? The show's premise centred around
03:19belonging. Dal, Rock Tuck, Zero, Jankum, Gwyn, and Murph are all outsiders and outcasts in the beginning,
03:26then grow, with Hologram Janeway's help, to become a strong family unit by the season's close. The events
03:32of Supernova see them directly save Starfleet, earning them a special dispensation from Admiral Janeway to
03:37serve as Warrant Officers. While the fate of Season 2 remains largely unknown at the time of recording, the few clips
03:43that have been released suggest that they are set to serve aboard the Voyager A, accompanied by a very familiar
03:49hologram, which seems anathema to where they were in the beginning of the first season. For season arcs alone,
03:55Prodigy's debut year smashed it with that finale. Number 7, The Best of Both Worlds Part 1, The Next Generation Season 3.
04:03Okay, so here's where we talk cliffhangers. Though this list is largely avoiding cliffhanger endings,
04:09we cannot in good conscience leave The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 off this list. While much of its
04:14brilliance is served from that incredible final scene, it would be too much of a disservice to the
04:19rest of the episode to say that that was its only powerful moment. The opening scene, the confirmation of
04:24the Borg, the first attack, the rising tension on board the Enterprise, Shelby. Everything in this episode
04:30works. Directed with Apom by Cliff Bull and written by Michael Pillar. There was much uncertainty behind
04:35the scenes as well, as both Pillar and Patrick Stewart weren't officially signed on to return
04:39in the fourth season. Therefore, Pillar wrote this as a bit of a challenge to whoever would have to
04:43write the second part. The joke was on him, he did return and had to wrap everything up. Stewart also
04:48signed on, so Locutus had to go. The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 has transcended Star Trek to become
04:53one of popular media's most discussed and analyzed season finales of all time. There's a reason that
04:59every succeeding Star Trek cliffhanger is compared to this one. This is the one that broke the mold.
05:04Number 6, Tears of the Prophets, Deep Space Nine Season 6. The sixth season of Deep Space Nine saw
05:10the Dominion War truly explode throughout the Federation. While the fifth season finale, more on
05:15that later, set the stage, Tears of the Prophets completed several arcs, offered the first true
05:21on-screen offensive by the Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance and saw the departure of Terry Farrell's
05:27Jadzia Dax. While the unfortunate details of the behind-the-scenes issues that led to her departure
05:32have since become clear, there is little doubt that the death of Jadzia ranks as one of the most
05:36shocking, upsetting scenes in the show's entire run. It's actually difficult to re-watch the episode
05:42without a growing sense of dread once she enters that Bajoran shrine, but Farrell's performance makes
05:47the effort worth every moment. Aside from this, the spectacular battle of Chintaka, as well as the
05:53return of Gul Dukat and Sisko's final scenes scrubbing oysters in New Orleans, offer some of
05:58the most thrilling, affecting scenes, proving that a season that contained such greats as the sacrifice
06:03of angels far beyond the stars and in the pale moonlight could still go out with a bang. It may
06:08have been tinged with tragedy, but Tears of the Prophets was still in its own way very much a triumph.
06:13Number 5, The Expanse Enterprise Season 2. The Expanse is a bit of an outlier on this list. While it
06:19absolutely deserves to be here, the episode has aged with a bit of controversy as the years have gone
06:24on. Airing in May of 2003, less than two years after the September 11th attacks, this story very
06:31obviously was Star Trek's take on these events. It set the stage for Season 3's Zindi arc, and while
06:37Enterprise's arrival in The Expanse probably can be called a cliffhanger, it's the reactions of the crew,
06:43and particularly Trip and Archer, which truly sell the episode. Trip's sister Elizabeth is killed in the
06:48attack, but this isn't confirmed for a few scenes. Therefore, Trip becomes the stand-in character for
06:53those who are desperately searching for news of their loved ones in the hours and days following
06:58the collapse of the Twin Towers. While there is much to be said about how the show handled the
07:02Zindi arc overall, The Expanse manages to capture that feeling of shock, panic and devastation effectively.
07:08This, coupled with the rise of real world xenophobia, jingoism and anti-Muslim sentiment, was a stark
07:14departure from Gene Roddenberry's hope for the future and it was a departure that was handled
07:18very, very well. Number 4, A Quality of Mercy, Strange New Worlds Season 1. Star Trek Strange
07:25New Worlds brought the franchise away from the serialised storytelling of both Discovery and
07:29Picard returning to the more familiar episodic adventure of the week. Therefore, when it came
07:34to the first season's finale, audiences weren't sure quite what to expect. It's safe to say that having
07:39two Pykes, one slightly older, greyer and monster maroonier, was unexpected. The episode also served
07:44to introduce James T. Kirk as played by Paul Wesley. It would go on to serve as both a soft remake of
07:50Balance of Terror, while also solidifying the fact that, despite Pike's affable nature, the Boy Scout
07:56like charm, that he was exactly the wrong captain to be the one facing the Romulans. It serves to help
08:01Pike and the audience come to accept the fact that Pike's fate is sealed. However, it manages to balance
08:06that with the good that will come from it. We know that he will end up in the chair, as does he. What
08:11Pike doesn't know is that, by the time of the menagerie, he will return to Talos IV and live a life,
08:16though illusory, but one of love. If one of the main themes of the show's first season was Pike coming
08:22to terms with his fate, then this episode manages to achieve that perfectly, setting the stage for a
08:26second season where Pike was free to explore other storylines free of that weight. Number 3, Such Sweet
08:33Sorrow Part 2, Discovery Season 2. Star Trek Discovery is a show that has been free from any
08:38drama or furious backlash or even discussion, end of entry. Now once the laughing is finished,
08:42there is very much a reason that Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2 ranks so highly on this list. The show,
08:47closing out its second year, was faced with how to resolve the story of Burnham and Spock's
08:52relationship, Pike's return to the Enterprise, Control's threat to the galaxy and so many many little
08:56niggling issues with historical canon. The fact that it largely succeeds with all of these points,
09:01sets up a sidewall series, closes much of the larger canon complaints and still offers a
09:07fantastic light show to boot is a testament to the skills behind the camera and the acting in front.
09:11Seneca Martin-Green, Michelle Yeoh, Anson Mount and Doug Jones all stand out in particular here,
09:16with not one of them breaking the high tension of events. The fact that Yeoh in fact offers some grim
09:21humour to the story in her showdown with Leland offers us some of the most uncomfortable smiles of
09:26enjoyment of the season. The third season would then become a soft reboot of Discovery, so if this is
09:31both the end of the second season and the spiritual end of the first iteration of the show, then it
09:36fires on all thrusters, and Geoff Russo's score deserves a special mention as well for that
09:40wonderful soaring tribute to the ship as it blasts into the 32nd century. Number 2, No Small Parts,
09:46Lower Decks, Season 1. To completely change the mood, No Small Parts is one of the most fun finales to
09:52make this list, with all of the humour that Lower Decks injects into its episodes, along with the arrival of
09:57the USS Titan, Luna Class, on screen for the very first time. That moment with the Next Generation
10:02theme blaring only adds to the excitement of hearing Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis revising the roles
10:08of Riker and Troi respectively. The episode is not without a mix of emotions, as there is a genuine
10:12threat in the form of the pack-led clump ships, extreme frustration in the form of Peanut Hamper,
10:17and the tragedy of the loss of Shaxx. Sure, he returned in the second season, but we weren't to know that
10:22as he disappeared into a cloud of vapour while Rutherford floated away. What is most impressive, however,
10:26is the ability of the episode, in barely 23 minutes, to cram all of these moments in,
10:32yet it never feels rushed or too clumped. Instead, the audience is treated to both a tease for the
10:37second season, Lieutenant Boimler aboard the USS Titan, and a cheeky knowing wink to the audience,
10:42as Riker discusses visiting the holodeck to spend time with the crew of the NX-01. For a show that,
10:47in our opinion, was a massive success on all fronts, its first season went out on the highest of highs,
10:52which was a sign of the quality to come. Number 1, Call to Arms, Deep Space Nine Season 5. This
10:59episode has everything. From the opening scenes of Sisko watching the latest Jem'Hadar convoy erupt
11:05from the wormhole, to the decision to mind the entrance, the standoff with Weyoun, and the eventual
11:09attack on the station, there's barely a moment to breathe. On top of that, there is even time at the
11:14end to get a sense of the aftermath. The station is crippled, Kira, Odo, and Quark are still aboard,
11:19as is Rom and Jake Sisko. The Defiant and the Rataran are rushing to meet the Federation task
11:24force, while Dukat smugly settles himself into Sisko's office. The actual final shot, one of the
11:29enormous Starfleet-Klingon fleet heading toward the Bajoran sector, was a heart-stopping moment. While
11:34yes, this does in fact feel like another cliffhanger, the amount of time that passes between this shot and
11:40the opening moments of a time to stand serve to truly hammer home the threat of the Dominion. For
11:45sheer tension, action, exhilaration, and payoff, there is no season finale of Star Trek quite like
11:51Call to Arms. Now that's everything for our list, obviously we can do sequel after sequel because
11:56there's something like 40 plus seasons of Star Trek, so let us know what is your favorite Star
12:02Trek season finale in the comments below, and don't forget to get in touch over on social media. You can
12:07catch us at TrekCulture on Twitter, at TrekCultureYT on Instagram, you can catch myself at Sean Ferrick on the
12:12various socials as well, and of course you can catch our editor Mel on the socials too. You are wonderful,
12:18you are awesome, you are brilliant, make sure that you live long and prosper, and we will see you soon.
12:22Thanks.
12:27you