Every Star Trek Series Finale, Ranked

A series finale offers a show one last chance to make a grand statement about its core themes while offering a send-off to its main characters. However, just like a pilot episode, not all series finales are created equal, with some managing to stick the landing while others are dead on arrival. This certainly applies to the Star Trek franchise, which has steadily released several television series since its start in 1966. While Star Trek has provided fans with some of the best finales in TV history, other shows in the franchise have stumbled across the finish line.

In some cases, Star Trek shows have ended without their finale being planned to conclude a series run, with the cancelation decision made either during or after production. These finales are noticeably less satisfactory than the other series that have a planned coda, paying off on years of storytelling. But when Star Trek pulls off a solid finale, it reminds fans why they fell in love with the franchise in the first place. Here is every Star Trek series finale ranked from worst to best.

As groundbreaking and enduring as “Star Trek: The Original Series” is, it is also, unfortunately, still very much a product of its time in ’60s. This is especially apparent in its series finale, “Turnabout Intruder,” which has Janice Lester (Sandra Smith), a former lover of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), switch bodies with him. Blaming systemic sexism in the Federation for her stunted career path, Lester takes command of the Enterprise in her new body. Kirk, in Lester’s body, works with the senior officers in his crew to reveal the deception.

Though not intended to be a series finale, “Turnabout Intruder” ends “TOS” on one of the worst episodes the Star Trek franchise ever produced. The series had been a leading beacon on television for equality and diversity, only for its last episode to suggest misogyny was just as firmly ingrained in its enlightened society. This depiction of sexism extends to the episode’s performances, with Shatner going even more over-the-top than usual, showing Lester as a woman prone to emotional fits and tantrums. The episode further denigrates Starfleet’s esteemed reputation by having Lester nearly use the court-martial system to sentence the Enterprise’s senior staff to death for mutiny.

“Turnabout Intruder” suggests that career-minded women should be considered hysterical, all while maintaining workplace sexism into the 23rd century. The episode doesn’t just end “TOS” on a weak note, both in premise and execution, but skewers the progressivism the show and franchise established.

After four seasons, “Star Trek: Enterprise” concluded its run with “These Are the Voyages…” a two-parter covering the final mission of the Enterprise NX-01, commanded by Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). The episode uses a framing device of Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) witnessing this adventure through the holodeck during the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” era when seeking guidance. As observed by Riker, Archer and his crew carry out a rescue mission on behalf of their Andorian frenemy Shan (Jeffrey Combs). This results in the death of Archer’s chief engineer, Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer), though Archer finds the strength to continue to inspire Starfleet.

“These Are the Voyages…” rightfully gained a notorious reputation as one of the worst finales ever, particularly for a Star Trek series. Series regular Jolene Blalock publicly lambasted the episode before it even aired, while the cast and crew criticized it over the subsequent years. A widespread source of criticism was the episode relegating the “Enterprise” cast to guest characters for their own finale, with the framing device making Riker the story’s ostensible protagonist. Similarly, Tucker’s death was decried as a cheap way to generate shock and a sense of importance couched in a flashback program, rather than organically earned.

A complete disservice to the legacy and hard work behind “Enterprise,” “These Are the Voyages…” at least kept its damage centered on one series rather than the entire franchise.

After running for two seasons in the ’70s, the final episode of “Star Trek: The Animated Series,” like its live-action predecessor, wasn’t consciously developed as a series finale. “The Counter-Clock Incident” has the Enterprise caught in a cosmic anomaly that rapidly de-ages its crew, including its visiting first captain, Robert April (James Doohan), and his wife Sarah (Nichelle Nichols). Because of Robert and Sarah’s advanced age prior to the incident, they are still old enough to operate the ship and steer it to safety. No longer in danger, Robert and Sarah use the transporter to restore themselves and the crew to their proper ages.

“The Counter-Clock Incident” certainly isn’t one of the weakest episodes of “TAS,” though it is a bit, if you’ll pardon the pun, childish. April’s status in Star Trek lore would become a recurring matter of debate until his eventual inclusion on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” decades later. But the idea of the crew being de-aged into children isn’t a particularly original one, and one that the “The Next Generation” episode “Rascals” does much better. Though critically acclaimed, “TAS” did not earn strong enough ratings to warrant a renewal, making April’s last Enterprise adventure the last for the show overall.

Halfway through its run, “Star Trek: Discovery” received a creative shot in the arm by transporting its ship and crew to the 32nd century. The final three seasons of the five-season show involved the Discovery leading the Federation and Starfleet to rebuild themselves after an interstellar cataclysm. On the final season, the Discovery scrambles to recover technology left by the Progenitors, who created humanoid life in the galaxy. After the mission’s success, the finale flashes forward decades into the future as Admiral Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) sends the Discovery off on its final voyage.

If the coda to the series finale feels like it’s been tacked-on to the rest of the episode, it’s because it was. “Discovery” wasn’t initially planned to conclude with its fifth season, with its end decided later and reshoots convened to produce the epilogue. The coda feels a bit superfluous, with the episode’s emotional climax being a wedding between Ambassadors Saru (Doug Jones) and T’Rina (Tara Rosling). But, given the uneven production history behind “Discovery,” a slapdash epilogue may have been the most appropriate way for the show to end its run.

The underlying plot thread throughout the animated series “Star Trek: Lower Decks” is its main ensemble of junior officers achieving their dream of being promoted into Starfleet senior staff. This career ambition is realized on the Season 5 finale, “The New Next Generation,” as the USS Cerritos moves to prevent a cross-dimensional rift from destabilizing the multiverse. Ensigns Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) are both promoted to co-first officers while their friends receive their own various promotions. With a new captain at the helm, the Cerritos continues to take on Starfleet’s more menial tasks, but with more esteem and respect than it previously enjoyed.

“The New Next Generation” is another episode that wasn’t necessarily planned to serve as a definitive series finale, leaving the door open for a potential future. True to “Lower Decks” form, the episode often veers into outright chaos but manages to come together in a satisfying way by the end. Though not as cohesive as past “Lower Decks” season finales, “The New Next Generation” leaves open plenty of interesting loose ends to potentially follow up on. “The New Next Generation” feels like a stopgap rather than a true finale, tying up just enough plot to satisfy audiences while tantalizing them with hopefully more to come.

By its 7th and final season, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” was no longer an episodic series but one revolving around an overarching serialized narrative. A coalition led by the Federation battled the Founders, a shape-shifting race from the Gamma Quadrant, in a devastating conflict known as the Dominion War. The last handful of episodes are directly linked, culminating in the two-parter “What You Leave Behind” as the alliance launches an assault on the Cardassian Union. The villainous Dukat (Marc Alaimo) attempts to unleash the ethereal Pah-wraiths, only to be stopped by Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks).

With all of its moving pieces, from the plan to infect the Founders to the Cardassians turning on the Dominion, the “DS9” finale is an epic finish to the series. The show’s weakest element is its Pah-wraith subplot, linked to Sisko’s role as an emissary to non-corporeal beings residing in a nearby wormhole. Though tracing back to the series premiere, these plot threads were always the clumsiest parts of the story, and they don’t improve here. But aside from the awkward deus ex machina resolution between Sisko and Dukat, “DS9” brings the Dominion War to a satisfying close.

“Star Trek: Voyager” chronicles the arduous journey of the USS Voyager from the Delta Quadrant all the way back to Federation space, taking years to do so. Along the way, Voyager encounters the Borg Collective, including the sinister Borg Queen (Alice Krige), who has designs on assimilating all life in the galaxy. The “Voyager” finale, “Endgame,” completes this journey while eliminating the threat of the Borg — at least at that point of the franchise. Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), from an alternate future, joins the present-day Voyager to change history and complete its trip early, averting further disaster.

From Admiral Janeway’s confrontation with the Borg to B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) welcoming her child, “Endgame” packs a lot in its two-episode runtime. The finale reveals how far Janeway will go for the sake of her crew while most of the other main characters get their own time to shine. “Endgame” also seamlessly brings together a whole host of classic Star Trek tropes, including time-travel, the Borg, and thrilling ship-to-ship action. “Voyager” had a tendency to be scattershot in its tone and quality, but the series brought it all home, literally, for its ending.

Though Patrick Stewart’s return to his star-making role as Jean-Luc Picard was eagerly received by fans, reception to the actual show, “Star Trek: Picard,” was more tepid. After two meandering seasons, unsure of the story it was trying to tell, “Picard” finished strong with its 3rd and final season. The season not only reunited the “TNG” cast, but pitted them against a resurgent Borg Queen, now allied with the Founders to infiltrate Starfleet at its highest levels. The series finale put the classic crew back on the restored Enterprise-D, while Picard confronted the Borg Queen for one last showdown.

The “Picard” series finale not only beautifully concludes the series, but also the franchise’s entire “TNG” era, including the subsequent movie series. Picard’s confrontation with the Borg Queen resolves his deepest trauma, now framed within the context of saving his son, the literal next generation. On a more epic scale, the Enterprise-D back in action and the closing poker scene makes “The Last Generation” feel like the “TNG” movie fans never got. The last hurrah for the “TNG” crew while leaving the door open for new adventures, “Picard” is the cinematic level of storytelling the show deserved all along.

A perfect series finale should pay off on the major long-standing plot threads, clearly articulate the show’s mission statement, and deliver a satisfying conclusion for its main characters. With that in mind, “The Next Generation” is a rare show with a perfect finale, wrapping up its seven-season run with the two-parter “All Good Things…” As Picard investigates a spatial anomaly, he finds his mind divided in three different timelines: the present, the events of the series premiere, and an alternate future. All the while, Picard’s experience is guided by Q (John de Lancie), reminding the captain that he is still judging humanity’s worth.

From its clear callback to the start of the series to potential ending points for each of its main characters, “TNG” closes its story beautifully. Q’s presence makes for a fantastic bookend to the overarching narrative, while the finale touches on what “TNG” does so well, with its thought-provoking humanist sci-fi. The conclusive coda to the series is a poker game between the senior staff, itself a recurring motif on the show, now playing to Picard’s sense of belonging. “All Good Things…” feels like an absolute triumph and sets a bar for finales moving forward, not just for Star Trek, but in the wider film and television medium.