"Endgame" - 10 Years Later

[JME2]

While we're on the topic, I'm always torn on how I feel about DS9's finale. I liked how they wrapped up the individual character arcs, and the Dominion War conclusion was alright (the female Changeling's determination before Odo cured her was chilling) but I HATED the whole Bajoran Pah-Wraith crap, and felt that really ruined aspects of the season (as well as destroying Gul Dukat as a character, who I thought was awesome before this nonsense started).

It also ignored the whole premise of the show, to prepare Bajor for eventual entry into the Federation -- something that wasn't wrapped up until well into the DS9 relaunch.

[Ahriman238]

It also ignored the whole premise of the show, to prepare Bajor for eventual entry into the Federation -- something that wasn't wrapped up until well into the DS9 relaunch.

Actually... I kind of liked that. The Bajor of seasons one 1 and 2 didn't like or trust the Federation. Even during the War, there was this divide with Bajor being occupied again, and later with the Romulan "hospital." And DS9 certainly showed us a darker side to the Federation, with the Marquis, the War, Section 31 and their antics. So I like the thought that while relations have thawed somewhat between the Bajorans and the Federation, they still aren't exactly going to sign up.

[JME2]

It also ignored the whole premise of the show, to prepare Bajor for eventual entry into the Federation -- something that wasn't wrapped up until well into the DS9 relaunch.

Actually... I kind of liked that. The Bajor of seasons one 1 and 2 didn't like or trust the Federation. Even during the War, there was this divide with Bajor being occupied again, and later with the Romulan "hospital." And DS9 certainly showed us a darker side to the Federation, with the Marquis, the War, Section 31 and their antics. So I like the thought that while relations have thawed somewhat between the Bajorans and the Federation, they still aren't exactly going to sign up.

True; it just bugged me how it was dangling and that the final Bajor story was defined by the Pah-Wraith/Prophet conflict.

[Uraniun235]

TNG's "All Good Things", Babylon 5's "Sleeping in the Light" and Life on Mars' final episode are the only show finales that I found very successful, while DS9's "What You Leave Behind" and Ashes to Ashes' final episode had their problems but did more right than wrong.

It seems that Lost, Enterprise, Battlestar Galactica, The X-Files, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Heroes and Star Trek: TOS had middling poor final episodes as well...

Turnabout Intruder wasn't really intended as a finale, it was just the last episode they had on hand to produce when they got canceled. By the time those last few episodes came down the pipe, TOS was already dead; all of the original producers had moved on, it would have been incredibly hard to try and find someone to pour their heart into a script for a canceled show, and there was no money left to do anything extraordinary anyway. It seems somehow inappropriate to compare it to shows like... well, most of the other shows you listed, where the producers knew the end was coming ahead of time and had explicitly planned their shows around it.

[Skylon]

Turnabout Intruder wasn't really intended as a finale, it was just the last episode they had on hand to produce when they got canceled. By the time those last few episodes came down the pipe, TOS was already dead; all of the original producers had moved on, it would have been incredibly hard to try and find someone to pour their heart into a script for a canceled show, and there was no money left to do anything extraordinary anyway. It seems somehow inappropriate to compare it to shows like... well, most of the other shows you listed, where the producers knew the end was coming ahead of time and had explicitly planned their shows around it.

In addition, how often did shows from that era got actual proper finales? "The Fugitive" I guess, but that's about it. It wasn't the practice. When it was done, a show was just done.

[Big Orange]

Hey! I SG-1 had a fine ending. They go fishing. I just stop there and am perfectly happy for it.

"Moebius", the episode that capped off the solid S8 of SG-1, was alright and SG-1 might as well ended there, but I've read there was a lot of dislike directed at that two parter by some fans who felt Stargate franchise Jumped the Shark at that point and ruined by the time travel.

Of those listed, I really can't decide which was a worse ending...X-Files or Enterprise.

The consensus with The X-Files is that it increasingly buckled under the weight of its convoluted, made up as they went along Alien Greys story arc, while S4 of ENT under Manny Cotto (despite its unpopular finale) was decidedly better than S7 of VOY under the stewardship of Kenneth Biller. It's perhaps inappropriate to lump the heavily episodic TOS in with more modern sci-fi serials from '90s & '00s and it's more apt to compare it to episodic shows from the '60s & '70s, however The Prisoner had a batshit send off that ended Number 6's story.

[Stofsk]

Maybe a bit of a necro but I came across an interview Garret Wang did for star trek.com and he had a few insights into the show that I found interesting. It's not anything new, really, I mean I knew Berman was a cock but I didn't know the context behind the 'human characters need to be less expressive' edict we all heard about.

http://www.startrek.com/article/straigh ... ang-part-i
http://www.startrek.com/article/straigh ... ang-part-2

Some of the things I enjoyed reading about was Kate Mulgrew driving home wearing her costume at the end of the show, because she wanted to keep it and it was probably the easiest way to do so. Wang wished he'd done that. I also liked hearing about the level of camaraderie from the actors. It really makes me think that the show just didn't get a chance at all to become great when it had all the acting talent there and the technical talent as well. It was simply let down by its writers and producers. One example of that is Wang criticised Berman for his edict above, and later when he wanted to direct an episode he was knocked back due to having been published in a magazine criticising the producer. EDIT: also the whole reason why Kim was never promoted was, according to Wang, Braga said 'Somebody has to be the ensign.'

[JasonB]

I can think easily way the Borg come back cannon. Simple and easily just smell Borg scout ship crash land on freeze planet and Pre-warp civilization journey planet to perhaps man kind planning traveling Mars find search evidence past life and find few freeze Borg drones spacecraft reawaken and assimilate alien astronauts. Leading another fire fight between UFP and the Borg. So return Borg is possible in theory after ten years after End game. As UFP guessing like gone back old TNG way dealing things.

[DaveJB]

Okay, firstly, learn the difference between "canon" and "cannon." You're giving flashbacks to the days of Stewart at SDI.

Secondly, Endgame never actually established that the Borg had been wiped from the face of the galaxy; it just showed a lot of them being blown up. In fact, all the subsequent non-canon literature proceeds from the assumption that only about half of the Borg got wiped out by Admiral Janeway's actions.

Thirdly, there will NEVER be any more canon material in the 1966-2005 incarnation of Star Trek. If we do see the Borg again it'll be in the Star Trek '09 universe (probably when they eventually get round to making a TV show in that continuity), so they don't need to jump through any hoops to reintroduce them.

Fourthly... you just described the plot of the Enterprise episode "Regeneration," so either you're a plagiarist, or someone with a stunning lack of imagination.

[Batman]

First, while JasonB's spelling would shame an illiterate chimpanzee, you can hardly lay they canon/cannon thing at his feet, as a lot of people do that (presumably because canon is a word people hardly ever encounter in everyday reading or conversation so when they run into it here, they default to the spelling they know).
As for your thirdly, never say never. I happen to agree that I too consider it incredibly unlikely they'd go back to pre-reboot canon (especially as there's no point unless you go back to pre-VOY canon), but where I live, stranger things have happened (though not always for the better)