Many science fiction films with good and bad endings.
Yet some TV shows stand out with their endings, wrapping things up perfectly and finishing the story with a bang. This is especially noteworthy considering so many science fiction TV shows were canceled too soon, leaving fans hanging and wanting more from their stories. Series such as Star Trek: The Next Generation ended perfectly, offering viewers heartwrenching finales and send-offs that feel earned.
10 Stargate SG-1 (1997-2006)
The Show Continues Where The Original Movie Left Off
Stargate SG-1
- Release Date
- 1997 - 2007-00-00
- Network
- Showtime
- Showrunner
- Brad Wright
Cast
Richard Dean Anderson
Michael Shanks
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Peter DeLuise
- Writers
- Brad Wright
- Franchise(s)
- Stargate
- Creator(s)
- Jonathan Glassner, Brad Wright
Over the years, there have been several sci-fi series based on the movie Stargate, but perhaps none so foundational as the original series Stargate SG-1. The story begins roughly a year after the events of the film and revolves around a task force created to protect Earth from different galactic threats. This task force uses the titular "Stargate" to travel between worlds, offering different locales for each episode of the show.
Stargate SG-1 was nominated for nine Emmy Awards during its 10-season run but never won.
The Stargate franchise is full of twists and turns, and Stargate SG-1 is no different, resulting in incredible writing throughout. The ending of the first series, titled "Unending," is the best in the Stargate franchise, showing the crew as they are attacked by a fleet of Ori ships. They are then forced to activate a time dilation field, trapping them there for 50 years and showing the horrors of science fiction.
9 Farscape (1999-2002)
A Miniseries Saved Farscape's Ending
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- Creator(s)
- Rockne S. O'Bannon
Following a modern-day astronaut named John Crichton who is sucked into the future by a wormhole in space, Farscape was a unique take on science fiction television from the get-go. The story is deeply character-driven, focusing on John's attempt to get back home. This, coupled with the threat that he and his new crew face at the hands of the corrupt Peacekeepers organization, makes for an interesting watch from beginning to end.
Originally, Farscape was canceled too early, as it was planned to have five seasons but was canceled in a hurry after only four. However, the series was saved after its cancelation by a two-episode miniseries that came afterward called Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars. Not only did this address the questions left hanging from the series' ending cliffhanger, but it also brought the series together in a satisfying and tragic way.
8 Babylon 5 (1993-1997)
This Series Shows Intergalactic Politics At Their Finest
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Taking place on the Babylon 5 space station, which was built to ensure equal diplomacy between the different species of the galaxy, this famed sci-fi series follows the drama and politics that occur there. This takes place as Earth descends into totalitarianism, causing the human military on the station to resist the takeover. This is all done with excellent writing that shows how the actions have consequences, making every moment feel like it has an impact.
Babylon 5 was written to be a "novel for television," and because of this, everything from character arcs to story beats was planned out ahead of time (via jmsnews.com).
One of the reasons that Babylon 5's ending is so good is because it makes the viewer feel as though a whole story has been told. In the final episode of the series, the space station is shut down once and for all, closing that chapter in this sci-fi world's history. It rounds out a series that had been clearly planned from the start, allowing Babylon 5 to round out the series with something emotional and satisfying.
7 Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1993)
Star Trek's Most Iconic Series
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Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Release Date
- 1987 - 1994-00-00
- Network
- Syndication
- Showrunner
- Gene Roddenberry
Cast
Jean-Luc Picard
Commander William T. Riker
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Cliff Bole, Les Landau, Winrich Kolbe, Rob Bowman, Robert Scheerer, LeVar Burton
- Writers
- René Echevarria, Maurice Hurley, Richard Manning, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Tracy Tormé, Hannah Louise Shearer, Stuart Charno, Ira Steven Behr, Sara B. Cooper, Peter Allan Fields, Herbert Wright, Frank Abatemarco, Burton Armus, Hilary Bader, Morgan Gendel, David Kemper, Michael I. Wagner, Philip LaZebnik, Robert McCullough, Susan Sackett, Nick Sagan, Fred Bronson, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Sam Rolfe
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Creator(s)
- Gene Roddenberry
Star Trek: The Next Generation has one of the most recognizable casts in Star Trek, and for good reason. The series, which, like much of Star Trek, focuses on the episodic exploration of the galaxy and the things found within it, features a cast of iconic characters, including Captain Picard himself. The series is a masterclass in crafting narratives of discovery, creating difficult decisions for the crew in the process.
Will Riker’s Complete Star Trek Timeline Explained
Star Trek: The Next Generation's William Riker had a long and accomplished Starfleet career even after his time on Captain Picard's USS Enterprise-D.
The final episode of the series takes Captain Picard and places him in a battle of wits with another fan-favorite character, an omnipotent being known only as Q. This is the same character who previously put Picard on trial in the first episode of the series, and it is revealed that this trial never really ended. This reveal alone is a spectacular one, and with that hook, the ongoing battle of minds that results from this is instantly fun to watch.
6 Dark (2017-2020)
German Science Fiction With A Horrifying Twist
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- Directors
- Jantje Friese
- Writers
- Jantje Friese
A time-bending adventure that quickly turns terrifying, Dark begins as a story of missing children. When young residents begin to go missing in a rural German town, the families involved discover a wormhole has opened up in the local cave system. This leads them on a quest to find their families that not only sends them across time but also draws them closer together.
The finale to Dark is an emotional gut punch of an episode, one that brings tragedy to the world this series has so carefully created. It sees a choice laid out before the main characters, one that ends in them choosing to snuff out the life of two entire worlds, created by the use of time travel. The story lingers on these characters, moments before they disappear, showing just how devastating this loss really is.
5 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022)
Cyberpunk 2077 Comes To Netflix In This Series
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Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Release Date
- 2022 - 2022
- Network
- Netflix
- Writers
- Mike Pondsmith, Yoshiki Usa, Masahiko Otsuka
Cast
-
Aoi Yuki
-
Kenichiro Ohashi
WHERE TO WATCH
- Franchise(s)
- Cyberpunk
Another emotional watch, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a science fiction anime series set in the world of the Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop roleplaying game. It is directly linked to the video game Cyberpunk 2077 as well, something that contributed to the series' initial popularity. However, the short series stands on its own two feet, following a street kid named David Martinez and how his life changes after finding a life-altering piece of technology called a Sandevistan.
It's Official: A Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Prequel Is Out, And It Was Just Stealth Dropped Without Any Warning
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has made an unexpected return with Kadokawa releasing a new prequel manga titled Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Madness.
In the final episode of the series, David challenges a notoriously terrifying and powerful "full borg" named Adam Smasher to fight one-on-one. He does so as a distraction, allowing his friends to escape, but dying painfully in the process. This essentially allows his girlfriend Lucy to achieve her dream, offering a bittersweet ending to a series that is so full of death and destruction.
4 Quantum Leap (1989-1992)
A Unique Take On Time Travel
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Quantum Leap
- Release Date
- 1989 - 1993-00-00
Cast
-
Scott BakulaDr. Sam Beckett
-
Dean StockwellAl
WHERE TO WATCH
- Creator(s)
- Donald P. Bellisario
After being trapped in the time stream after a time-travel experiment gone wrong, Dr. Sam Beckett is left jumping from time to time by inhabiting the bodies of others. To jump from person to person, he must influence the course of events and alter the timeline, as someone has changed the course of history. It is assumed that this is the only way for him to ever get home, and so the series follows his journey to help people and change the timeline back.
The last episode puts a nice bow on things, with Sam helping to bring Al and his love together in a sweet moment. He then finally jumps into what seems to be his own body for the first time, speaking to a bartender about his adventures throughout time. He discovers that all this time, he has been able to go home, only pushed forward by his own desire to fix what was broken.
3 Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
The Show Bridged That The Gap Between Episodes 2 & 3
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Release Date
- 2008 - 2020-00-00
- Network
- Cartoon Network, Netflix, Disney+
- Showrunner
- Dave Filoni
Cast
-
Tom KaneNarrator / Yoda / Medical Droid / Yularen / Kraken (voice)
Anakin Skywalker (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Brian Kalin O'Connell, Steward Lee, Giancarlo Volpe, Bosco Ng, Danny Keller, Rob Coleman, Justin Ridge, Nathaniel Villanueva, Saul Ruiz, Jesse Yeh, Duwayne Dunham, Atsushi Takeuchi, Robert Dalva, Walter Murch
- Writers
- Katie Lucas, Christian Taylor, Brent V. Friedman, Matt Michnovetz, Drew Z. Greenberg, Steven Melching, Chris Collins, Charles Murray, Eoghan Mahony, Bonnie Mark, Craig W. Van Sickle, Daniel Arkin, Jose Molina, Steven Long Mitchell, Cameron Litvack, George Krstic, Carl Ellsworth, Craig Titley, Julie Siege, Jonathan W. Rinzler, Ben Edlund, Douglas Petrie, Kevin D. Campbell, Kevin Rubio
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
When Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith was initially released, there was a considerable time gap between that film and the previous movie in the trilogy. Star Wars: The Clone Wars covers this period, more deeply exploring the relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi while also introducing a new character, Anakin's padawan, Ahsoka Tano. What follows is a children's show with incredibly deep story beats, offering some of the best moments in Star Wars.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars was originally canceled by Disney when they bought the Star Wars property, only to be brought back years later.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars took a long break between seasons, with the final episode released years after the series started. This episode, titled "Victory and Death," shows Ahsoka and her desperate attempt to survive in the midst of the notorious Order 66. It shows a new perspective on this part of Star Wars history, even ending with a shot of Anakin having already turned into Darth Vader.
2 12 Monkeys (2015-2018)
Based On The Bruce Willis Sci-Fi Classic
12 Monkeys
Cast
-
Demore Barnes
Amanda Schull-
Alisen Down
-
Andrew Gillies
WHERE TO WATCH
Based on the Bruce Willis sci-fi adventure of the same name, 12 Monkeys follows what is generally the same plot. This mystery sees the main character, James Cole, sent back in time in an attempt to stop the release of a deadly virus that has since ravaged the entire world. This brings them into conflict with the "Army of 12 Monkeys," an extremist organization responsible for the virus' release.
The series ends with a showdown between the main characters and the leader of the Army of 12 Monkeys, called The Witness, to save the future from the release of this deadly virus. However, this comes at a cost. When The Witness dies and the timeline is forever changed, James disappears for good, never having existed in the first place.
1 The Expanse (2015-2021)
One Of The Best Series In Modern Sci-Fi
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- Showrunner
- Naren Shankar, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Originally based on a series of novels, The Expanse is a series that takes a hard-hitting look at political relations in a science fiction setting. It follows a UN Deputy Undersecretary as relationships between nations begin to fall apart, causing tension throughout the galaxy. This only escalates as war breaks out between the planets, forcing the main characters into increasingly dire situations.
Though some questions are left unanswered, the final episode of The Expanse sees the defeat of Marco, the leader of the Free Navy and one of the series' greatest threats. This, along with the alliance forged between Earth, Mars, and the Belt creates a compelling ending, as well as a natural stopping point for the series. Although the novel series did go on with more books, this conclusion is still one of the best Sci-Fi TV show endings in television history.
Source: jmsnews.com
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