10 Most Satisfying Twists In Star Trek

[@tzvikrasner6073]

Picard admitting at the end of "Chain of Command" that he was actually able to see the fifth light just before he was set free. Amazing little twist to an absolute tour de force episode.

[@brassbear3373]

YES!!! Deliberately understated, yet immensely frightening!

[@Rockhound6165]

10 points if you can tell me what this is in reference of.

[@davidwuhrer6704]

@@Rockhound6165 2+2=5 if the Minitru says it is.

[@Rockhound6165]

@@davidwuhrer6704 you get the cheroot.

[@foreordinator1471]

@@Rockhound6165 We've always been at war with Eastasia.

[@jpwphoenix1701]

I was going to nominate Odo's people being the Founders of the Dominion. But, also, the revelation in DS9 mid-season 5 that Bashir's not only been replaced by a Changeling but has been for the last few episodes. I especially loved the extra touch they gave the real, imprisoned Bashir one of the old uniforms (as they'd changed to the First Contact ones a few episodes earlier too).

[@FJF1085]

Yeah people always seem to gloss over the implication that we’d been watching Changeling Bashir for a few episodes. Glad someone else realized that too.

[@ezachleewright2309]

Dude, I totally forgot about that. How did I forget about Changeling Bashir??

[@michaelday6987]

The best part about Bashir is that when you rewatch the previous few episodes, you can really see a slight difference in his personality

[@jjmfrees]

Yeah, changeling Bashir deliverers Kirayoshi O’Brien, and performed complex brain surgery on Captain Sisko to remove his visions.

[@patrickmcginty3234]

Wasn't changeling Bashir also present when an infant changeling was discovered on DS9 and adopted by Odo?

[@michaeljohnhalse]

Janeway saying "I know," was one of those Janeway scenes that gave me chills and made me love her. She's so tough and not afraid to go a bit grey on the character scale, and I LOVE it.

[@brandonlink6568]

He fucked with Harry so she went full mama bear scorched earth on him.

[@Marcus_Suridius]

100%.

[@MoreLifePlease]

Agreed! That husky near-whisper. The borderline vindictive, but very understandable, retaliatory ruthlessness. Yikes. You mess with her crew, her family, you're foolish not to expect payback. Great ST-Voyager, great Janeway moment.

[@Marcus_Suridius]

@@brandonlink6568 the poor lad never got a promotion on the ship but she always had his back.

[@bigneon_glitter]

Janeway had the idealism of Picard, the swagger of Kirk, & the ethical plasticity of Sisko. She wasn't afraid to go _dark._ Like the time she got angry, interrogated & nearly murdered an officer of the _USS Equinox._ Chakotay is sometimes dismissed as "dull" but, man, Janeway needed a cooler head to hold her back when sh*t got real.

[@TheHansolo0]

'Remember me' was a much better Crusher episode where everyone on the ship was disappearing. Had me guessing right up till the end.

[@aerisgainsborough2141]

"Computer? Do I have the skills necessary to accomplish this alone? "NEGATIVE!" "HA, Gotchya!!!"

[@TeacherTaj]

@@aerisgainsborough2141 That made me wanna go watch it again. Season 4. Hulu here I come!

[@theendistheend123]

halfway through the episode when wesley is silhouetted in the vortex and you realize SHES in the bubble. awesome.

[@headrockbeats]

Well you can't be guessing right up until the end... because they literally explain everything early in the third act, which I really didn't like. Still a good episode, but the way they executed the twist _itself_ makes the episode WORSE.

[@bbartky]

My favorite part of that episode was when Crusher asked the computer what the nature of the universe was and it answered “The universe is a spheroid region, 705 meters in diameter." 😂

[@FreakDaMIghet]

I really love the Klingons coming to back the Enterprise up against the Romulans. Up until that point, the show has been telling us the Federation and Klingons are allies, but we never really saw it. Watching that scene for the first time, the surprise hits you at the same time as it does Tomalak.

[@colinsmith1495]

Seriously, suddenly all that scene setting of interstellar politics in the background really pays off!

[@leeshwan903]

This was a terrific twist! The look on Tomalok’s face is priceless!

[@2006jakebob]

Yeah! Really the best one on the list imo

[@johnwang9914]

Yes but really would the Klingons be satisfied with just a standoff? I can see that it would've taken a lot of favours to avoid the Klingons just ambushing the Romulans instead of de-cloaking as a show of force.

[@grayeaglej]

The Battle Horns when the Klingons decloak truly made that scene. O.o

[@JasonJD48]

Janeway tricking the Devore was also a great twist, in fact it was a double twist with the twist that Kashyk was playing Janeway followed by finding out that Janeway never trusted him and tricked him. Janeway was friends with the actor who played Kashyk and they have great chemistry, culminating in Kashyk realizing "You created false readings!" and Janeway responding "That is the theme for this evening, isn't it?"

[@neilgodfrey5180]

My favourite Voyager Episode, super twist at the end, superb!

[@LeoTheDarkAngel]

It always breaks my heart to see Janeway sitting there in the end, devastated, knowing she was absolutely correct in not trusting her newest love interest.

[@SeventhSwell]

"Computer end program and nothing happens" but something did happen, the episode, the TV "program" that was "running" ended. I mean, this was right after Picard talked about how "All this might be a simulation on a device on someone's table". So, the program didn't end in the episode but the program that was the episode did end. I've always loved that slight 4th wall break in that episode.

[@stevearmstrong9213]

That works over here in Britain where we still call a 'show' a programme.

[@bubbaguy4411]

@@stevearmstrong9213 Technically...we still do that here in America. Just not as widely used for some reason... Or perhaps I am one of the few that still uses that term and we're just too old to "get with times"....

[@brandonlink6568]

Plus there's more talk among scientists nowadays that our universe might just be a simulation, perhaps a simulation inside a simulation inside a simulation...

[@MoreLifePlease]

"Ship In A Bottle" one of my all time TNG favorites.

[@stevearmstrong9213]

I'm old fashioned enough to still call a season a series, too.

[@SirZapdos]

Some twists that I liked: - Garak blew up his own shop - Colonel Lovok is a changeling - General Martok is a changeling - Garak killed Vreenak - Sloan is alive and was in cahoots with Admiral Ross and Koval - The Robots killed the Builders

[@boedye]

Always nice to encounter another DS9 fan

[@Vespyr_]

Soong being alive after hacking Data to take over the ship to see him.

[@FJF1085]

All good. Torres’s face upon realize the robots killed the builders will always stick with me.

[@dmanc85]

Automated Personnel Unit SirZapdos must be sent back to the Pralor homeworld.

[@dextheking]

Bashir is a changeling too.

[@InJeffable]

If I may, I'd like to add an honorable mention from the original Star Trek series. The Menagerie (written entirely by Gene Roddenberry himself and also the only two-parter in all of TOS) had a nice twist at the end. Unbeknownst to Kirk, Commodore Mendez was an illusion created by the Talosians and the entire court martial of Spock was a ruse to buy time for Pike to be returned to Talos IV.

[@Scyllax]

Mendez and Pardek were both False-Faces, played by “?”, who played False Face on The Batman TV series.

[@jymfysher7704]

I thought maybe another STAR TREK should be made (A TOS) that ends with KIRK discovering at the end that everything, All STAR TREK episodes, are an illusion created by the TALOSIANS.Not sure how the plot should exactly go but it would be the " Mother of all" TREK twists if it was done right ?!

[@freedomtothink9574]

@@jymfysher7704 That would be Galaxy Quest.

[@jymfysher7704]

@@freedomtothink9574 Good call !!

[@alvindsv]

For me the episode that had a twist to it was "The Inner Light" from ST:TNG where the Enterprise encounters a probe that connects with Pickard. He wakes up on another planet where everyone refers to him as Kamin. He lives there for 40 years with a wife, and kids, and learns that the planet is dying. At the end, the twist is, the people had been gone for thousands of years and the probe was sent as a time capsule so to speak, and Pickard was only out about 25 minutes.

[@szr8]

John Luck Pickard?

[@virginiaconnor8350]

I loved the tune he played on his flute. Dr. Marcus's accent changed from American in the 2nd movie to English in the JJ Abrams movie. What happened to continuity?

[@redmatrix]

Yeah, and he ends up sharing that tune with his next girlfriend that ends up dying.

[@mowvu]

@@redmatrix how lovely!

[@brandonsmith5913]

My favorite episode.

[@Rockhound6165]

How can you leave out ST:TNG Dark Page? We, along with Deanna, find out she had a sister who died tragically when Deanna was only a baby. The episode is so deep and incredibly heart wrenching especially considering Lwaxana is usually comic relief. The ending with she and Deanna holding hands coming out of the psychic coma was one of if not the most touching moments of the entire franchise. I remember saying out loud "Holy shit" when it was revealed that the little girl in her mother's coma/dream was her sister.

[@kossttamojaan]

Lwaxana was such a complicated character and this revelation was devastating

[@cptsteele91]

and then it never got addressed ever again 🤣

[@Rockhound6165]

@@cptsteele91 it was, kind of, in Picard when Riker and Deanna named their daughter Kestra after her sister. Fun Fact: Kirsten Dunst played Hedril in the same episode.

[@Rockhound6165]

Just to clarify, I know the video is satisfying twists but it was when Deanna found out she had a sister. Who wouldn't want to know that?

[@Doc-Holliday1851]

For #6 you’re actually missing the twist, the fact that Moriarty never actually left the ship, that the crew had secretly orchestrated everything and trapped him in a virtual world inside a computer.

[@VonWenk]

One problem I've always had with "Ship in a Bottle" is where did Picard get his change of clothes.

[@Doc-Holliday1851]

@@VonWenk I don’t remember the episode that well. But I’m sure we can chalk it up to future magic. Lol

[@bruceforsman4812]

YOU ARE 100% CORRECT

[@loulfw2513]

@@Doc-Holliday1851 I remember it well and with the ship inside a ship inside a box inside a cube, it broke my brain. Same with Change Of Mind.

[@videodistro]

Exactly. He skipped right over the REAL twist!!

[@batgurrl]

Commander Sela was a fantastic surprise but thanks for putting the underrated Voyager The Thaw in its proper spot. You know as well as I do fear only exists for one purpose, to be conquered.

[@iriswaldenburger2315]

That episode could have been so good but it turned out to be horrible

[@JamesPaterson316]

Valeris as the mole, in ST VI The Undiscovered Country. A Vulcan as a baddie, shock twist, and it was brilliantly done, especially "that grab" by Spock..... chills every time

[@dixievfd55]

Valeris was created because Kirstie Alley didn't want to reprise her role as Saavik. Saavik was supposed to be the traitor.

[@bryanabbott6169]

Dr. Crusher deserved more episodes like 'Suspicions' and less Lamp Ghost sexcapades.

[@cryofpaine]

The women on the show got really short changed. It's criminal how badly underutilized they were. We got to see glimpses of how great these characters could be in the later seasons, but not nearly enough.

[@duckmeister5385]

My favorite Dr. Crusher episode is "Remember Me."

[@SlimThrull]

@@cryofpaine No doubt that it was at least part of the reason Denise Crosby left the show. I think we got a Troi or Crusher episode once a season.

[@OldUKAds]

She deserved more episodes period.

[@DonnyWinter]

Agreed. Dr. Crusher deserved so much more. I hope she comes back in Star Trek Picard.

[@xvenomxreap3rx]

The look on Tomalaks face when the Klingon ships decloak will never cease to make me laugh

[@TerenceLight]

“You belong to the Dominion, don’t you?” “Belong to it? Major, the changelings _are_ the Dominion.”

[@joermnyc]

Yes, that was HUGE, Odo never knew who his people were and they were in fact the Founders.

[@davetoms1]

+

[@cyberchaplain]

Yeah I don't know how they could leave this off the list

[@Agent_1701-D]

Agreed. When the truth is revealed and the motivations (and distrust that drives the Changelings and therefore the Dominion) are revealed, you see Odo crestfallen. Adri spending his entire life trying to figure out who he was or where he came from, he gets the answer, only to see that they are more than willing to wage war and kill to protect their own because of how they were treated all those years ago. Although the motivation is understandable, that does not give the Dominion the right to wage war upon the rest of the galaxy.

[@DrownedInExile]

@@Agent_1701-D "There are 2 great tragedies in life. One is not getting what you want. The other is getting it."

[@ThePeacemaker848]

9) Sela should have been Shinzon in Star Trek Nemisis. Would have been so much more satisfying of a story. She even gets exiled to the prison planet and the story is the same. Contract some incurable disease from the mining operations due to her half-human physiology. None of this Picard Clone wishy washy business.

[@adamarens3520]

I like it.

[@SidneyBroadshead]

Denise Crosby was persona non grata, so hiring her would be a problem.

[@ThePeacemaker848]

@@SidneyBroadshead ah, that's show biz. I doubt her presence would have fixed the bad writing and directing anyway.

[@critiquecorner679]

Sela was supposed to be in Nemesis, but her character was replaced by Cmdr Donatra played by Dina Myer.

[@ThePeacemaker848]

Dina Myer was a pretty cool Romulan.

[@Dannyvegas1701]

Maybe not quite top 10, but the twist in The Menagerie that Commodore Mendez was a Talosian illusion was always a memorable one for me.

[@BMR-FitnessPremium]

Just watched that episode a few days ago and I think it's definitely Top 10 worthy. When he just disappears from the hearing at the end and the Talosian explains how Spock basically told them they better keep Kirk occupied...

[@LKLifestyles]

Good one! I totally agree! 🙃👏

[@josephcotten4015]

Oh yeah! Killer reveal. You’re right!

[@dellytancyl524]

That's a perfectly good honorable mention to this list

[@ronaldgray5707]

My favorite twist episode was Survivor. Where the Enterprise comes across this destroyed colony except for an elderly couple. Turns out the guy was an insane God. And he destroyed the enemy that destroyed the colony. I mean the whole race, every planet, every trace of them throughout the universe. (this was what made him insane).

[@MoreLifePlease]

Nah, he wasn't insane. Had a moment, just a moment, of grief-driven rage is all. Bad when it happens to a lesser life form, pretty consequential when it happens to one with godlike abilities. Interesting ep, but I always thought that, with powers like that---even if he was generally a pacifistic entity---he could've stopped an attack on the planet by vastly less powerful beings without resorting to lethal force. It was like saying a Q, a Thasian (TOS ep "Charlie X") or an Organian would've had no other option in those circumstances. And, speaking of the Organians, please don't get me started on how ludicrous "Errand of Mercy" was. I mean, what was the deal with creating an environment and presenting themselves as though they were inhabitants of a society at approximately the level of development of Earth's medieval period? It's almost like they were baiting Kirk, Spock and the Klingons into believing they'd be easy pickings.

[@jeffreybowers5646]

@@MoreLifePlease Some early expanded universe said they did bait them. It's sort of their "warp speed" bench mark for being an enlightened race.

[@Roboprogs]

His confession was a pretty powerful line. I didn’t kill just one, or a hundred, or a million. I killed them all. Not just decimated, but a complete genocide. Picard: we have no law for your crime. (More like, no way to enforce such, but anyway)

[@katmatally]

But poor Troi. Worst earworm ever

[@katmatally]

@@MoreLifePlease They set up a labkratpry; the subjects behaved in a certain way; THEN they intervened. I don't think the Organians knew Klingons and Humans, only that there was discord in the space near their planet.

[@bigneon_glitter]

The twist & finale in "Course: Oblivion". Horrific & deeply sad. _Voyager_ is massively underrated.

[@obsidianwing]

oh yes this episode is amazing

[@mldempsey25]

Yeah I just commented on that... But great heartrending ep.

[@zanderpell3636]

I really liked "Scientific Theory" season 4, When the Captain Snaps and flies the ship through a binary pulsar.

[@TinySpiny]

One of the most horrible episodes of Voyager, but yes, it was an underrated series.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

It ran from 10s to -10s in quality. Many will unconsciously remember the horrible far more easily than the great.

[@Daktangle]

Sela was given such a great story in STO. And I just realised that Janeway used the "I'm not really here" in the series finale against the Borg queen.

[@dompuma9620]

Seska's defection to the Kazon has got to be one of my favourites. First her dealings with the Kazon are uncovered, then she's revealed to have been a Cardassian spy the whole time (the twist), then she activates "command XJL" and beams away in front of Janeway and co. Dukat's defection to the Dominion also deserves a shout out. Worth it just for the priceless look on Major Kira's face.

[@KJYKJY1985]

I think it would've been cooler if you found out it was the Star Fleet guy who was sending messages to the Kazon and Seska stayed on as Voyager's Cardassian crewman.

[@imkluu]

I don't think these can be considered twists. They are character development in a way that was unexpected, but not entirely opposite of what could be expected, or as the result of information that is held until the climax, and which places characters, or events in a different perspective.

[@dompuma9620]

@@imkluu in both examples key information was withheld from both characters and audience until the very last moment for dramatic effect (the twist). Neither example was expected or predictable at the time of first broadcast.

[@saquist]

How could I have ever loved you?

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

I thought Seska was an fabulous Star Trek villain. It's a shame they couldn't have found a way to keep her as a reoccurring character. She was excellent at stirring up trouble!

[@dgerdi]

The final Episode of STTNG where Q announces that the trial never has been over and never will be.

[@MoreLifePlease]

Almost the entire Q story arc: meh.

[@alanr4447a]

So why was Q so damn strict and harsh with Picard/Fedreation, while he let the Borg, Cardassians, Klingons, Romulans, Dominion, etc. do whatever the hell they wanted?

[@s1lentw1nter]

@@alanr4447a I think is because Humans are on the path to become members of the Q Continuum, I think a conversation between Picard and Q alludes to this but I can't remember which TNG episode it is.

[@MoreLifePlease]

@@alanr4447a I think that was supposed to be indicative of how "special" humans in general, and Picard in particular, were in the estimate of the Continuum; of how we had a potential that those other slackers supposedly didn't. Still gets a big MEH from me as an over-rated and irksome story arc nonetheless.

[@Agent_1701-D]

If you think about it, it was always true. When the court scenes in Farpoint ended, it was only adjourned. There was no actual verdict or judgment. The entire series was the entire case for humanity. And though they were initially guilty and sentenced to non-existence, they did show that they were capable of more, warranting them to continue. However cruel it was to show this truth and teach this lesson, it was eventually effective.

[@valetboy21]

While you cannot really call The Sound of Her Voice's twist satisfying, it was wonderfully executed being both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.

[@julieeverett7442]

one of my favourites

[@jonathanrivlin6248]

When Lt Giordi La Forge learned that Dr Leah Brahms was married.

[@dellytancyl524]

LOL! this one goes down as most hilarious as she's not only married but not even a little bit as nice as her hologram

[@staicu2295]

Top 10 Anime betrayals right there 😮

[@Dracattack]

Something he could have easily found out lol

[@rickmassey1272]

There's the implication that Geordi used the holodeck to behave "improperly" with Leah Brahms.

[@luiszuluaga6575]

🥲

[@thomaslarson459]

The Thaw is one of my all-time favorite episodes of Star Trek anywhere. Nice shoutout to the episode.

[@BintyMcFrazzles]

"The Defector" is an outstanding episode.

[@lillyanneserrelio2187]

And to think Gene Roddenberry was totally against casting Patrick Stewart as the captain. He wanted someone younger, with a thick head of hair and a lady's man - like what he did back with Kirk (William Shatner). Thankfully the other producers empathic backing of the British accented "frenchman" won out. Frenchmen in quotes because Picard's backstory has him from FRANCE even though our dear captain clearly talks with a British accent. Hmmm?

[@damouze]

I agree. And a briliant performance by the sorely missed Andreas Katsulas.

[@almostyummymummy]

You should have seen / heard me when the three ships decloaked. The shout of joy I let out... That episode is still one of my favourites.

[@meganparsons9106]

the Klingon plot twist was my fav

[@fredurbasek5653]

yes,the ending when the defector realizes he's been played.

[@dinomonzon7493]

Leonor Kiridian’s reveal as the real assassin behind the killing of the nine surviving witnesses of Kollos the Executioner’s massacre of half the population in The Conscience of the King was my fave twist in a Star Trek episode. It was one of the rare times Capt. Kirk was ouwitted, similar to Irene Adler’s outthinking Sherlock Holmes.

[@jackgibsxxx0750]

I have seen TOS eps so often and for so long I can not recall seeing an ep for the 1st time. But I love watching that Ep and yelling at Kirk to start thinking with the other head. 😆😆😆

[@thomasfarrier9122]

"I know how to use this, Captain." Chilling.

[@rbbecker73]

The Trouble with Tribbles. Seriously, who here actually guessed that Arne Darvin was secretly a Klingon the first time you saw that one?

[@josephsheranda]

3:10 Fun fact: Denise Crosby invented the character of Commander Sela and pitched the idea to the producers more than a year after she left the show. It's one of her favorite roles and she enjoyed it much more than playing Tasha Yar.

[@dellytancyl524]

that's because Yar was wack!

[@bluesbest1]

@@dellytancyl524 Shame she never got the chance to improve, the way pretty much everyone else did.

[@glasrazuma933]

That feeling when you leave the show because you think you are a star and then come back crawling.

[@josephsheranda]

@@glasrazuma933 Gene Roddenberry welcomed her back with open arms because he was very smitten with her. If you've seen her abs in "The Naked Now" you know why.

[@DaellusKnights]

"I'm afraid." ... "I know." I never saw that episode, but damn... I FELT that. 👍

[@lisam5744]

I'm rewatching Voyager as I missed a lot of episodes first time around. I recently watched the episode with the nasty clown. I love how Janeway tells him that spaceship captains are trained to overcome fear...which is what the clown was. Awesome episode.

[@sleazybtd]

Another good one was the one where Joel Gray played the guy on that authoritarian planet who went crazy when his wife and daughter were executed and thought Janeway was his daughter.

[@TheMacKosh]

I love the episode with the Nazi type inspector looking for telepaths, who tries to charm Janeway saying he's changed, but Janeway is no fool and tricks him using the tech he gives her access to

[@niemandzuhause4897]

The twist that the Organians are super-evolved. And the twist around "Elim". That was great. And Koval being a starfleet agent. Really good cause Bashirfigures it out.

[@georgehill8285]

When you said “I’m not really here,” I thought you were going for that voyager where the telepathic alien makes the whole crew hallucinate for no reason then disappears saying that. Glad you did the clown instead, much better.

[@OldUKAds]

Exactly the same here!

[@jamesbuchanan4414]

One of the first plot twists was the Romulan reveal. The series was still extremely young, but the idea that we'd spent those episodes with this very chill being with the ears as a member of a species key to the Federation, only to find out his cousins were the assholes next door was a shocker.

[@Galliao]

Martok the Changling? But... Gul Darheel. It might be the great acting, but he's the Cardassian who's really upset at what happened to the Bajorans. He pretends to be one of the worst Cardassians overseeing the occupation, but he's actually just a file clerk who did nothing. He'll let the Bajorans most likely execute him just so they can find some justice and peace.

[@Sorain1]

Yeah, that was a good twist, especially because we are primed to think he really is that monster.

[@angeluslupus]

The emotion of that scene is forever in my memory, thanks to it being one of the video clips on the Omnipedia/Encyclopedia CD-Rom!

[@ianoz1]

One of my two favourite DS9 eps.

[@jasonbaird1645]

That was a terrific episode. Easily my favourite of Season 1.

[@kossttamojaan]

Casting Harris Yulin was genius. He absolutely owned the role and gave the storyline the brilliance it deserved.

[@auntiem873]

The thing with David is David didn’t know Kirk was his father. He knew his father was in Star-fleet but, he didn’t have a name or a face. That’s why the end scene was so good. He was told the Kirk was his father. He liked Kirk the man and to find out he was his father threw his whole belief system out the window. He also understood just learned why his Dad was not in his life. Powerful enemies

[@SparkyRoosta]

The best twist in the Dr. Crusher episode was that Guinen didn't really play tennis.

[@AdventuresofaGeek]

Tennis elbow my ass lol

[@christophergordon6012]

Double twist, Guinan plays racquet ball!

[@D8W2P4]

@@AdventuresofaGeek Whoa there. I don't need to hear about your bedroom activities.

[@AdventuresofaGeek]

@@D8W2P4 🤣 lol well sure, nobody 'needs' to hear it.. 😏

[@alanr4447a]

@@AdventuresofaGeek Well sure, it didn't put YOU in the hospital. I still get aches....

[@bradwolf07]

The Defector was such a brilliantly done episode. Simply top notch. It's twists are both satisying and heartbreaking.

[@torresalex]

AS soon as you said "The Motion Picture" is one of the best Star Treks I hit that Like button

[@matwatson7947]

As a legitimate trekkie I hated the Motion Picture. Nothing happened very, very slowly. It was however, the first Star Trek film and I think they learnt their lesson. The Wrath of Khan was excellent

[@virginiaconnor8350]

The music was great. It was mainly a reason to get the crew together, especially since we fans hadn't seen them for awhile. Some might suggest "Enterprise" have a movie for the same reason perhaps. Maybe. I think the ship and her crew deserve better after what was done- to re-write the end, fight the Romulan War, begin the Federation, explain why Trip faked his death when he returns, explore other worlds and update other stories, and conclude the lives. This would take more than a 2 hr. movie. Hopefully, "SNW" will prompt a new interest in re-booting the series.

[@brandonlink6568]

Course Oblivion from Voyager was a good twist too. That ending really got to me though, all that gone without a trace, nothing to remember them by.

[@bonusbaby801]

Speaking of Vger...I just watched a vid this morning about how they've reestablished communication with Voyager 2. It was the Voyager launches in 1977-78 that solidified my love for EVERYTHING space/sci-fi related!!

[@gremlin21591]

Ever notice how the ship looks like a Borg unimatrix

[@bonusbaby801]

@@gremlin21591 & they did say that the Voyager 6 came into contact with a r"ace of living machines". So I'm thinking the Borg. Or those androids that Voyager ran into that tried 2 get Torres to build a prototype.

[@davidwuhrer6704]

@@bonusbaby801 The Borg are not living machines, they are cyborgs who have become immortal through technology and treat their bodies as disposable. Originally they were meant to be void-dwellers who care nothing about the planet-colonising empires: They have been everywhere forever, but never noticed because space is so big and the territorial races only look at planets. They could pop up anywhere at anytime to raid anyone by any means. Of course they became just another territorial empire for the Federation (and only the Federation) to fight. One living machine appeared in ST:TOS, in the Doctor Who episode that Haarlan Ellison wrote. But when I hear living machines with interstellar travel technology, I think Hasbro Transformers.

[@henrikharbin5521]

The one that I really liked was when we found out that Lt. Valeris was in on the plot to kill Gorkon in ST6. The scene where she shows up to supposedly kill Burke and Samno and gets caught out by Spock... BRILLIANT, especially when he clearly holds back how much she's disappointed him. She is, in essence, a surrogate daughter, and oh sh!t, she's a murderer and a spy (!).

[@WoodysAR]

SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED THAT INSTEAD OF THE STUPID PIGGISH KURTZMAN DRECKS CARTOON.

[@MrGoesBoom]

Not just a murderer and a spy, she betrayed his trust, she betrayed the ship, and her actions and the actions of those she was working for/with had the Federation sacrificing his two dearest friends as well as smearing their reputations.

[@Agent_1701-D]

@@MrGoesBoom All to undercut a potential peace initiative that could save the Klingon Empire from extinction.

[@netgnostic1627]

I didn't like the mind-meld that Spock forced on her. I call it unethical, whether he thought she was a criminal or not.

[@henrikharbin5521]

Sometimes circumstances force even the best people into shameful acts, even for the best reason. I heard the pain and sadness in Spock's voice. This was not easy for him.

[@smithm81]

You left out the biggest twist of ALL. DS9 Season 5 episode 14 'In Purgatory Shaddow' Dr. Bashir was replaced by a Changeling.

[@jenb7780]

it was cool in episode but would have worked better if anything had been done to foreshadow it in previous episodes

[@stevearmstrong9213]

The odd part was how he regenerated. Do changelings who've spent their lives in the great link not have to turn into a puddle now and then?

[@Gimleeminigod]

The fact the bashir changeling let the baby changeling died is weird too

[@bonghunezhou5051]

Bashir was replaced in "The Adversary" (S3: E26) as well. The big twist in that 5th season episode is Martok being a Changeling (methinks the producers & writers did not set him out to be one in "The Way of the Warrior". They did a RET-CON when deciding to bring back the character).

[@Grimlock1979]

@@Gimleeminigod The baby changeling was dying and could not be saved.

[@lotstodo]

I wish Kirk's son had lived, both on and off screen. Also, why did Picard's nephew have die? That was out of the blue.

[@nevermorenovelist]

Right? Especially since it really only happened so Soran could verbally nut-shot Picard with the line, _"They say time is the fire in which we burn."_ But then, I'm a partial believer that Picard never left the Nexus.

[@karelfinn2343]

I always liked the twist in the episode Remember Me, when it's revealed that Dr. Crusher is the one who got stuck in the warp bubble, and not everyone else. It's actually pretty obvious the second time you watch the episode, but if you weren't expecting it it really turns the whole story on its head.

[@thephantomeagle2]

I love the ending of “The Defector” when Picard slams his hole card. I’m sure it wasn’t hard for Worf to get the Klingons to join the Enterprise. “HEY, how do you feel about using your cloak?” “For what?” A game of cat and mouse (or the Klingon Equivalent) with Romulans. “Where and when? We’re in!

[@longhairgamer3371]

I think that The pale moonlight form ds9 should be on this list.

[@A.J.K87]

My favourite episode of DS9. So good! It really makes it clear how the lines of morality start to blur when your very existence is at stake. Especially Garak was fantastic in that episode.

[@the_once-and-future_king.]

*It's a FAAAAAKE!*

[@jamesbuchanan4414]

Not really a twist episode, just dark as hell. One of the two best episodes of any Star Trek series. Depending on the poll in question, it tends to swap spots with Balance of Terror.

[@MalzraAirwynn]

@@jamesbuchanan4414 I think the revelation of Garak's true plan would count as a twist when it plays out.

[@ArtemisMS]

@@jamesbuchanan4414 "Erase that entire personal log" was a helluva of a shocking way to end the episode, and not something anyone was expecting.

[@obsidiansands]

The most unsatisfying twist in Star Trek was when Seven somehow wanted to boink Chakotay. It was the most WTF moment ever from their series finale, when there were vague hints that Chakotay had the hots for Janeway.

[@obsidiansands]

@Captain Chaos agreed. Kim never got promoted either. I believe his character never got the "growth" everyone else got in the show. It's like barely anything about him changed from the moment they got lost in the Delta Quadrant to when they got back. In fact, the "Ensign Kim" they got back with them wasn't even the "real" Ensign Kim, he was a flippin' universe copy type of clone.

[@katmatally]

I didn't think Chakotay merely had the hots for Janeway. He esteemed and cared for her. He wanted it to blossom into love. Part of why I really like the character, even though the background for his heritage was a mess and I don't really admire Mr Beltran.

[@katmatally]

@Captain Chaos for reals! Kim and 7 would have been a great match. 2 sexually inexperienced/naive but brilliant nerds.

[@Rockhound6165]

Chakotay was such a good lay that Seven is now a lesbian.

[@obsidiansands]

@@katmatally You might have to explain to me that "don't admire Mr Beltran" thing. Other than that, it was sort of obvious from the first few early seasons of Voyager that Chakotay already admired Janeway from the get-go. There's also the fact that even though he locks horns with her on some of her hardline policies throughout the show, he'd still be backing her up more often than not.

[@cordaewestmore]

Another good twist was in Voyager where the Crew of Voyager had to pass through Devore space and was subjected to many inspections to find out if there were telepaths on board. One of the Devore captains pretended to be secretly helping Janeway so he could lead her in to a trap but she turn the tables helping the telepaths she gave refuge to a chance to escape to the wormhole

[@kmoore02809]

DS9: Duet. The scene where Amin Maritzza breaks down after he recalls the horrors of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor rips my guts out every time.

[@hjxkyw]

the first season had good episodes, Duet being one of them .... I also remember Progress, which ends in kinda twist

[@urekmazino6519]

It's one of the top 10 greatest episodes in all of Star Trek. Harris Yulin gives a performance that should have gotten him some kind of award. Nana Visitor was also superb playing opposite of him. There's a reason Armin Shimerman (Quark), Nana Visitor, Ira Steven Behr, and many other cast/crew members all consider this one of the best episodes in ds9. It's really a shame it's not even mentioned in this video.

[@alphanerd7221]

@@urekmazino6519 I laughed at how cheesy and over the top it was.

[@apathyminus5925]

The best twist? When thought there was five lights, but there were only four lights!

[@JulioBiason]

"The Wounded", when Picard tells Gul Macet that he did see there was something really suspicious going on.

[@meiray]

The Thaw doesn't get enough credit. Between it, Cold Fire, Faces, and Meld, early Voyager could get surprisingly dark.

[@VJAllison1974]

"The Thaw" is one of the most simple, yet elegantly creepy and darkest episodes of Voyager. I loved it.

[@fredurbasek5653]

"i m afraid, yes i know."

[@RadioJosiah]

My favorite twist was on rewatch, when I realized that the clown was Charles McGill from "Better Call Saul". Just kidding, though I really did love that episode and the realization came as a huge shock.

[@amfm889]

@Josiah Miller Michael McKean was superb as The Clown.

[@illyth63]

I thought for sure the "three pips" reveal in "Cause and Effect" would have made the list.

[@KJYKJY1985]

That isn't a twist. It's a reveal.

[@jsldj]

There were ""three pips" but no Gladys Knight.

[@WoodysAR]

How is that a plot twist?

[@g00gleminus96]

There.. are.. three.. lights!

[@Total_Recall]

I liked that one, especially when they asked 'Frasier' what year it was at the end.

[@daveroche6522]

4:50 He may be Admiral Tomalok to you, but Andreas will always be G'Kar to us, by the Book of G'Quan!

[@fredurbasek5653]

One arm man in The Fugitive.

[@julianaylor4351]

I loved the V'ger idea, when I saw it in the cinema. It's a beautiful film and is best seen on a big screen.

[@Trekfan04]

The reveal in "Course Oblivion" that it's not the real Voyager, but their duplicate.

[@jebiniv]

Not related to the deadlock episode in s2 is it?

[@Trekfan04]

@@jebiniv no. It's the ones from the Demon planet, S4.

[@jebiniv]

@@Trekfan04 oh damn i almost forgot about those guys LOL

[@ScientistCat]

I got so mad at the real Voyager crew for not conducting a thorough investigation - nope, just log the event and resume course. Whatever distress call they picked up was presumably in Standard, the "debris" they found were liquid rather than solid as expected... and that doesn't raise any red flags? They even pick up the material as being a "dichromate compound", and that doesn't ring a bell in any of them? Not even Tuvok with his Vulcan memory, not even Tom or Harry who were first to encounter it? Nobody even thinks of searching their computers to see if, where and when they've encountered that kind of compound before?

[@davidpumpkinsjr.5108]

I liked how "The Voyager Conspiracy" basically deconstructs the trope of unexpected story twists.

[@Woopaloops]

It was way ahead of its time in showing how stupid a lot of fan theories can be.

[@MoreLifePlease]

"I'm afraid..." "I know." Scary Janeway.

[@wilholloway7876]

It's actually Willard Decker. He was the late Commodore Matthew Decker's son. Commodore Decker died in the original series episode, "The Doomsday Machine".

[@namenlos3679]

I think "Ship in a bottle" is my absolute favorite episode ever in Star Trek. The episode is just mindbending and i watched it like 5 times and i still cant comprehend everything

[@citybythesea2010]

Me either!

[@KEVMAN7987]

I wonder if Q never bothered Sisko after that one time because the Prophets told him off?

[@AlexGreeneHypnotist]

Q never bothered Sisko after Ben actually floored him. Picard never got to lay one finger on Q, and Ben could get in a punch. Looking back, that could be taken as a hint. For Q, it could have been a warning. "If one of our kids could give you the bloody nose you were telling Picard about, what do you think the grownups can do to you, Q?"

[@lauranolastnamegiven3385]

I don't think it was that deep or complicated, IMHO, Q never bothered Sisko again because Sisko decked him...someone who fights back (literally, physically, in this case) is no fun for a bully, but Q could jerk Picard's chain all day long, and get reactions, without any worry

[@DeathlordSlavik]

No he stopped bothering him because he wasn't fun. Also only reason he even bothered Sisko is because Vash was there with the artifact that was actually an alien egg thing.

[@davidwuhrer6704]

Well, Q said that Sisko was easier to provoke than Picard, and how that was a good thing for Q.

[@rationalgazer]

"I'm afraid..." "I know..." Legendary. Puts the hairs of my neck on end.

[@ridyreshuffs1822]

Shall we die together is one of the best twists ever. You expect Picard to talk his way out but instead he pulls the baddest of badass rabbits out of his bag of tricks! The Klingons maybe war mongers but it would be a huge gamble on their part to trust and back a Federation starship on was essentially a hunch. Yet, Picard proves his worth and pulls that off. Awesome scene.

[@SkydreamPony]

"Some of these twist have been called underwhelming, nonsensical, The Burn..." *Chef's kiss* Perfect opening :3

[@memnarch129]

Star Trek Online is considered to be "semi" cannon and Sela does play a major part in several of the story arcs from the game.

[@lukematthews1442]

I really hope she turns up as Empress later in Picard.

[@seanbrown453]

I admit the Kingons decloaking in The Defector gave me goosebumps the first time I saw it as so unexpected.

[@tonyjackson4078]

Best twist? Anytime Garak shows up...because you really don't know what he's up to. But seriously... Martok Changeling Romulans joining The Dominion War Worf in the Defiant holding ground in First Contact

[@matthewcornish3086]

"I'm afraid" " I know" got me hooked on voyager

[@JimMeans1]

Deep Space Nine, "The Assignment". Yep, a classic "O'Brien must suffer" ep where an evil alien possesses his wife and threatens to kill her unless he sabotages the station. The twist was when Rom, who had been working with O'Brien, asked, "Why is the Federation trying to kill the wormhole aliens?"

[@rmhartman]

The problem with V'ger is that it really was a remake of the TOS episode "The Changeling" (where the probe did not have a real probe's name because we didn't have them in the 60's when it was made)

[@davidwuhrer6704]

But, my creator, the twist was not that it had sterilised planets for being imperfect due to memory corruption. It was something much more beautiful.

[@walterharris4960]

Yes,yes! Very good.

[@michaeltamada1461]

Right, it was one of the big weaknesses of ST: The Motion Picture, and I'm disappointed that it appears on this list. When we see that V'ger is actually a transformed Voyager, my reaction wasn't "ooh plot twist", my response was huge annoyance that the writers of the movie had simply recycled the plot twist where Nomad in "The Changeling" was a transformed probe from Earth.

[@joshstarkey203]

Loved the mention of “The Thaw” my boyfriend and I watched it together (I’m the Trekkie and he’s not into sci-fi) and at the end of the episode he turned to me and said he really liked the episode due to the twisted clown and the fading ending

[@Andy-xt3mh]

"Computer end program" is the most said phrases of 2020 by trekies

[@colinsmith1495]

"Computer, end program... Just checking... Because now I have to." Thanks for that!

[@Omnifas]

Great episode for Crusher and a beautiful kick into a phaser aim from Crusher as well

[@jayluck8047]

TNG - S06E15 - Lower Decks When Ensign Sito learns that she was being prepared for a possible suicide mission.

[@DrTssha]

That ending was so sad. She had been built up so much as a character, not just in that episode, but in a previous episode, and her death...hit hard. I think a lot of writers could learn from this episode about how to make a character's death emotionally resonant as well as meaningful. Like the moral of the novel Redshirts, it's not that killing characters is bad, but that the deaths shouldn't be meaningless stunts that just serve to raise the stakes and escalate tensions for the lead characters. ...I recommend that novel to anyone who hasn't read it, it's a gripping read and plays with the tropes of the genre to great effect.

[@Total_Recall]

That's 1 of my favorite EPs. I liked after Worf warned her of the dangers, she said, "I'm Bajoran. No one knows better than me what Cardassians do to their prisoners."

[@katmatally]

An absolute standout of a TNG episode with wonderful performances.

[@TheMacKosh]

@@DrTssha typical Berman though, fridging her

[@truescot2000]

In the pale moon light episode of ds9 when you find out garack manipulated everything, opens your eyes so much about everything he has probably done throughout the whole show in the background

[@matwatson7947]

Arguably Treks greatest episode with arguably Treks greatest supporting character...

[@Badartist888]

And the coda at the end where Sisko stays quiet about it.

[@jenniferwilliams9612]

The “20 things about Star Trek the motion picture” videos were cool, so were the same on the Wrath of Khan. Can you guys make more of those for the next movies, likes Star treks 3 and 4?

[@hkesel05]

Oh! I loved the interaction between Kirk and David at the end. It was SO very satisfying for all us kids that grew up with these movies. Probably others, too, but it was amazing!

[@TheRogueX]

I know it's not canon but Sela has a huge role in Star Trek Online, voiced entirely by Denise Crosby. It even has an entire subplot dedicated to finding out what actually happened to Tasha. It's surprisingly good.

[@tineye5100]

Glad you give The Thaw some love. A thoroughly underrated episode. Counterpoint is also one with a great twist.

[@Jen-xh4ef]

I remember re-watching The Thaw a few years ago and thinking it looked familiar. Then, when re-watching Doctor Who from the beginning, it hit me: The Celestial Toymaker. Although the story is not exactly the same, it has many of the same elements, and has the same disturbing vibe. Incidentally, both are among my favorite episodes of their respective series.

[@davidwuhrer6704]

The Celestial Toymaker is great. It has Real Maths in it.

[@anthonyx916]

Barclay: "Computer - End Program!" - and nothing happens? No, he ended the program... in a very meta moment, fitting in entirely with Picard's musing about a box on someone's table.

[@jenniferbaldini3527]

*JULIAN* "Throw down your phasers Fontaine!". *VIC* "I'll see you in hell first!". Julian fires, Vic falls to the ground DEAD. *QUARK* "I can't believe it...Julian just shot Vic Fontaine". [Even in the alternate universe, *that* was a twist.] Star Trek Deep Space Nine, 'The Emperors New Cloak'

[@TheMacKosh]

The silliest moment in DS9. A jump the shark moment

[@danielleussler4328]

The TNG episode where Thomas Riker is introduced (Second Chances) has my all-time favorite twist, because it's not just an in-story twist - it's a meta-twist that plays with our expectations as TV viewers. Throughout the entire episode we'd heavily lead to believe that Thomas Riker isn't real. First, that he's not real in the Trek universe. Will and the rest of the crew approach his story with the assumption (one that we share, as the viewers) that the second Riker must be a trick, a hologram, a shapeshifter, whatever. Once they've investigated all leads and confirmed that his story is true, the viewers have to answer the pressing meta-question: if there's really another Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, can the show actually keep him around? Is he actually a real new character, as well? Most television would use Thomas Riker's character as a one-off vehicle to accomplish the central thesis of the episode, using a sci-fi premise to allow Riker to explore the choices he'd made in life, and then at the end throw him away to avoid having the rest of the questions come up. The writers clearly know this, and so they do their best to set up a scenario that lets Thomas Riker fade out of the series once his character's job is done. They're just as subtle about it as they need to be, not making it blatantly obvious that he's headed toward his death, but it's hard to see how he can still fit into the world. As regular TV views, we know that keeping him around would be as crazy as killing off Will Riker would be in an average episode. We're doubly primed for him to die. And then, at just the right point in the episode's timeline, we get to the prophesied death. Our not-yet-named-Thomas Riker falls when the catwalk under him collapses, and all the metaphor around Riker's split personalities can be made real here. The Riker who gave up too easily years ago will give up again, fall to his death, and the questions raised about self and consciousness won't need to be addressed. Only, he doesn't. He's dangling there, and everybody involved is anticipating his death. Commander Riker thinks he'll give up, because he did before. Lieutenant Riker thinks he should give up, because he doesn't have a place in the world any more. WE think that he'll slip and fall in slow-motion because it's sound television logic. Instead, he just struggles back up onto the catwalk.

[@rbbecker73]

Agreed that him NOT dying really did defy TV expectations. And bringing him back, as mentioned in this video, was also a great twist. Not in Star Trek, but I loved the way they handled something like this in Farscape. They had an enemy in one episode who "twinned" a few of the main characters. Two copies, completely equal, no way of knowing which is the original and which is the copy. For most of the pairs, one of them dies, so we're back to just having the one main character. But for one of them, the "twin" actually survives the episode, and they kept him around. For most of a 22 episode season, they had two copies of the same main character, completely defying TV viewer expectations. Of course, that's also the season where they split the main cast into two groups and had them go their separate ways for most of the season. So they just had one of that character in each group, rather than constantly having the actor playing a dual role in every episode. But still, it was a great way to defy viewer expectations in a great sci fi show.

[@shadizersilverhand2113]

The main issue I saw with the other Riker is that what we see is effectively the same thing as having two timelines resolved in the same universe. One Riker escapes the other remains, there is no 'right' Riker as there's no way to define either of them as not being the 'real' Riker. There's only the arbitrary nature of going 'the Riker we've been following is the real one' but doesn't in the end come off as valid. Worse trapped Riker never gets the rewards or commendations he should have gotten like his counterpart did despite being just as deserving if not moreso as he spent all those years trapped alone there after helping everyone else evacuate. The poor guy suffered way too much, no wonder he basically abandoned Starfleet for how it treated him.

[@tonygarratt5832]

Spock's final word to Dr McCoy in the wrath of Khan was the best twist, remember.

[@tylerdurden639]

Having Riker be married to Minuet in the Future Imperfect episode was brilliant IMO. You could tell he got attached to her holodeck simulation in the first episode she was in 11001001.

[@Regitron3000]

Loved the double twist in that episode. I totally bought that it was a Romulan plot to get info on the Federation and Starfleet from Riker.

[@generalkenobi5533]

"Ship in a Bottle" is one of my favorite TNG episodes. I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and I think they did Moriarty justice.

[@francoislacombe9071]

When Barclay says "computer end program", the ship's computer should have asked for clarification.

[@rad666a]

I just wanted to say: Thank you for giving "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" the credit it deserves.

[@kossttamojaan]

never understood the hate this film received. excellent story, amazing effects, and a true sci-fi conclusion

[@shadizersilverhand2113]

@@kossttamojaan too many expecting too much action and explosions and the like.

[@kossttamojaan]

@@NecessaryTruths You have your opinion, I have mine, others have theirs. And effects will always become dated regardless the film. That's the nature of the business.

[@MrArcher1216]

Idk, I feel like Admiral Janeway infecting the Borg Queen through assimilation was still a good twist. Like, yeah, you saw it coming, but it was still a badass moment forJaneway.

[@dashkatae]

Martok being the changeling and not Gowron was a good twist.

[@colingomes8446]

You mentioned that Star Trek The Motion Picture was one of the most purely science fiction movies in the franchise. I wonder if it's because Isaac Asimov was a consultant on it.

[@davidsandy5917]

Isaac once said that Star Trek was one of the only series that required that the people involved have some knowledge of science.

[@SangTheCryptek]

The Defector is one of my fav episodes from TNG. That twist was so great and just CLASSIC Romulan.

[@mldempsey25]

I would have included the episode of Voyager where the mercury version of Voyager and the crew try to make it but fail... Voyager shows up and nobody knows what happened...

[@ElijahRock92]

Yes. If anything, that episode is a great honorable mention.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

There could have still been some way for those the "fake" Voyager crew encountered and helped to interact with the "real" crew. They could reconstruct who and what they were possibly making the connection with the "false" signal from them. It wouldn't require an overly contrived story, IMO.

[@Wesmin]

Suspicions is one of my favorite episodes. It's got a bit of mystery, different minor characters from multiple different species working dysfunctionally together, and also because it allows Gates McFadden a bit of room to actually act rather than only scan/hypospray, and be an occasional romantic interest for Picard. Janeway's "I know" is really chilling though, absolutely takes the number 1 for me on 'most satisfying' twists, even if it's a twist we saw coming, the last few lines are delivered so wonderfully by Kate Mulgrew.

[@joeldfisher]

controversial opinion, could TNG: Lower Decks be considered to have a satisfying twist? I mean it's very dark and completely shocking, but what happens to Ensign Sito Jaxa is something that will stay with anybody who watches the episode for a long time

[@bonusbaby801]

@Underimaginative Username...I cry EVERYTIME I watch "Lower Decks". But I STILL watch it everytime it comes on.

[@dellytancyl524]

Sito Jaxa's disappearance is absolutely tragic. Even Worf took it hard.