Nowadays, it’s rare for a sci-fi show to have a finale; if the metrics are slightly off, it gets canceled. And we’re left in limbo with a painful sense of incompleteness. Luckily, before the era of blink and it gets canceled, we managed to experience full series of some great sci-fi shows, some with mediocre endings while others left you feeling fulfilled. A good sci-fi series finale can feel like the final chapter of a beloved book. You get resolution, payoff, and that satisfying ending that you revisit occasionally. The great ones manage to do all of that while tying together complex lore, subplots, and character arcs that have stretched across the entire seasons. Here are ten of the best sci-fi series finales that stuck the landing, and sent us off satisfied.
10. Star Wars Rebels “Family Reunion and Farewell” (2018)
It wasn’t easy bridging the gap between The Clone Wars and A New Hope, but Star Wars Rebels managed to carve out its own place. The finale gave us a sacrifice from Ezra Bridger that was bold and clever. Using hyperspace-traveling space whales (yes, you read that right), Ezra outmaneuvered Grand Admiral Thrawn and vanished into the unknown. The finale was a closure that felt like the beginning of a new chapter. It made the transition into Ahsoka seamless making the entire season of Ahsoka felt more like a long epilogue of Rebels.
9. Sense8 “Amor Vincit Omnia” (2018)
After being unceremoniously canceled, Sense8 fans rallied hard enough to get a finale to tie things up. It was a wild and great ending that gave every cluster member a moment to shine. Love, identity, and found family took center stage as the series refused to end on tragedy. The plot wasn’t perfect, but it was pure heart, and for a show that redefined global connection through sci-fi, it was the orgy-filled finale fans deserved.
8. 12 Monkeys “The Beginning Part 1 & 2” (2018)
Time travel shows often collapse under their own paradoxes, but 12 Monkeys managed to thread the needle. The series finale was twisty and ultimately hopeful. Using a time machine that rewrites the timeline, Cole chooses to erase himself to save the world. His sacrifice felt earned and heroic. However, in a final twist, an altered version of Cole is created and placed in a new timeline where he’s reunited with Cassie. It was a rare case of having your cake and eating it too, and somehow, it actually worked.
7. Fringe “An Enemy of Fate” (2013)
Fringe evolved from an X-Files clone into something far more ambitious. Its series finale was a bittersweet goodbye that wrapped up its alternate universe warfare with a heartfelt goodbye. Walter effectively erased the Observers and reset the timeline when he and Michael went through a wormhole into the future. This prevented the dystopian future where humans are subjugated by the Observers. The final scene shows Peter, Olivia, and Etta enjoying a picnic in 2015, with Peter finding a letter from Walter containing a drawing of a white tulip. Walter Bishop’s sacrifice to restore the timeline felt like a fitting goodbye for a man trying to atone for breaking reality in the first place.
6. Babylon 5, “Sleeping in Light” (1998)
One of the most introspective finales in sci-fi history. Babylon 5 was more than just wars in space. It was about legacies, the weight of leadership, and what comes after. “Sleeping in Light” saw Sheridan saying goodbye to his friends and choosing his final moments. Set 20 years after the main series events, it’s a farewell that feels like a true end of an era. Quiet, thoughtful, and unforgettable.
5. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine “What You Leave Behind” (1999)
The most serialized of the Star Trek series until Discovery, DS9 ended its long Dominion War arc with grace and gravitas. Characters made hard choices, some with finality, like Sisko’s mysterious fate with the Prophets. Others, like O’Brien and Bashir, parted ways in scenes that felt more like real life than television. Not everyone got a happy ending, but the series stayed true to its morally complex tone right to the end.
4. Star Trek: The Next Generation “All Good Things…” (1994)
This finale was genius. TNG turned the traditional clip show on its head with a time travel story that challenged Picard to see the past, present, and future as one. Q’s final test brought the series full circle, and the final scene where Picard finally joining the senior staff poker game was subtle, emotional, and perfect. It wasn’t the end of TNG’s story, thanks to the movies, but it was the perfect ending to the series.
3. Stargate SG-1 “Unending” (2007)
After ten seasons of wormholes and ancient aliens, Stargate SG-1 ends with one of the more intimate finales in sci-fi history. In “Unending,” the final episode, the SG-1 team is trapped in a time-dilated bubble aboard the starship Odyssey, forced to live out decades while mere seconds pass in real time outside. The action is minimal, but the character work is rich. As the years slip by, bonds deepen in silence and solitude. Vala and Daniel share a long-awaited romantic connection, albeit one mixed with uncertainty that never fully crumbles. Sam shoulders the burden of figuring out how to reverse the situation. And Teal’c, and often reserved, finally begins to soften. He even manages to smile as the years go on.
The episode doesn’t end with explosions or fanfare. It ends with sacrifice. Teal’c volunteers to remain the only one who remembers the decades spent in the bubble so that the rest of the team can return to the exact moment before it all began, erasing years of love, companionship, and growth.
2. Battlestar Galactica (Reimagined) “Daybreak” (2009)
No finale stirred more debate, tears, and Reddit threads. Battlestar Galactica gave us a mix of mysticism, sacrifice, and a big philosophical swing. Yes, they found Earth, but not our Earth; it was a prehistoric one. Yes, Kara “Starbuck” Thrace’s fate was deliberately ambiguous. But the themes of rebirth, cycles, and letting go hit hard. The real climax was watching these broken survivors choose to start again with no tech, no war, just a chance. Flawed but daring, it was a fitting end to one of the best space operas in recent history.
1. Star Trek: Voyager “Endgame” (2001)
At the beginning, Voyager often lived in the shadows of its predecessors, but as the show progressed, it slowly began to shine on its own. The finale gave the show the explosive, emotional sendoff it deserved. Future Janeway defies time itself to ensure her crew makes it home faster, even if it means bending every Starfleet rule and causing a bit of temporal chaos. The scene with Voyager emerging from an exploding Borg ship is one of the most thrilling final scenes in sci-fi history. This was a satisfying close to a long journey home.
Whether philosophical, packed with action, or emotionally raw, these finales are why we fall in love with sci-fi in the first place. They gave us closure. They gave us questions. They gave us endings that felt like new beginnings. In the world of science fiction, that’s the best kind of goodbye.
Screen Rated 