10 Greatest Star Trek Cliffhanger Episodes

Star Trek: Prodigy burst onto our screens with the same energy as a proto-jump. Its first season is unquestionably some of the best Trek we've ever had. Along with the return of some fan-favourite legacy luminaries, and the introduction of a band of bright new loveable faces, the show, as it reached the zenith of its stellar story arc, gave us a cliffhanger that shines alongside the greats.

As Supernova, Part I opens, the Protostar is staring down an armada of Starfleet ships. (We're talking Sovereigns, Akiras, Defiants, Centaurs… Is anymore argument needed for a greatest cliffhanger episode?) Owing to some Freaky Friday goings-on in the previous episode Mindwalk, Admiral Janeway is confined on "medical leave" to the brig of the Dauntless, unable to warn the bridge not to accept a hail from the Protostar and unleash the living hell of the living construct. Oh, and if you didn't tear up even a teeny bit during that scene with the Brenari officer, you're colder than a Vulcan on the Northern Wastes of Andoria!

Team 'Vau N'Akat vengeance' – Asencia, the Diviner, and Drednok – manages to beam aboard the Protostar and, after a kick-ass battle with the crew (including *THAT* majestic Murf moment), Asencia opens a channel to the fleet which then begins to fire on itself. The universal translator goes offline and what follows is a beautifully crafted scene in which the young Gwyn must use her linguistic talents to communicate with her friends and convince the Federation's allies to assist. Why would they? As Gwyn herself puts it: "Because in the infinite of space, everyone needs to know there is a place out there willing to accept us all, no matter how different we think we are." This moment is deeply moving and a testament to the ethos of Trek.

The heartfelt plea works (Klingon, Vulcan, Ferengi, and even Gorn ships answer the call), but the joy of seeing help arrive turns to despair when more and more Starfleet ships infected by the living construct start to warp in, only to face destruction. "We can't stop the signal," says Gwyn ominously, as phasers and photon torpedoes continue to fire all around. "It's annihilation!"

A truly great and explosive ending to a luminescent episode.