10 Most Messed Up Deaths In Star Trek: The Next Generation

All that "new life and new civilisations" has to find its cosmic and storytelling balance somehow. When you can't seek it out, snuff it out. Continuing on from the Kirk-era's most messed-up demises, The Next Generation found new and equally creative, equally unhinged ways to dispatch its characters, main, middle, or just there for the day. If you did want to avoid the worst of fates, it was probably best to stay away from the Enterprise-D (and elsewhere) entirely. If not, then at least watch where you were walking!

Of course, one of the most infamous of awful exits in TNG, which won't be featuring on this list, because, well, we've already covered it to death on the channel — was that of Tasha Yar, sent off to the wide blue-green yonder both with and without so much as a handshake. Besides, there's still plenty to choose from if we leave Armus out… for once. Killed by a terrible toy, killed by time travel, and killed by a single thought, Star Trek: The Next Generation had it all.

Personally, I feel sorry for all those poor functionaries who have to process the 24th century death certificates. 'The cause of death was what now?!' If you say so, Doctor Crusher! Moreover, this is also Star Trek, where even the most terrible death can be just another way to live. Eat, drink, and be not a merry man…!

Guess who's back in the house, and with our (mostly) sincere apologies for bringing the bluegills/butt bugs back up again! It's not an 'obsession' — that's an episode of The Original Series we covered in the previous incarnation of this list. Plus, if you can stomach the body horror of it all, the final fate of Lieutenant Commander Dexter Remmick in Conspiracy was without a doubt one of the worst in Star Trek, although his fictional serial killer first-namesake would have probably just called that breakfast.

Just how long Remmick had been walking around with mother butt bug inside him was never made clear, but given the size of the thing, it's no wonder he needed a good sit-down near the end there! "You don't understand," Mother Remmick says to Picard and Riker. No, not completely, and I'd prefer we keep it that way! Well, much like a good meal at Starfleet Headquarters, it seems, we can't always get what we want.

Everyone ends up learning a lot more than they bargained for about Remmick's innards and butt bug biology when Riker and Picard aim both their phasers and fire. Their combined power causes the Lieutenant Commander's head to explode, followed unceremoniously by 'melting-chest effect,' exposing 'mother,' who emerges snarling like she's been disturbed mid-xenomorph reunion. Picard then gives a look of most mild disgust, as though someone had scuffed the bridge carpet rather than just eviscerated a fellow Starfleet officer. And, of course, the crew of the Horatio was still very dead!