10 Most Unexpected Star Trek Moments

Captain Picard is assimilated by the Borg and transformed into Locutus. As the audience feels the panic begin to rise, the camera zooms in on Commander Riker's face as he grimly gives the order to fire a devastating weapon to destroy both the Borg and the man he calls captain.

In the first cliffhanger ending for the franchise, there came almost no greater shock to the system than the apparent loss of Picard to the Borg. The move was ingenius, absolutely solidifying the fact that the audience would return for the fourth season premiere. It still ranks as probably the greatest cliffhanger in the franchise, as the emotional weight behind the shock of the scene gives it a one-two punch.

For a moment, the audience really believed that all was lost and Picard was gone. However, although he was saved from the Borg, the scars he received have remained with him - and the franchise - to this day.