10 Reasons Why What You Leave Behind Is The Best Star Trek Finale

3. THAT Last Shot

What You Leave Behind Final Shot
CBS

While Deep Space Nine would move to CGI to cover the expansive shots required for the Dominion War, the station itself had not been rendered in CGI for the show's run.

The Sacrifice of Angels was the first big test of CGI for DS9, so much so that two different digital houses were tasked with bringing the battle to life. It would be the largest undertaking in Star Trek's history, with many ships having to be built from scratch, along with using ships from Star Trek Generations and Star Trek First Contact.

By the time the seventh season was closing, large CGI shots had become commonplace in the series (as they had on Voyager as well). For the final shot of the show, an entirely CG version of the station was built so that shot of the camera pulling back farther and farther could be created, revealing the station to be a lonely home once more.

The shot was a huge success, created by Canadian artist Aristomenis Tsirbas. He remembered the shot as being a particular highlight to him, as he felt that it properly displayed just how successful CGI could be. The shot zooms out through the window and pulls back to show a large nebula, adding a detail that he felt couldn't be created with motion control. Whichever side of the motion control/CGI argument you come down on, that last shot is beautiful.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"