10 Star Trek Production Secrets Behind These Cliffhangers
5. Time's Arrow
The end of The Next Generation's fifth season sees Data's severed head discovered in an old cave under San Francisco. This leads the Enterprise to the Devidian system, where Data is thrown back in time to the 19th century on Earth. By the episode's end, the rest of the senior staff go through a portal in an attempt to find him, which is where the story is put on hold.
This was created as a way to remind audiences that the show was definitely coming back for another season. Deep Space Nine was about to launch and a lot of media attention was focusing on that. Producers worried that The Next Generation would face a viewer drop if they didn't give the audience something solid to return for.
The entire main cast were stranded in the past and Data's head seemed to be a fixed point in history. Guinan compelled Picard to go along with the away team, or the consequences could be dire. Along the way, Samuel Clemens began to realise that something wasn't right with the pale skinned man in the hotel.
The cliffhanger was a triumph and the audience returned, joining the Enterprise for its final two seasons.