10 Star Trek Production Secrets Behind These Cliffhangers
2. Call To Arms
Deep Space Nine's fifth season ending was that fantastic shot of the joint Federation and Klingon fleets turning to attack the Dominion forces. The shot was incredibly popular with viewers as it felt like a real rallying cry after the defeat at the Station. The problem was that it was exactly what was written.
Ira Steven Behr wanted the last shot to be the Defiant and the Rotarran joining the fleet and continuing on their journey. However, the effects house went rogue and had the fleet coming toward the screen. That didn't match at all with the original opening for the sixth season, A Time to Stand. In a way, this wasn't meant to be a cliffhanger at all.
At least, not in the traditional part one/part two sense. This was supposed to leave the show open-ended as to what Sisko would do next. The shot seemed to lock the crew into a huge fight in the next episode. The writers came up with a solution. A Time to Stand opens with a pan through a battered and broken Federation/Klingon fleet, suggesting that both forces had their assault crushed.
While it was never the original intention, it served as a chilling opening to the sixth season.