Hungry For More Star Trek Details? Here You Go!

Intrepid and dedicated Screen Rant regular reader "790" took it upon himself to visit Creation Entertainment's 16th Annual GRAND SLAM: THE SCI-FI SUMMIT in Burbank, CA over the weekend and reported back with the latest from the Paramount panel on J.J. Abrams upcoming Star Trek reboot movie.

The host at the panel was my friend Anthony, from TrekMovie.com. While screenwriter Roberto Orci was in attendance, co-scripter Alex Kurtzman was not able to attend. I've distilled the report down to a few bullet points for you. Some of it is info that is already out there, but there are a few new details that were revealed.

Here are the highlights:

New Star Trek Trailer To Premiere With Indiana Jones - Updated

[UPDATE: While my friend Anthony over at the highly esteemed TrekMovie.com says that HIS sources say there will be no new teaser trailer attached to Indy 4, my source is sticking by his guns. I guess we'll find out on May 22nd.]

Screen Rant has received word from someone who has been a reliable source in the past stating that "it's 100% that there will be a new Star Trek trailer with Indiana Jones."

According to the source, the new trailer will be a continuation of what we saw in the teaser trailer - showing further progress on the construction of the USS Enterprise with technicians working on the ship. There will be new audio, but no word on whether we will see or hear any of the cast
members.

So, that means we'll be seeing the new trailer in movie theaters on May 22nd, the release date for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

As mentioned previously, the release date for Star Trek 11 has been pushed back from December 2008 to May 2009.

Star Trek Release Date Pushed Back To May 2009!

Wow. This news certainly came out of nowhere... The release date for the new Star Trek movie (aka Star Trek 11) has been pushed back from December 25th, 2008 to May 8, 2009.

This is no doubt fallout from the just ended Hollywood writers' strike, which lasted long enough to seriously impact the movie and TV industry. There has been no work done on screenplays for almost three months, and that will have a domino effect that will be felt not only this year but through 2009 as well.

New Star Trek Movie Plot Details

Some significant plot information regarding the new Star Trek movie has come our way. If you read Screen Rant regularly, you'll recall that back in October we stated that there would be Klingons in the new film. This was supposedly debunked by other sites, but lo and behold, a few days ago a slip of the lip by Anton Yelchin who plays Chekov in the Star Trek 11 apparently confirmed that Klingons will indeed appear in the film.

Well now we've come across some new information about the plot regarding the USS Enterprise, the timeline aspect of the film, and a whopper of a plot spoiler that's so huge that I have decided not to reveal it.

Before I go on I want to say that I know we're all hungry for information on Star Trek (as well as other sci-fi and fantasy movies), but I think that sometimes we can tend to get carried away and end up taking away some of the joy of seeing a movie for the first time by knowing too much about it when we finally sit down to watch it.

Star Trek Exclusive: More Detailed Look At The Enterprise!

We've all seen the first image of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 from the new Star Trek movie. It was a close shot of the top half of the saucer section of the ship, showing construction being done on it. It's a cool shot, but is so tight that it's hard to get a sense of the overall ship.

Well regular Screen Rant reader "DataSchmuck" used his mad Photoshop skills to assemble screen grabs from the recent Star Trek teaser trailer to put together a composite image that gives us a full-on top to bottom look at the saucer section.

There's a medium-sized version below and you can click on the image below for a hi-res look at it as well.

New Star Trek Movie To Have 1,000 Visual Effects Shots

My gut is telling me that the new Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams is going to be great and will inject new life into the long-running franchise. I could end up being completely wrong, but that's what it feels like right now.

In a Q&A session over at TrekMovie.com, Abrams and others involved in the production answered fan questions regarding the film. Read on to get some insight into their vision for Star Trek.

Star Trek Taking A Lesson From Cloverfield

Considering the monster success (yes, that was on purpose) of Paramount's Cloverfield this past weekend, due in no small part to the viral marketing campaign that preceded it, it looks like they may be applying the same idea to J.J. Abram's new Star Trek movie.

The teaser trailer is pretty mysterious for such a well-known franchise and now Paramount has also launched what I presume to be the first in a series of viral sites for the film at NCC-1701.com.

Official Star Trek Teaser Trailer Online!

Ok, the heck with the YouTube bootleg version, here's the officially released Star Trek trailer.

If you first saw the bootleg version, you haven't really seen it. This trailer is super-cool and I'm starting to believe that J.J. Abrams is going to be able to really bring in a new generation of fans to the Star Trek universe with his vision for the film.

Check it out below.

Screen Rant Movie News Grab Bag 1-21-08

UPDATE: A Cloverfield monster action figure, for ages 4 and up (say what?!) can be found at HasbroToyShop.com (no picture yet); it ships by the end of September, 2008. Source: ComingSoon.net

With Cloverfield making big bank, it's almost certain there will be a sequel. The box office numbers are monstrous (pun-intended...sorry), hitting $46 million in North America. No one is talking yet, but in the next couple of days, expect a deal to be reached on a sequel, unless Bad Robot decides it's a one-off. And make it original, not "from another camera, same night." Let's see something fresh and new. See Vic's article for his thoughts on a part two.

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) have cut a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP); can a deal with the striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) be close behind? They've been striking for almost three months, and many in Hollywood and around the globe have been out of work. Plus, if the strike goes on, will they really shut down the Oscars?

I'm starting to wonder if a backlash from the public against the writers may happen if the Oscars are cancelled, or put on like the dismal Golden Globes (a press conference, that's all). You see how this could get political? I really hope the DGA deal gets the WGA and AMPTP back to the table to resolve it amicably, and all sides are happy. Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

After the jump, check out the official Star Trek movie website!

Star Trek Movie: The Enterprise Is NOT Built In 'Area 51'

Hard core and long time Star Trek fans (like myself) are known to freak out when what is known as "canon" is violated when it comes to any additions to the Star Trek universe in movies or TV shows. We're a picky bunch and sometimes it seems that it's too much about the details, plus as it turns out, even trusted Trek episodes often violate canon with no outcry from the fans (there's a YouTube video at the end of this article that proves it).

However some things are foundational to the core of Star Trek to fans, especially those regarding the "lady" of the franchise: The USS Enterprise.

Lately the rumors have been flying fast and furious, with increasing intensity since the first official image of the USS Enterprise that comes from the new trailer was released - that it was going to be portrayed as having been constructed in the infamous location known as "Area 51."

Well folks, we have verification from the source that this is NOT true.

Star Trek Bootleg Trailer

[UPDATE: The official Star Trek trailer is now online.]

The Star Trek bootleg trailer that is up on YouTube will not be shown here at Screen Rant for two reasons:

1. I don't support people filming what's on the screen in movie theaters.

2. Why would you want to see a crappy version of the trailer ahead of a sharp, hi-res version?

Regarding number one, I find it quite ironic that one of the movie websites out there that considers itself to be quite important, and looks down it's nose at movie blog sites, would host an illegal copy of a trailer, while I will not.

And as to number two, you can only see a movie or trailer for the first time once, so why have the first time be less than a great experience? That's equivalent to meeting a gorgeous girl your friend told you about for the first time right after she woke up with bed hair and unbrushed teeth, instead of waiting to meet her later in the day when she's done up and dressed nicely. :-)

As soon as an official version of the trailer is available, I'll post it up for you guys.

First Image Of The U.S.S. Enterprise From Star Trek 11!

Here are my thoughts based on the photo above, which is from the Star Trek trailer:

New Star Trek 11 Website And Logo

You're looking at the new logo for Star Trek, or as I prefer to call it: Star Trek 11.

It's Not Star Trek 11 - It's Star Trek ZERO

Sci Fi Magazine interviewed Star Trek 11 writer Roberto Orci and executive producer Bryan Burk in their latest issue, and there was much pre-damage control directed at long time fans of the franchise.

The upshot is that their idea is to do a completely fresh take on Star Trek while being faithful to 40 years of established continuity (or as fans like to say: "canon"). Once again they reiterated that the goal is to bring non-Trek fans into the world of Kirk and company.

And speaking of Kirk... they continue (at this point, unbelievably) to state that they are still trying to find a way to work Bill Shatner into the movie. I find it unbelievable at this late date due to the fact that they've announced that the script is locked plus there's this pesky thing going on called a writers' strike which does not allow any changes to be made to the script.

Movie News Grab Bag - 12/11/07

Here's a summary of what's going on today in the wonderful world of entertainment...

- Harlan Ellison debunks the rumor that Star Trek 11 incorporates the Guardian of Forever. We reported this AS rumor a month ago, so we don't fall under the category of blogs that Ellison so colorfully refers. - TrekMovie.com (warning, lots of colorful language... it IS Harlan Ellison after all)

- AICN floats a supposed alternative title to the upcoming Justice League movie which I believe is utter and complete hogwash and there's no way it's true. - AICN

- The uber-classic sci fi film Metropolis is headed for a remake. This could be incredibly stupid and the odds are that it's a bad idea. However there is a very, very slight chance that if done correctly it could turn into a modern day classic. - FirstShowing.net

No, The Image Making The Rounds Today Is Not The Enterprise

Sorry, folks... this:

is NOT the Enterprise from Star Trek XI.

It was created by Gabriel Koerner, a professional CGI artist who works in the industry way back in May 2007.

Want To See ALL The New Star Trek Remastered Updates?

When the idea was floated to update all the USS Enterprise exterior visual effects shots from Star Trek, the original series (aka TOS to long time fans) for a re-release of the show in syndication I was a bit worried. After all, just as much as we're worried about them mucking up the classic NCC-1701 in the upcoming Star Trek 11 movie, it would have been far worse to mess with the ship in it's original context.

And then I saw the first episode and discovered my fears were completely unjustified.

The VFX team did a wonderful job of recreating the ship and updating the exterior shots with more up to date and less static flybys. They didn't add anything to the design, not even in the outer skin of the ship, but instead just took the old one and in effect made it high definition.

Even if you had the pre-remastered version of the series on DVD, which was cleaned up so much that you can now see the seam between Nimoy's ear and the prosthetic, the exterior shots still looked grainy and scratchy. There are some folks up in arms about this remastering but I've been extremely happy with it.

So if you haven't seen the new version or even heard about it, here's your chance to see every single visual effects shot they've updated so far in one four minute clip:

Star Trek: Trailer News And Why Shatner's Gonna Get Madder

[UPDATE: The official Star Trek trailer is now online.]

Sorry about the lousy grammar in the title, but I was trying to figure out how not to make it a mile long. :-)

We've all been wondering when we'll get a look at the first trailer for Star Trek 11... well I have it on good authority when we'll finally see it and what movie it will be attached to.

The Star Trek teaser trailer will be attached to J.J. Abrams monster movie Cloverfield, which opens on January 18, 2008.

It makes sense if you think about it. Attach the trailer for an upcoming Abrams movie to an Abrams movie. TrekMovie.com speculated earlier this month that the trailer might be attached to either Cloverfield or Indy 4. And according to Latino Review, the teaser is supposed to show (among other things) the construction of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701.

And why do I think Bill Shatner's going to be even more annoyed than he has been up until now regarding Star Trek 11...?

Classic Enterprise Update vs Classic Cars Update

As a follow up to my previous post talking about the possible redesign of the Enterprise NCC-1701 in Star Trek 11, I thought it would be interesting to do a design comparison based on another thing that many people are very passionate about.

Classic Cars.

How do classic cars figure into talking about Star Trek? Have I completely lost my mind? Well let's find out...

We'll start off with the main subject of our attention: The original series version of the starship Enterprise NCC-1701. Below you can see what the "classic" Enterprise and the "modern" version of what is supposed to be the same ship:

The Original Series USS Enterprise NCC-1701

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A

Star Trek: How Radical Is The USS Enterprise Redesign?

It's sounding more and more like the original starship USS Enterprise - NCC-1701 has indeed been redesigned for Star Trek (11).

First came a report from IESB a month ago stating that the ship will have a new design in the movie. Now TrekWeb points us to a post over at the Star Trek New Voyages forum where James Cawley claims that he has seen the new starship Enterprise NCC-1701. Cawley is producer of the New Voyages fan-made Star Trek series and plays Captain Kirk as well.

He was not pleased with the new look of the iconic NCC-1701.

First Picture of Zachary Quinto As Spock

Well here it is, your first look at Heroes' Zachary Quinto as Spock in the new Star Trek movie. Sorry it's not bigger, but it's the best I could find. The sneaky buggers over at JFX Online managed to snap some pics of Quinto in full makeup and costume. I tried to clean up the image a bit to make it clearer for you.

I think he looks damned good!

On a related note I think we might want to keep in mind that any plot details that have been leaked could be misinformation, similar to what Michael Bay said they plan on doing with Transformers 2. This is a big deal for Paramount and they're betting a lot of money on it so it's completely possible that they're going to elaborate lengths to hide what the true story will be.

Source: JFX Online

Latest Cool Star Trek Plot Rumors

Now that filming has started on Star Trek (11) news about the movie will no doubt start increasing in frequency and intensity. I imagine that security surrounding this will rival that of Fort Knox, but tidbits always seem to squeak through the cracks.

The following must be classified strictly as rumor, although IESB says that they've received the info from a couple of different sources. Their info often turns out to be accurate but I can think of at least one instance of "rock solid" info that turned out to be bogus (Tom Welling as Superman in Justice League).

Anyway, the info that follows would explain how the time travel aspect of the story would allow "old Spock" to interact with "young Spock," and my first reaction is that I think it's pretty cool as it takes ideas from two episodes (one from TOS and one from TNG) that are considered among the best.

Be warned, if they turn out to be true there are very, VERY BIG SPOILERS following including how we first meet Kirk, the overall plot of the film and details about Nimoy and Quinto's interactions.

36 Is Really Old In Star Trek: Wynona To Play Spock's Mom

I'm freaking out just a little bit here: Wynona Rider has been cast as Spock's mother Amanda Grayson in the Star Trek movie.

Why am I freaked? Because she's a well-known actress that will pull me out of the movie? Sorry, that's not it: It's because she's one of those actresses that appeared on the scene almost 20 years ago and who I (and most other guys) always considered to be very hot. And now, at only 36, she's going to play Spock's mother?

Ouch.

Last Major Star Trek Character Has Been Cast: Captain Pike

Bruce Greenwood has been cast in the last remaining major role in Star Trek 11: Captain Christopher Pike. He will be captain of the USS Enterprise with Spock as his second in command before Captain Kirk takes charge of the NCC-1701.

I think Greenwood is a great choice: He's played the role of a leader very effectively in the past and he looks close enough for purposes of the film and considering Pike is not someone hard core fans will go nuts over if the actor doesn't look like his twin brother. Speaking of the fans, one thing that has been pointed out is that Captain Robert April was actually the first commander of the original Enterprise, not Captain Pike. I don't know if Abrams and crew will just change that for purposes of the film, gloss over it or what. Personally it's not that big a deal to me.

Filming on Star Trek began yesterday and the film is slated to open on Christmas Day 2008.

Source: Latino Review

Star Trek Casting Call: Who AREN'T They Looking For?

Paramount has put out a casting call for extras to appear in J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.

Ok, I'm sorry but this just cracked me up... no, not the fact that the Star Trek 11 production is looking for extras, but their description of what sort of people they're looking for.

The call sheet lists descriptions of people ranging all the way from your average, on the street Joe Blow... to the type of people that get selected by bouncers to enter exclusive nightclubs in L.A.:

...ultra plain-looking people, ultra perfect-looking people...

But wait... in addition to that they're apparently looking for folks who could just as easily apply for a remake of the 1932 movie Freaks:

Talent with interesting and unique facial features such as: long necks, small heads, extremely large heads, wide-set eyes, bug eyes, close-set eyes, large forehead, short upper lip, pronounced cheekbones, over- or undersized ears and/or nose, facial deformities, ... emaciated talent ... or other visually unique characteristics.

Unverified Star Trek Plot Points (Possible Huge Spoilers!)

I have some info from an anonymous source regarding some pretty huge story details about the upcoming J.J. Abrams-helmed Star Trek movie. The source says that although he believes the information is correct, it is not verified.

The info contains details about how much of a role Spock (he did not specify Nimoy or Quinto) will play in the film, whether any of it takes place at Starfleet Academy, a possibly very major role that has yet to be cast and big, gigantic spoilers concerning the crew and locations.

You have been warned... if you don't want to read possible plot spoilers do NOT read what's below!!!

Star Trek Movie Thoughts: New Cast, Fans, Non-Fans And What About Shatner?

You're looking at the cast of J.J. Abrams re-imagining/prequel of Star Trek.

It's kind of wierd seeing the whole crew up there next to their original counterparts. For a long time Trek fan like myself, who has been around long enough to see the franchise go through it's entire evolution the image above generates mixed feelings for me. It's not just seeing new actors stepping into the shoes of beloved actors whose roles have become iconic... it's also the fact that a couple of the actors above are no longer with us. James Doohan passed away not too long ago due to Alzheimers and DeForest Kelley was the first of the venerable crew to die, way back in 1999 if you can believe it.

Call me cheesy, but seeing the old with the new up there gives me a sense of the cycle of death and rebirth, not only for the actors - but hopefully, for Star Trek as well.

Although the casting of Simon Pegg as Scotty seems more than a bit odd to me, and Karl Urban seems too intense and rugged to play Dr. McCoy, overall at least visually J.J. Abrams and crew seem to have hit the mark at least as far as appearance is concerned. Normally I might be quite cynical towards a project like this, but like many Star Trek fans, after years and years of really bad movies and TV episodes I'm seriously craving a great Star Trek story on the screen.

Karl Urban Cast As Dr. 'Bones' McCoy

As Chris Pine steps into the shoes of Captain Kirk for JJ Abrams Star Trek relaunch, rumors began swirling Karl Urban (The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers and Return Of The King, Doom, and more) will be playing Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy. Well, it looks like it's a done deal according to Ain't It Cool News.

Another brief post from me in regards to Star Trek casting, but I want to know what you all think. Me, I'm not sure yet, but I'm excited, nonetheless. Urban always plays tough, gruff types in sci fi and fantasy movies (including The Chronicles Of Riddick), but that might work well for him playing "Bones." He is a doctor, Jim, not a wimp.

Source: Ain't It Cool News

Captain James T. Kirk Has Been Cast!

I'm going to keep this brief, because I know Vic, the bigger Star Trek geek than I, will comment more. Anyway, Captain James T. Kirk will be played by Chris Pine (that's him in the Photoshopped picture as Kirk), who Vic reported was having to make a decision between Kirk in JJ Abrams' Star Trek re-launch, or the 1950s-set crime drama White Jazz with George Clooney.

We now have everyone cast, except Bones, so I'm looking forward to hearing who'll be playing the doctor (and not a _____). Details on Scotty and Sulu casting plus more details, including the villain casting.

Source: Ain't It Cool News

Simon Pegg As Scotty: Is This A Good Idea?

Let me say right off the bat that I think that Simon Pegg is AWESOME. Love the guy in every movie I've seen him in.

When I first heard of a "re-imagining" of Star Trek via a new movie my first reaction was one of cynicism. I'm a huge Star Trek fan, but pretty much everything Trek in the last 15 year has been awful (although the last season of Star Trek: Enterprise was finally starting to get decent). Since I first heard about the film, as more and more news and comments trickled out from J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman I went from cynical, to hopeful to optimistic on the project. As I've stated before, these guys are saying all the right things, somehow straddling the line between being faithful to the fans while also working to bring in a brand new bunch of people into the world of Trek.

But I'm not too sure about Simon Pegg playing Scotty.

Star Trek: Eric Bana As Villain And Do We Have Kirk?

[UPDATE: Scotty and Sulu have been cast!]

Look up at the image on the left and you may be seeing (finally!) what Captain Kirk will look like in the upcoming Star Trek movie. That would be actor Chris Pine, who is possibly going to have to choose between this film and a drama where he would co-star with George Clooney.

Old School Look Continues With New Star Trek Poster

Here's the latest poster for the J.J. Abrams-helmed Star Trek movie coming out in December '08. It continues the look of previous posters pointing to an old school, TOS (that's The Original Series for you non-trekkies) look for the movie.

I'm trying not to get too excited about this one since I've been burned by recent Star Trek outings both on the small and big screens over and over recently, but I'm hearing good things for the writers, producers and director Abrams regarding what they're trying to accomplish with this new movie.

Star Trek Writers DO Want Shatner In New Movie

Recently there was some hubbub on the internets concerning William Shatner being angry about not having at least a cameo in the upcoming Star Trek movie. The word was that Leonard Nimoy had been approached for a part, but no one had contacted Shatner for an equivalent role. I didn't report on it because it seemed to me to be pretty much based on third party rumor and innuendo.

Today a story came out that indicates the situation is quite the opposite.

Star Trek XI Writer Quotes To Calm You

There are quotes from Star Trek movie writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman in separate interviews which may help set at ease the fears of nervous Trekkers and Trekkies. If you don't know, of the pair Orci is the rabid Trek fan while although Kurtzman is not hardcore about it, he is more a fan of the original series (aka TOS) than of the others.

From TrekMovie.com comes a the statement from Kurtzman that the movie will not be a Battlestar Galactica style reboot.

J.J. Abrams: Star Trek Savior?

J.J. Abrams put in appearance at the recent Grand Slam Sci Fi convention in California and of course he had a few comments about his upcoming Star Trek movie. I think that if the long time fans can keep an open mind, everything is pointing to a phoenix-like rebirth for the Trek franchise.

Ex-Star Trek Production Designer Talks Trek XI

Herman Zimmerman, who has been the production designer for the Star Trek franchise for a REALLY long time will NOT be the production designer for Star Trek XI.

As has been reported, the upcoming Star Trek movie being helmed by J.J. Abrams is going to be kind of a reboot for the venerable series, so it makes sense that they'll be bringing in someone new for the production design of the film.

Star Trek plus Monty Python = Hysterical!

Ok, I happened across this today and if you're a fan of both Star Trek AND Monty Python I thought it was too good not to share with you. :-)

Thanks to reelpopblog.com for bringing this to my attention.

Verdict: Updated Classic Star Trek Is Great!

There's been a lot of buzz online about Paramount's decision to update the special effects shots of TOS (or classic) Star Trek episodes to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the show's debut. There've been schizophrenic feelings from the fans: torn between being excited about the attention given to the old episodes along with excitement about seeing updated special effects, and fear that Paramount would totally and utterly screw it up.

Well I just watched the first broadcast episode that has recieved "the treatment" and I'm here to tell you that it is a GOOD thing. :-)

Paramount To Longtime Trek Fans: Screw You

UPDATE: OK, before you go getting all ballistic over this post, notice that it's over a year old and was written when all kinds of crazy stuff was being said about the movie.

Ok, so this falls under the heading of "rumour", but it comes from IESB.net, and it wouldn't surprise me at all... According to an anonymous source at the studio, the upcoming Star Trek XI to be directed by J.J. Abrams will:

"This is not just another Trek movie but instead a total reboot, we will see things that are similar to what is known in the Trek Universe but we will not be held to every aspect of the last 40 years. We are going to introduce Star Trek to a whole new generation and many more generations to come. We have total faith that J.J. and company will take Trek to a whole new level. Trek has been going downhill for the last 10 years and if we expect it to be around 20 years from now we will have to take some bold steps that might be controversial at first but we are sure to bring new fans to the dying franchise."

The Appalling Finale of Star Trek Enterprise

I just watched the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Let me just come right out and say that I am so angry and disgusted that I don't know where to begin. A while back Jolene Blalock (who plays T'Pol on the show) was quoted as saying that the final episode of Enterprise was "appalling"... Jolene, how right you were. What a sad, sad ending to a series that was just starting to find it's voice. What a slap in the face to the cast and the fans of Enterprise. I can't stop shaking my head in disbelief and the only conclusion I can come to is that Rick Berman and Brannon Braga have truly come to hate Star Trek and it's fans.

There, I've said it.

Up until the last couple of weeks I've given the benefit of the doubt to B&B, but no more. The awfulness of "These are the voyages..." (title of the series ender) was even more evident in that it was broadcast immediately after the "Terra Prime" episode, written by Judith Reeves-Stevens & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, authors of countless Star Trek novels and finally brought in this season as writers for the show. Sure, "Terra Prime" had some stuff in it that bugged the heck out of me, but overall it felt like Star Trek. It seemed like finally, with that episode characters that had been marginalized for 4 seasons came alive at last.

But then came the final episode...