Since the '60s, the Star Trek franchise has grown to include numerous series across multiple decades. From the original intrepid explorers of the first USS Enterprise to the daring crew of the USS Discovery, fans have followed the adventures of dozens of beloved characters and become attached to their stories. Some of them get happy endings while some of them are abandoned to the writer's chopping block, and many become little more than plot devices.

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The fate of Star Trek: The Original Series was precarious in and of itself, but since its rescue by the fervent support of fans, they've come to expect a certain emotional payout for their investment. When character arcs aren't successfully concluded, it's an affront to fans everywhere. For every tearfully poignant sendoff for Mr. Spock, there's an equally lackluster final bow for Captain Kirk.

MOST SATISFYING ENDING: DATA

Star Trek Picard Nemesis Data Death

Data's death in Star Trek: Nemesis never sat well with fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation or science fiction's answer to the Tin Man. While his demise was heroically centered around saving Captain Picard, it felt entirely too quick and dismissive for a fan-favorite character of his scope.

By bringing him back for Star Trek: PicardData got to have a much more poignant death scene that incorporated all of the best elements of his character, as well as provide the closure between his relationship with Picard that was robbed the first go around.

LEAST SATISFYING: JADZIA DAX

Dax listens intently from Star Trek Deep Space Nine

The fascinating character of Trill Jadzia Dax was popular among fans and responsible for several significant moments in Star Trek: Deep Space Nineincluding the series' first same-sex kiss.

In Season 6 of the dramatic series, she's haphazardly killed off by Gul Dukat, after a poignant arc involving her and Worf endeavoring to conceive a child. It was a callous send off for a beloved character, especially since fans now know it had everything to do with actress Terry Farrell's request for a schedule change.

MOST SATISFYING ENDING: SHINZON

Tom Hardy as Shinzon and Patrick Stewart as Picard in Star Trek Nemesis

The product of experiments involving the cloned genetic material of Jean-Luc Picard, Shinzon was the Romulan answer to infiltrating Starfleet and ultimately disassembling The Federation from the inside in Star Trek: Nemesis. He was a cold, merciless killer unable to alter the course of his destiny as surely as he was unable to change his engineering.

When Shinzon orchestrated the destruction of Earth by sending his ship The Scimitar hurtling towards it as a weapon of mass destruction, he sealed his fate. His death ended the life of a being who should never have been born.

LEAST SATISFYING: KRALL

Once a former commander abandoned by Starfleet, Krall was the result of mutation and intense mental health damage. He was a complex villain for Star Trek: Beyondbut his ending didn't reflect his complicated origin.

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A great disservice was done to the character of Krall, who throughout the film had a grudge against The Federation that fans could empathize with. By the end of the movie, his rallying call to arms for Starfleet veterans who had been dismissed and left with untreated PTSD was dismissed itself in favor of making him a mustache-twirling villain.

MOST SATISFYING ENDING: KHAN

Ricardo Mantalban on board a ship in Star Trek Wrath of Khan.

Khan Noonien-Sung is still considered to be one of the greatest villains in the entire Star Trek franchise and remains a fan-favorite character thanks to the incredibly charismatic and physical performance of Ricardo Montalban.

Thankfully, the arc that began in Star Trek: The Original Series was carried over into Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and fans got to witness the epic climax of his vengeful quest against Starfleet and its star officer, Captain James Tiberius Kirk.

LEAST SATISFYING: CAPTAIN KIRK

Star Trek Generations Kirk dies

Fans of both Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation were excited to see the blending of two of the most famous crews to ever serve aboard the Enterprise, and witness the passing of the torch between two great captains in Star Trek: Generations.

Unfortunately, the film also featured one of the most undignified character deaths in the entire Star Trek franchise. Captain Kirk passed away in a manner that was nowhere near as iconic as his dear friend Mr. Spock, nor worthy of his unparalleled ability to overact. The legendary captain deserved a legendary death scene.

MOST SATISFYING ENDING: NEELIX

Etan Phillips as Neelix on Star Trek Voyager

Neelix was an acquired taste and therefore didn't generate the sort of love from fans as some of the other characters on Star Trek: VoyagerHis eccentricities and overwhelming personality overshadowed the rest of the cast in many instances, but he received one of the most meaningful endings out of them all.

Whereas he began the series a junk trader traveling in the Delta Quadrant, he became an honorary member of Starfleet, and eventually even found a home and a family amidst a colony of his own people.

LEAST SATISFYING: HUGH

Jonathan Del Arco as Hugh in Star Trek Picard

The Borg drone who made a name for himself quite literally on Star Trek: The Next Generation was a surprising breakout supporting character, appearing in several episodes across multiple seasons to the delight of fans.

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When he returned in Star Trek: Picard, he received a character arc fans didn't even know they wanted until he was given even more dimension. He was killed off in the middle of the first season, his death used as a plot device that cheapened his sacrifice for Captain Picard.

MOST SATISFYING ENDING: GABRIEL LORCA

A Terran commander of enormous acclaim in the Mirror Universe who successfully infiltrated Federation Space, Gabriel Lorca became a decorated Starfleet captain aboard the USS Discovery.

He attempted to use the ship to instigate a coup against Terran Emperor Philippa Georgiou, but she managed to outsmart the brutal captain in the midst of his villains' monologue. The aggressive captain got stabbed through the chest with a sword in a fitting death scene as sanguinary as he was.

LEAST SATISFYING: K'EHLEYR

K'Ehleyr - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Though she didn't have very many episodes devoted to her in Star Trek: The Next Generation, K'ehleyr made a unique impression on fans when she first appeared as an old flame of Lieutenant Worf's.

Not only did they have a fiery romantic encounter, but Worf's son Alexander was also a product of its intensity. When she was unceremoniously killed, it was a hackneyed way of getting rid of Alexander's mother figure and forcing Worf to take responsibility for his son's personal development.

NEXT: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: 5 Characters We Want To See In The Discovery Spin-Off (& 5 We Don't)