While the third season had its flaws they certainly hit all the right emotional notes. I must have watched those final 5 minutes dozens of times when it first aired because I just couldn't believe what happened. Not necessarily what happened on screen but what happened to me. I felt like that kid again that watched TOS reruns and TNG, I felt like there's a brighter future ahead because my heroes did once again instill hope. When the lights came on on the bridge β in stark contrast to the dimly lit 8Β½ episodes before it β suddenly it felt like anything would be possible. Not just in this TV show. But really anything.
Maybe I'm a bit theatrical but in those five minutes I forgot all my worries (which is quite a feat because I'm one of those broody persons) and felt like I was coming home. I've never felt anything like that when consuming any sort of media.
Thanks to everyone involved. I'll cherish those five minutes forever.
Not only that. How do seven people manage that whole ship, when they needed 1000 people before. Who was in engineering? That bothered me so much during the final scene :-D
It was a beloved member of the cast, just as much as any other character. That it was unceremoniously killed off in the first movie and replaced by a stuffed shirt we never got to know or care about, I always felt, was part of why the movies never really captured the magic of the television show. Seeing the Enterprise-D again was all the proof I needed to know it was true.
Made me think though, if there were to be a "Legacy" series or whatever, having a neo-Galaxy class just as there's a neo-Constitutional class, would probably go down like very fine wine. Like the boeing 747, there's just something about that shape that works very well for many of us!!
I don't think I've ever screamed so loud at my TV before. I was loosing my shit at this moment. I was stunned. What a high. Possibly one of the best memories of fandom I have in my life now.