This scene is profound... not only does Picard discover the true importance of the relationships he's forged with the crew and a new-found commitment to deepening their bonds, but as a parallel it also shows (I feel) how Stewart eventually lowered his guard toward the cast and allowed fun and humor to become part of his professional life. Both he and his character were at the end of the same arc. I absolutely love this ending... and miss the show more than any other.
+SGTBizarro Stewart was on a bit of a high horse early on, yes, but he was off it long prior. This, frankly, is a rather stepwise character progression.
+SGTBizarro I know right? that pause at 2:09 gets me in the feels everytime, truly a deep if not the deepest moment in the entire series, that feeling of pure nostalgia that hits you and a faint sadness of knowing that you wont ever get another cast, crew, series, and show altogether as well made as TNG, truly incredible and in every way a masterpiece.
+SGTBizarro How did you do that? You saw into my mind and wrote exactly what I was thinking. I am awestruck in us humans everyday - we are amazing. We live in the best of times and the future is bright.
StsFiveOneLima TNG is just childhood for me. When i watch it today I recognize some flaws but it's still great. Btw. I Recommend you Battlestar Galactica(2004). I watched every big show like BB and GoT and BSG was truly amazing
@@grundian yea I understand showcasing issues today but star trek was always about an ideal vision of humanity. what could have been if greed and violence were overcome. hell do another show just like the plot in picard/discovery but dont call it star trek.
Famous quote by Captain Picard which applies to me and my life. "I should have done this a long time ago" . This always gets me teary. It just goes to show that nothing is too late. There is always an opportunity to make things right in life.
This is yet another reason why Star Trek is the best. It's about optimism, inspiration and teaching people lessons. And many people think stuff is to late, but it's not, better to do something late, than never doing it.
What a perfect ending to this great series. It's happy, low-key, features the entire cast, and offers up one final character development for the captain.
that shot/camera move at 2:05, where picard looks around the entire table and says, "i should have done this a long time ago" is where the involuntary tearing up begins lol and of course it works on multiple levels, because you know it's not just picard and his crew, but it's stewart and his close friends, completing a seven year journey what a wondrous finale. 25+ yrs later, still can't watch this scene without crying. not sure any finale since has topped it honorable mentions -- farscape, stargate, BSG
This is probably the better finale but I also tear up during the DS9 finale. Everyone parting ways is so sad, especially O'Brien and Bashir and Kira and Odo.
For the kids who didn’t have a family, a mom or dad, Or had an abusive one Picard taught you how to act, and how to be a gentleman. He was my idol at 15 , I’m 37 now, Riker was the uncle we all needed, Deanna was the aunt we needed , the counsel you sought when things were tuff. Data taught you to think, and explore science and such, instead of drugs and bad stuff, Worf, taught you to stand strong in the face of evil, crusher was that kid we all were, reaching manhood, learning to act responsible and like a man, these were the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, it’s continuing mission, to save those of unfortunate circumstances, to seek out truth, respect, and responsibility, and boldly go where no bad parent has gone before.
I love how Riker pulls up the chair for Picard BETWEEN himself and Troi. Just where Picard always is. I bet he's the only person Riker would do that for.
They've admitted that of all the Trek crews, they were the ones that truly loved each other. (It might be different as Discovery and all the other new ones were years away.)
@@andrebrynkus2055 Agreed. While I didn't enjoy TNG and the following series as much, that is something I have consistently heard from anyone that was interviewed for conventions, etc - they were friends, both on set and off, and there would be no bickering, no "tell all" books or the like as you see with so many other shows. I believe the cast of TOS were friends, too, but it became fashionable to bash Shatner (and in truth, he made some missteps that brought it his way) and so the hype built up that they hated each other but there's evidence to show that that definitely wasn't the case.
The sheer look of pride and joy Picard has when he looks around at his senior staff. Thank you Patrick Stewart for returning to where you're most loved.
This is absolutely perfect in every way. Picard looking at the floor as the door opened as if nervous or embarrassed about asking to join in.. His realisation that he should have socialised with the crew more down the years. Troi's delivery of "you were always welcome". The music, the simplicity of the scene; no giant cliffhanger or major death, just the crew playing poker as they always did; life continuing as normal and almost a message of the importance of living in the moment. I cried like a baby when I first watched it and even now it brings tears to my eyes and chills to my bones. Flawless.
Iove how everyone was all playful and then gets very silent when he walks in, getting more serious because it's the captain. But they slowly start to lower their guard as they realize he really just wanted to spend some time with them.
Still do man. This show was something I used to sit down and watch with my father every time it was on. Fortunately thanks to reruns and netflix I am doing the same now with my son.
I'll never understand why anyone couldn't love this show. Its positivity and sophistication in the exploration of human pitfalls and potentials is unmatched. One is lifted upright and filled with such hope watching this show. This show is not entertainment but a reminder that the possibility for a better future always exists.
I can't watch this without tearing up. The minimal dialogue, emoting and great actors, swelling music, and the majestic ILM fly away gets me every time.
this was when the story and the message mattered, not fucking explosions, when you knew what everyone's gonna do cause there was time and effort put into building the characters so vividly you knew them intimately and cared and when even silence and the absence of grand events meant more and said more about everything than pathetic spectacular endings.. this show is responsible for making better people.
Such a beautiful scene! No fancy epilogues etc., just our main heroes chilling out with a game of poker, then we see the magnificent ship that has been our main setting for 7 series sailing off into the undiscovered country. What makes this scene extra sombre is the fact that the ship wouldn't survive her next adventure.
#2 to the M*A*S*H final episode when the helicopter rises to view the "Thank you" BJ writes in rocks to say thank you to both Hawkeye and the audience. Love both of them!
@@Wallydeej Towards the end of that last MASH episode, when Winchester sees the musician, then breaks the record... Yeah, this is honestly on that level.
abrams could always remake this, len flares out the windows but it would be totally unique in that they play 7 card stud. It's totally not a copy of the other. A unique new vision.
***** Star Trek: The Next Generation was nominated for Best Drama Series of 1994 with this episode submitted for Emmy consideration. AFAIK, it's still the only syndicated show ever to be nominated for an Emmy in this category.
Why can't we be so lovely and subtle nowadays? Why is everything so fast, swear word filled, full of explosions and "excitement", nothing is left to the imagination anymore; it's all so boorish and patronising. This was the perfect ending. 🥰
i wish people weren't soo cynical and jaded, this reflects in media today, star trek is cynical and "realistic" now, the most popular version of superman is evil, these two properties were supposed to be the best of us, the most hopeful and optimistic that humanity could be, but now that's not relatable apparently. apparently what we need is a cynical down to earth, almost cruel human, oh but don't worry, we have diversity now, as if that is what makes a great character, as if tng and ds9 didn't have diversity
The ending was so joyous in such a quiet way. Also great use of the pull-out to remind us of just how enormous the Enterprise-D was. It really was a small community in space.
I'm tearing up not only by watching this scene, but also when I'm reading the comments. It's like all the good people in the world gathered in one place, bonding over a piece of culture that shaped our identities. Makes me think there's still hope for humanity! Live long and prosper, fellow trekkies.
Such a great final ending scene on so many levels: - Picard joining the Poker table for the first time ever with his senior officers - They're all together - They talk about their future and how they activley want to prevent that their splitting up happens, and it does in-universe with the Enterprise-E even gathering Worf back from his DS9 assignment as well as in real life, where the cast of the show is known to be still very close friends - Picards final quote, "And the Sky is the Limit".....what a metaphorical and philosophic thing to say on SO MANY levels and just how great it suits the scene and it's general atmosphere - How the camera pans out through the "Sky" and shows the Enterprise-D flying off into the "Sunset"
Here I am in April of 2020 and I went looking for this, the final scene of Star Trek TNG. I still miss my TNG family and "The sky's the limit" brings me to tears even today. The Enterprise will always be the most beautiful ship ever built.
My heart.. Patrick, Brett, carried this show, the rest of the cast slowly got there too...this was like that final time in school. The last time you said "see you tomorrow" the last time you played outside. I hope you all are doing well
Outside of MASH this is the best series finale Ive ever seen. It didn't overreach. It didnt try to give every character a different sendoff and new storyline that just so happens to take place at the same time as everyone else totally by coincidence. It takes a fairly simple story about growing beyond your own conception of what growth and exploration is through a grand lens and anchors it to a group, a family we've come to know and love. Then to see Picard, after realizing the unknown possibility of existence with the anomaly, realizes he should have known his crew differently is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. The regret in his voice in, "I should have done this a long time ago" followed by "The sky's the limit" is best dramatized version of "The best time to plant a red is 20 years ago. The second best time is today." Painful regret and joyful acceptance in 2 lines. Fantastic.
It ended on the exact same scene, because they're too creatively bankrupt to do ANYTHING new. The whole third season of Picard was nostalgia, fan service and nothing else.
'I should have done this a long time ago'... There's a lot of things we should of done a long time ago, but either we never get round to it, or those things never happen, I guess we should also remember Picard's quote on seizing the time, 'live now, make now, always the most precious time, now will never come again'.
The way he looks around the table, figuring a way out of character to say I Love you All and thank you while being in character as the show is ending. 😢
The reaction shot of Beverly is priceless b4 Deanna says "u were always welcome"...probably the most beautiful shot of Gates in the 7 years of TNG...She is a beautiful woman.....
I have to say that if any one art work had a truly profound impact on my development as the person I am today it was Star Trek and not any one episode or any one series, I love them all and if they had not existed I truly to not know who I would be as a person today. that being said I want to thank Gene Roddenberry for not giving up on his dream and all the actors and directors who made Star Trek what it is.
This closing scene feels NOSTALGIC ! It just goes to show how Picard had formed a lasting bond with his officers. It's a FAMILY ! A closeness which for me is invaluable, forging meaningful relationships and nurturing friendships well beyond our time, to cherish every moment cause they may never come back. But on this ship ENTERPRISE D, everything is Possible. That's why I love this series as it continues to inspire us!
I remember such a feeling of sadness upon seeing this ending. It was a great ending of course, but knowing that there wouldn't be any more episodes made this bittersweet. Even knowing there were movies soon to come didn't really help much. Never could have predicted that nearly 30 years later, we'd get another round with these characters, and I enjoyed it, but nothing will match the original TNG run.
I’ve said it many times, but this is where the story for The Next Generation truly ends for me. The movies that followed as well as all three seasons of Picard are just optional content. All Good Things perfectly bookends the series.
As far as I'm concerned, the last time we ever saw Jean-Luc Picard was when he sat down to play poker with his senior officers back in 1994, and I'll die on that hill dammnit. It's a beautiful and perfect and totally satisfying ending.
Prior to Picard entering - what gets me is the look between River and Worf and the line "So that some things never happen" Referencing back to both of their relationships with Troi. Once Picard enters for me its two moments that I just love and make the scene. #1 Is the shocked and maybe even slightly uncomfortable look on the faces of the rest of the senior officers as Picard sits down and then the way he looks around at all of them and just pauses and says "I should have done this a long time ago" - Troi then says "You were always welcome" #2. The final camera pan, where it rotates to an overhead shot of the crew going around the table and up and out of the ship, with just instrumental music going could not have been a better ending. Side note - when I was younger I use to wish that it was Crusher who had delivered the line "You were always welcome" instead of Troi, given the history between Crusher and Picard. As I have gotten older I think the right choice was made, but I wonder what it would have felt like if Crusher had delivered the line.
So awesome they opted to use film for this show. It really does have a beautiful production! The fact it was done on film and we can have it in the best of quality, is a miracle. Its also unusual for TV shows of this era. That decision has made it possible to enjoy TNG in the best of visual quality, for as long as the film stays in good condition, or as long as someone still cares enough to remaster all it. 💯
Hulk had the saddest lead out. I know, it was a movie, but it still closed out a character I grew up with. I couldn't watch the Hulk TV series for a while after that.
One of the greatest finales ever. No big flashy final battle, no epic grand ending to a multi layered story. Just a captain sitting down with his crew and playing a game of poker
Had to watch this again...I just watched an interview with Kevin Feige and the main 6 cast members of the Avengers, at the end he mentioned this scene with regards to how he feels he should have sat down and let himself go and enjoy the cast. He is a total geek and that's why those movies have been generally a pleasure to watch all these years.
What’s so moving is we saw this poker game throughout the series....but Picard saying “I should’ve done this a long time ago” gaaaawd it brings me to tears
The characters on TNG were so well developed, and I always liked how they took each other seriously, even when one of them sounded barking mad. They expressed themselves clearly, were sympathetic, knowledgeable, and I always understood why each character responded the way they did in given circumstances. It will always be a very special series to me.
I just finished TNG this morning and it’s been one hell of a ride. I started watching it back in September last year and Picard, Worf, Data and the rest of the crew became like a family to me. This, in my opinion, is one of the best finale’s I’ve ever seen. Live long and prosper 🖖
This is one of the very few series finales for ANY show that can be considered a "classic"! This ending scene in particular.....it epitomized what was so great about The Next Generation, The Characters. This shot alone has the greatest Star Trek characters in one scene, a little dialogue, great music, and the fly-by of Star Trek's greatest Enterprise of all time. I truly miss this wonderful series. This was and always will be Star Trek at its finest. "All Good Things...."
Nothing will ever replace this one of a kind series, I tear up thinking that this Star Trek will never be the same and these characters are not going to feature all together anymore
As I am approaching middle age, having led a former career of service, and now one in a new career of private practice in my new profession, i sometimes reflect back on Picard and also Capt. Winters of BofB for leadership points. I have had many under my command over the years, often in situatuons of life & death. Rank? It has its privileges and burdens, but it is always a privilege. Especially as you wonder what you will leave behind. Picard reminds us that career isn't everything, and that, like a great leaders, he does not eat first. He eats last. Thank you for posting a brillaintly-written & performed scene from my undergrad youth
No wonder why its: "The Next Generation". Q showed Picard what his great mistake was way back in season 1 episode 1 of the Q trial. Finally, before that Generation comes in the future he will now understand relationships and the importance of his crew more if he is going to explore space more..... This is just awesome. Now this makes Star Wars feel like a kids movie to me now....
I was 15 years old when TNG wrapped-it was the first tv series I planned my life around. Over the years, this scene is one that I rewatch often, and aside from all of the nostalgia that comes with watching a 30-year-old clip, I am also deeply appreciative of the tidbits of life wisdom being shared: Stay close to the ones who have been at your side, it's never too late to start or to change, stay in the game, playing is more important than winning, don't take things too seriously, let things go, and nothing is beyond your reach 🖖
Great shows, especially network television shows, rarely have worthy finales. This episode wasn't perfect but this scene absolutely was. It showed progression from its main character and hit the perfect, hopeful note that a Star Trek show should had while never feeling forced. It stayed with me all these years.
