The 10 Most Shocking Twists From Science Fiction TV Shows

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The 10 Most Shocking Twists From Science Fiction TV Shows

Warning: This article contains discussions of sexual assault, drugs, and mental health.

Science fiction TV shows are known to include shocking plot twists that are hilariously unexpected. The power of science fiction made it easy for television writers to change storylines, and the genre was so full of possibilities that literally anything could happen. However, massive plot twists have ruined TV shows in the past, so their executions had to be handled with caution.

The most ambitious science fiction television shows of all time are often remembered for their mysterious and inventive plot twists. With concepts like time travel, aliens, and immortality, TV show characters have been subjected to all sorts of fates and obstacles. While some of the best TV shows of all time have had great plot twists, sci-fi series have done it better than any other genre.

10

The Doctor regenerates into a previously seen body

Doctor Who


Doctor Who The Power of the Doctor Regeneration Filming David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor

The Return of David Tennant Doctor Who The end of The Power of the Doctor was a completely unexpected moment in the series for several reasons. Firstly, it was already known that Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor was leaving and Ncuti Gatwa was announced as her successor. So, when the regeneration process of the first female Doctor began, viewers expected that Sex education a star will appear in her place as soon as the golden lights go out. Instead, a familiar face remained on the edge of the cliff, looking just as confused as the spectators.

Connected

This was a turning point for Doctor Who. Time Lords have changed gender and race before, and the Tenth Doctor even had a meta-crisis, but this was the first time a Gallifreyan had regenerated into a body he already had before. However, the Tenth and Fourteenth versions of the character only had appearances and were technically different incarnations of the Doctor. The Doctor’s next death was equally shocking, and Doctor WhoThe Bi-Generation was another hugely unexpected moment that would forever impact the overall history of the series.

The latest season of Doctor Who introduces the Fifteenth Doctor, joined by new companion Ruby Sunday. Their first adventure begins in “The Church of the Ruby Road,” where they encounter powerful new enemies and unravel the mystery of Ruby’s origins. The Doctor battles the effects of a unique regeneration event and battles enemies more formidable than ever before.

Throw

Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Susan Twist, Michelle Greenidge, Angela Winter, Gemma Redgrave, Yasmin Finney, Anita Dobson

Release date

December 25, 2023

Seasons

2

Writers

Russell T Davies, Dave Gibbons, Keith Herron, Steven Moffat

Main genre

Science fiction

9

The Cigarette Smoking Man is the father of Scully’s son.

X-Files


Scully and Mulder hold and smile at their son William in The X-Files.

Mulder and Scully’s baby arrives. X-Files was a sharp and unexpected turn in itself, as in the season 5 episode “A Christmas Carol”, Scully announced that she was infertile. This was due to her being kidnapped in season two, so young William’s arrival in X-Files it was an amazing moment. From birth it was obvious that William was not a normal child. He developed bizarre abilities such as telekinesis and could even control extraterrestrial technology. Scully later gave her child away, hoping it would be safe from her.

However, when William’s story was revisited in X-Files the reboot revealed details of his origin, changing the perception of both the characters and viewers of past seasons. “My Struggle III” marks the return X-Files villain, the Cigarette Smoking Man, and it was revealed that he was William’s biological father. It was a huge turnaround, especially since the implication was, as Scully suggested, that either the IVF attempt or the alleged sexual encounters she had with Mulder were miraculously successful. This made sense due to William’s strange abilities, but it was still unexpected.

8

Bernard was always the master

Westworld


Bernard covered in dust, with a car on his head, a scene from Westworld.

Westworld The first season was full of complex reveals, but the episode “Deception” contained a plot twist for the TV show that should never be spoiled for new viewers. During the first six episodes WestworldBernard Lowe was simply the head of programming for Westworld. Even though he was behind the creation of artificial humans, he was always considered just another person who worked at the park. However, when Ford ordered Bernard to kill Teresa, and he carried out the directive, this illusion was dispelled.

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Bernard has always served as a moral compass in Westworldwhich made this turn of events even more unexpected. In some ways, this was a significant betrayal to the audience who had invested in this man and believed that he was with humanity. However, what was even more unexpected was that Bernard was just as unaware that he was the presenter as the audience. Bernard was a recreation Westworld Arnold Weber, one of the original creators of The Host, but this detail was initially overlooked by many and created a bit of a plot hole.

HBO Westworld is a dystopian sci-fi western based on the film by Michael Crichton. World of the Wild West. The series centers on high-paying guests who visit a Western theme park full of humanoid androids to live out wild fantasies. Westworld would later introduce a futuristic mid-21st century where the world is ruled by an artificial intelligence named Rehoboam. The series was incredibly popular for four seasons, but was canceled by HBO in November 2022.

Release date

October 2, 2016

Seasons

4

Writers

Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy

Showrunner

Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy

7

Laura Palmer’s killer

Twin Peaks


Sarah (Grace Zabriskie), Leland (Ray Wise) and Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) from Twin Peaks pose for a family photo.

The mystery surrounding who killed Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks was the driving force behind the show’s previous seasons. While the identity of her killer wasn’t the most satisfying, the truth about how Bob’s spirit came to be was a harrowing plot twist. Episode 7 of Season 2 finally explained to viewers that Bob had possessed Laura’s father, Leland. Leland sexually abused Laura for years, which set her on a destructive path. She was later captured and tortured by Leland, and although Mike gave her a ring to protect her from Bob, it was not enough to save her.

Bob was furious with Mike’s attempts to help Laura and, through Leland, stabbed the homecoming queen to death. It was one of the most disturbing moments in television history. because although Bob was at fault, Laura’s blood was actually on Leland’s hands. This became even more disturbing when it became clear that Leland was possessed at a young age, many years ago. Twin Peaks” first episode, and so it was actually Bob who was communicating with Dale Cooper the entire time.

6

It’s always Agatha

WandaVision


Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness during the WandaVision episode

While nosy neighbor Agnes revealing herself to be Agatha was a TV plot twist that some viewers predicted, it also seemed too obvious to be right. Agnes fit in WandaVisionThe world of the sitcom is a beautiful one, and so it seemed like her main goal was to provide comic relief. It was so exaggerated that it was easy to dismiss Agnes as simply clinging to a constructed reality. and nothing more than a caricature or an image of a sitcom, especially since that is exactly what it was WandaVisionrelied on the format.

Agnes revealed her true identity in the ironically titled episode “Breaking the Fourth Wall”, a musical episode in which she spoke directly to the audience. WandaVisionMusical fragment “Agatha all the time.” It was a brilliant but unexpected way to introduce such a fascinating plot twist, especially because it highlighted how different Agatha and Agnes are. The Witch eventually became the main villain, and her various interventions in Wanda’s life became much more drastic in the final two episodes, in which she went from being a nuisance to a full-fledged tyrant.

5

Alternate universe

Fringe


The New York skyline with the World Trade Center in an alternate universe at Fringe.

Implementation FringeThe parallel universe was subtle, but incredibly powerful. The first part of the series follows Olivia Dunham and her FBI colleagues as they investigate all sorts of strange cases, but there is no suggestion that the world they inhabit is any different from ours. That’s how it was until one particular shot in the season one finale left viewers stunned. This unusual shot explained everything, although it raised a lot of questions.

Noticing that the World Trade Center was not damaged, it immediately became obvious that FringeThe universe was different. While it could be explained that this was simply a fictional change for the sake of storytelling, it was proven that Olivia’s unusual extended déjà vu was actually her seeing glimpses of the primeval universe. After a childhood of torture and trials, Olivia discovered that her painful past gave her the ability to switch between two worlds, although she lacked control over it.

4

Elliot – Mr. Robot

Mister Robot


Rami Malek as Elloit pointing at the screen in Mr. Robot

Mister Robot There were several important plot twists, but the most important was that the mysterious Mr. Robot and Elliot were the same person. Throughout the first season, Elliot seemed to talk to Mr. Robot and reminisce about their past traumas. But in the penultimate episode of the first season, it was revealed that the strange figure was actually a manifestation of Elliot’s dissociative identity disorder. Bye Using mental states as a plot point hasn’t always been a good idea in past TV shows, Mister RobotHis performance was undoubtedly powerful and shocking.

Only Elliot was able to see Mr. Robot taking the form of his late father, but he didn’t realize it at first. Memory problems hid the truth from Elliot, especially since this split part of his personality was visible to him. It wasn’t immediately obvious, but looking back at the scenes in which Christian Slater appeared on screen as Mr. Robot, the fact that Elliot was the only human made things clearer.

3

Jack’s involvement in 456

Torchwood


John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness handing over a boy to the 465th in Torchwood, Children of Earth, Day Four.

Doctor Who established that Captain Jack Harkness’s past was quite dark, but the spin-off Torchwood revealed that not all of his worst deeds were erased from his memory by the Time Agency. Torchwood Season three of Children of Earth introduced a mysterious alien species simply called the 456. As the season progressed, details emerged explaining that the 456 had already visited and threatened Earth. 456 used children as drugs and their last dose was not enough, so they came back for more.

Connected

In several episodes, Jack evaded government assassination, but it was initially unclear why. In the opening scenes of the first episode, 12 children were led off a school bus and into a bright light. This scene was repeated in episode four, where Jack admitted to handing over the children in exchange for a cure for a deadly strain of flu. Even though Jack was never the most morally strong character, he was never known for his cruelty. so it was an amazing moment, especially since he was waiting for the Doctor to return at the time.

2

Nibbler makes the fry find themselves in the future

Futurama


Fry drinks beer during the New Year's countdown in the pilot episode of Futurama.

Pilot Futurama saw Philip J. Fry fall into a cryogenic chamber on New Year’s Eve 1999 and end up in the year 3000, but it was always treated as an accident. Fry has always been a clumsy character with little skill or talent, so it makes sense that his future appearance would be due to his clumsiness. However, in season 11 it was suddenly explained that this was not the case, and Nibbler’s secret mission in Futurama was to blame. Leela’s cheerful little pet was responsible for ensuring that Fry lived to see his day.

Connected

The Nibblonian race believed that Fry was the only one who could stop Brain Spawn, a type of flying brain, from destroying the universe. It was a brilliantly funny plot twist, but still shocking, especially considering it required Futurama ten seasons to pick it up. Before this, this theory was not particularly discussed, since it seemed logical that Fry’s general behavior and personality traits would lead to his accidental freezing. Sure, Fry fit the stereotype of the unlikely hero perfectly, but it was even better to learn that there was a tiny but intelligent alien behind it all.

1

Jack’s memories were retrospective.

Lost


Jack with a beard looks sad in the Lost season 3 flashback.

LostThe divisive finale still left it unclear whether the show was sci-fi, mystery, fantasy, or all three. However, there was no argument that an otherworldly force affected the lives of the survivors on the island. The series’ storytelling was exceptionally smart, often using flashbacks to show the characters’ backstory. Although this device was abused in subsequent seasons, it was responsible for one of the LostThe most shocking plot twists. In the season three finale, Jack arrived at the airport, but when Kate showed up, it became apparent that the memories were actually flashbacks.

Until this moment, viewers thought the Jack they saw on screen was from the days leading up to the plane crash. He was depressed and fighting for his life, but as he admitted to Kate, it was obvious that the couple had already fled the Island. This plot twist was so simple, but it was inserted so subtly and casually that it made the moment even more impactful. This was especially due to Jack’s sudden exclamation: “We must go back!” was so unusual compared to who he was on the Island, which implied that there was a lot more story to be revealed.

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