Twists insci-fiTV shows can come in all shapes and sizes, and some of the best feel like they come out of nowhere, leaving viewers open-mouthed and genuinely surprised. They tend to be a different kind of beast fromtwists in sci-fi movies, asTV shows are often changed forever by sharp left turns in the plot, whereas they’re usually a narrative focal point in feature-length productions.
Some of thebest sci-fi TV characters everhave been impacted by surprise plot twists, if not more so than the audience. Many of thebest sci-fi TV shows of all timehave even been known to have multiple huge storylines that come to fruition in incredibly unexpected ways.This isn’t always how a sci-fi project will approach storytelling, which makes certain instances especially memorable.
6The Return Of John Simm’s Master In Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi Era
Season 10’s two-part finale was a stealthy multi-Master story
Doctor Whois no stranger to safeguarding its twists, and one of the most prominent ways the show surprises its audience is with its returning stars. Whileepisodes with more than one Doctoraren’t uncommon, stories withmore than one version of the Masterare rare. So, whenJohn Simm returned as the nefarious Time Lord in 2017, no one expected it.
At the very least, fans didn’t know when the Master’s comeback would happen, even if they bought into the murmurs about Simm’s imminent return. Everything seemed to be set up to prove the rumors wrong.Simm’s Master hadn’t appeared inDoctor Whosince 2010, and the debut of Michelle Gomez as Missy in 2014 had established her as the new version of the character.
“World Enough and Time” seemed to be another Simm-less installment until right at the end.
Viewers were on edge for a string of episodes inDoctor Whoseason 10, waiting to see if, when, and how Simm could make his return. Episode 11, “World Enough and Time,” seemed to be another Simm-less installment until right at the end, when it was revealed thatthe actor had secretly racked up a lot of screen time as Mr. Razor.
Mr. Razor was the Master in disguise and spent most of “World Enough and Time"with Pearl Mackie’s Bill Potts. Simm’s character was deceptively kind to Bill, and the prosthetics adorning his face paired with the actor’s false accent made the reveal especially rewarding. The Master’s unveiling of himself to Bill influenced the next episode.
5The Town Being In The Far Future In Wayward Pines
The Blake Crouch adaptation nailed the literary saga’s biggest twist
Originally written as a sci-fi book trilogy by Blake Crouch,Wayward Pineswas adapted and debuted on TV screens in 2015and concluded/was canceled in 2016. The show’s inaugural run follows Matt Dillon’s Ethan Burke as he wakes up in the sleepy town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. Despite the place’s idyllic nature, something immediately seems off.
Although he initially believes he has woken up just a couple of days after a car accident on the outskirts of Wayward Pines, it’s ultimately revealed thatcenturies have passed by the time Ethan regains consciousness. The town is an attempt by the higher-ups to restart human civilization away from the restrictions and downfalls of the 21st century.
Initially framed as a crime drama, it’s unclear upon first viewing howWayward Pineswill earn its sci-fi genre label.
Initially framed as a crime drama, it’s unclear upon first viewing howWayward Pineswill earn its sci-fi genre label. Of all the possibilities,a vault full of cryogenically preserved people was near the bottom of my list, if it was even on it at all. Of course, those who read the books will have called it straight away.
Wayward Pinesseason 1’s big future twist was so effective that the show failed to recapture the same magic after the big reveal. The decision was made for the entire book trilogy to form the basis for season 1, soWayward Pinesseason 2 was entirely new material. Sadly, it lacked the same level of tension with the most notable truth out in the open.
4John Crichton Being “Twinned” In Farscape
The 2 Crichtons changed Farscape for most of season 3
Sci-fi characters being duplicated was already a famous sci-fi trope by the time ofFarscape, so the show can’t be credited with inventing this twist. However, it did add a great spin to this type of storyline by refusing to name either of the two versions of Ben Browder’s John Crichton as the original or “main” iteration.
Crichton is “twinned” inFarscapeseason 3, and the occurrence changes the show for its foreseeable future. Neither version of Broder’s character is given the privilege of remaining as the primary protagonist, and the story is forced into splitting its time between the two groups that form, each with a Crichton of its own.
The concept of twinning inFarscapeis interesting as soon as it’s mentioned, but I don’t think anyone expected the show’s main character to be affected by the phenomenon, or for the fallout to last as long as it did. The audience is given the chance to bond with both Crichtons, which makes the twist’s resolution especially heartbreaking.
3The Return Of Kovacs Prime In Altered Carbon
Will Yun Lee played the youngest version of Takeshi Kovacs
The world ofAltered Carbonmeans pretty much every member of the cast was functionally disposable. After all, the ability to transfer consciousness from one body to another doesn’t exactly scream job stability for an actor. Regardless, when Joel Kinnaman was introduced as the show’s main version of Takeshi Kovacs in season 1, I assumed he alone would own the role.
Bodies are referred to as “sleeves” inAltered Carbon, and the process of transferring one’s memories to a new sleeve is called “resleeving.” The device in each sleeve that holds the memories is called a “stack,” and is implanted at birth.
It turns out I was right about Kinnaman at first, as the younger version of Kovacs, played by Will Yun Lee, appeared only in flashbacks in his original sleeve. However, whenAnthony Mackie took over from Kinnaman inAltered Carbonseason 2, Lee’s version of the character, who can easily be referred to as Kovacs Prime, ventures into the main story.
Kovacs Prime hasn’t gone through the same experiences as Kinnaman or Mackie’s iterations of the character, so he still has an extremist point of view when it comes to stacks and resleeving. As a result,Mackie’s Kovacs ends up facing an opponent that he both knows and understandswhile also having numerous divergences in opinions. It’s a great sci-fi twist.
2Ash Tyler Turning Out To Be A Klingon In Star Trek: Discovery
Discovery wasn’t afraid to make heavy use of the Klingons in new ways
Star Trek: Discoverybrought about a new era for the iconic sci-fi saga, adopting a grittier tone and serialized storytelling rather than episodic adventures. The show’s first season made the divisive choice to overhaul the Klingons' physical appearance, and no example of this decision is more pure or hidden than the character of Shazad Latif’s Ash Tyler.
While he appeared to be a full-blooded human, even under intense scrutiny,Star Trek: Discoverywould eventually reveal that Ash Tyler was a Klingon called Voq, who had undergone extensive medical procedures to infiltrate Starfleet as an unknowing sleeper agent.
Star Trek: Discoverytried to acknowledge the franchise’s traditions as well as push the saga forward, and Ash Tyler’s disguise could be argued to tick both of these boxes. VariousStar Trekcharacters have undergone procedures to pass as members of another alien race, but thisDiscoverytwist was far more in-depth and lacked the element of Ash/Voq knowing what had happened to him.
1Din Djarin Crossing Paths With Luke Skywalker In The Mandalorian
One of Star Wars' biggest characters made a surprise appearance
Although it was recognizably set within theStar Warsuniverse,The Mandalorianseemed at first as though it was making a conscious decision to steer clear of pre-existing storylines. Specifically, the Skywalker Saga factoring into the show just didn’t seem all that likely. So, Luke’s scene debut at theend ofThe Mandalorianseason 2took everyone by surprise.
Despite being such a high-profileStar Warscharacter,Luke’sThe Mandaloriancameo was concealed impressively well. It wasn’t until his X-wing appeared on-screen that anyone started to remotely consider the possibility of the iconic Jedi showing up. It sent waves throughout the fandom and changedThe Mandalorianforever by solidly folding it into the legendarysci-fifranchise.
