Now that's how you go out with a bang.

After learning that V'Ger is a hyper-evolved form of NASA's Voyager VI space probe, the crew uses old access codes to command it to release its data and stop its assault on Earth. It doesn't work. But why?

To the crew's shock, V'Ger has sabotaged itself: it's no longer content to just meet its Creator, but now wants to merge with it.

Perhaps motivated by his love for Ilia, who's already been consumed by V'Ger, Decker volunteers for the task and enters the final code sequence. With that, both he and Ilia are consumed in a stream of blue energy that slowly expands until all that remains of V'Ger's cloud is the Enterprise.

Naturally, our heroes are shocked by what they just witnessed. Here's them trying to make sense of it:

KIRK: Did we just see the beginnings of a new lifeform?

SPOCK: Yes, Captain, we witnessed a birth. Possibly the next step in our evolution.

KIRK: I wonder.

McCOY: Well, it's been a long time since I delivered a baby, and I hope we got this one off to a good start.

KIRK: I hope so, too. I think we gave it the ability to create its own sense of purpose out of our own human weaknesses, and the drive that compels us to overcome them.

Those are some heavy philosophical issues, dudes. Besides Spock, we're not sure if you guys have the brain space to handle them. No shade, of course.

With Earth saved and their mission complete, the crew of the Enterprise is set to resume their journey into the unknown. Although they were only reunited by extraordinary circumstances, this marks the beginning of a new adventure for our now-aged crew.