History Main / DistantFinale

* In Creator/AlastairReynolds' Revelation Space trilogy, the last chapter in ''Absolution Gap'' ends with the HordesofAlienLocusts (Called Greenfly) eating up worlds, spreading through the universe. If you read the Shadow's dialogue, you'll realize [[spoiler: that the ''entire'' universe is doomed]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* While not necessarily the final story in the series, part of "Days Of Future Smurfed" in ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' does take place in the early 21st Century, with Empath and his great-grandson Polaris Smurf (who would soon become Traveler) as the last two Smurfs alive.
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* ''JojosBizarreAdventure'' is weird about this. On the one hand, Part 2 ends with Joseph as an old man about to visit his grandson in Japan.... which is the beginning to Part 3. On the other hand, it also ends with a WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue detailing the lives of Speedwagon, Erina, Lisa Lisa, and Smokey. Considering all the parts take place years after each other (except for part 7, it's complicated), this should be an aversion, but it's the only part to do this.

* ''LegallyBlonde'' had an epilogue that is both this and a WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, due to the request of the test audiences. It's a full scene of [[spoiler:Elle giving the valedictorian speech at her Law School graduation ceremony]], with interspersed text blurbs detailing what happened to the supporting characters.

* The ending of ''DeathNote'' takes place a year later.

* ''SonicX'' originally skipped 6 years into the future for its finale, though the series was then resurrected for a further 26 episodes. These episodes took place 6 years after the original series in the Human World, but only 6 months in Sonic's universe.

* ''PennyAndAggie'', a high school dramedy, skips ahead 6 years, in its final chapter (the previous arc having ended just before the main cast's senior year), to the characters' ClassReunion.
* ''WebComic/DominicDeegan'' shows the titular character and his wife growing old together, apparently gaining at least one child along the way (both were effectively sterilised along the course of the plot).

* While not a finale per se, the Season 4 episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' "Artifacts" shows archaeologists unearthing the Batcave 1000 years in the future, interspersed with a story set about 20 years from the main timeframe of the series. The episode was well-received, with nods to Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" (even using that as a TitleDrop) and other elements of Batman mythos including something that, due to its cause, you'd never expect in a Batman cartoon; Barbara being Oracle (Read TheKillingJoke).

* ''Myself;Yourself'' has an ending episode taking place ten years later.

* ''Domonic Deegan'' shows the titular character and his wife growing old together, apparently gaining at least one child along the way (both were effectively sterilised along the course of the plot).

* The ending of ''Literature/StarTrekFederation'' takes place centuries in the future, in a time when the Federation has united the entire galaxy and a ship with "sidewarp" drive has traveled beyond its edge, finding a [[{{Precursors}} Preserver]] beacon out in deep space and opening a new era. "In the language of the time, the ship's name is ''Enterprise''."

* The 2nd-season finale of ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'', "Epilogue" (often mistaken for the first-season finale because the [=DVDs=] inexplicably package the first two 13-episode seasons as a single 26-episode season), was originally meant to be the series finale. It takes places some number of years after ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', the Franchise/{{DCAU}} series set the farthest into the future, making it both a FullyAbsorbedFinale and a Distant Finale for the entire {{DCAU}}.

* ''RockosModernLife'': The last episode took place 17 years in the future (although it seems ''much'' farther), complete with all of the generic Sci-Fi cliches about the future. It stars Filbert's kids, who ask Filbert, who suddenly is a very old man [[LampshadeHanging (This is lampshaded)]] about a banana they found in an abandoned house, which happened to be Rocko's. He tells them that a mix-up with a monkey that was intended to be launched into space eventually ended with Rocko, Heffer, Spunky, and the monkey travelling aimlessly through the stars. Because Nickelodeon could never let a show truly end, the ship they were stuck on crash lands next to Filbert's house, and the main cast suddenly meets up again, probably meant to be the start of a SpinOff. One could assume that naming a futuristic spin-off of a show with the word "modern" in the title wouldn't have been too hard, either.
* The 2nd-season finale of ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', "Epilogue" (often mistaken for the first-season finale because the [=DVDs=] inexplicably package the first two 13-episode seasons as a single 26-episode season), was originally meant to be the series finale. It takes places some number of years after ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', the {{DCAU}} series set the farthest into the future, making it both a FullyAbsorbedFinale and a Distant Finale for the entire {{DCAU}}.
* The ''CodenameKidsNextDoor'' series finale takes place when the kids of Sector V have grown up into rather old adults (who, in an artistic twist, are portrayed by real life actors rather than animated characters). Most of the episode is told via interviews and flashbacks, and attentive viewers can infer what the kids of Sector V grew up to be.

* There is an ''AsToldByGinger'' movie which gives closure to the series and shows us that Ginger ended up publishing her diaries. We also see that [[spoiler:Ginger and Darren are now married and have a baby.]]
* The ''FamilyGuy'' episode where Peter declares his house an independent country after Mayor West reveals that Peter's house is not on Quahog's map ends with the entire previous twenty-one minutes' shown as having been presented to a class of children in in a future history class in space. The only question raised was whether or not people understood Stewie when he talked (which is what a lot of fans wondered back in the early days of the show. WordOfGod reveals that people ''do'' know that Stewie can talk, but because he's a baby, they don't take his threats or cursing seriously).
* ''PepperAnn'' ended with a reunion in the future, with a B-plot set in the show's "present" shown through flashbacks.
* The finale of ''{{Chowder}}'' takes place in the future with Chowder as an adult with his own apprentice.

* ''AFairlyOddMovieGrowUpTimmyTurner'', the LiveActionAdaptation of ''TheFairlyOddparents'', shows the life of Timmy Turner and his fairies 13 years after the timeframe of the cartoon.
* The classic ChuckJones WarnerBrothers short "OneFroggyEvening", shows the plot's cycle beginning anew a century later.
* Mixed with WhatCouldHaveBeen, ''TheSimpsons'' Christmas episode from season 23 ("Holidays of Futures Passed") takes place 30 years in the future, showing Bart and Lisa as parents trying to raise their children and realizing that parenting isn't as easy as it looks (Bart is a divorced dad living in what used to be Springfield Elementary School—which is now an apartment complex, while Lisa is trying to bond with her rebellious teenage daughter whom she had with Milhouse, and Maggie, now a popular singer, is about to have a child of her own). What makes it a "finale" of sorts is that it was supposed to be the last episode of the series (since the show was suffering from budget issues and FOX was considering cancellation to save money. After everyone agreed to cutting the show's budget, the show was saved from cancellation and greenlit for seasons 24 and 25).

* The ''{{Necroscope}}'' series eventually ends with an epilogue implying Vampirism is eventually cured in a few hundred years' time, that the whole world has developed esper skills[[hottip:*: the UnfortunateImplications being no one without esper skills survived to breed]], and is now a post-scarcity environment

* In AlastairReynolds' Revelation Space trilogy, the last chapter in ''Absolution Gap'' ends with the HordesofAlienLocusts (Called Greenfly) eating up worlds, spreading through the universe. If you read the Shadow's dialogue, you'll realize [[spoiler: that the ''entire'' universe is doomed]]

* ''FruitsBasket'' '''way''' overshoots the mark. The last few scenes completely skip past Kyo and Tohru's (and everyone else's!) marriage and life together and shows them as elderly grandparents (although indicating they've been happy.)

* ''FruitsBasket'' [[spoiler:'''way''' overshoots the mark. The last few scenes completely skip past Kyo and Tohru's (and everyone else's!) marriage and life together and shows them as elderly grandparents (although indicating they've been happy.)]]

* In ''KurauPhantomMemory'' we see the lives of the main characters ten years after the events in the previous episode, in which [[spoiler:Kurau loses her Rynax, causing her pair Christmas lots of grief]]. The most important event in the last episode therefore is [[spoiler:the return of the Rynax-Kurau out of Christmas' body, much like Christmas herself did when she appeared out of Kurau years before]].

* ''Domonic Deegan'' shows the titular character and his wife growing old together, apparently gaining at least one child along the way (both were effectively sterilised along the course of the plot).

* The CW TV series ''LifeUnexpected'' was [[TooGoodtoLast cancelled in its 2nd season due to low ratings]]. To prevent ending the series without closure for the fans in an already short 2nd season, there is a random 2 year time skip at the end of the final episode, taking place after [[spoiler: Kate runs into Ryan's ex-girlfriend Julia, who it turns out '''WAS''' pregnant from her brief affair with Ryan when he and Kate were separated. Kate returns to break the news to Ryan, and suddenly a "TWO YEARS LATER" title card appears and we are at Lux's graduation, where she is ''Valedictorian'' of her class, and we are slowly revealed that Julia and Ryan are now a couple, as are Math and the radio show producer, who is now pregnant. After the speech and the group posing for a photo op, the show ends with the big reveal that Kate and Baze are finally a couple (We watch the two of them share a long passionate kiss), thus giving Lux a real family with her real mom and dad.]]

* ''{{Mx0}}'' had [[TooGoodToLast an abrupt ending]] in which Taiga transferred out for a year, finally returning a year later.

* The ending of the ''Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse'' novel ''Literature/{{Federation}}'' takes place centuries in the future, in a time when the Federation has united the entire galaxy and a ship with "sidewarp" drive has traveled beyond its edge, finding a [[{{Precursors}} Preserver]] beacon out in deep space and opening a new era. "In the language of the time, the ship's name is ''Enterprise''."

* ''VideoGame/Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII'' takes place 500 years after the end of the previous game, in which time has stopped for everything except the people, no one dies, and no new borns can be conceived.

* The manga ending for ''RurouniKenshin'' picks up 5 years later, where Kenshin has retired from swordsmanship, Kaoru has revived the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryû with numerous students, and Yahiko has become a master swordsman. The ending deals with Yahiko inheriting Kenshin's reverse blade sword. This becomes a TimeSkip with the release of the third OAV, which shows the final years of Kenshin's life (which is not canon, anyways).

* The last chapter of ''{{Inuyasha}}'' takes place 3 years later, then jumps ahead a bit for the last pages.

* ''MassEffect3'' ends several years (possible decades or centuries) after the events of the finale, with an old man telling a story to a child about the series' protagonist, now known as "[[MeaningfulName The Shepard]]". In one ending, the interlude is about 50000 years.

* The last episode of ''[[Anime/ShinkonGattariGodannar Godannar]]'' is set 7 years after the final battle, showing us what ''everybody'' is up to now. The last scene of that episode is then set one year after that.