star trek picard spin-off – Trekking with Dennis

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 theories – week 5

Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Picard Seasons 1-3. Spoilers are also present for the following Star Trek productions: The Wrath of Khan, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Discovery.

We’re a bit late with this week’s theory update – but the latest episode of Picard isn’t out for another couple of hours at least… so I think we got away with it! Barely!

I enjoyed Imposters, and felt that it was a great episode – one of the best that the season has had to offer so far. It was fantastic to welcome back Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren – albeit for the final time! And as the conspiracy angle really ramps up, it feels as though the story could potentially go in some very different directions. And that’s great news for our theory list!

There are several big changes to the theory list this week – including one “zombie” theory that is coming back from the dead! We’ve also got a couple of confirmations and one debunking to get through.

And as always, that’s where we’ll start.

Confirmed theory #1:
There are changeling infiltrators aboard other vessels.

This one felt obvious as the conspiracy seemed to be growing, but it was still possible that there were only one or two changelings out in the wild! The Deep Space Nine duology Homefront and Paradise Lost saw a changeling infiltrator explain to Captain Sisko that there were only four well-placed changelings… and we saw in other stories that the changelings were less about numbers and far more interested in replacing well-positioned individuals.

This time, however, we learned that there are rogue changelings throughout Starfleet to such an extent that Ro Laren described the entire organisation as being “compromised.” There were at least four changelings aboard the Intrepid – perhaps more – and I think that speaks to there being dozens, hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of changelings spread throughout Starfleet across many ships. Even the admiralty could be compromised.

Confirmed theory #2:
An unannounced character returned!

I felt it was a solid possibility that we’d get a surprise character inclusion, especially as the crew of the Enterprise-D made a return, and so it proved in Imposters. Ro Laren, who hadn’t been seen since The Next Generation Season 7 episode Preemptive Strike, made a triumphant return to Star Trek – and to Starfleet, too!

Ro’s return isn’t the end of this theory, though, and you can expect to see it remaining on the list. There are dozens of other characters from The Next Generation era that I’d love to welcome back to Star Trek – and in a story with such a strong Deep Space Nine component, characters from that series seem like an especially good fit.

Confirmed theory #3:
Ro Laren was the “prodigal crewman.”

This was a late addendum to the theory list, as Paramount chooses not to make all of its marketing material available to viewers and fans outside of the United States. Fuck you, Paramount. You useless, “America First” dicks.

Suffice to say that Ro Laren was on my list – along with a dozen others! But she seemed to fit the bill as a “prodigal” crewman with a strong connection to Picard, so I’m claiming this one as a win!

Debunked theory:
All of the other “prodigal crewmen.”

Although I put Ro Laren on my list, she wasn’t the only character I thought seemed plausible to fill that role. I suggested characters like Sela, Thomas Riker, and Lore… and even the possibility that Picard would end up creating a brand-new character to fill this role, as has happened on more than one occasion in the series so far.

There were several characters who felt genuinely plausible – not least those played by actors who we know (or are heavily rumoured) to be involved this season. There were cases to be made for a handful of characters… and cases that I tried hard to make for a few others to round out the list!

So those theories were confirmed and debunked this week.

Now let’s jump into the main theory list, beginning with theories that are brand-new or that saw significant movement as a result of the events of Imposters.

Theory #1:
Vadic is not a changeling.

The inverse of this theory was originally on my list, and I called it debunked last week. But I seem to be in a minority of one in interpreting Vadic as not being a changeling, with other outlets seeming to see her changeling appendage and conversation with Floaty McFloatface as confirmation of her own changeling status.

I would like to put forward several points to support this theory!

First of all, Vadic’s eccentric demeanour is unlike anything we’ve seen from changelings so far in Star Trek.
Secondly, Vadic’s facial scars would be something that wouldn’t happen to a changeling. If they did happen, they’re something we’d expect a changeling would be able to conceal.
Thirdly, Vadic hasn’t been seen speaking the clicking language of her crew or the Intrepid changelings.
Fourth, if Vadic was a changeling, why would she need to physically cut Floaty McFloatface off her body to have a conversation? They could simply communicate via linking.
Fifth, Vadic seems genuinely frightened of Floaty McFloatface.

Theory #2:
Jack Crusher’s hallucinations are connected to the Borg.

At this point, it seems like Jack’s hallucinatory experiences must be connected to the changelings and their conspiracy. But I would like to suggest an alternative explanation: they’re from the Borg, and the feminine voice Jack has been hearing is the Borg Queen’s voice.

There have been multiple references this season to Picard’s assimilation at the hands of the Borg, and so far there isn’t an apparent connection between these references and the changelings’ conspiracy. But why keep bringing it up if it won’t be important? I feel all but certain that there is some kind of greater Borg connection to be revealed – and Jack’s hallucinations could be the key.

Theory #2-A:
Jack Crusher has Borg nanoprobes in his body.

If I’m right, and Jack’s hallucinations are connected to the Borg, one possible explanation could see Jack having Borg nanites in his system. There are plenty of technobabble ways this could have happened – perhaps they were present from the moment of his conception; dormant nanoprobes from Picard’s body. Or maybe Jack and Beverly used Borg technology aboard their ship, or during one of their medical missions.

We wouldn’t usually associate the colour red with the Borg – and that could count against this theory. Then again, if Jack’s eyes glowed green and his visions were of green tentacles and a green door, perhaps the Borg connection would be too unsubtle!

Theory #3:
The Borg are involved.

We’ve just looked at one possible way in which the Borg could be brought into the story – via Jack Crusher. But there are plenty of other ways to connect the story to the Borg. Firstly, we have the mysterious weapon or technology stolen from Daystrom Station. This could easily be Borg tech, as we know that Starfleet has been heavily involved in researching the Borg, even deploying Borg-derived technology aboard some of their newest starships. Secondly, there could be a changeling-Borg alliance of some kind, as both factions have a vested interest in stopping the Federation.

Again, this comes back to the heavy-handed insertion of Borg stories, particularly about Picard and his assimilation. Why should a story about rogue changelings keep coming back to Locutus and the Battle of Wolf-359 if there isn’t going to be some kind of bigger connection to be made?

Theory #4:
Jack Crusher has changeling DNA… somehow.

Jack’s story this week delved a little deeper into his hallucinatory experiences, but what was perhaps even more interesting is that we saw two physical changes in him, too. Firstly, Jack’s eyes glowed red for a split second, and secondly, Jack seemed to have a moment of incredible physical strength and fighting prowess.

Jack clearly has no idea what’s going on or why any of this is happening to him. And the question of how Jack might’ve come to have a combination of human and changeling DNA is an open one! Perhaps something happened to him while on one of his medical missions. Regardless, if I’m right then maybe the strand of DNA shown off in the closing credits will be Jack’s.

Theory #5:
Professor Moriarty is the “sophisticated AI” at Daystrom Station.

Based on the glimpses that we caught of Moriarty in pre-season trailers and images of Daystrom Station seen in Imposters, it seems likely that we’ll encounter Moriarty in the upcoming episode. Access to Daystrom Station is said to be controlled by a “sophisticated AI,” and that description could also apply to Moriarty himself!

Put two and two together and I think we can make the case that Moriarty is the AI, and that somehow he came to be employed as the guardian of Daystrom Station. Whether he’s in that capacity voluntarily… well, I think that’s still to be revealed!

Theory #6:
Daystrom Station is operated by Section 31… and ex-Terran Empress Georgiou will be found there.

This one is definitely “out there,” at least in terms of its second part! But I think it would make for a fascinating story if it were to unfold. During Discovery’s third season, Georgiou entered the Guardian of Forever’s portal, being sent to an unknown destination and time period. What if she emerged in the late 24th Century and resumed her work with Section 31? Or perhaps Section 31 didn’t know what to do with Georgiou and placed her in some kind of stasis… aboard Daystrom Station.

Despite the two shows running alongside one another for two full seasons apiece, there hasn’t been a single solid connection between Discovery and Picard… and time’s running out to make one. The shock return of Georgiou could not only be a wonderful crossover, but could prove that there’s still a pathway to dragging the Section 31 series out of development hell.

Theory #7:
At least one more unannounced character will make an appearance!

It was fantastic to see Ro Laren make a return to Star Trek in Imposters. But will she be the only unannounced character to appear? I’m not so sure!

There were surprises in both of Picard’s first two seasons, so I’m not convinced that we won’t see at least one more character making a return. There have been rumours, theories, and guesses from Trekkies for months as to who may or may not be included… and all I can really say is that Ro’s surprise return has increased the likelihood of this happening.

With the changelings involved in a big way, characters from Deep Space Nine would be perfect to include – but practically anyone from The Next Generation era could show up.

Theory #8:
At least one main character will be killed.

The death of Ro Laren has shaken Picard and the crew… but it’s also shaken up this theory! The fundamental question is this: is Ro’s death a harbinger of things to come? Or is it simply a narrative device used to show how high the stakes are? I think there’s a solid case to make that Picard and the crew are in danger.

Television storytelling has changed a lot since The Next Generation premiered, and even main characters can no longer consider themselves to be safe if they wind up in dangerous situations! It would be a challenge to kill off a legacy character in a way that would be satisfying and would feel right – but it would be incredibly bold, and if such a story beat stuck the landing it could pay off a character arc that’s been running for well over three decades.

I made a list of who I thought could be in danger before the season began, and you can find it by clicking or tapping here.

So those theories are new or saw significant movement this week.

Next, as always, I’ll recap all of the other theories that are currently in play. Despite not seeing much attention in Imposters, all of these theories remain on the table as we head into the second half of the season.

Theory #9:
Vadic is a veteran of the Battle of Wolf-359.

One thing that has confused me about the story so far is that there have been multiple Borg references, and specifically references to the events of The Best of Both Worlds. These references have come in a story about changelings and Dr Crusher’s son – a story that doesn’t have a readily apparent Borg angle.

One way in which this circle could be squared, and these references made to feel meaningful, is if Vadic was herself a veteran of the Battle of Wolf-359. This would give her an immediate connection not only to Picard, Riker, and the crew of the Enterprise-D, but also to Captain Shaw. We could learn, perhaps, that Vadic had been a low-level Starfleet officer or crewman, and that she’d left Starfleet after being traumatised by the events of the battle. She could even turn out to be one of the other survivors of the USS Constance – meaning she’d once served alongside Shaw.

Theory #10:
The rogue changelings are responsible for the mysterious anomaly seen in Season 2.

It didn’t escape my notice that the events of Season 2 were referenced – albeit incredibly briefly – by Captain Shaw in No Win Scenario. That being said, this theory still feels like somewhat of a long-shot just based on how Picard seems to have moved on from what happened last year.

In short, what I’m suggesting is that the mysterious anomaly that was a big part of the story of Season 2 will turn out to be a weapon of some kind deployed by the rogue changelings, either as part of or as a precursor to their plan to attack Starfleet and the Federation. This would explain Dr Jurati’s comment that the anomaly seemed to be artificial in nature – and it would tie up a massive loose end from last season.

Theory #11:
The rogue changelings are planning attacks on the Klingon Empire and the Romulans.

A joint Federation-Klingon task force during the Dominion War.
*Image Credit: JTVFX on YouTube*

It wasn’t only the Federation that opposed the Founders during the Dominion War. The Klingons, Romulans, and later a Cardassian resistance movement all played significant roles in preventing the Dominion from conquering the Alpha Quadrant – so it stands to reason that the rogue changelings would be looking to get revenge on these powers, too.

Despite having had two full seasons of Picard already – one of which had a major Romulan theme – we still don’t know much about the state of the galaxy in political terms. Are the Federation, Romulans, and Klingons on friendly terms in this era, or has the Dominion War alliance of necessity fallen apart? After the Zhat Vash plot was exposed, what happened to Federation-Romulan relations? All of these things would be interesting to explore, and the rogue changelings’ plot could lead to such a storyline. For now, though, suffice to say I suspect that the Federation may not be the only target that the rogue changelings have in mind!

Theory #12:
The rogue changelings may also be targeting the Bajorans and Cardassians.

Legate Damar led a Cardassian resistance movement against the Dominion.

These two factions played smaller roles during the Dominion War in some respects, with the Cardassians serving as Dominion allies (and members of the Dominion), and Bajor signing an official non-aggression pact with the Dominion. However, both the Bajorans and Cardassians later opposed the Dominion, and the Prophets – who are strongly aligned with Bajor – arguably turned the tide of the entire war.

If the rogue changelings are on the move, I would suspect that the Federation, Romulans, and Klingons would be their main targets as it was these powers who played the biggest and most obvious roles in the conflict. But Bajor and Cardassia may not be safe.

Again, we don’t know enough about the geopolitics of this era! Bajor may have joined the Federation, and even Cardassia could be under Federation protection. If so, that changes the dynamic.

Theory #13:
The rogue changelings are planning to cripple Starfleet.

The Enterprise-F and other Federation starships as seen in a pre-season trailer.

The precise number of ships that Starfleet has has always been a tad vague, adaptable to different stories. But I think we can safely assume that there are several hundred ships in Starfleet at any one time. Many of these, though, will be science vessels, ships of exploration, or even transport ships. The number of tactical vessels and combat-ready front-line ships is going to be a lot smaller.

With that in mind, a coordinated strike against these ships could cripple the Federation’s ability to defend itself. We already know that the rogue changeling aboard the Titan had a bomb that they used to severely damage the ship – if other rogue changeling operatives are similarly equipped, they could potentially take out Starfleet’s best and most powerful vessels in one fell swoop.

Theory #14:
Vadic backstory ideas.

If I’m correct and Vadic isn’t a changeling, then I have some other possible origins in play for the season’s only named villain. I wrote a list months ago, after Vadic first made her debut in pre-season marketing material, and suggested several ways that Vadic could be connected to Star Trek’s past. We looked at one such idea above – that Vadic may be a veteran of Wolf-359 and an ex-Starfleet officer or crewman, but there are a handful of others.

A former member of Picard’s crew, perhaps someone who was injured or left for dead while serving under his command,
An ex-Borg, either someone who was assimilated while serving on Picard’s crew or perhaps someone from the Artifact in Season 1,
An augment, potentially tied to Season 2’s Adam Soong or even Khan himself,
A Romulan or ally of the Romulans, with a potential tie to Sela.

Theory #15:
Vadic has put together a “rogues’ gallery” of Star Trek villains.

I’m close to retiring this theory, to tell the truth, but until we’ve spent a bit more time with Vadic and the masked crew of the Shrike, there’s still a slim chance that it could pan out.

When we first saw Moriarty and Lore in pre-season trailers, I wondered whether they might be members of Vadic’s crew. If so, I theorised that they may just be the tip of the iceberg, and that Vadic may have allies from across The Next Generation era – particularly people who hated Picard and could conceivably want to seek revenge against him. I suggested characters like Sela, Toral, Commodore Oh, and even Thomas Riker as possible candidates.

You can see the full list by clicking or tapping here.

Theory #16:
Vadic’s crew are Jem’Hadar.

A Jem’Hadar warrior as seen in *Deep Space Nine*.

Another theory that may not pan out! If Vadic is a Founder, she may have brought Jem’Hadar with her, or perhaps the rogue changelings were breeding their own Jem’Hadar. The clicking language spoken by both Vadic’s crew and the changelings aboard the Intrepid could count against this theory – or be a point in its favour!

It stands to reason that, if a group of rogue changelings are making moves against the Federation, that at least some Jem’Hadar could be involved as well. I’d actually quite like to see what an updated Jem’Hadar design could look like in 2023!

Theory #17:
Captain Shaw will be killed.

Now that Shaw has had his explosive moment with Picard, revealing his involvement at the Battle of Wolf-359, the end could be near for the “dipshit from Chicago.” We’ve already seen how the Titan having multiple captains on board complicates the story, and if there is to be any kind of “Seven of Nine show” as a spin-off, it makes sense that Shaw might need to be removed from the captain’s chair in order to make that happen.

There’s still a lot of potential in Shaw, and he certainly could have more to contribute to the story. However, there are other potential reasons why killing him off could be on the agenda! If the writers want the impact of killing a major character, but don’t want the controversy of killing off a legacy character, then Captain Shaw could be on the chopping block. His death could raise the stakes significantly as the story has passed its halfway point.

Theory #18:
Someone on Picard’s crew will turn out to be an imposter.

Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D in a promo photo for Season 5 of *The Next Generation*.

I think we can safely say that Picard, Riker, the Crushers, Captain Shaw, and Seven of Nine aren’t changelings. But that still leaves several major characters who could potentially have been replaced!

With changelings on the move, basically anyone could have been replaced, and it won’t always be easy to tell. It seems possible that someone like Geordi, Troi, or perhaps even Raffi could be replaced by changeling infiltrators before they link up with Picard and the crew of the Titan, and it may not be possible to know who to trust.

With one changeling infiltrator storyline having already played out, though, it will have to be handled carefully so as not to feel repetitive! Still, I can’t help but wonder if a changeling imposter may be a big revelation in a future episode.

Theory #19:
Not all of Raffi’s messages were from Worf.

Could someone have hacked Raffi’s comms?

As the changeling infiltration story deepens, I think it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that someone involved in the conspiracy – Vadic, perhaps – was sending messages to Raffi claiming to be her handler. These messages may have been false leads, irrelevant information, or other attempts to throw her off the trail. If so, it worked – Raffi wasn’t able to stop the attack on the Federation facility in time.

Narratively speaking, there was a good reason to keep Worf hidden until the end of Disengage: it made his last-second appearance all the more dramatic. But could there be another reason why Raffi’s messages came through in text form, read aloud by a disembodied digital voice? I wonder.

Theory #20:
The absences of characters from Seasons 1 and 2 will be explained.

Could we learn what Dr Borgati is up to?

I was pleasantly surprised to see Laris was included in the season premiere, and while she won’t have a big role in the story of the season, it was great that the story didn’t just dump her as it raced ahead. Due to her importance to the story of Season 2, Laris was perhaps the character who I felt it was most important to include in some way, and I’m glad we got to see her.

But there are still several characters from Seasons 1 and 2 who haven’t been mentioned. Elnor and Soji could easily be name-dropped; a line or two of dialogue could clear up where they are, what they’re doing, and why they can’t join Picard on his current mission. The Borg Queen-Dr Jurati hybrid is a bit more complicated; her self-appointed role as “guardian” of the mysterious anomaly makes it a bit harder to just wave away her disappearance.

I hope we’ll get something that will acknowledge these characters’ absences. All were important in the first two seasons of the show, and simply abandoning them without any kind of goodbye was disappointing at the end of Season 2. If Season 3 could do something to rectify that, I’d appreciate it!

Theory #21:
Several members of La Sirena’s crew have joined Captain Vadic.

The crew of La Sirena at the end of Season 1.

Although we’ve had it confirmed that most of the actors from Seasons 1 and 2 won’t be reprising their roles this time around, when I first saw the masked crew of the Shrike I couldn’t help but wonder… could some of these people be Picard’s friends? Could that explain why Dr Crusher warned Picard to “trust no one” and simultaneously explain their absences?

It would be a stunning revelation indeed if, when the masks are inevitably removed, Picard and the crew find themselves confronting the likes of Soji and Elnor. Maybe this one is a no-hoper because of what we’ve been told by the actors involved… but you never know!

Theory #22:
Picard and his crew will reactivate Lore and Professor Moriarty.

Although it seemed at first as though Lore and Professor Moriarty might be on Captain Vadic’s team, the final trailer for Season 3 was cut together in such a way as to suggest that it might be Picard and his crew that are responsible for re-awakening them. I have an idea as to why that might be the case (and we’ll take a look at that in a moment), but for now let’s just say that it seems possible that the story will go down this road.

Last time we saw both Lore and Professor Moriarty, neither posed a threat. Lore had been fully shut down, and Moriarty had been trapped in a holographic storage module, believing himself to be free to explore the galaxy. How either of them could come back is an open question – but they are coming back in some form!

Theory #23:
Picard and his crew need to find synthetic allies/crewmates.

This theory seems to have moved significantly now that we know the changelings are involved! In brief, I’d suggested that Picard and the crew might be unable to trust organics, and that could explain why they may turn to artificial life forms like Lore and Professor Moriarty to aid them. With the inclusion of the Founders in the story, that possibility feels as if it could’ve just moved one step closer.

If it’s hard or even impossible to detect a changeling infiltrator, then synthetic life-forms may be the only ones that Picard can be certain are who they say they are. That could explain why Picard and the crew might re-activate these one-time enemies. It does raise a pertinent question, though: if Picard needs help from artificial life-forms, why not ask Soji and the Coppelius synths for help?

It does seem like one heck of a coincidence that Lore and Professor Moriarty – both of whom are synthetic – are involved in this story!

Theory #24:
Vadic will be killed by her own portal-weapon.

This idea is a pretty simple one: as often happens to villains in stories like these, Captain Vadic will end up being killed by her own powerful weapon. We saw the portal-weapon used against the Titan in Seventeen Seconds, and I can absolutely see a pathway to Picard and the crew capturing it or gaining control of it, and turning it against Vadic.

There can be something poetic about an evil villain being destroyed by their own weapon, so I can’t help but feel that Vadic may meet her end by being spliced through one of her own portals!

Theory #25:
Odo will make an appearance – somehow.

I don’t know how I feel about this one. It was sweet to see Worf make reference to Odo in Seventeen Seconds – though the connection could have been clearer, especially for more casual viewers – but I’m not convinced that we need to see Odo for ourselves. The reason for that is simple: the only way we could see Odo is either by re-casting the character or recreating him through some kind of CGI process.

Star Trek has successfully re-cast many characters over the years, so I don’t really take exception to that. But the death of actor René Auberjonois is still recent and fresh in our minds, so bringing Odo back without him just feels… uncomfortable. Although Odo is well-suited to a story in which the changelings are back, I think I’d rather he didn’t appear in person on this occasion. But I wanted to acknowledge that it’s at least a plausible development for the story.

Theory #26:
Lore and/or Professor Moriarty were stolen from Daystrom Station.

The Titan at Daystrom Station as seen in an episode trailer.

I don’t think it’s been confirmed that the Daystrom Institute and Daystrom Station are one and the same, but it’s certainly implied that they’re two parts of the same organisation. The Daystrom Institute, where Dr Jurati worked prior to the events of Season 1, is involved in the development of computer technology within the Federation, and was where Dr Bruce Maddox wanted to disassemble and study Data. We saw in Season 1 that B-4 (an early Data prototype) had been disassembled and was being stored at the Daystrom Institute… and when I heard that “something” had been stolen from there, my thoughts immediately turned to Lore.

Both Lore and Professor Moriarty had been deactivated when we last saw them, and the question of how either will fit into the story of this season is still an open one. I also can’t be sure what Vadic and/or the rogue changelings would want with Lore and/or Moriarty – but given how we saw that synths could be reprogrammed in Season 1, perhaps that could be part of it? Either way, these malevolent artificial life-forms could be dangerous if they allied themselves to the rogue changelings.

Theory #27:
A spin-off series will be announced.

Alex Kurtzman is currently in charge of Star Trek over at Paramount.
*Image Credit: StarTrek.com*

Sad news came out from Paramount shortly after the episode Seventeen Seconds aired: Star Trek: Discovery has been cancelled and will end after its upcoming fifth season. This moment would have been a good time to announce a new Star Trek project; something to replace Discovery in the line-up. But it didn’t happen.

With Picard also ending, and no confirmation as yet of new seasons beyond what has already been announced for any of the other shows, Star Trek’s future beyond 2024 feels as if it’s hanging in the balance.

I’d already said that this was as much a hope as a theory; I’d love Paramount to announce a new Star Trek series of any kind, but a 25th Century project that would potentially tie in with Picard would be at the top of my list. There are options: a series focusing on Seven of Nine, a revived Section 31 show, or the Starfleet Academy series that has been the subject of many rumours. But so far, nothing has been announced. With all eyes on the Star Trek franchise right now, making such an announcement before Picard comes to an end would be good timing… so watch this space, I guess!

So that’s it!

Dr Crusher performed an autopsy on a dead changeling this week…

As we enter the second half of the season, we sure do have a long and unwieldy list of theories! But that’s okay: there’s plenty of time left to see them all debunked as the story goes in a wildly unpredictable direction! I was thrilled to see Ro Laren come back this week… and sad to see her meet her end. But her death has really communicated the scale of the danger Picard and the crew are facing – and that could mean that not all of them will make it to the end of the season alive and unharmed.

As a final note: I always like to end these theory lists by saying that I do this just for fun. I enjoy writing, I enjoy Star Trek, and spending more time in this world is an escape and an enjoyable distraction for me. But for some folks, fan theories can become frustrating or unenjoyable, especially if they get very attached to a plausible-sounding theory that ultimately doesn’t pan out. I have no “insider information” and I’m not trying to claim that anything suggested above can, will, or must be part of Picard Season 3. I fully expect many of these theories to be debunked and for the season to go in wildly unpredictable directions!

Star Trek: Picard Seasons 1-3 are available to stream now on Paramount+ in the United States and other countries and territories where the service is available, and on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and around the world. The Star Trek franchise – including Picard and all other properties discussed above – is the copyright of Paramount Global. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 theories – week 4

Mon 13.03.23Mon 13.03.23Dennis

No Win Scenario has certainly shaken up the theory list! Although I’d argue it wasn’t quite as enjoyable an episode as Seventeen Seconds had been last week, there were still plenty of fun and exciting moments. The first chapter of Season 3 has now drawn to a close, but in terms of mysteries, the story is just getting started!

If you missed it, I hope you’ll go back and check out my review of No Win Scenario, as I go into detail about different elements of the episode. Some worked exceptionally well, one sequence in particular was incredibly emotional and cathartic, and some others… well, let’s just say there were a few moments that weren’t as enjoyable as the rest! You can find my review by clicking or tapping here.

There are some big changes this week for the theory list! We have four debunkings, one semi-confirmation, and two confirmations, as well as a couple of brand-new theories that are joining the party!

As always, we begin with confirmations and debunkings.

Confirmed theory #1:
Vadic has an additional reason for chasing Jack and the Titan.

I felt certain that “money” couldn’t possibly be Vadic’s sole motive for chasing Jack Crusher, and while we still don’t know the details, we at least got confirmation this week that there’s more going on here. Vadic is doing the bidding of a changeling for some reason, and the changeling has a particular interest in Jack.

I’m glad that there’s more to Vadic than something as bland and uninspired as looking for a big paycheck. There’s potential now to explore her character a lot more, really flesh out what’s going on and what her connection to the rogue changelings could be, and provide a satisfying end to the mysteries that have been set up so far.

Confirmed theory #2:
Captain Shaw lost someone to the Borg.

Debris in the aftermath of the Battle of Wolf-359.

Or rather, several someones. Captain Shaw saw the crew of the USS Constance – many of whom will have been friends and colleagues – killed during the Battle of Wolf-359 almost forty years prior to the events of Picard Season 3. This explains his characterisation in the show thus far, and particularly the prejudice he’s shown toward Seven of Nine and Picard.

His anger toward ex-Borg is certainly misdirected, especially insofar as Seven is concerned, and I don’t think we can simply give Shaw a pass because of what he went through. The trauma clearly played a huge role in shaping who he is, though, and while it doesn’t justify his treatment of Picard and Seven, at least now we know he isn’t just being a jerk for no reason at all.

As I said in my review, though: I’m not exactly blown away by this revelation, and it feels very familiar to anyone who’s seen Deep Space Nine.

Semi-confirmed theory:
Jack has a connection to Vadic.

I’m calling this one “semi-confirmed,” because while I didn’t get the details exactly right, there is still a connection of some kind between Jack and Vadic, as noted above. Vadic’s changeling boss is directing her to pursue and capture Jack – for reasons that are still unclear – so there’s more to this chase than simply trying to cash in on a bounty.

At the moment, Vadic is mostly off to one side in her own little narrative box, and has only been able to interact with the crew of the Titan via viewscreen a couple of episodes ago. I hope that there will be time in the episodes ahead to have more interaction between Vadic and Jack in particular.

Debunked theory #1:
The changelings are hiding in the nebula.

When the Titan’s science officer flagged up “organic” elements present in the nebula, I wondered if that could indicate that at least some of the changelings are nearby. We saw in Deep Space Nine that the changelings’ homeworld was hidden inside a nebula, so it seemed like a reasonable assumption that the rogue changelings might also use a nebula to keep their base out of sight.

However, it didn’t pan out – and I think it would have felt like quite the contrivance if the Titan had stumbled on the changelings’ hideout seemingly by accident!

Debunked theory #2:
The changelings are the nebula.

For the same reason given above, it didn’t seem impossible to think that the changelings could have actually formed the nebula themselves. We saw in Deep Space Nine that changelings are able to exist in a gaseous state, and appearing as a random, unwelcoming phenomenon on the outskirts of a minor star system could have been a great hiding place!

The story that we got, however, was truly excellent, and one that managed to recapture that occasionally elusive sense of “Star Trek.” Seeing the spacefaring life-forms being born was an incredibly sweet moment, and far better than if the nebula had turned out to be a group of linked changelings!

Debunked theory #3:
Riker is a changeling.

Captain Riker at the end of *No Win Scenario*.

I wondered about this last week, based mostly on random pieces of evidence that had been scattered across the trailers and the first couple of episodes. In short, I wondered if Riker may have been replaced by a changeling while beaming back to the Titan from the Eleos. We caught a glimpse of Riker seemingly imprisoned in an earlier trailer, and since we know there’s a bigger conspiracy in the offing, it seemed possible that the changelings might seek to replace a starship captain.

However, Riker’s story in No Win Scenario clearly disproves this idea! Riker was dejected for much of the episode, and spent a long time trying to find the right words to leave behind in the event that the Titan didn’t make it.

Debunked theory #4:
Vadic is a changeling.

Vadic has a changeling appendage – but I think it’s pretty clear now that she isn’t a changeling herself. This shakes things up in more ways than one, as the relationship between Vadic and the rogue changelings’ conspiracy isn’t cut and dry; there may be conflicting ideas and motivations here.

Still, when we knew that the changelings were involved – and that Vadic was in contact with a changeling spy embedded aboard the Titan – it seemed like a reasonable assumption that she could’ve been a changeling herself!

So those theories have been debunked or confirmed.

Now it’s time for the main event: the theory list! We’ll start with new theories and theories that saw movement as a result of events in No Win Scenario.

Theory #1:
Vadic is a veteran of the Battle of Wolf-359.

The Borg cube that was involved in the battle.

Theory #2:
Jack Crusher has changeling DNA… somehow.

Why do the changelings want Jack so badly? Why does Jack have strange visions of blood-red vines and an opening door? And why do we prominently see what appears to be a strand of DNA in the closing credits? If I’m right, then Jack will – somehow – have a combination of human and changeling DNA. How this happened… well, he and Dr Crusher have spent years on the front lines delivering medical supplies and taking risks. Perhaps something that happened to them on their travels brought Jack into contact with a changeling.

I don’t think that Jack knows what’s going on, and if such a connection were revealed, it would probably be as much of a surprise to him as it will be to us as the audience!

Having established Jack as the son of Dr Crusher and Picard, it would be difficult to say that he is a changeling; an imposter. But maybe that’s the direction the story will go. I suspect it may be subtler than that, though, and just like Vadic has a changeling hand, Jack may have some kind of changeling DNA without actually being a changeling himself.

Theory #3:
The rogue changelings are responsible for the mysterious anomaly seen in Season 2.

Theory #4:
The rogue changelings are planning attacks on the Klingon Empire and the Romulans.

Theory #5:
The rogue changelings may also be targeting the Bajorans and Cardassians.

Again, we don’t know enough about the geopolitics of this era! Bajor may have joined the Federation, and even Cardassia could be under Federation protection. If so, that changes the dynamic.

Theory #6:
There are changeling infiltrators aboard dozens of Starfleet vessels.

No offence to Captain Shaw and Commander Seven… but the Titan isn’t exactly the most important ship in the fleet. Prior to Picard and Riker commandeering it for their off-the-books rescue mission, it was a minor exploratory vessel that doesn’t seem to have played a significant role in any major event, nor is it at the heart of the Federation’s defensive strategy.

Despite the ship’s relative unimportance, however, the rogue changelings still planted a spy aboard the Titan. If a ship like the Titan has an embedded changeling, it stands to reason that other ships do, too – perhaps a great many others. Their missions may be to sabotage the ships, either subtly, as we saw with the Titan, or more explosively…

Theory #7:
The rogue changelings are planning to cripple Starfleet.

A clip from a pre-season trailer showed a Federation starship suffering damage to one of its nacelles.

Theory #8:
Vadic backstory ideas.

We’ve ruled out the idea that Vadic is a changeling, but I still have some other possible origins in play for the season’s only named villain. I wrote a list months ago, after Vadic first made her debut in pre-season marketing material, and suggested several ways that Vadic could be connected to Star Trek’s past. We looked at one such idea above – that Vadic may be a veteran of Wolf-359 and an ex-Starfleet officer or crewman, but there are a handful of others.

A former member of Picard’s crew, perhaps someone who was injured or left for dead while serving under his command,
An ex-Borg, either someone who was assimilated while serving on Picard’s crew or perhaps someone from the Artifact in Season 1,
An augment, potentially tied to Season 2’s Adam Soong or even Khan himself,
A Romulan or ally of the Romulans, with a potential tie to Sela,
A member of Insurrection’s Son’a.

Theory #9:
Vadic has put together a “rogues’ gallery” of Star Trek villains.

I’m close to retiring this theory, to tell the truth, but until we’ve spent a bit more time with Vadic and the masked crew of the Shrike, there’s still a slim chance that it could pan out.

You can see the full list by clicking or tapping here.

Theory #10:
Vadic’s crew are Jem’Hadar.

Another theory that may not pan out! Now that we know Vadic is almost certainly not a changeling, the likelihood of this one seems to have dropped dramatically. In short, I speculated last time that if Vadic is a Founder, she may have brought Jem’Hadar with her, or perhaps even that the rogue changelings were breeding their own Jem’Hadar.

Given that there is a connection, though, and that Vadic has a changeling (or part of a changeling) aboard her vessel, we could still potentially see some Jem’Hadar warriors amongst her crew.

Theory #11:
The Borg are involved.

The first Borg drone ever seen in Star Trek.

With a surprisingly large portion of No Win Scenario taken up with telling stories about the Borg, perhaps the chances of a bigger Borg connection have just increased! After all, why should the narrative keep returning to the Borg if there isn’t something else going on to make such inclusions relevant?

Last week, I suggested two possibilities for Borg involvement. Firstly, the rogue changelings may have stolen Borg technology from Daystrom Station – tech that could even be from the Artifact. This technology may be part of how they plan to attack Starfleet. Secondly, it doesn’t seem entirely impossible for the rogue changelings to have allied themselves with the Borg – after all, both factions would have reasons for wanting to see the Federation and Starfleet weakened or defeated, and the Borg have shown a willingness to make alliances before.

Theory #12:
Captain Shaw will be killed.

Theory #13:
Someone on Picard’s crew will turn out to be an imposter.

Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D in a promo photo for Season 2 of *The Next Generation*.

So we’ve ruled out the likes of Riker and Vadic being changelings, and I think we can safely say that Picard, the Crushers, Captain Shaw, and Seven of Nine aren’t changelings either. But that still leaves several major characters who could potentially have been replaced! The title of the upcoming episode is Imposters, which could also be a hint!

Theory #14:
Not all of Raffi’s messages were from Worf.

So those theories are new or moved significantly in No Win Scenario.

Now, in order to keep the theories all in one place, I’ll recap everything else that’s currently in play. These theories weren’t touched in this week’s episode.

Theory #15:
The absences of characters from Seasons 1 and 2 will be explained.

Could we learn why Soji isn’t going to join Picard this time around?

Theory #16:
There will be at least one unannounced character returning!

There have been theories and guesses from Trekkies for basically a whole year about which other characters from The Next Generation era could appear in Season 3. I don’t claim to know who might be included – but it feels like a pretty solid guess to say that someone from The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and/or Voyager will put in an appearance.

This could be a simple cameo, or an appearance similar to those seen in episodes like Encounter at Farpoint and Caretaker. Or there could be a real hidden surprise, with a character basically joining Picard’s mission. We didn’t really know the extent of Seven of Nine’s involvement in Season 1 until it happened, nor the extent of Brent Spiner’s roles in Seasons 1 and 2… so there’s at least the possibility of some kind of big surprise!

Theory #17:
Several members of La Sirena’s crew have joined Captain Vadic.

Theory #18:
At least one main character will be killed.

It feels like a solid possibility that at least one main character won’t make it to the end of the season. Television storytelling has changed a lot since The Next Generation premiered, and even main characters can no longer consider themselves to be safe if they wind up in dangerous situations!

It would be a challenge to kill off a legacy character in a way that would be satisfying and would feel right – but it would be incredibly bold, and if such a story beat stuck the landing, it could succeed at either setting up the story or paying off a season-long character arc.

I made a list of who I thought could be in danger before the season began, and you can find it by clicking or tapping here.

Theory #19:
Picard and his crew will reactivate Lore and Professor Moriarty.

Theory #20:
Picard and his crew need to find synthetic allies/crewmates.

It does seem like one heck of a coincidence that Lore and Professor Moriarty – both of whom are synthetic – are involved in this story!

Theory #21:
Vadic will be killed by her own portal-weapon.

There can be something poetic about an evil villain being destroyed by their own weapon, so I can’t help but feel that Vadic may meet her end by being spliced through one of her own portals!

Theory #22:
Odo will make an appearance – somehow.

Theory #23:
Lore and/or Professor Moriarty were stolen from Daystrom Station.

Theory #24:
A spin-off series will be announced.

Alex Kurtzman is currently in charge of Star Trek over at Paramount.

So that’s it!

Those are all of the theories that we have in play as we approach the midpoint of the season. There’s still a lot of time for the story to go in completely different directions, though, and even to introduce new characters and factions if it’s done right. We’ve started to see the beginnings of some mysteries being unravelled – but others, such as what may be causing Jack’s mysterious hallucinations, are just getting started!

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 theories – week 3

Tue 07.03.23Dennis

I had a great time with Seventeen Seconds this week – in fact, I’d say it’s almost certainly the best episode of Picard since the Season 2 premiere last year. It was also an episode that shook up our theory list in a pretty big way, with a major revelation that seems to have uncovered the real “big bad” of the narrative.

But we’re only three episodes into a ten-episode season… so it’s all still to play for! I’m sure we haven’t seen all of the twists and turns yet, and that there’s much more to be revealed.

I hope you’ll read my review of Seventeen Seconds if you haven’t already, as I go into a lot more detail about what was a fantastic episode. I found a few nitpicks, as I always do, and I offered my thoughts on some potentially controversial story points, too! You can find my review by clicking or tapping here.

This week we have two confirmations, two theory retirements, and one debunking. There are also a few theories that are barely hanging in there! As always, we’ll look at the theories that are departing the list first.

Debunked theory:
Jack Crusher was conceived during the events of Star Trek: Insurrection.

Picard on the Ba’ku planet in *Insurrection*.

Based on Jack’s apparent age, Dr Crusher’s absence, and the metaphasic radiation at the centre of Insurrection’s story, I suggested that Jack may have been conceived during or shortly after the events of that film. However, we learned in Seventeen Seconds that Jack was actually conceived sometime after Nemesis, shortly before Picard and his remaining crew left the Enterprise-E. As stated in earlier episodes, this is about twenty years before the events of Picard Season 3, meaning Jack Crusher is supposedly in his early twenties.

Actor Ed Speleers, who plays Jack, is in his mid-thirties… and without wishing to be unkind, I don’t think he readily passes for a twenty-year-old. In addition, I’d suggest that Jack’s backstory of criminality and confidence trickery also better suits a character at least slightly older. But this is Jack’s true origin, so I guess we’ll just have to accept it!

Retired theory #1:
The super-synths from Season 1 are involved.

A device designed by the super-synths to open a portal to their realm.

I feel bad about having to let this one go, but it now seems all but certain that Star Trek won’t be revisiting the super-synths from Season 1: the so-called “alliance of synthetic life” that left behind a beacon and potentially threatened all life in the galaxy.

I proposed a theory shortly after the end of Season 2 that could have tied together all three seasons of the show. In short, I posited that the super-synths created the mysterious anomaly seen in Season 2 as some kind of weapon, and that they’d return as the “big bad” in Season 3. Vadic could have been one of their pawns or devotees, someone obsessed with ensuring their arrival in the galaxy.

But all of that is for the birds now, as the story is clearly going in a different direction by bringing back the Founders.

Retired theory #2:
Captain Vadic and her crew are hosts for the parasite-aliens first encountered in the episode Conspiracy.

The only sign that an individual was playing host to a parasite-alien was this spike at the back of the neck.

This idea was pretty wild, and I was surprised to see that I wasn’t the only one who’d been talking about it! As above, now that we’ve seen the Founders, it seems clear that Picard Season 3 is going in a very different direction – and considering the origins of this particular theory, I suspect that may be for the best!

The parasite-aliens from the episode Conspiracy sprang to mind when we heard Dr Crusher talking about how Picard should “trust no one” in pre-season trailers, and the idea that they might have returned was, in some ways at least, a potentially interesting one. But with Conspiracy being a more-or-less forgotten part of The Next Generation’s first season, one whose story was never revisited and had no influence over the rest of the show, I daresay it would have been a hard sell to bring this particular storyline back. Maybe it’s something better saved for a show like Lower Decks!

Confirmed theory #1:
Vadic has an ally within Starfleet.

Though it’s still possible that Vadic has additional spies or allies within Starfleet – either aboard the Titan or elsewhere – we got confirmation this week that she has at least one ally embedded aboard the Titan.

I stand by what I said in my review, though: it would have been more impactful had we met this character before it was revealed that they were a changeling infiltrator!

Confirmed theory #2:
Vadic is not the real “big bad” of the Season.

We don’t currently know the specifics of Vadic’s relationship with the changelings. Is she a Founder herself, for instance, or does she merely work for them as a “sub-contractor?” There’s clearly more to be revealed about Vadic, but Seventeen Seconds confirmed what I had suspected: that she isn’t the only villain Picard and the crew will have to deal with.

We learned in Seventeen Seconds of the existence of a rogue faction of Founders; a schism in the Great Link has occurred, with followers of Odo’s peaceful path on one side, and a seemingly more aggressive, violent group of changelings on the other. What their specific goals may be, beyond chaos and revenge, is yet to be revealed – but we now know that Vadic isn’t working alone, and that she is either part of or working for this faction. I’m terming them the “rogue changelings” for now – but that may change if they’re given a proper on-screen name.

So those theories have been retired, debunked, or confirmed!

Now we’ll jump into the main theory list, beginning with theories that are either new or saw significant movement this week.

Theory #1:
Lore and/or Professor Moriarty were stolen from Daystrom Station.

Theory #2:
Vadic is a changeling.

The events of Seventeen Seconds did not confirm this – but it seems like a very likely outcome right now! While Vadic and her crew could be bounty hunters, as they claimed to be, merely working with the rogue changelings, there’s also a distinct possibility that she is herself a changeling.

When Jack Crusher told us in earlier episodes that the people chasing him looked like Klingons one moment, then Starfleet personnel the next, it seemed at least possible that they were shape-shifters – and now we know that one of Vadic’s spies aboard the Titan is a changeling it would make a lot of sense that she and at least some of the members of her crew are too. Not confirmed, but I feel like we’re potentially edging toward some kind of confirmation on this one!

Theory #3:
A few other Vadic origin ideas.

So we’ve ruled out Vadic and her crew playing host to the parasite-aliens from Conspiracy, but as above, her identity has not yet been confirmed. If she isn’t a Founder, there are still a few possible explanations that would tie her into Star Trek’s past. I put together a longer list before the season aired, and here are the possibilities that I consider to still be in play:

A former member of Picard’s crew, perhaps someone who was injured or left for dead while serving under his command,
An ex-Borg, either someone who was assimilated while serving on Picard’s crew or perhaps someone from the Artifact in Season 1,
An augment, potentially tied to Season 2’s Adam Soong or even Khan himself,
A Romulan or ally of the Romulans, with a potential tie to Sela,
A member of Insurrection’s Son’a.

Theory #4:
Riker is a changeling.

To be more specific, I’m not saying that Riker has been a changeling the entire time, but that he has been since partway through episode 2, when he beamed aboard the Titan from the Eleos. Let’s break down the evidence in favour of this theory!

Firstly, we have the clip from the extended Season 3 trailer, in which Riker appears to be trapped or imprisoned somewhere. As seen in Deep Space Nine, the Founders would imprison people they replaced – such as Martok and Dr Bashir. Secondly, we know that the crew of the Shrike already have a changeling ally aboard the Titan. Third, the changeling Raffi and Worf confronted said that his people (or rather, his faction of rogue changelings) had plans to attack multiple planets in the Federation and beyond – implying a big conspiracy involving multiple people being replaced. And finally, we could make the case that Riker’s conflict with Picard was out-of-character for him – or at the very least, a convenient way to get the Admiral off the bridge so he could consolidate his power as the ship’s commander.

Theory #5:
Someone on Picard’s crew will turn out to be an imposter.

Picard and the crew on a promotional poster for Season 3.

Now that we know the changelings are involved, suspicion should fall on basically everyone! Aside from Picard himself, Jack Crusher, Beverly Crusher, and the wounded Captain Shaw, I think we should be suspicious of practically everybody! I already singled out Riker, and explained in brief several reasons why I think he’s a potential changeling candidate, but there are others, both on the crew of the Titan and beyond.

This would connect with the idea of not knowing who to trust, something Dr Crusher warned Picard about right at the start of the season. We already know that there’s at least one changeling aboard the Titan – but could there be more? Or could the changelings have abducted and replaced the likes of Troi or Geordi?

In Deep Space Nine episodes like Paradise Lost, we saw that the Federation was working on methods to identify changelings or even force them to reveal themselves. It would be interesting to see these make a return.

Theory #6:
Odo will make an appearance – somehow.

Theory #7:
A spin-off series will be announced.

My thoughts on this have shifted somewhat this week, and not because of anything that happened on-screen! Sad news came out from Paramount shortly after this week’s episode of Picard aired: Star Trek: Discovery has been cancelled and will end after its upcoming fifth season. This moment would have been a good time to announce a new Star Trek project; something to replace Discovery in the line-up. But it didn’t happen.

I already said that this was as much a hope as a theory; I’d love Paramount to announce a new Star Trek series of any kind, but a 25th Century project that would potentially tie in with Picard would be at the top of my list. There are options: a series focusing on Seven of Nine, a revived Section 31 show, or the Starfleet Academy series that has been the subject of many rumours. But so far, nothing has been announced. With all eyes on the Star Trek franchise, making such an announcement before Picard comes to an end would be good timing… so watch this space, I guess!

Theory #8:
Vadic will be killed by her own portal-weapon.

This idea is a pretty simple one: as often happens to villains in stories like these, Captain Vadic will end up being killed by her own powerful weapon. We saw the portal-weapon used against the Titan this week, and I can absolutely see a pathway to Picard and the crew capturing it or gaining control of it, and turning it against Vadic.

There can be something poetic about an evil villain being destroyed by their own weapon, so I can’t help but feel that Vadic may meet her end by being spliced through one of her own portals!

Theory #9:
Captain Shaw will be killed.

Captain Shaw was badly injured this week.

I almost retired this theory this week, because Captain Shaw survived his injuries. With him off the bridge and out of the way in sickbay, that seems to have resolved the possible “clutter” problem that I talked about; I feared that it might be too complicated, narratively speaking, for the Titan to have an Admiral, a Commodore, and three captains all working together on the bridge.

But Captain Shaw is clearly seriously injured, and while he may have a contribution to make to the story – as we saw this week through his interaction with Jack – there’s still the possibility that he won’t survive to the end of the season. If some kind of “Captain Seven” spin-off series is even a remote possibility, killing off Captain Shaw is one way in which Seven could ascend to the captain’s chair.

Theory #10:
Captain Vadic has put together a “rogues’ gallery” of Star Trek villains.

Vadic with two masked members of her crew.

Another theory that feels as if it’s barely hanging in there! In short, I came up with this idea before the season aired, when we first learned of the involvement of Lore and Professor Moriarty. Having assumed they’d be on Vadic’s side – something I’m no longer sure of, by the way – I wondered if Vadic may have put together an entire team comprised of Picard’s enemies.

The revelation that the changelings are involved – and are the season’s main villainous faction – has massively reduced the likelihood of this theory, but until we can say with certainty who Vadic is, what her objectives are, and how she connects to the rogue changelings… the possibility exists, in my view at least, that some of her crew and allies will be characters we’ve met before; villains who are seeking revenge on Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D.

To see a list of who I thought could potentially be involved, click or tap here.

Theory #11:
The Founders are living in the nebula.

In Deep Space Nine, the Founders’ homeworld was inside a nebula. Obviously the Ryton system isn’t where the Founders lived, nor is it even in the Gamma Quadrant (as far as we know), but I can’t help but wonder whether this nebula could be concealing either a new homeworld for the Founders or a base of operations for this faction of rogue changelings.

Although it feels like a bit of a long-shot, this could explain why Vadic broke off her pursuit of the Titan after it was damaged. Driving the ship deep into the nebula, toward the changelings’ base, could have been her objective.

Theory #12:
The Founders are the nebula.

Why did Seventeen Seconds prominently feature the Titan’s science officer telling Captain Riker that there are “organic” elements to the nebula that she couldn’t identify? Obviously this is going to be part of the story somehow, but with changelings on the loose… is it too far-fetched to think that they could actually be a nebula?

In the Deep Space Nine episode Chimera, the changeling Laas was able to exist as a cloud of fog on DS9’s promenade, so existing in a gaseous form isn’t beyond the power of changelings. Why they’d seek to do so is, of course, an open question – but it feels like a possibility nevertheless.

Theory #13:
Captain Vadic’s crew are Jem’Hadar.

A Jem’Hadar warrior in *Deep Space Nine*.

If Captain Vadic is a changeling, then it stands to reason that her crew could be Jem’Hadar – the genetically-engineered Dominion warriors seen in Deep Space Nine. We don’t know how Jem’Hadar would react to a schism in the Great Link, but it seems plausible that either some Jem’Hadar would have followed the rogue changelings, or that the rogue changelings might have set up a new facility to create their own Jem’Hadar warriors.

With the crew of the Shrike being masked, I can’t help but feel that there’s a reason for that. Either we’re dealing with familiar characters or perhaps a race like the Jem’Hadar. Keeping their faces covered keeps the mystery going, anyway!

Theory #14:
Vadic has an unrevealed reason for chasing the Crushers and the Titan.

If Vadic is a changeling, that could explain why she’s so interested in the Crushers, the Titan, and the Federation. But as above, we don’t have absolute confirmation on that as of yet, so I don’t think we can say with certainty that Vadic has an additional reason for hunting Jack Crusher beyond what she told us in the episode Disengage. I said at the time that I didn’t feel that “money” was a good enough motive for a character who seems to be so over-the-top… so I certainly hope that there will be more to Vadic than that!

The introduction of the changelings into the story – and the fact that Vadic has at least one changeling ally – has certainly shaken up this theory, and I think we can see light at the end of the tunnel! But as we didn’t get to spend a ton of time with Vadic this week, we still don’t know for sure what her motivation is.

Theory #15:
Picard and his crew will reactivate Lore and Professor Moriarty.

Theory #16:
Picard and his crew need to find synthetic allies/crewmates.

It does seem like one heck of a coincidence that Lore and Professor Moriarty – both of whom are synthetic – are involved in this story!

Theory #17:
The Borg are involved.

I came close to retiring this theory for the same kinds of reasons I gave for removing the super-synths from the theory list, but for now I think I’m going to hang onto the idea that there may be some kind of Borg involvement. We’re only three episodes in, after all, and the details of the rogue changelings’ plan is still totally unclear.

A couple of ways the Borg could be involved have already come to mind. Firstly, the rogue changelings may have stolen Borg technology from Daystrom Station. Secondly, the rogue changelings’ plan could involve an alliance with the Borg – both groups have reason to want to attack the Federation, after all.

Even if we don’t get a major appearance by the Borg this season, their influence may still be felt.

So those theories are new or saw movement this week.

As always, in order to keep the theory list intact and all in one place I’m going to recap the remaining theories that we have in play. These theories didn’t move one way or the other in Seventeen Seconds.

Theory #18:
Not all of Raffi’s messages were from Worf.

There was a good narrative reason to keep Worf hidden until the end of Disengage: it made his last-minute appearance to save Raffi all the more dramatic. But could there be another reason why his messages came through in the form of text with a disembodied digital voice?

Raffi wasn’t able to prevent the attack on the Federation facility, having spent a long time chasing leads in the underworld. But could someone – perhaps one of the rogue changelings – have been feeding her false information to throw her off? This could tie into the idea of not being able to trust anyone in Starfleet that Dr Crusher warned us about – perhaps this conspiracy runs very deep indeed!

Theory #19:
Jack Crusher is connected to Vadic… somehow.

I originally proposed this theory a couple of weeks ago, speculating that if Picard isn’t Jack’s father, someone on Vadic’s crew might be – or he might be a relative of hers. That didn’t pan out, but there still exists the possibility of a connection between the two. It would explain Vadic’s single-mindedness in chasing him down over a period of weeks or months.

This could be as simple as Jack having stolen from Vadic… but I wonder if such a connection may go deeper. Jack has clearly done bad, criminal things over the course of his life… could his criminal behaviour have brought him alongside, or into conflict with, someone like Vadic? Perhaps he’s responsible for killing someone she cared about – or not saving someone in time.

Theory #20:
Captain Shaw lost someone to the Borg.

Vadic alluded to Captain Shaw’s psychological profile in Disengage, and seemed to suggest that he may have been unwell at some point in his career. This could tie into Shaw’s anti-Borg attitude, which he has mistakenly directed at Seven of Nine and Picard.

In short, Captain Shaw seems old enough to have been serving in Starfleet during at least one of the Borg incursions of the 24th Century, and he may have lost someone – a spouse or close relative, perhaps – during one of those battles. That could explain both Vadic’s comment and his barely-disguised antipathy toward Picard and Seven.

Theory #21:
At least one main character will be killed.

I made a list of who I thought could be in danger before the season began, and you can find it by clicking or tapping here.

Theory #22:
Several members of La Sirena’s crew have joined Captain Vadic.

Theory #23:
There will be at least one unannounced character returning!

Theory #24:
The absences of characters from Seasons 1 and 2 will be explained.

The new Borg Queen/Dr Jurati hybrid at the end of Season 2.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Laris was included in The Next Generation, and while she won’t have a big role in the story of the season, it was great that the story didn’t just dump her as it raced ahead. Due to her importance to the story of Season 2, Laris was perhaps the character who I felt it was most important to include in some way, and I’m glad we got to see her.

So that’s it!

The USS Titan falls into the nebula’s gravity well…

That’s the state of the theory list as we head into the fourth episode of the season, which will air later this week. It’s still all to play for, and we’ve netted several theory wins already! There are still plenty of unrevealed story beats to come, I’m certain of that, and some of my theories are only barely hanging on. But we’ll have to wait and see what the next episode has in store for us!

There are two unannounced Star Trek projects being worked on. What could they be?

Sun 21.08.22Sun 21.08.22Dennis

Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the Star Trek franchise, including Picard Season 2, Strange New Worlds Season 1, and Discovery Season 4.

It’s been known for a while that there are unannounced Star Trek projects that are being worked on behind-the-scenes, and from time to time someone senior at Paramount will re-confirm this fact in public! Just last month at Comic-Con, we got yet another statement about these secretive projects, this time from Alex Kurtzman himself – the man who’s in charge of the overall direction of the Star Trek franchise. Kurtzman stated that there are two unannounced series that are in active development, so today I thought it could be a bit of fun to speculate about what exactly those projects could involve!

In the past I’ve put out lists of prospective Star Trek shows, but this time I want to be more focused. Rather than wild speculation or pure fantasy, I want to stick as close as possible to what we know based on statements that have been made in public, filings by Paramount, and plausible rumours from around the Star Trek franchise. Rather than saying “here’s a list of my fantasy Star Trek projects,” I want to try to stay realistic and consider some projects that feel genuinely plausible. So that’s what we’re going to do today – no “hospital ship” or “colony world” concepts here! As nice as those would be from my perspective, they don’t seem like ideas that are being actively considered by Paramount at the moment.

Alex Kurtzman is in charge of the Star Trek franchise for Paramount.
*Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

Despite wanting to stick to the real world as much as possible, my usual caveat applies: I have no “sources” close to the production of Star Trek nor any “insider information.” I’m not trying to say that any of these projects are definitely going to be made, let alone that an announcement may be imminent! I’ve tried to base the entries on this list on statements from people involved with Star Trek, official notices and filings from Paramount, and plausible, persistent rumours – but all of it could be easily wrong or otherwise untrue. So please take all of this with more than a few grains of salt!

The reason why I’m putting together this list now is twofold. Firstly, Star Trek Day is coming up in just under three weeks from now, and there’s the possibility of a big announcement as part of that event. Secondly, Season 3 of Picard will be that show’s last, so in my view Paramount will already have something lined up to replace it – and an announcement of that project may be forthcoming sooner rather than later. Announcing Picard’s replacement too close to its third season risks overshadowing the show as it comes to an end; getting the announcement out of the way ahead of time will give fans time to properly digest it.

So with all of that out of the way, let’s jump into the list!

Series #1:
Section 31

Sloan, director of Section 31 during the Dominion War era.

Although a series based around Section 31 has technically been “announced,” the lack of any official news for almost four years at this point clearly means that the series has hit some bumps in the road. While I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that it’s been cancelled altogether, it’s still possible that the Section 31 series will be reworked and perhaps even re-announced along with a premiere date.

As I’ve said more than once, the Section 31 series was announced far too early. Not only was it completely overshadowed by the hugely positive response from fans to Captain Pike and Spock in Discovery’s second season – something that seemed to catch Paramount completely off-guard – but its main character desperately needed the development she would receive in Discovery’s third season in particular before she could begin to feel like someone who could carry her own spin-off.

At the time the Section 31 series was first announced, many fans viewed Georgiou as a kind of sociopathic monster.

When the Section 31 series was first discussed, Michelle Yeoh’s Empress Georgiou was about as flat and one-dimensional as Star Trek characters get. Moreover, she wasn’t just a villain, she was a psychopathic, genocidal monster who kept slaves, ate sentient beings, and seemed to revel in torture, violence, and death. Even for an organisation as roguish and off-the-books as Section 31, Empress Georgiou seemed extreme – and asking fans to support a series centred around a character like that was, for many, too much.

It wasn’t until the two-part Season 3 episode Terra Firma that we really saw a change in Georgiou. After spending time away from the Mirror Universe she began to view aliens as equals rather than sub-human, and had even adopted some Federation-inspired ways of thinking. By the time she stepped into the Guardian of Forever’s portal she had changed just enough that she could be an anti-hero rather than an out-and-out villain, and both she and the Section 31 series needed that development.

Georgiou enters the Guardian of Forever’s portal in *Terra Firma, Part 2*.

My gut still says that the Section 31 series isn’t going to happen, and we should brace for a quiet cancellation sometime in the future rather than a big announcement. I haven’t heard anything about the series since its premature announcement back in January 2019 that sounded even slightly positive, and with Star Trek branching out in different directions, it’s possible that Section 31 simply missed the boat.

However, at time of writing the Section 31 series still exists, Paramount has retained the trademarked name, and it isn’t impossible to think that it will be revived. Perhaps a new team of writers and producers will take over the project and rework it in some way – potentially even without Empress Georgiou.

Series #2:
Seven of Nine and Raffi

Seven of Nine and Raffi at the end of *Picard* Season 2.

With Picard concluding its run before any of the other current Star Trek projects, a spin-off from that series feels like a distinct possibility when considering its replacement. The time period that Picard established – the dawn of the 25th Century – is not represented by any other current Star Trek project, so if Paramount wants to keep that era alive – and potentially bring in more legacy characters from Deep Space Nine and Voyager – then a series occupying the same timeframe could be a possibility.

A lot of work went into Picard Season 2 in terms of sets being constructed for the brand-new USS Stargazer – but those sets were only used in the premiere and the second half of the season finale. That seems like a lot of work for relatively little screen time, so part of me has been wondering ever since whether those sets may be destined for use in a spin-off project!

Could a Seven and Raffi series be set aboard the new USS Stargazer?

With Seven of Nine being awarded a role in Starfleet at the end of Picard Season 2, she could be being groomed for command. Depending on how she and Raffi get on in Season 3 – which we’ll see in the first half of next year – a spin-off could see those two characters headline a new show, perhaps one set aboard the USS Stargazer.

Seven of Nine was, at one time, my least-favourite Voyager character. But Picard has given her some much-needed development that led into a wonderful arc across both seasons of the show so far, culminating in her taking the Stargazer’s captain’s chair in the Season 2 finale. I would never have expected to write these words in 2000-2001, but I think I’m ready for a Seven of Nine series!

Seven of Nine takes the captain’s chair.

Both Seven and Raffi have tactical backgrounds, so we could potentially see a series set aboard a kind of rapid-response vessel. The Stargazer’s mission could be less about exploration and more tactical in nature, potentially serving as Starfleet’s “muscle” in dangerous situations. That concept isn’t one that Star Trek has done before (not as a whole series, at least) so it would be something different for the franchise.

There are other 25th Century concepts that could replace Picard, but a direct spin-off featuring at least one new character that was introduced in that series could be just what the Star Trek franchise needs. Keeping some consistency and some ties between different projects isn’t a bad idea, and I’m sure that a Seven and Raffi series could find a way to stand on its own two feet without the presence of Admiral Picard.

Series #3:
Project Khan and/or Ceti Alpha V

Iconic Star Trek villain Khan could make a return.

Earlier this year it was reported that Paramount had trademarked the name Project Khan. This follows on from a pitch by The Wrath of Khan writer/director Nicholas Meyer, whose project would focus on Khan’s life in between the events of Space Seed and The Wrath of Khan. Although these two ideas could be totally separate, there does seem to be an appetite from someone at Paramount to see this iconic villain make a comeback.

If we take the two ideas as separate for now, Project Khan could be connected to the Eugenics Wars, and could even be a spin-off from Picard. Season 2 antagonist Adam Soong very prominently picked up a folder titled “Project Khan” at the end of his storyline, with the series seeming to imply that he plans to resume working on some kind of genetic engineering.

How might this moment from *Picard* Season 2 connect to *Project Khan*?

This is a complete hypothetical, but if we were to get a series starting from that point, Khan himself may not appear. This could be a Brent Spiner project with Adam Soong attempting to recreate Khan’s work in the 21st Century, and could potentially see things like the outbreak of World War III, which purportedly happened in that era. Such a series could see the return of Chris Rios and Dr Teresa Ramirez – they could be trying to stop Dr Soong’s work.

Alternatively, Project Khan could step back to before the events of Picard and focus on Khan’s rise to power in the 20th Century. This would be an interesting concept, but it would have to be handled delicately. In short, the Star Trek timeline has, until now, been pretty vague about events in the modern day and how they relate to real-world history. If it were set in the 1990s, Project Khan could completely transform our knowledge of that era – but it could also tread on the toes of a number of other Star Trek stories.

Then we come to the Ceti Alpha V pitch. As much as I admire Nicholas Meyer’s work on Star Trek, I have to be honest: this isn’t a series I would give the green light to if I were in charge. We’re talking about the least-interesting chapter of a story where the ending is already known, and I just don’t see what Ceti Alpha V could tell us about Khan or his ambitious plans that we don’t already know from Space Seed and The Wrath of Khan.

There is the tantalising possibility that a Khan-focused project could connect with Strange New Worlds, though, as the character of La’an Noonien-Singh is a descendant of Khan. That could certainly be a point in favour of doing a new Khan story. Last year I took a longer look at the Ceti Alpha V concept, and you can find that article by clicking or tapping here.

Series #4:
Starfleet Academy

The logo of Starfleet Academy in the 24th Century.

Last year (at Star Trek Day) Alex Kurtzman came pretty close to confirming that a Starfleet Academy series may be in the works. It’s certainly the nearest we’ve gotten to any kind of outright confirmation – and as above, Starfleet Academy is a title that Paramount has trademarked, this time all the way back in 2018.

Combine that with what felt like a bit of a backdoor pilot during Discovery’s fourth season, and I think we have a solid case to make that a Starfleet Academy series could be in the works! The Discovery Season 4 episode All Is Possible featured Lieutenant Tilly heading off on an away mission with a trio of new Starfleet cadets at the recently-reopened Starfleet Academy. It ended with her deciding to take up a permanent teaching post at Starfleet Academy and departing the USS Discovery – although she would reappear in the season finale.

All Is Possible definitely feels like a backdoor pilot, although the attention wasn’t on Tilly and the cadets all of the time. Tilly’s presence would connect the series to Discovery in a major way, and there’d be the possibility of crossover episodes with both shows set in the same 32nd Century time period. A Starfleet Academy show could also feature David Cronenberg’s character of Dr Kovich – a somewhat mysterious character who I still can’t figure out!

Alternatively, a Starfleet Academy series could ignore the 32nd Century and instead be set in the 25th. This version of the series could feature characters like Raffi and Elnor – the latter of whom is a cadet, and who was resurrected at the last minute in a sequence in the Season 2 finale that feels seriously underwhelming right now. Perhaps Elnor’s survival could be given new meaning and purpose if he were to be a major character in a Starfleet Academy series.

As a series concept, Starfleet Academy has been around the longest! While The Original Series was still in production in the 1960s, Gene Roddenberry came up with the idea of a show that would have focused on young Kirk and Spock during their Academy days – something we eventually saw (albeit in an alternate timeline) in 2009’s Star Trek reboot film.

I feel like a Starfleet Academy series could be a strong addition to the franchise. Not only would it be something different, but it could also be a great first contact for younger viewers – and perhaps even a second port of call for those who’ve recently become fans of Prodigy, too – as they find their way into the Star Trek fandom. Having several cadets as major characters would mean younger viewers could find this iteration of Star Trek easier to relate to and get started with, and that can only be a positive thing. I took a longer look at the Starfleet Academy concept last year, and you can find that article by clicking or tapping here.

Series #5:
Enterprise Season 5/The Earth-Romulan War

The NX-01 Enterprise and two Romulan vessels.

This one is a bit more speculative, but I’m not the only one to wonder if there may be an attempt to bring back the 22nd Century in the near future. Calling this one “Enterprise Season 5″ might be a bit of a stretch, but any 22nd Century project could bring back at least some of the characters from that series for another adventure.

Prior to its cancellation in 2005, there were plans being drawn up for a fifth season of Enterprise. According to one of the show’s producers, if it had gone ahead Season 5 would’ve shown more of the origins of the Federation, and particularly the Earth-Romulan War that was first referenced in The Original Series. That could be the starting point for a revived Enterprise or a new 22nd Century series.

The Earth-Romulan War was established in *The Original Series* Season 1 episode *Balance of Terror*.

The Earth-Romulan War is a major event in Federation history, one that pushed the founding members of the Federation closer together. It was also a devastating conflict in its own right, and a series focusing on the war could have echoes of Deep Space Nine’s Dominion War arc. Star Trek can do war stories incredibly well – as we’ve seen in episodes of Discovery and Strange New Worlds just in the last couple of years – so this could be a great fit for an expanding franchise.

Any franchise has to be careful about coming across as too backwards-looking and introspective if it dives deeply into chapters of its own lore and backstory, but I think there’s space as Star Trek continues its renaissance to potentially step back to the time of the Earth-Romulan War. I know a lot of fans would happily welcome back Captain Archer or any other members of the Enterprise crew, so this project could be a real “love letter to the fans.”

There were a number of factors that led to Enterprise’s cancellation in 2005, and although it was sad at the time, in many ways the Star Trek franchise needed a break and a reset. But maybe the time is right to bring back some of the characters and stories that had been conceived for unproduced seasons of Enterprise now that the franchise is back on solid ground.

There are definitely arguments to be made against establishing yet another different time period for Star Trek, as the franchise can already feel overcomplicated, especially for newcomers. But there are points in favour of returning to the 22nd Century, too, particularly if a series had a relatively tight focus on something like the Earth-Romulan War.

Series #6:
Captain Worf

Worf on a promo poster for *Picard* Season 3.

Along with most of the rest of the main crew members from The Next Generation, Worf will be returning in Season 3 of Picard next year. It’s no secret that actor Michael Dorn has been talking up his own “Captain Worf” idea for the better part of a decade, and with the casting announcements for Picard, part of me has been wondering if that show’s final season might lead into a Worf spin-off.

As the character with the most Star Trek appearances to date – 274, in case you were wondering – we’ve spent a lot of time with Worf already! We’ve seen our favourite Klingon wrangle with his heritage and his duty to Starfleet, gain promotions, establish friendships with two different casts of characters, become a father, get married, become a widower, and much more besides. Is there room for another chapter in Worf’s life after the events of Deep Space Nine? I still think that’s an open question!

Is there room for new Worf-focused stories?

This one really depends on how Picard Season 3 goes down. Executive producer Terry Matalas has described Picard Season 3 as being a “send-off” for the crew of The Next Generation, presumably including Worf, and that sounds pretty definitive and final. We may see some characters killed off as the season goes on, especially if Picard and the crew are facing off against some kind of galaxy-ending threat. Even if Worf survives, it’s possible that all of the characters’ stories will come to a conclusive end, and if that’s the case there may be no room – and no need – for a Captain Worf series.

But it’s also possible that Picard Season 3 will be testing the waters to see whether certain spin-off ideas are viable. We’ve already considered the possibility of a Seven of Nine and Raffi series, and that’s one possibility. But maybe there’s a chance that, if fans respond incredibly positively to Worf in his new role, he could finally take the lead in his own series.

Worf as he appeared in Season 1 of *The Next Generation*.

For me, I feel that Worf in a leading role is an untested idea, and one that may not work. Although there are nuances in Worf’s characterisation, many episodes of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine played up his Klingon traits, and while I’d never call him something like “flat” or “one-dimensional,” there’s definitely a case to be made that a character like Worf works best in a supporting role rather than a leading one.

But we can reserve judgement on that until we see what role has been created for Worf in Season 3 of Picard. Maybe he’ll get a fantastic ending to his decades-long story, one that feels conclusive and satisfying, rounding out his arc and tying up loose ends from both The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. But maybe, just maybe, he’ll establish himself as the next character deserving of a spin-off project.

So that’s it!

Paramount (and subsidiary CBS Studios) has trademarked other names associated with the Star Trek brand that may be connected with shows or films that are currently in development, but it’s very difficult to know what to make of some of them! Vague titles like Star Trek: Destiny, Star Trek: Revolution, or Star Trek: Reliant have all been trademarked over the past few years – though several of these have now lapsed and haven’t been renewed. It isn’t clear whether any or all of these names were even intended to be used for films and television shows, or whether they were meant for merchandise and other projects. The interesting-sounding Star Trek Continuum trademark, for example, isn’t connected with a film or TV show at all, but is instead an official line of awful-looking NFTs.

For now at least, these are the Star Trek projects that seem to be the most likely based on what we’ve heard through official and unofficial channels. It’s definitely possible that work is ongoing in secret to develop some completely different Star Trek projects that we can’t predict at the moment, but in terms of what may be announced in the weeks or months ahead, the projects we’ve talked about today feel the most likely.

Next month’s Star Trek Day could be the venue for a big announcement…

Although trademarks exist for Ceti Alpha V and Starfleet Academy, if it were up to me I’d pick a 25th Century series to fill the hole that will be left when Picard finishes its run. Lower Decks and Prodigy will still be representing the late 24th Century, but I think it’ll feel like something’s not right if the 25th Century that Picard has only just begun to explore is abandoned with that show’s conclusion. Not only because we won’t get to carry on the journey, but because that era feels like the natural next step for a franchise that found so much success in the 1990s with shows set in the 24th Century.

But we’ll have to wait and see what the creative team at Paramount has in store! I think it’s possible – but by no means guaranteed – that an announcement could come as soon as next month. The Star Trek Day live broadcast has promised “announcements, reveals, and surprises” in its official press release, and the inclusion of certain actors – such as Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd – could hint at something big to come.

I hope this has been a bit of fun! I tried to steer clear of baseless rumours and fan-fantasies to focus instead on concepts and pitches that are known to exist and that seem plausible. But we’ll have to wait and see whether any of them are really going to happen!

The Star Trek franchise – including all properties (and potential properties) discussed above – is the copyright of Paramount Global. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.