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Star Trek Picard's 2nd season has seen the cast face demons of old whilst opening new possibilities.
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00:00Star Trek Picard's second season offers up many changes amidst its classic Star Trek time travel plot and focus on John Luke's own personal demons.
00:09It has been a rollercoaster ride with the crew of the La Sirena.
00:13The appearances of old favourites such as Q and Guinan and a surprise cameo in the finale all serve to tie the show back to its next generation roots whilst exploring new ground which no show has gone before.
00:26Now ending with the successful launching of the Europa mission and the crew of the La Sirena returning to the 24th century there are a lot of loose plot threads dangling there that haven't really been resolved by the finale.
00:39And with new relationships and old friendships being rekindled there is definitely a lot for the characters to deal with moving into the third season.
00:48So with that in mind then and a lot of spoilers ahead I'm Ellie with Trek Culture here with 10 plot lines that season 3 of Star Trek Picard should address.
00:59Number 10. The Borg joining Starfleet.
01:03The Borg have long since been a thorn in the side of Starfleet ever since Q brought the Enterprise D in contact with the Collective in season 2 of The Next Generation.
01:13The Federation have continuously faced off against the Borg's attempts at assimilation with dogged resolve.
01:20The crew of the USS Voyager in particular have had many encounters with the Borg during their long journey through the Delta Quadrant.
01:27In Star Trek Picard the Borg Queen was a surprise threat that has been effectively neutralised by the Confederation in the alternate timeline.
01:35The crew of the La Sirena relied on the Borg Queen's processing power to travel back to 2024.
01:41Eventually Dr. Agnes Jurati assumes the position of the Borg Queen and departs Earth after saving Annika's life to seek out the Borg Collective.
01:50Back in the 25th century the Borg has made contact and requested to join the Federation.
01:55The Collective then requested Picard specifically before attempting to seize control of the USS Stargazer.
02:01Now it was eventually revealed that this was done in the hopes of minimising damages from the Trans Warp Hub.
02:07And as such the Borg were granted provisional membership into the Federation by Admiral Picard.
02:13And I guess only time will tell whether the Borg were as altruistic as Jurati had initially intended.
02:21Number 9. The Fate of the Romulans
02:23The Romulans are one of the Federation's oldest enemies, going back to the era of Archer's struggles with the conspiracy of them reunifying with the Vulcans, to Sisko's cooperation with them on the USS Defiant.
02:36The Romulans have truly remained a threat and notable presence in the Alpha Quadrant in their tense relationships with other powers such as the Federation, the Klingons and the Dominion.
02:47Upon the conclusion of the Dominion War, the Romulans and Federation were engrossed in a Cold War that threatened to bubble over when Shinzon ambushed the USS Enterprise E.
02:57When this conflict was resolved, there were hints that peace could be achieved.
03:01This was put to a test when a supernova had caused the destruction of Romulus, which led to the Romulans reaching out to the Federation for help.
03:09The fallout of this, alongside the synths' revolt in the Utopia Planitia, ramped up tensions between the powers.
03:16Season 1 of Picard saw the Romulans infiltrate Starfleet with Commodore O, whilst the Jat-Fash were working behind the scenes to thwart a synthetic prophecy.
03:26This was thwarted by the efforts from the crew of La Sirena and supported by Starfleet by way of Riker.
03:32The Romulans then retreated and was poised for future conflicts.
03:35However, there was no mention of the Romulans or the fallout of the events of Season 1, and as such, we are still waiting in anticipation for the next saga in the Romulan story.
03:49Number 8, Fallout from the Dominion War.
03:52In Season 1, it was revealed that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard had resigned from Starfleet in protest as a result of the Federation withdrawal of help to the Romulans following the Utopia Planitia incident.
04:04Following that, Admiral Clancy had also demonstrated a level of pragmatism and more isolationist attitudes when pressed about the refusal of help to the Romulans.
04:14Now, writer Michael Chabon has stated that he wished to include more overt references to the Dominion War as the reason for Starfleet's more isolationist stance.
04:24Now, that does make sense because the devastation of the war would cause the Federation into far murkier waters than their ideals, and with that in mind, you can see why they'd be happy to withdraw help to the Romulans at the earliest opportunity.
04:40It was quite devastating the lack of reference to this in Season 1, but Season 2 completely disregarded this because they were so focused on the time travel plot.
04:50Now, with that in mind, this seems like a good plot for Season 3 to address the change in ideology of the Federation following the Dominion War.
05:00Number 7, Where have the gang been?
05:03Now, the response to the news that almost the entire cast of The Next Generation will be returning for Season 3 was somewhere between warm and outright nerd hysteria.
05:15Mostly because a lot of those names involved have felt very conspicuous by their absence.
05:22Season 1 saw us checking in with Riker, happily married in the middle of nowhere, but still able to get his hands on 800 identical starships when needs be.
05:30Troy, doing all the actual work in the aforementioned marriage, and Data, cosplaying as Hugh Hefner's Force Ghost.
05:36But beyond that, the legacy of The Next Generation has been largely non-existent.
05:40Yes, yes, Guinan and Q were a core part of Season 2, but these are two characters who combined have had less screen time than Porthos.
05:48We've had clues, though.
05:49Worf has regularly been pictured as the current Captain of the Enterprise in several canon-adjacent publications,
05:55and Geordi even got a mention in Season 1 of Picard as having been overseeing the Utopia Planitia during the Romulan evacuation, but nothing substantial.
06:05And quite what old Beverly thinks of Jean-Luc finally settling down with a spacewoman 20 years his junior remains to be seen.
06:13Number 6. Status of Benjamin Sisko or Catherine Janeway
06:17Jean-Luc Picard is the iconic Captain of the 24th Century, but he's hardly the only one that fans have been familiar with over the last few decades.
06:27Catherine Janeway and Benjamin Sisko both had their time in the limelight,
06:30and faced some tough situations as well as distinguishing themselves as worthy Starfleet captains.
06:36As for Catherine Janeway, she guided the crew of the USS Voyager back from the Delta Quadrant decades ahead of schedule.
06:43She was eventually promoted to the position of Admiral by the time of Star Trek Nemesis, and appearing in Star Trek Prodigy.
06:50Seven of Nine has mentioned her old captain had fought for her, as Starfleet had refused to accept the X-Borg into their ranks,
06:57but this was met with a stern refusal.
07:00Benjamin Sisko was arguably one of the most notable people of the Dominion War.
07:05This was seen throughout Deep Space Nine, as he safeguarded the Alpha Quadrant from various threats.
07:11He eventually fell into the chasm fiery abyss of the Bajoran Fire Caves, and was pulled into the Prophet's plane of existence.
07:18He gave a final farewell to his pregnant wife Cassidy Yates, and promised he will return.
07:23Now, there was a mention of a general Sisko in the alternate timeline this season, which did lead to some speculation of a return.
07:33And with both of these captains playing such a pivotal role in the universe, it would be great to welcome them back into the fold,
07:40and find out what adventures they've been up to in the intervening years.
07:44Number 5. Ruffy and Seven's Ark
07:47Ruffy and Seven, or Annika in the alternate timeline, had been two of the most troubled characters this season.
07:54Ruffy, because she witnessed Elnor, practically a surrogate son to her, die before her very eyes.
07:59Annika had to deal with a large part of her trauma no longer existing, before confronting a new version of the Borg in this new timeline.
08:06Now, in the audio drama Star Trek Picard, No Man's Land, it was established that the pair got together in the intervening period between Season 1 and Season 2,
08:16after there were some teasers in Season 1.
08:18Because Ruffy had wanted Seven to be a little bit more vulnerable, which she finds quite difficult being a former Borg.
08:24Now, both of them were thrown together in numerous scenes, as they set out to locate the diverging point in the timeline,
08:30and then having to rescue and subdue various members of the La Sirena.
08:34Their bickering was hilarious, as they had an air of playfulness amidst their unresolved relationship intimacy issues.
08:41The pair then proceeded to share a tender kiss in the season finale, before they arrived back in the 25th century.
08:47Now, whilst it was really nice to see this relationship acknowledged on screen,
08:52there has been some unresolved issues between the pair, and Season 3 would do well to develop this relationship further.
08:59Number 4. Captain Seven
09:01It seems there are two ways to become a captain in Starfleet.
09:06Firstly, there's the Will Riker way, which involves grinding your way through years of challenges at Starfleet Academy,
09:13before graduating with your sights set firmly on a command of your own.
09:17You then move from posting to posting, repeatedly demonstrating qualities well above those of your fellow officers,
09:23before spending the better part of two decades actually refusing that last promotion.
09:28Finally, when your movie series is facing the axe, you make the jump to the big chair in one of the sexiest ships in the fleet.
09:35Well, that's one way.
09:36The Seven of Nine way is just to be knocking about the bridge when there's a crisis,
09:40and to be appointed the position there on the spot.
09:43I mean, good for her.
09:44While it was a plot convenience that had a number of fans pulling their hair out,
09:48it does open up some interesting narrative avenues for the show,
09:51especially given that Season 2 would have benefited from more time being spent on the Stargazer,
09:58rather than just bookending the time travel story with visual set pieces around it.
10:02And with Seven in the big chair, you've got a lot to work with.
10:05Number 3, New Threat from the Transwarp Hub
10:09Now, the season premiere teased that the Borg had laid a trap for Starfleet
10:14by requesting membership into the Federation,
10:16and for specifically requesting that Jean-Luc Picard join them on the new USS Stargazer.
10:22This was cut short by Q snapping the crew of the La Sirena back to 2024
10:27amidst the self-destruct sequence initiated by Picard.
10:31When we return to the scene in the season finale,
10:33it was discovered that the Borg were intending to seek Starfleet's help
10:37in containing the threat of the negative space wedgie.
10:40Once the explosion of energy had dispersed,
10:42the Borg Queen had explained that this had caused the creation of a new Transwarp conduit,
10:47but nobody has any idea on what is on the other side of said conduit.
10:52The Borg were then granted provisional membership in the Federation
10:55to guard against any potential threats that emerged from the Transwarp conduit.
10:59Considering that Jurati was clearly wary of potential threats from the Transwarp conduit,
11:03the Borg might have had prior disastrous encounters with other conduits in the past.
11:09And with the fact that the USS Voyager was able to return from the Alpha Quadrant
11:13with the help of such a conduit,
11:15could this be a blessing or a curse from which bigger threats emerge?
11:202. Picard and Laris' Relationship
11:23A large part of Star Trek Picard's second season is Jean-Luc's inability to open up to people,
11:29and this is amplified by his dismissing of Laris' feelings towards him.
11:34As it turns out, a large part of this was due to unresolved guilt
11:38relating to his perceived role in his mother's suicide.
11:41Now, when Picard first encountered Talon in the past,
11:44he had excitedly referred to her as Laris,
11:47which clearly shows that he is clearly fond of his Romulan housekeeper.
11:50In fact, his fondness towards Talon grew when he discovered that she was in fact Romulan,
11:55as she could be related to Laris due to their striking physical resemblance.
12:00Q's final goodbye to Picard included a part where the former expressed his wish
12:04for the former captain of the USS Enterprise-D to not suffer the same fate, to die alone.
12:10Picard in fact hugged Q goodbye right before returning to the present,
12:14which showcased progress from the normally stoic individual.
12:17Once back in his home, Picard found Laris packing for another new adventure.
12:22He then asked her to give him another chance.
12:24So, could we see this develop into a relationship between the pair?
12:28Now, it would be quite an interesting relationship,
12:30considering that tensions between the Romulans and the Federation are still very tense
12:35following the destruction of Romulus and the events of Season 1 of Picard.
12:40Number 1.
12:41Core becoming a supervisor.
12:43Now, poor Core has undergone a rollercoaster of revelations throughout this season.
12:49Having led a solitary life due to her condition,
12:52she had discovered that her father Adam Soong had been involved in various banned practices
12:57in the pursuit of his obsession with genetics experiments.
13:01This caused her an identity crisis when she discovered that she was a clone in a long series
13:05of experiments by her father.
13:07Core eventually was helped by Q supplying her with a cure for her condition,
13:12and this allowed her to seize the opportunity and flee from her father.
13:16Once out of her father's clutches, she set out to purge her father's research
13:20in order to prevent further such experiments.
13:23And this caught the attention of the Travelers,
13:25who sent Wesley Crusher to recruit Core to join their ranks in dispatching watchers and supervisors
13:31to maintain the integrity of the timeline.
13:34Now that she has joined the ranks of the Travelers,
13:36there is a question as to her role within the Star Trek universe.
13:39Now if we go by Wesley Crusher's account,
13:41she could spend her time ensuring the proper flow of time from constant meddling from external influence.
13:47And with that in mind, we may well see her popping up in other installments in the Star Trek franchise in the future.
13:54And that concludes our list.
13:56We would love to hear your thoughts for Picard Season 3 in the comments below.
14:00And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification bell.
14:05Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there at TrekCulture.
14:09And I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
14:13I've been Ellie with TrekCulture.
14:15I hope you have a wonderful day.
14:17And remember, to boldly go where no one has gone before.
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