Commander Sela needs to be a part of Star Trek: Picard

Like any good series, Star Trek: Picard is going to need a villain, and none would be better than Tasha Yar’s daughter Commander Sela.

With the second season of Star Trek: Discovery getting ready to wrap up, the eyes of Trek Nation will next turn to the highly anticipated Star Trek: Picard. Set to arrive sometime later in 2019, the series is set to begin production this month and features the return to Sir Patrick Stewart to the iconic role he made famous in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

And that is just about the sum total of what we know so far about the series. Even the title Picard is just a placeholder, with the actual name of the series being kept shrouded in secrecy. There have been a few casting announcements and according to sources the series will deal with the fallout of the destruction of Romulus, but other than that there is still a lot of unknowns about Picard.

One thing Picard will need, however, is a good villain. Someone to vex the former captain and add tension to the series. It is well known that a hero is best defined by their arch nemesis. After all, Kirk had Khan, Sisko had Dukat and Janeway had the Borg Queen. Picard deserves a great villain to call his own.

And none would be better than Commander Sela.

For those that are unfamiliar, in the Next Generation episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise” a Tasha Yar from an alternate timeline goes into the past to help defend the Enterprise-C. Then in “Redemption” we learn that the ship was destroyed by a fleet of Romulan Warbirds but Tasha survived, was taken captive and became the consort of a Roluman general. A year later she had a daughter named Sela but is executed after trying to escape.

While Sela only made a handful of appearances in The Next Generation she made a lasting impression. She was one of the few “villains” the show had in the same vein as Khan or Locutus, a person with a hatred of the Federation and Starfeet as well as Picard specifically.

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Which is why Sela would be the perfect character to clash wits with the good captain in Star Trek: Picard.

With Romulus destroyed, you know Sela probably blames the Federation for it, especially if the writers keep in plot point about Spock trying to help as seen in 2009’s Star Trek. She has already had dealings with Spock as seen in “Unification” and it shouldn’t take much to push her over the edge.

Then there is Sela’s history with Picard himself. The ghost of Tasha Yar and her death was a constant presence in The Next Generation throughout its run. Losing Yar so early in the mission of the Enterprise-E and so senselessly no doubt kept Picard up nights. Even though Picard says he doesn’t believe Sela’s account of what happened, you know deep down he thinks there might be a bit of truth to it.

All of which makes for a character with everything needed to become a classic villain.

When you ask most Trek fans which villain gave Picard the biggest run for his money, they will no doubt say the Borg. But Picard dealt with his feelings regarding them in Star Trek: First Contact and anyway, the Borg and their Queen are now more associated with Star Trek: Voyager.

Luckily, there is a new villain waiting in the wings to plague Picard, ready to strike. Let’s hope the writers give Sela a chance and she shows up in Picard.