Star Trek: Picard will see several names from around Star Trek return to the franchise, so let’s look at three more names who should return.
Star Trek: Picard will see several actors back in the Star Fleet saddle again. Iconic characters like William Riker, Seven of Nine, Data, and of course Jean-Luc Picard are all back (among a few others). Part of the appeal of the return of Patrick Stewart is the return of the characters that he shared the screen with. If it was just Stewart’s Picard, the hype and fanfare wouldn’t have been as high.
Seeing the trailer with Picard and Riker talking brought back all sorts of emotions. The friendship, the comradery, the battles, and the arguments; it all came rushing back. While not as equally as meaningful, but potentially very compelling is Picard talking to Seven of Nine, arguably the most iconic Borg of all time. With Picard’s history and absolute hatred of the cybernetic zombies, to see how he’s adjusted years after retiring to the idea of a Borg being in his personal space should be interesting.
The show will explore a lot, no doubt, but one thing fans will want is to see more interactions with Picard and other characters from Star Trek that maybe Picard didn’t get to see a lot of. The first season of Picard is underway, with the series premiere dropping on the 23 of Jan. so it’s impossible to know today if any of these names will pop up throughout the first season. It’s entirely possible there are some surprise cameos coming, but since we don’t know it’s impossible to say for sure one way or another. So we’ll just assume the names that have been announced (Riker, Deanna Troi, Data, etc) are it for now. Expect a few of these lists in the coming weeks, but for now, we’ll start here.
So here are 3 names that could make their appearance in season 2 of Picard.
Admiral Kathryn Janeway
Apologizes if she no longer holds the rank of Admiral, but Kathryn Janeways is absolutely a must-have for the franchise. While some names you could do a list involving wouldn’t warrant more than a cameo in season two, Janeway could be a huge centerpiece for season two. As someone who’s been through the galaxy, saw things that no other Star Fleet captain has ever seen, and done things fewer can ever emphasize with, having her talk to a more dower Picard would be fascinating.
Part of the Star Trek love is the duality of most of their situations. The existence of the grey area, and if two people know about the grey area in life it’s Picard and Janeway. Picard’s hatred of the Borg and short temper with certain crew members (*COUGH* LESLIE *COUGH*) shows that he’s not exactly above being imperfect. With his new series putting him in relatively uncharted waters, the idea that Picard could be even more disconnected from reality is a possibility.
What better person to talk to about the moral and ethical dilemmas of the galaxy than Janeway? She was responsible for the destruction of the Borg pipeline, meaning the two of them have a lot in common in regards to their mutual enemy. What she did to the Borg and Species 8472 shows that she’s not above making the hard decisions in life.
Many in the fandom believe she’s a war criminal, while others believe she’s a hero who made the tough choices to survive. Besides Janeway, maybe only the late Captain Sisko could truly relate with Picard, but he’s gone and can’t be the one that shares Picard’s burdon.
Janeway has seen it all and can be someone who can be a foil for Picard in season two. Seeing as how she’s only really had one moment with Picard during the televised canon as depicted in Star Trek: Nemesis, Janeway and by extension, Kate Mulgrew deserves to be a bit more involved with Picard.
Wesley Crusher
Last we saw of Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Nemesis (as a deleted scene) he was a Lt. Junior Grade set to join Captain William Riker on the U.S.S Titan. Crusher’s time with the franchise wasn’t so well heralded as his ending would lead one to believe. Played by Wil Wheaton, Crusher was seen as a Gary Stu of sorts. Talented, and smart enough to save the U.S.S. Enterprise in a variety of different ways throughout the first season or so, but not talented or smart enough to get into Star Fleet Academy. Despite having an eidetic memory.
Crusher has become a bit of a pop-culture joke, with memes of Picard telling Crusher to “shut up” becoming more and more what the character is remembered for. His disdain of the fanbase may be justified but the curious things about maligned characters such as Crusher are that you can do a whole lot with them. There are no real expectations with Crusher. Some characters you can’t get change at all, no matter what, but when a character is so unevenly accepted as Crusher is, you have far more leeway.
Putting Crusher as an antagonist of sorts, not necessarily a villain, but a Star Fleet representative that is tasked with dealing with Picard and his mission could be truly compelling television. The reclaiming of the character as he shows a depth of maturity and even brutality never before thought possible would make Crusher’s entire arc mean so much more than being just a meme.
Jake Sisko
The son of the late Captain Benjamin Sisko, Jake represents a past and future that was molded by Jean-Luc Picard. It was Picard who was responsible for the father of Jake’s depression and the death of Jake’s mother at the hands of the Borg. Picard, having been brought into the Borg as Locutus was widely viewed as the reason for the Battle of Wolf 359, which was where Jake’s mother Jennifer would die. In her family’s quarters as debris fell on top of her.
Jake, only 11 at the time, was sad more than anything. Though with the help of the Deep Space 9 crew, his father and his best friend Nog, Jake recovered emotionally and became a journalist. His father, however, would fall at the hands of Gul Dukat in the series finale of DS9, leaving Jake an orphan. With the actor who played Nog being deceased, there’s no way one could bring Nog back into the universe without upsetting fans. Meaning that Jake Sisko could be truly alone.
So it’s entirely possible that Jake is lonely and angry at what Star Fleet has taken from him. He could be out for revenge or possibly just broken and bitter like Picard. Even better, perhaps Jake Sisko becomes a galaxy renowned reporter and is trying to uncover some big Star Fleet conspiracy. Whichever way the show would take him, the one thing is for sure is that Jake has to hold resentment for Picard, even if it’s just a simmer compared to his fathers. His father could not stand Picard, and while one could argue that he eventually let go of that animosity later in the Deep Space 9 series, that type of hate is hard to chill. He’d more or less be a proxy stand-in for his father, chastizing Picard for still being the same arrogant man he was thirty-odd years earlier.
That dynamic would be wonderful television.