When Star Trek: Picard ended, Narek was nowhere to be seen
Narek, the Romulan Tal Shiar agent who discovered Soji’s home planet, played a pivotal role in Star Trek:Picard’s first season. He not only led the Zhat Vash to the synths, but he was also instrumental in preventing mass genocide when he opted to help Picard and his crew. Played skillfully by English actor Harry Treadaway, Narek appeared in eight out of the show’s ten episodes, but, in the end, he was nowhere to be found.
Was Narek killed? Was he taken into custody by the Federation? Or was he captured by the Zhat Vash for treason? That was never clearly explained in the final episode, and even Star Trek: Picard’s showrunner, Michael Chabon, acknowledges this was a problem.
"Yeah. Narek. We know, we know. A casualty of the editorial process, alas. The intention was for him to be taken into Federation custody."
Unfortunately, viewers didn’t get to see that so we were left hanging as to what happened to him. Since he almost killed Soji, a confrontation between the two of them could have really tied up the loose ends of his character, especially since, according to Patrick Stewart, Treadaway won’t be returning to the series.
"We have a dazzling group of actors. No matter who I find myself playing a scene with, it is interesting, unusual, challenging, and always exciting, And every one of us is back [for the sophomore run]. Well, I think we may have said goodbye to Harry Treadaway, which I am disappointed about because I enjoyed working with him so much."
Stewart isn’t the only one disappointed, considering there were so many more ways to go with Narek. Could he have been redeemed? That was certainly a possibility since he couldn’t go through with helping his sister eliminate Soji and her home planet. As someone with more than his fair share of deviousness, Narek could have had an interesting redemption story.
Would Soji ever have forgiven him for attempting to kill her? Would they have resumed their romance? And would Picard have ever trusted him? I guess we’ll never know. It’s truly a shame that such a strong part of the first season didn’t get a resolution.
What do you think? Did Narek need a better ending? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.