Is Lore working for Starfleet in Star Trek: Picard?

Lore was always a villain in Star Trek: The Next Generation so naturally we assumed he’d return as the same in Star Trek: PIcard.

Brent Spiner’s Lore will appear in the third season of Star Trek: Picard, and since the announcement of his return, fans have assumed he’d be back as Data’s evil brother. It’s a natural assumption considering Lore was never redeemed in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was just deactivated. But an eagle-eyed viewer and fan, who runs the What Did I Miss (WDIM) Youtube channel, made several points that tend to lend itself to the possibility that Lore may have been reprogrammed or had a change of heart on his own since he has emotions.

The first point starts with the Picard poster that Paramount debuted. It includes the cast that is returning to PIcard, and in it, is Brent Spiner as Lore, and Lore is wearing what is either a Starfleet uniform or very similar to it. Now, it’s possible this is something Lore has stolen and is using it to infiltrate Starfleet, but he would stand out like a sore thumb as everyone in Starfleet knew who Data was.

WDIM makes the observation that if Lore was a problem with Starfleet, he would be deactivated again. But one does have to wonder how he got reactivated if it wasn’t at the hands of Starfleet. That will all make a difference as to what side Lore is on. His body parts were in the possession of Starfleet so unless someone broke into a facility and stole him, it’s probably safe to assume he’s been recruited by the Federation and reprogrammed.

Lore isn’t only back in Star Trek: PIcard; he makes an appearance in the comics as well.

In the new comic, Star Trek: Defiant, Captain Worf assembles his own crew, and Lore is a member of that crew. Obviously, Worf wouldn’t have chosen him if the android was still as evil as he’d ever been. We know that comics don’t adhere to canon, but it makes a good case for why Lore is in the new season of Picard. After all, do they really need three villains to fight?

Another thing of note is that Lore has been aged to represent Spiner’s current age. Obviously, someone had to do that, and it just doesn’t make sense that Lore would do that on his own, or he could disassemble his own head and reassemble it, if that is what was required to make that change. Aging him means he’ll fit right in with the other members of the crew from The Next Generation.

We’re less than a month away from finding out what Lore is really doing back in Picard’s world, and if he can be trusted. It would be a great way to bring Spiner back into the crew!