A Deep Space Nine character would’ve made more sense to be Worf’s handler

A Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character would have made more sense for Worf’s secret handler.

If you’re reading this, you surely don’t care about things being spoiled, so here goes. Worf, who’s only loosely affiliated with Starfleet at this point in his life, had a secret handler with ties to Starfleet. That handler ended up being the Starfleet-turned-Maquis-turned-Starfleet handler, Ro Laren.

Laren returned to the franchise in a big way, serving as Worf’s secret point of contact, while also having one more emotional heart-to-heart with her former captain, Jean Luc-Picard. Ro Laren would give her life in service of the covert war against the Changelings, a move that was rather unnecessary in the long run, and dare I say grotesque.

Killing off a long-lost, beloved character in their first episode back? That’s shocking only for the sake of shock value. A typical “grim-dark” move. It’s one of the reasons why shows like Star Trek: Picard have turned fans off.

What makes things even worse, is Ro Laren really has no ties to the Changelings. A problem that Picard as a show has been trying to recontextualize. If Picard wanted a surprise return to the franchise who would’ve made sense as an agent to battle the Changelings, they didn’t have to go far.

Kira Nerys, no Ro Laren, should’ve been brought into Star Trek: Picard

Ro Laren returning to cause mayhem or be a villain makes all the sense in the world. The last time fans saw her, she was holding a phaser on William Riker, threatening to kill the popular commander. Her return to Starfleet makes little sense, as it completely ruins her entire story arc. Someone devoted enough to a cause, to the point she’d gun down her commander, would not simply walk away and turn herself in as Ro Laren did.

Moreover, if Starfleet Intelligence was looking for someone to combat the Changelines, Kira Nerys makes so much more sense.

Nerys spent seven seasons on Deep Space Nine not only fighting Changelings, their army the Dominion, and Starfleet regulation but also loving one in particular; Odo. Getting Nerys to appear wouldn’t have been hard, as Nerys’ actress, Nana Visitor not only returned to the franchise with Star Trek: Lower Decks but is open to doing more work.

It wouldn’t have been hard to sell her on a return to the franchise, especially if they didn’t feel the need to kill her off for no reason.

Nerys’ ties with the Changelings make her uniquely fit for a secret campaign against them; especially if you write in a note that the Changelings killed Odo for his refusal to betray his solid-friends. It’d make the stakes so much more potent and would help tie some ideas together beyond just fan service.