Star Trek: Lower Decks will always have a special place in my heart for their decision to bring back the little-discussed but incredibly charming side character from Star Trek: First Contact, Lily Sloane. Lily, played by Alfre Woodard in both the film and the Lower Decks cameo, was a standout new character at the time. The film was all the rage, and it stands as the best example of filmmaking during The Next Generation era of films.
Woodard's performance in the film was part of the reason why. Essentially paired with Jean-Luc Picard for most of the film, we got to see what the universe of Star Trek is like through someone who has seen nothing but war and death for years. It made her voice carry all the more weight when she urged Picard to stop his war against The Borg and choose to live instead.
Woodard was incredible in her delivery and added depth to a character that could've just been forgotten about after the first viewing. Instead, she lingered and her delivery and execution of key lines made her a fan-favorite for nearly 30 years.
So to finally see Star Trek bring her back, albeit as a slightly different version of the character, was a genuine treat. It also made me realize that a story of Sloane and her friend Zefram Cochrane would be perfect for the film format that Paramount+ is hoping to push Star Trek towards.
Seeing the two finally put together the first signs of a formal government that can back its space program, alongside the Vulcans is the kind of prequel we truly deserve. We could watch the pair fight, argue, and deal with the Vulcans in order to get their first true exploration-ready ship set for launch. We could also start to see other characters from Star Trek lore, like Henry Archer.
Henry is the father of Star Trek: Enterprise's main character Jonathan Archer, famously played by Scott Bakula. In the show, we find out that Henry worked with Zefram on the Warp-5 engine, and presumably, Lily as well.
A story about Lily and Zefram could not only bring in a key character like Henry Archer, but we could also see a young Jonathan Archer as well, to help complete the film's concept. It could serve as a loose prequel to Enterprise, all while giving Lily and Zefram a chance to be flushed out as characters.
Though, this only works if you bring back Woodard and Zefram's actor, James Cromwell.