Comic-Con 2020: Five questions we want 'Star Trek: Picard' to answer about Season 2
He may have retired from Starfleet, but that didn't make life any easier for Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). As seen in 'Star Trek: Picard', his life would eventually get a lot more complicated as the first season had major implications not just for Picard, but for all life under the Federation. A Romulan conspiracy to prevent the end of the world, a planet full of the galaxy's first true race of artificial life, and a Borg reclamation project that in some ways was more successful than anyone had dreamed Patterson (Ashley Johnson the events of Season 1 left the universe in a very different place.
With the cast reuniting for the first time since the season aired for a panel at Comic-Con@Home, we take a look at the top 5 questions that we want to see explored in Season 2.
How far do synth rights go?
Starfleet outright banned all synthetic lifeforms after the rogue android attack in 2285, but by the end of Season 1 of 'Star Trek: Picard' it was proven that the androids had been attacked. Synthetic lifeforms were given full rights again. Coppelius, the planet with the largest known synth population, was given protected status, though synths are now free to roam the rest of the galaxy. The question is, given that the general populace was distrustful of synthetic life for so long, how much freedom do the synths truly have? Are they given the full rights of organic species and how much of a problem is the galaxy's general distrust of them going to be? Given that two of Picard's crew are now synthetic life forms — Picard himself and Soji (Isa Briones) — this is a particularly relevant question for the show to answer.
What happened to Narek?
With all of what happened in the final two episodes of 'Star Trek: Picard' Season 1, some storylines got lost in the confusion. Mainly, that of Narek (Harry Treadaway), who set a lot of the series' events into motion. He holds a hatred in his heart for all synthetic lifeforms but is conflicted about it partially due to the feelings he developed for Soji. Last we saw him, he was being taken away by the synths after his failure to destroy a world-ending beacon. Given that synths almost destroyed all organic life, but then chose not to, Narek is both right and wrong about his assumptions about synths, but what does that mean for him going forward? Will he return as a villain, an anti-hero ally or will Season 2 see him on a path to redemption?
Will Raffi and Seven's relationship be explored?
One of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments of the Season finale was the apparent relationship that developed between Rafi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). The two were seen holding hands, hinting at them being the first LGBTQ+ couple to be featured on a 'Star Trek' television series. However, this relationship has not been explicitly confirmed, either on-screen or off, and it's a move that the show's producers can easily backtrack if they so choose to.
What is Borg's future, now that they can be rehabilitated?
One of the major elements of the show was the Borg Reclamation Project — a large scale Borg Cube that the Romulans mined for knowledge and profit. In addition to learning more about Borg technology from a Cube that had been cut off from the larger Hive, the Reclamation Project has made more advances than ever before into rehabilitating former Borg members. What once was thought to be an irreversible process is now proven consistently to be otherwise. How does this change how civilizations handle the ongoing Borg threat? Does this mean fewer fatal attacks against the Borg and more rescue missions? Is there finally hope for all those civilizations lost to the Borg Collective?
Has Starfleet lost public faith?
Starfleet has been responsible for some pretty bad decisions, moving further and further away from the ideals of universal harmony they once embodied. It's what led Picard to resign from Starfleet in the first place. Now that he is responsible for getting Starfleet to admit that they were wrong on several fronts — most notably, the ban on synthetic life and the decision to deny Romulan aid — their reputation has taken a very public hit. What will it take for Starfleet to return to its former glory or is that no longer on the cards?
The Star Trek Universe Virtual Panel happens on July 23, from 10 am to 11 am. You can read additional details here.