Star Trek Theory: Picard Will Get Re-Assimilated By The Borg In The S3 Finale
Contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3, Episode 9 "Võx"
Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard" continues its climactic crescendo as the series finale creeps closer and closer. The Borg Queen (Alice Krige) has made her move by drawing in young Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). Now, it's up to Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and those who loyally served under his command in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" to save Starfleet. But the teaser for the series finale titled "The Last Generation" has dropped, and it appears that Picard may very well have to reconnect to the Borg Collective in order to set things right. And could re-assimilation mean the end for one of "Star Trek's" most iconic characters?
During the promo, Picard can be seen standing in the pulsing emerald energy of what is certainly the Hive along with another shadowy figure. Worst case scenario, the other character is the Queen. However, it's more likely Picard is standing in the electrical storm with Jack. In the very next shot, Picard screams in agony as he reaches for his head.
Reuniting the "TNG" cast tugged all the right heartstrings and evoked a logical, nostalgic response amongst Trekkies. Not only is the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise-D together for one last adventure, but the ship itself has been restored thanks to Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). However, the brilliance that's been Season 3 can all come undone in a heartbeat if the theorized assimilation means the death of Jean-Luc Picard.
Will Picard re-assimilate with the Borg?
"Star Trek: Picard" continues to push its warp engines far beyond the limits any Trekkie ever thought possible. Critics have given this season of the science fiction series a nearly perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the 90% audience score reflects the fans' adoration of Jean-Luc Picard's swan song. However, there's still a chance for the Paramount Network to drop the ball. And if showrunner Terry Matalas ends up killing off the former captain of the Enterprise-D, expect Ceti-Alpha-sized disappointment amongst the fans.
So, let's play the game, and give the teaser its due: It's got everyone concerned. An interesting dynamic will likely be at play in the finale. Saving Starfleet, and humanity itself, seems predicated on a mind game between Picard and his son. As Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) acknowledged in Season 3, Episode 9, "Võx," Jack Crusher is dangerous. And while both Picard and Jack have a connection to the Borg, there's a pivotal difference between how they each interact with the Hive.
"Jack is a kind of evolution," Matalas said during an exclusive interview with Screen Rant. "A controlling Borg transmitter gene. Locutus was kind of a receiver. So, Jack's gene can control the receiver gene placed inside the others — the genes placed into the transporter system." Picard's assimilation might be necessary to win the day, but if he dies while making things right, it will leave a bitter taste in the mouth of an otherwise incomparable legacy.
Killing off Picard is futile
Trekkies know the words "resistance is futile" all too well. During "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Season 3, Episode 26, "The Best of Both Worlds" Part 1, Jean-Luc Picard is captured and assimilated by the Borg. He is transformed into a member of their collective known as Locutus. And, now, the captain appears to be re-assimilating with the Borg in order to save Starfleet and his son, Jack Crusher, in the series finale's teaser.
But letting Picard die, even if it is a hero's death, would be a mistake similar to the galaxy-sized blunder Paramount made in 1994 when the studio killed off Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in the much-maligned "Star Trek: Generations." Rather than make the same mistake screenwriters Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore did concerning Kirk's quietus, "Picard" showrunner Terry Matalas could allow father and son to combine their minds while connected to the Borg, and then defeat the Hive without either men having to meet an unnecessary demise.
Now, there will be those who argue that heroically sacrificing himself to save his own son would be noble of Picard. It would neatly bookend the conversation Picard and Jack had about their father-son connection, or lack thereof, in Season 3, Episode 9, "Võx." But there's no need to kill off Picard to evoke one more emotional note in what's already been a splendid streaming symphony. To put a button in it, Picard's death is futile.