The Biggest Unanswered Questions From Star Trek: Picard Season 3
"Star Trek: Picard" Season 3 capped off a three-season run that saw Patrick Stewart reprise the role of Jean-Luc Picard. The entire crew of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" returned, making Season 3 something of a legacy sequel to the 2002 film "Star Trek: Nemesis." The third and final season put to bed plenty of longstanding questions debated by Trekkies for decades, like the fate of the Enterprise-D and the final resting place of James T. Kirk.
The story sees Admiral Picard and Captain William Riker commandeering the U.S.S. Titan to answer a desperate plea for help from their old friend Beverly Crusher. They uncover a fiendish plot from a mysterious new villain named Vadic who is poised wipe out the Federation. To stop this new threat, Picard must bring together his old crew, board a relic of a starship, and face off against an old nemesis.
However, while the final season wrapped up quite a bit for the "TNG" crew, it left us with as many questions as it answered. So grab your interferometric polaron disrupter and set your inverse tachyon field generator to full flow, because we're looking at the biggest unanswered questions from "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3. Spoilers ahead.
So... when is that spin-off coming?
Even before the season ended, series showrunner Terry Matalas was teasing his hopes for a spin-off to "Star Trek: Picard." He even had a name in mind, suggesting it would be called "Star Trek: Legacy." It would feature a new ship with a crew that would be a mix of old returning favorites and a younger generation of Starfleet officers. By the time the final episode of "Star Trek: Picard" had rolled its credits it became clear that this was no simple pipe dream, as the story clearly sets up such a series.
In the closing moments of the finale, the U.S.S. Titan is rechristened the U.S.S. Enterprise-G, while Seven of Nine is promoted to its captain. Raffi has been reinstated and assigned to be Seven's first officer, and at the helm is Sidney La Forge (daughter of Geordi). Jack Crusher — the son of Picard and Dr. Crusher — takes his place as Seven's special advisor on the bridge. Jack even awkwardly name-drops the proposed title of the potential spin-off when he remarks on Captain Seven writing her own legacy, making it crystal clear what's in store.
With "Strange New Worlds" also set on a U.S.S. Enterprise, perhaps Paramount might wait a few years to put a little distance between them. But with Jeri Ryan raring to go, and a cast all set up from "Picard" — as well as a mid-credits scene that teased a coming trial from a returning Q — there's no better time than now.
Wait... how did Q come back?
Season 2 of "Star Trek: Picard" saw the return of Q, played by John de Lancie. Last seen in live-action in "Star Trek: Voyager," he came back here to torment Picard one last time (or so it was claimed). He also helped him sort out some personal issues. In the story, Q makes one small change to history and throws Picard and his new crew — including Seven of Nine, Rios, Jurati, and Raffi — into a twisted alternate timeline. To fix it, Picard must not only travel back in time, but come face to face with ghosts from his past and come to terms with a tragic childhood trauma.
As the season unfolded, we also learned that part of the reason for Q's visit was to say goodbye: His people are dying, and would be ending their existence. In a tender final moment in the series finale, Picard and Q share an almost loving embrace as the godlike, letter-named foil disappears, never to be seen again... or so we thought.
In a truly unexpected moment, Q returns for a mid-credits stinger in the finale of "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3. He tells Jack Crusher that a trial is about to begin. Jack questions how he could still be alive, but Q gives no concrete explanation, merely saying that Jack shouldn't think so "linearly," implying it's a version of him from before his death. Is this a set-up for a new adventure, and if so, is Q back for good? Only time — and a potential spin-off — will tell.
What happened to the Enterprise-E?
The Enterprise-E was introduced in the film "Star Trek: First Contact" and was the hero ship for two more films, "Star Trek: Insurrection" and "Star Trek: Nemesis." And while it's been 20+ years since it was last seen on-screen, many fans were still puzzled to see the Enterprise-F as the flagship of "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3. What's more, it was being decommissioned, meaning the F had likely served for quite a while. This suggests that the Enterprise-E was either retired or destroyed not long after "Star Trek: Nemesis," but it's never said exactly what happened to it.
The fate of the Enterprise-E doesn't go entirely without mention, though. In the penultimate episode of the third season, when Geordi La Forge takes the crew back to the fleet museum to retrieve the old Enterprise-D, he notes that the Enterprise-E wasn't available. Everyone immediately turns to Worf, who gets surprisingly defensive, quipping that whatever happened to the E wasn't his fault.
So what happened to it? It was confirmed by showrunner Terry Matalas that Worf had succeeded Picard as captain of the Enterprise, so did he lead it into a battle that saw the ship destroyed? We did see it pop up in a recent episode of "Star Trek: Prodigy" set just a few years after "Nemesis" in a scene that saw it heavily damaged. Could that have been the moment the E met its fate? Sadly, we may have to look to novels and tie-in comics to get the answer.
Where is Queen Jurati?
Like Q, the Borg played a key part in the story of Season 2 of "Star Trek: Picard," culminating in a finale that saw a new splinter group of Borg emerge. Created by the fusion of a Borg Queen from an alternate reality and Dr. Agnes Jurati, they apparently spent hundreds of years in hiding, evolving their own mini-collective that was far more benevolent and focused on rehabilitation. At the climax of the story, they return and ask to join the Federation, offering to help with a new threat posed by a potentially dangerous cosmic phenomenon.
Season 3 completely glosses over that plot point, ignoring the development entirely and focusing on a different storyline. But at the end of Season 3, we learn that the Borg — the real Borg — are the true villains, hoping to finally assimilate mankind. This makes us wonder, given the obvious point of connection, where Jurati's Borg Queen and her group of "good" Borg are during the events of the finale? We know they are out there keeping tabs on a growing interstellar threat, but surely they would have better means of defeating the insidious Borg Queen seen in the series finale than Picard and his decades-old Enterprise-D?
The real question is, given that Season 3 opted to just pretend like the Jurati Queen didn't exist, will we ever see a resolution to this story? Or will it join the pantheon of unresolved "Star Trek" storylines?
Does Picard retcon the finale of Enterprise?
This might seem like a random question, but bear with us here. In the mid-season episode "The Bounty," Picard leads the U.S.S. Titan to the fleet museum to get the help of Geordi La Forge. There, viewers are treated to a parade of Easter eggs, getting glimpses of famous starships from "Star Trek" past. This includes Kirk's Enterprise-A, the U.S.S. Defiant from "Deep Space Nine," and the U.S.S. Voyager. We also see the NX-01, the ship that was the focus of the 2001 prequel spin-off "Star Trek: Enterprise." Its refit form — with an additional secondary hull — calls into question that series' own finale.
In the infamous "Enterprise" series ender, "These Are the Voyages," Riker and Troi recreate the final voyage of the NX-01, a mission that sees the death of engineer Trip Tucker, much to the dismay of fans. But, as seen in that episode, the NX-01 is shown without the refit secondary hull, which was only designed for a fifth season that was never produced. This has led to fans theorizing that perhaps the events of that finale aren't exactly canon: Riker and Troi might not have been re-living actual history, or the holodeck program wasn't an accurate reflection of what really happened.
To the delight of fans, this could also mean that Trip Tucker didn't really die, setting him up for a possible return in another potential nostalgic reunion series.
What is the status of the Dominion?
One of the biggest surprise reveals in Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard" is the identity of the villains hunting for Jack Crusher. In "Disengage," fans were thrown for a loop with the unexpected discovery that Crusher's pursuers were none other than the Changelings, the shapeshifting leaders of the Dominion who went to war with the Federation in "Deep Space Nine." Many fans have wondered what happened in the aftermath of the Dominion War, and while there were some hints on spin-offs like "Lower Decks," it finally seemed like we might get some answers in "Picard."
Unfortunately, all we really got was a new villain: The deadly Vadic, a rogue Changeling who had been kept captive by Section 31 and who rallied a group of her fellow angry Changelings on a mission to destroy the Federation for what they had done to her. While Worf does make one mention of his old friend Odo — still in the Great Link in the Gamma Quadrant where he was left at the end of "Deep Space Nine" — we don't get any further updates as to the status of the Dominion.
As it stands, there are still many unanswered questions following the Dominion War: What became of the Jem'Hadar, the Vorta, and the thousands of worlds that were ruled by the Dominion? Is there a struggle for power with their empire in ruin, or did Starfleet step in to bring stability to the Gamma Quadrant? We may need yet another spin-off to answer these questions.
Are the rogue Changelings still a threat?
Though the question of what became of the Dominion still lingers, of more immediate concern is the fate of Vadic's rogue Changelings. Throughout the final season of "Star Trek: Picard," the insidious Vadic led this new group of deadly, bloodthirsty shapeshifters on a mission to capture Jack Crusher as part of a plan to destroy Starfleet and beyond. But after Vadic met her end, it isn't said what happened to the rest of the Changelings who had been loyal to her.
Oddly, with the revelation that Vadic had been working for the Borg Queen — who'd used the Changelings as her own soldiers in absence of a Borg army — the story just seemed to forget about Changelings by the season finale. But that just makes us ask: Are the rogue Changelings still a threat? Having infiltrated Starfleet, could they return to wreak more havoc?
Sure, at the tail end of the finale, "The Last Generation," it's noted that Dr. Crusher — now a Starfleet Admiral — has developed a way to detect them via the transporter. We can't imagine that will be able to ferret out all of them, though, and some must have escaped unnoticed. For a season that focused so heavily on the Changeling threat, it seems curious that the plotline was abandoned so abruptly, and we have to wonder if a follow-up story is in the works.
Where is Admiral Janeway?
Yes, an animated version of Admiral Kathryn Janeway currently stars in "Star Trek: Prodigy," the Nickelodeon-produced series. But that series is set more than a decade prior to "Star Trek: Picard," and Janeway has received so many conspicuous references that it seems odd she didn't make an on-screen appearance by the time the final credits rolled, particularly with so many other major cameos.
Earlier in the series, Seven of Nine namedropped an "Admiral Janeway" as someone who helped her secure entry into Starfleet in the first place, and for recently encouraging her to stick with it despite her struggles. Later, while Picard is meeting in secret with Commander Ro, Janeway is namechecked again, this time as an influential Starfleet figure who might be able to help them thwart the Changeling conspiracy. When the Titan moves to intercept the Changelings on Frontier Day, Janeway gets one more reference, said to be in charge of the festivities, suggesting that she may indeed have a very high-ranking role within Starfleet.
Yet, despite plenty of fan theories circulating online about how Janeway might ultimately play a key role in the conclusion, she was nowhere to be seen. This seems strange, what with her protégé Seven of Nine getting command of the new Enterprise, and her old nemesis the Borg back threatening the Federation. This leaves us questioning where she is, what she's really doing, and if we'll ever see her again on-screen, played in live-action by Kate Mulgrew.
The status of Section 31
Section 31, the clandestine Starfleet black ops intelligence agency, first made its presence felt on "Deep Space Nine." Over the course of the Dominion War storyline, we learned that they were responsible for a deadly virus that infected the Changelings and threatened them with genocide. This wound up being a key plot point in "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3, as the villain Vadic never forgot how Section 31 had tried to wipe out her people. She was also left scarred — physically and otherwise — after years of gruesome experimentation while their prisoner, a part of Section 31's covert operation to create the perfect Changeling.
While the organization played a big part in the background of "Picard," we are given no info on their current status. They would seem to be active, as Daystrom Station is described as a Section 31 black site. However, Captain Riker seems very familiar with them, which is a major change from when they were almost unknown to everyone on "DS9." So is Section 31 now common knowledge among Starfleet officers, the way it was during the events depicted in "Star Trek: Discovery?" Or has the network of officers with clearance simply been broadened?
It also seems like a change for Section 31 to even have a site like Daystrom Station. Back on "DS9," their leader Director Sloan said emphatically that the agency had no official headquarters or base of operations. Is this a change to their operating procedures or was Sloan simply an unreliable source?
Where does Laris go from here?
At the end of "Picard" Season 2, the Romulan Laris was set up to be a new lover for Jean-Luc, and they seemed poised to embark on a romantic relationship. When Season 3 began, however, we only got a few brief moments with Laris, and it's never said if they're in a relationship. Before long, Picard is off on a new mission to save his old flame Dr. Beverly Crusher.
When Picard locates Dr. Crusher, she reveals that she has a son, and that Picard is his father, the result of a whirlwind romance decades earlier. When she became pregnant, she severed all ties to Picard and her old shipmates in an effort to keep her son, Jack, safe from the danger that comes with being the son of the great Jean-Luc Picard. Over the course of the season, Picard and Dr. Crusher renew their friendship, and there's even a few hints of romance, as there's still clearly chemistry between them. Given that the on-again/off-again romance between them was one of the biggest unresolved stories of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," this seemed like it might end with the two getting back together.
Sure enough, by the end of the season finale it seems that Picard and Dr. Crusher are closer than ever, and Laris is nowhere to be found. Still, it's not implicitly said whether Picard and Crusher are a couple or just good friends and co-parents, leaving the status of their relationship an unanswered question once again.
Who is Worf working for?
When we are first reintroduced to the old crew of the Enterprise from "The Next Generation," we find some of them in unexpected places, with Geordi at the fleet museum and Data being used as a security system for Section 31. When we first see Mr. Worf, he's working for Starfleet Intelligence, a field operative for Commander Ro Laren investigating the Changeling threat. But Worf's actual position and role is murky at best, as he describes himself more as a "subcontractor" to Starfleet, implying he's actually in service to someone else. The question is, who?
While we know that Worf eventually attained the rank of captain, commanding the Enterprise — possibly to its end — we don't actually know what he's done since. Considering actor Michael Dorn's own thoughts that Worf may have gone off to join the Klingon Empire, it's entirely possible he's working for a Klingon intelligence service we're unaware of. Or perhaps he's merely a mercenary do-gooder, a private crusader and soldier-of-fortune who lends his services to those who need them. Whatever the case, it's not entirely clear, and a plot thread that seems perfectly poised for a follow-up, perhaps in the long-rumored "Captain Worf" series.
What is the nature of the new Data?
For a season billed as a proper send-off for the crew of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the third and final year of "Star Trek: Picard" doesn't give us much of a glimpse into where they end up when all is said and done. The biggest question mark might be the new Data, who is said to be an amalgam of the former Lt. Commander Data, his evil twin Lore, and even a little of his own daughter Lal, among others. Described as "more" than just Data, he's as close to being human as we've ever seen the character, and yet there are still many questions.
For starters, is he considered the same person or a new person? While this might seem like a silly question, it will undoubtedly be one that Starfleet asks. Second, given his new golem body, does he possess all the same abilities as his old android self — including superior strength, intelligence, and reflexes — or is he more like an ordinary man?
And what of his goals and aspirations now that he has essentially achieved his dream of becoming human? Will he continue his career as a Starfleet officer where Data left off, or will he look to forge his own new path? Perhaps this is left open-ended by design, to allow for a follow-up, spin-off, or sequel that provides a new future for him, but for now, it's all up in the air.