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Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard‘s Season 1 Finale
Here are the biggest unanswered questions following Star Trek: Picard‘s stellar season 1 finale. The CBS All-Access series starring Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard has been a runaway success for the streaming service, uniting longtime Trekkers and bringing in new fans to the Star Trek fold. In fact, CBS All-Access even dropped their paywall so that non-subscribers get a free month to enjoy Star Trek: Picard.
Star Trek: Picard is also unlike any prior Star Trek series; mindful of Stewart’s wishes that the new show not be a retread of Star Trek: The Next Generation, executive producers Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, and Star Trek: Picard season 1’s showrunner Michael Chabon crafted a complex story about Jean-Luc Picard fighting for the fate of artificial lifeforms in the United Federation of Planets at the dawn of the 25th century. Star Trek: Picard introduced many endearing new characters while also catching fans up on the whereabouts of TNG favorites like Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and Star Trek: Voyager‘s Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). The series also centered on Soji (Isa Briones), the synthetic daughter of Commander Data (Brent Spiner), and it gave the golden android (and Star Trek fans) a touching farewell that wasn’t possible when he died in Star Trek: Nemesis.
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Star Trek: Picard‘s season 1 finale, “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part II”, wrapped up the main plotlines and it literally gave Jean-Luc a new lease on life by killing him and placing the retired Admiral’s mind intact into a new synthetic body. However, the action-packed finale still left a lot of lingering questions unresolved. Some have been addressed by Michael Chabon on his Instagram Q&As but other questions have been left to fans’ imaginations – until Star Trek: Picard season 2 (hopefully) offers some answers to these 18 questions.
18. Why Didn’t Picard Use Rios’ Holograms Instead Of Flying La Sirena Himself?
Jean-Luc knew he was risking his life by piloting La Sirena into battle against the Romulan fleet himself, and his ultimate point was to set an example to Soji and show her the logic of sacrifice. Dramatically, this meant Picard must pilot the starship himself. But logically, he should have used the help of Emmet, La Sirena’s Spanish-speaking emergency hologram who helped Rios fly the ship in battle at Vashti. Since Rios and Raffi had repaired La Sirena, all of the ships’ holograms should have been fully operational. It’s also strange that the Emergency Medical Hologram didn’t appear when Picard was dying from his brain disease.
17. What Happened To Picard’s Corpse?
As he was dying in Star Trek: Picard‘s finale, Dr. Jurati and Dr. Soong, with Soji’s help, mapped out all of Picard’s memories and cranial substrates and downloaded them into the Golem. In the end, Picard literally becomes a new man, with his entire personality intact in a new, age-appropriate synthetic body. But what happened to Picard’s corpse? Was it buried on Coppelius? Or is Picard taking it back to Earth to bury himself at his vineyard in Le Barre, France? Is Jean-Luc Picard going to be the rare being who attends his own funeral?
16. What Happened To Narek?
Soji’s abusive Romulan ex-boyfriend decided that saving the universe was more important than the Zhat Vash’s goal of wiping out the synthetics. Narek (Harry Treadaway) did prove himself sincere when he helped Rios and Raffi try to destroy the beacon, although their gambit failed. But then, Narek was overpowered by the synths and dragged off – and he was never seen or heard from again in the episode. What became of Narek? In his Instagram, Michael Chabon indicated that the Tal Shiar secret agent was likely turned over to Starfleet authorities but since it’s not in the episode, it’s not canon and Narek’s fate is left up in the air in Star Trek: Picard.
15. What Happens To The Artifact And The XBs?
After becoming the ersatz Borg Queen of the Artifact, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) seemingly abandoned it to join up with the La Sirena crew at the end of the finale – and so did Elnor (Evan Evagora), who Picard told to protect the XBs. So what happens next to the Artifact and the reclaimed Borg inside on Star Trek: Picard? Are they going to keep trying to repair the Cube for liftoff? Or do they try to make a home on Coppelius and form a society with the synthetics? Will the Federation take over the Borg Reclamation Project? Further, Narek and Narissa’s aunt Ramdha (Rebecca Wisocky) was last seen in a coma on the Artifact and she’s still a Zhat Vash believer – what happens to her?
14. What Happens Next To The Synthetics On Coppelius?
Thanks to Picard, Coppelius (officially designated as Ghulion IV in the Vayt sector) was designated as a protectorate of the United Federation of Planets. So, now that they’ve opened diplomatic relations with the Federation, what’s next for the synthetic society and Dr. Altan Soong? The ban of artificial lifeforms was lifted so the synths are now a free people, but what do they do now? More importantly, what will Starfleet do with the discovery of a planet with dozens of evolved synthetics – will they be allowed to freely travel throughout the galaxy? Will the Federation want to study Data’s children?
13. If Sutra Is Reactivated, Won’t She Just Try To Contact The Alien Synthetics Again?
In Star Trek: Picard, Sutra was poised to become a major villain and she was the instigator of the plan to summon the ancient synthetic race to wipe out organics in the galaxy – until Dr. Soong simply deactivated her. Does this mean Sutra has to remain deactivated indefinitely? Because if she returns, wouldn’t she just try to build the beacon and summon the synths again? Sutra was set up to be the equivalent of Lore to Soji’s Data and she could return again as a villain in Star Trek: Picard season 2.
12. Is Agnes Jurati Still Turning Herself In For Murdering Bruce Maddox?
Before they went to Coppelius, La Sirena was supposed to go to Deep Space 12 so that Agnes Jurati could surrender herself for espionage, treason, and the murder of Dr. Bruce Maddox (John Ales). Now that the galaxy has been saved, is Jurati still going to prison? Agnes performed many heroic acts on Coppelius, including freeing Picard from house arrest and then resurrecting him after he died, but that doesn’t erase the fact that she killed Bruce Maddox. Star Trek: Picard‘s finale’s happy ending saw Agnes and Rios continuing their romance but Dr. Jurati still has to pay for her crimes.
11. How Did Seven of Nine And Raffi Musiker Suddenly Get Together?
Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) and Seven of Nine are now a couple – a development that came entirely out of the blue in the final moments of Star Trek: Picard‘s finale. When did this romance suddenly blossom? Raffi and Seven never once spoke to each other during Star Trek: Picard‘s final episode and they hardly interacted at all throughout the series. Even though Seven and Raffi’s sexual orientation was indeed hinted at during Star Trek: Picard season 1, the two of them becoming romantic all of a sudden comes off as totally random since fans never got to see anything develop between them onscreen.
10. What Does It Mean For Picard To Have A Synthetic Body?
Jean-Luc Picard is now synthetic – but he’s as ‘real’ as ever and his fundamental character hasn’t changed, even with his new, android body. Soji, Soong, and Agnes explained some of the benefits (and drawbacks) of Picard’s new form: He will age the way he normally would without his fatal brain disease and he’s not immortal. But there are other changes Star Trek: Picard didn’t quite get into: Picard’s heart is as newly synthetic as the rest of his body, instead of his organic body’s duritanium heart. Also, his new synthetic body was never assimilated by the Borg so this should help free Jean-Luc of his lingering trauma of being turned into Locutus. Still, it’s possible Picard might be a little annoyed that his new body doesn’t have superpowers like Soji does, but if he is, Jean-Luc was polite enough not to show it.
9. Is Data Really Dead Forever?
Star Trek: Picard season 1 ended with a lovely farewell to Data, which fans (and Jean-Luc) were robbed of when the android abruptly died in Star Trek: Nemesis. In Star Trek: Picard, Data’s story came to a poetic conclusion with the beloved automaton choosing mortality and dying as a human being would have. But does this mean Data is really dead, once and for all? While there are always possibilities in Star Trek, as far as Brent Spiner is concerned, he has no plans to ever play the android again after this perfect ending. So, yes, Data is truly gone and he couldn’t have received a finer, final death.
8. Will Raffi Get Reinstated In Starfleet?
In Star Trek: Picard‘s finale, Raffi Musiker received vindication at last. She was bounced out of Starfleet in 2385 when Jean-Luc quit in protest and her life was miserable afterward; Raffi’s belief that there was a Romulan conspiracy in Starfleet cost Musiker her reputation and even her family. Plus Raffi developed a substance abuse problem. But Star Trek: Picard‘s finale proved Raffi was right all along – so what happens to her now? Can Raffi return to Starfleet, where she was once a Lieutenant Commander, and get her career back?
7. Is Seven of Nine Going To Remain A Fenris Ranger?
Seven of Nine’s future is also up in the air: does she return to Romulan space and resume her career as one of the Fenris Rangers? Or is she going wherever Raffi goes – likely back to Earth? Seven joining the La Sirena crew at the end of Star Trek: Picard‘s finale was especially confusing since it was hinted that she was taking over command of the Artifact as “Queen Annika”. It’s understandable that ruling her own micro-Collective isn’t a life Seven actually wants, but what does Seven want? It’s much easier to predict what Star Trek fans want: Seven of Nine should either be a part of Star Trek: Picard season 2 or Seven should get her own spinoff.
6. How Does Starfleet Recover From All Of The Damage Commodore Oh Caused?
Obviously, now that she’s finally been exposed as a Tal Shiar agent, Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita) has been removed from her post as Head of Starfleet Security. But Starfleet must now assess the incalculable damage Oh caused for decades. Oh instigated the attack on Mars, which killed tens of thousands, and caused synthetics to be banned. Oh also ordered the murders of countless people, including Dahj. Further, Starfleet lost its values and descended into fear and chaos thanks to Oh’s machinations. The fact that a Romulan agent successfully posed as a top-level Starfleet Officer for over 30 years is an embarrassment that Starfleet will have to deal with. At least Jean-Luc Picard was able to remind Starfleet of its principles by his own heroic example.
5. What Will The Zhat Vash Do Now That Their Secret Is Out?
For centuries, the Zhat Vash was considered a myth within the Tal Shiar and the Federation had never even heard of this sect of synth-hating Romulans – until Jean-Luc Picard exposed them. What happens to the Zhat Vash now, especially since their entire reason for existing – stopping synthetic lifeforms – has been foiled by Picard? Now that the Zhat Vash are no longer a secret, can they still exist or will they try again to destroy Soji and her family on Coppelius?
4. What Will Soji Do Next?
Now that she’s a free citizen within the Federation thanks to the synthetics ban being lifted, Soji has her whole future ahead of her – so what will she do now? Soji decided to leave her family in Coppelius to wander the galaxy but what is her ultimate destiny? Will Soji join Starfleet as Data did? Will she go to Earth and join the Daystrom Institute like Dahj was supposed to? Will she spend time with Kestra and the Rikers on Nepenthe? Soji can do whatever she wants – it will be fascinating to see what her next move will be in Star Trek: Picard season 2.
3. Did Cristobal Rios Ever Get Paid?
By the end of Star Trek: Picard season 1, Cristobal Rios found his faith in Starfleet restored when he let Jean-Luc Picard into his heart (despite vowing he’d never let another Starfleet Captain get close to him). He also developed a romance with Agnes (who is likely going to prison) and Rios grew fond of the rest of Picard’s found family aboard La Sirena. But did Chris ever get paid for letting all of those people onto his starship? Rios was originally a pilot-for-hire and he touted how “expensive” he was at first. So, did Rios ever get compensated for all that he did for Picard? Does Chris still even want money after everything that happened?
2. Will Picard’s Motley Crew Stay Together?
Picard, Soji, Rios, Raffi, Agnes, Elnor, and Seven of Nine warping into the final frontier together was a happy sight, but will they actually stay together? Star Trek: Picard‘s ragtag heroes came together out of necessity and, since they’re not a Starfleet crew, they’re not duty-bound to stick together as La Sirena’s crew. Most likely, they will go their separate ways, with Picard and Raffi returning to Earth and Agnes turning herself in to the authorities. It’s unclear what Elnor, Seven, and Soji will do next. But it will be fascinating to see if the La Sirena gang reunites and if anyone else joins the motley crew in Star Trek: Picard season 2.
1. Who Sang “Blue Skies” At the End Of Star Trek: Picard’s Finale?
In Star Trek: Picard‘s finale, Data’s death was accompanied by an ethereal cover of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” and the person who sang it was a fitting choice: the vocalist was Isa Briones, who plays Soji (and Dahj, Sutra, and Jana). “Blue Skies” is essentially “Data’s song” now; the golden android performed it during Will Riker and Deanna Troi’s wedding in Star Trek: Nemesis and B-4 humming a few bars indicated that part of Data was still alive at the end of that film – a plot thread Star Trek: Picard picked up and ran with. Meanwhile, Briones is a talented singer as well as an actor and she was the youngest cast member in Hamilton. So it’s perfectly poetic that Data’s daughter sang her father’s signature song at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 1.
Star Trek: Picard Season 1 is available on CBS All-Access and internationally on Amazon Prime Video.
