Sir Patrick Stewart is back as Picard, and now with today’s panel at the San Diego Comic-Con wrapped up, we have a far clearer picture of what lies ahead with Brent Spinner reprising his role as Data, and a clear Borg connection in the form of an intimidating Borg Cube ship, and Seven of Nine, formally of the Borg collective.
Although the trailer was rather short at a mere two minutes long, we saw plenty to give us an idea of what lies ahead.
Picard has spent two decades attempting to assimilate to retired life on Earth, and despite being back on the family vineyard in France, has always felt out of place. The arrival of a woman who has sought Picard out seems to set things in motion for the captain’s return to space.
Speaking to an acting Admiral in Starfleet, and then subsequently hearing that Picard needs a crew leads us to believe that whatever formal assistance Picard requested has been denied, but that a drive exists within him to pursue this feeling inside.
We were not given any other official information about what could be driving Picard back into space, not a single mention of Klingon, Romulan, or Cardassian. We were however shown a Borg Cube, and we saw Picard seek out Seven of Nine, played by Jeri Ryan and a former Borg drone who escaped to join Starfleet.
This means that the entire focus of the upcoming show must focus on the potential of some massive Borg threat, otherwise we are being led on the wildest of goose chases. A Borg threat is a logical direction for any manner of story relating to Picard, as he himself was temporarily assimilated into the Borg Collected to become Locutus of Borg, and we have seen storylines centered around that experience, such as much of the film Star Trek: First Contact in 1996.
Seeking out Seven of Nine further suggests that the Borg are at the center of the story, since they had not met previously on either of their respective shows, and again there would be no other reason to bring the character back.
Beyond that, there is little left to say in terms of speculation since we know nothing about this mysterious young woman sent to find Picard. Given that Picard and the Enterprise visited so many worlds throughout The Next Generation, most of which conveniently contained a group of humanoid aliens, this girl could be from virtually anywhere.
In addition to Stewart, the SDCC panel was host to the other cast members including Alison Pill, Harry Treadaway, Isa Briones, Evan Evagora, Santiago Cabrera, and Michelle Hurd.
Star Trek: Picard is set to launch in 2020, and the series cannot arrive soon enough.