The Missed Opportunity That Denied Us A Perfect Star Trek Season

By Chris Snellgrove
| Revealed 11 seconds in the past

Regardless of a really rocky first two seasons, many Star Trek followers hail season 3 of Picard as what they spent many years ready for. The season largely ditched the present’s new characters to concentrate on returning heroes from The Subsequent Technology, and we obtained fixed fan service within the type of delightfully sudden cameos (Shelby, Ro, Tuvok, oh my!) and a few sudden villains (the shapeshifting Founders). The shapeshifters had been simply henchmen for the true Huge Dangerous, and that brings us to the season’s one missed alternative: the ultimate villains ought to have been the aliens from the TNG episode “Conspiracy” slightly than the Borg.

Actually, I used to be considered one of many followers who groaned on the inevitable reveal that the Borg Queen was behind the entire homicide and mayhem of the season. The Borg loomed massive within the first season of Picard and had been main antagonists of season 2 whereas additionally popping up in Prodigy and Decrease Decks. These guys are principally Star Trek’s largest storytelling crutch each time they want a nostalgic villain, and it was disappointing that even Picard’s best season couldn’t escape their affect. It seems resistance is futile with regards to writers resisting the urge to do the identical previous factor slightly than strive one thing new.

These Ought to Have Been The Villains Of Star Trek: Picard Season 3

Actually, the alien bugs from The Subsequent Technology episode “Conspiracy” would have made significantly better last dangerous guys for Picard and his Enterprise crew to face throughout their last team-up. In case you want a refresher, these aliens had been capable of take over the minds of just about anybody, and the one signal that somebody was contaminated was a bizarre “nubbin bug” (because the Biggest Technology podcast may say) protruding of their necks. 

Picard and Riker saved the day by killing the alien chief in probably the most explosive vogue, however this season 1 episode ended with ominous hypothesis by Knowledge that the chief had activated a homing beacon that will appeal to extra of those nefarious creatures. Ever since then, followers have waited for these aliens to indicate again up in Star Trek. They by no means did, probably as a result of they had been initially conceived of as a method to introduce the Borg, however that connection was dropped by the point everybody’s favourite bionic baddies arrived in season 2’s “Q Who?”

Why The Conspiracy Aliens Are A Higher Match Than The Borg

Other than the truth that the Borg are significantly performed out, why do I feel that the “Conspiracy” aliens ought to have taken their place? For one factor, these mysterious aliens have their very own capacity to assimilate Starfleet personnel. That signifies that a lot of Picard season 3’s plot may stay the identical, with the Founders’ mysterious employers merely being one other chief bug slightly than the Borg Queen.

For an additional factor, Picard’s third season was pure fan service: the present addressed Picard and Dr. Crusher’s romantic connection, answered burning questions on whether or not Ro was nonetheless in Starfleet, introduced again the Founders as main gamers, and so forth. Amid all this scrumptious fan service, wouldn’t it have been nice for the present to circle again to the “Conspiracy” aliens and tie a pleasant bow on Star Trek’s most notorious tease? As for this fan, I’d have a lot most popular to see that than watch the Borg Queen die but once more (however this time, it’s for actual, y’all!).

A Higher Cause For The Reunion

Lastly, the return of the “Conspiracy” aliens would have offered a extra logical purpose for Picard and Riker to get the entire gang again collectively. For pretty much as good as Picard’s third season was, we nonetheless have to simply kind of settle for {that a} bunch of geriatric heroes are the one ones who can defeat the Trek’s most frequent menace in time for the early chicken particular. The return of aliens that solely Picard’s crew had ever defeated would have made their return extra logical, particularly as a result of the bugs’ presence doubled the danger that pleasant faces is probably not what they appeared.

On the finish of the day, that is solely a minor gripe, after all. Picard’s third season was usually magnificent, leaving followers clamoring for a Star Trek: Legacy present that appears destined to by no means occur. Nonetheless, its reliance on the Borg because the Huge Dangerous revealed simply how a lot the writers had been beginning to run out of concepts. The “Conspiracy” aliens would have been an ideal alternative, however contemplating that Paramount has killed our hopes for Legacy and is at present engaged on a useless Trek prequel movie, it appears followers should wait one other few many years to see the return of the franchise’s scariest aliens.