Last week saw the star-studded premiere of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 at LA’s historic Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Cast, creators, and press were in attendance, plus a few lucky fans. The reveal of the first two episodes to an audience also brought an onslaught of official reviews. These were supposed to be “spoiler free”, but either by ignorance or intention, however, we got some major reveals! So if you love a good juicy spoiler to whet your appetites enter the SPOILER ZONE – Picard Season 3!
This article is packed with all the information we’ve gathered from various press reviews. Some are minor, others not so much. So avoid it if you don’t want to be spoiled!
Orla Brady’s ‘Laris’
Photo Cr: Trae Patton/Paramount+
We’ve known Orla Brady‘s ‘Laris’ would make an appearance this season for a while, but not to what extent. Season 2 spent a lot of time examining Picard’s choices in life. Mainly family and his final frontier – love. Laris became a significant figure in this regard. The end of the 2nd season left us wondering if Picard would pick up where he left off before Q got meddlesome. Well, it seems he did:
a newly-retired Picard is living in his countryside family home in France, having finally found contentment in his romantic relationship with his Romulan former housekeeper Laris (Orla Brady). He is packing up his belongings and the many recognizable items from his many adventures (including the Ressikan flute), as he prepares to be Laris’ plus one on her diplomatic career on the Romulan planet Chaltok IV.
Yahoo News
Of course, we know that the very beginning of the season sees Picard receive a secret call from another lost love, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). So far, Laris has only appeared very early in episode one. Chances are, like poor Zhaban (Jamie McShane), she has been sidelined in favor of a new/old love interest for Picard.
Another interesting note: the planet of “Chaltok IV” has been referenced in Star Trek before. Star Trek: Voyager noted that it was the location of a Romulan research colony during the 23rd century.
Capt. Liam Shaw
Photo Credit: James Dimmock/Paramount+
It’s clear from the final season 3 promo that Capt. Liam Shaw is not a fan of Picard or Riker. Actor Todd Stashwick is certainly a master at playing obnoxious yet somehow compelling and often scene-stealing roles. If your buddy is the showrunner, it seems a given you’ll get some good material to sink your teeth into. So what exactly is Shaw’s beef with Picard & crew?
Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) recalls the events of “The Best of Both Worlds,” how it felt “like space itself was burning” and how Picard was “on that Borg Cube, setting the world on fire.
Escapist Magazine
Diving deeper into the Spoiler Zone – Picard Season 3, Shaw and his crew seem to be a hit with critics, be they positive or negative overall. And for those predicting Shaw’s immediate demise in Act 1, scene 1, sorry to disappoint; Shaw thankfully sticks around, at least for now…
Raffi Muskier
Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+
Sadly, I have bad news for those hoping to see further development of a favorite ship. Like Rose & Finn’s budding romance in Star Wars The Last Jedi, Seven and Raffi’s relationship does not appear to have survived into the third installment. Raffi Muskier is spiraling back into her previous destructive ways after a break-up with Seven, who has left to become the first officer of the Titan-A.
now a Starfleet deep cover spy who isn’t keen on the “cover” or “spying” parts of the job description, is on the trail of a criminal organization that carries out a terrorist attack on the Federation and seems to be preparing another to coincide with a gathering of Starfleet.
Paste Magazine
There is one gathering we see in the trailers, what appears to be the decommissioning ceremony for the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-F. Could this be the intended target? Slashfilm also reveals some more tantalizing details on Raffi’s covert mission.
Raffi is working by herself to investigate the theft of a powerful, portal-based weapon that has been stolen from a Federation storehouse.
Slashfilm
The recent new Star Trek Picard Logs make note that Raffi’s personal file is ‘classified’ which has serious shades of Section 31. Of course, this shadowy organization has appeared in multiple Trek series including Deep Space Nine. Which ties neatly in with the Dominion War and its fallout.
Secret Agent Worf?
Photo Credit: James Dimmock/Paramount+
Michael Dorn spoke very highly of Michelle Hurd during his recent appearance on the Shuttlepod Show podcast. The pair spent a lot of time working together during season 3’s filming, and the trailers certainly teased some major kick-ass action for the pair.
She gets help from a mystery man she doesn’t know until he reveals himself as Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn), a Klingon Officer. He was her secret agent handler and had her as his agent in a secure section of the Federation.
Disappointment Media
Showrunner Terry Matalas has repeatedly noted that Worf is still dealing with the fallout of the Dominion War. It stands to reason then that this plotline may be tied directly to that. And while it might not be the focus for the early eps, don’t dismiss this as a ‘side quest’. By all accounts whatever Raffi and Worf are investigating, it will have deadly consequences for everyone.
Conspiracy?
Image Credit: Paramount+
For those who paid close attention to the promos, there were some clues to something a little more sinister going on. Several scenes see our heroes battle officers in Starfleet uniforms and there have been a number of hints as to the direction of this plot line.
Raffi, a former addict, becomes obsessed with solving a deadly conspiracy and begins to descend into paranoia, walking a fine line on her sobriety. The series doesn’t forget the struggles that former addicts deal with on a daily basis, and it shouldn’t. Addiction is real and, in Raffi’s case, a demon she must grapple with to move forward.
Yahoo News
So if you were worrying Raffi would get sidelined, thankfully she appears to be at the heart of a very juicy part of the story. Eventually, this particular plotline will join up with Picard & crews. Most reviews note this is a backburner in the early episode, so we expect it to come to the fore in the latter half of season 3.
And Ed Speleers is…?
Photo Credit: James Dimmock/Paramount+
We’re into the big Spoiler Zone – Picard Season 3 reveals now. Whoever wrote this review had zero clue about the weight loaded onto Ed Speleer’s character, “Jack Crusher”. Its revelation was expected to carry weight given the secrecy around it, and boy does it land with a boom! Here’s what they had to say about the character:
“They go to the edge of Federation space to rescue Beverly Crusher and her son Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers).
Disappointment Media
‘Jack Crusher’ is the name of Beverly’s long-dead husband and the former best friend of Picard. It’s a name with significant meaning to both of them. Ed Speleers ‘Jack’ being a ‘secret son’ has been a favorite theory given the emotion-packed hints of ‘life-changing secrets revealed’ to Picard. And multiple reviews, while some don’t outright say it, point at plotlines, including TNG’s ‘Bloodlines’. Others lay it on the table. Jack Crusher is Picard’s son.
Picard & Crusher have not seen each other for 20 years, so that will be quite the bombshell reunion. Given Ed’s age, it puts Jack’s birth around when Beverly had a year away at Starfleet Medical during season two of TNG. There are heavy shades of Kirk and his son David’s relationship from The Wrath of Khan here. Of course, Kirk knew of his son’s existence but promised his mother he would stay out of David’s life. His son also knew who his father was… so will Jack? Ed has an English accent in the trailers, so it appears that might be genetic!?
Multiple reviews pointed to episode two, ‘Disengage’ as the one containing revelations about Ed’s character, so we won’t have to wait too long to watch it play out.
Vadic origin & connections
Photo Cr: James Dimmock/Paramount+
If you love Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, you’re going to get a kick out of this season’s big bad. And just like Khan, it appears Vadic’s (Amanda Plumber) motivations are personal.
Why do they want Jack?” Picard asks Beverly. “I don’t think it has anything to do with him,” she replies. “I think it somehow has something to do with you.” She presses, “That’s a war ship, with Jean-Luc Picard-sized enemies behind it.
Escapist Magazine
How did Vadic know Picard had a son when Picard didn’t know he had a son? It suggests she has connections with resources deep inside Starfleet.
It would then be logical to assume that whatever is happening with Vadic is tied to the deeper conspiracy Worf and Raffi were investigating. This also ties the two story threads together neatly and hinges on the ‘Save the Federation’ mission driving the plot of the series. This arc appears not to have not been fully revealed in the first six episodes. So we expect episodes 7-10 to be a very explosive final hurrah for the Picard gang.
Reviews List:
More From Trek Central
📰 – New Star Trek: Picard Logs
🔍️ – Picard Season 3 Showrunner Comments
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