Note: this article was written by a TrekMovie contributor who does not have access to advanced screeners and has only seen the first two episodes of Star Trek: Picard Season 3.
Recently 100% Certified Fresh, season 3 of Star Trek: Picard has reignited interest in the show after seasons 1 and 2 barely made it out of spacedock. Even with only two episodes aired, fan theories are running wild—from conspiracies about Jack Crusher’s real lineage to Captain Shaw’s mysterious past to Vadic’s potential puppet master(s). More on the first two another time, but for now, we’re going to focus on who fans think the “big bad” of season 3 could be. We scoured the far reaches of the Internet to analyze the best (and worst) Picard season 3 fan theories. This analysis may contain potential spoilers.
“To be or not to be” the villain
Even before appearing in episode two, Amanda Plummer’s Vadic and her bird-mask-wearing soldiers had fans wondering who she is and where she comes from. After seeing her in episode two claiming to be a “bounty hunter,” we are starting to get the first hints. With the mention of an unknown weapon on board the Shrike, Vadic’s story is almost certainly connected to Raffi’s investigation into stolen tech from Daystrom. The first two episodes also have hints that Vadic is connected to a larger network that extends into Starfleet, evidenced by her having inside knowledge about Picard and Shaw. Beverly did warn Picard to “trust no one, including Starfleet.”
Amanda Plummer as Vadic
Many questions still remain about the season 3 villain, like why Vadic wants Jack Crusher, son of Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard, and why she wants him alive. Is she working alone or is she working for someone else? What’s the story behind her powerful and pointy ship, the Shrike? If Vadic is working for someone else, who could that be and why?
Let’s look at a handful of fan theory suspects (including some of our own), keeping in mind the new clue from today’s preview of episode three about how Raffi and Worf “uncover a nefarious plot from a vengeful enemy Starfleet has long since forgotten,” indicating the true nature of the villains is something from Star Trek’s past.
The Shrike
The primary suspects
There are a lot of theories running around,;we have narrowed the list down a bit to focus on a handful that keeping coming up, with two particular ones top of mind.
Changelings
“Each time, they had different faces.” In episode one, Jack Crusher told Picard and Riker that he and his mother were being hunted by people with different faces. Was that line meant to be taken literally? Could the Changelings from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine be back? Showrunner Terry Matalas has stated “the fallout of the Dominion War is important in the plot.” Hmm. That seems to be a big clue and puts the “changing faces” along with Jack’s comment about different groups hunting the Eleos—including Fenris Rangers, Klingons, and Starfleet Officers—into a different context. Also, in the first episode, Riker noted the residue left by the soldiers Beverly vaporized was unusual. These clues have many people pointing figures at the Changelings.
The Dominion War wrapped up in the Deep Space Nine series finale with the Dominion’s Founders surrendering and Odo (a Changeling himself) leaving the station to join the Great Link, curing the other Changelings of the morphogenic virus manufactured by Section 31 to eradicate them. The defeat and insidious attack by Section 31 could have instilled resentment in some Founders, and perhaps there are some wanting to seek revenge on the Federation and Starfleet even decades later. With Odo himself part of the Great Link, it’s unlikely he would be part of any such plot, but perhaps there is a breakaway faction of Changelings that are not part of the Great Link, and perhaps they are still dealing with the after-effects of the Section 31 virus, which could explain Vadic’s scars and her soldier’s masks.
Female Changeling leader affected by the morphogenic virus
Extending this line of thought, there is another Changeling with a certain disdain for solids. What if Laas (from the DS9 episode “Chimera”) found the rest of “The Hundred” and created a new Great Link like he wanted to do? Could they be the Changelings behind a new attack?
Laas with Odo
“Conspiracy” parasites
One could describe Vadic’s network as a conspiracy, and if you are looking for a conspiracy, why not look to “Conspiracy,” arguably one of the few bright spots (“The Big Goodbye”) in an otherwise shaky (“Code of Honor” oof) first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode showed there was a race of parasitic creatures infecting key members of Starfleet, and it went all the way to the top until it was discovered by Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D. The episode ended with Commander Remmick (host to the parasite mother creature) attempting to send a message into deep space to the parasite homeworld, and the crew determined it was indeed transmitted before he died—and it was a homing beacon. This is just the kind of low-hanging fruit ripe for a follow-up that would intrigue someone like superfan Matalas. There is also a passing similarity between the design of the original parasites and Vadic’s ship, The Shrike. And Beverly’s warning to Picard sounds ominously close to Captain Keel’s warning to Picard: “Don’t trust anyone.” Both warnings specifically noted that Starfleet itself could not be trusted, making this the other big fan theory.
One of the “Conspiracy” parasites
The parasites would for sure qualify as an “enemy Starfleet has long since forgotten.” It’s unclear how the parasites would tie into the Dominion War, but perhaps the show could do a bit of retcon to make a connection like season 2 did by connecting the Travellers with Gary Seven. It’s plausible that the parasites made their way back to the Alpha Quadrant and have been secretly infiltrating Starfleet once again. Like the time Changelings appeared on Earth, anyone and everyone could be compromised. From now on, I’m going to start checking everyone’s necks for gills. Although maybe they learned their lesson and figured out a way to mask their telltale gills. One other fun connection to this episode is that the late Walter Keel is the one who introduced the late Jack Crusher to Beverly Howard.
Remmick tells Picard and Riker the parasites seek “peaceful coexistence.”
Other suspects
Here are a few that don’t get mentioned as much but are worth considering…
Cardassians
This may be a corollary to the Changelings, but if there is any group that has reasons for being angry at Starfleet, it would be Cardassians, specifically the military who controlled the Cardassian Union and chose to side with the Founders in the Dominion War, which followed the earlier Federation-Cardassian War. With over 800 million Cardassians killed, it’s safe to say that the Dominion War had a more devastating impact on Cardassia than it did on the Founders themselves. So perhaps there is a faction of angry Cardassians out there who are seeking revenge on the Federation and Starfleet. This may not be mutually exclusive with the Changeling theory as there could be a coalition of former enemies from the Dominion War working together, maybe even with the Breen too. The only real evidence in Picard pointing to the “Cardies” is Vadic’s pointy ship itself, with the Shrike possibly being an evolution of the Cardassian aesthetic. Also, the new season 3 credits feature a LCARS scan of the Shrike with details written in Cardassian language.
Cardassians
The Borg
While we wait for a potential Tryla Scott cameo, let’s talk about a group that got named-dropped a few times in the first two episodes—The Borg. Yes, I know, they’ve been done to death but there’s a theory that the Borg are back yet again. While Terry Matalas did shut down the possibility of a Jurati Borg vs Borg showdown, he didn’t say that there would be no Borg in Season 3. Could someone be controlling the xB’s? Or maybe the Jurati Borg or another Borg faction has evolved to assimilating without obvious implants. That would make it easy to covertly assimilate anyone. Vadic’s scars could be from early trials or removed Borg implants. Bear in mind that following Janeway’s virus attack on the Borg over two decades ago, the collective has had a rough time. They may have changed tactics to a more covert form of attack. Perhaps this other faction of the Borg is what is on the other side of the gateway that opened up at the end of Picard season 2, with Queen Jurati left to guard against their incursion.
Queen Jurati
Section 31
Sneed, the Ferengi who brokered the deal for the stolen portal weapon, name-dropped the black badge-wearing secret organization in the last episode and we know that they were a huge part of Discovery, but there’s another wild theory that suggests Section 31 could be the big bad for Picard. They were certainly involved in the Dominion War, and in the DS9 documentary, “What We Left Behind,” former showrunner Ira Steven Behr led a writers’ room to break the story of a hypothetical season 8. In it, Dr. Julian Bashir is described as “an example of a character who has lost his way,” and “is now in charge of Section 31.” Could a Bashir-led Section 31 be pulling the strings in an end-justifying-the-means situation? Matalas has also said that there are several unannounced cameos in season 3. Could we see the return of a “lost his way” Dr. Bashir?
Julian Bashir is introduced to Luther Sloan and Section 31
Bynars
Okay, file this under the tinfoil hat theory, but hear me out. The Bynars, a cybernetically enhanced race, have worked with the Federation and Starfleet, but their binary logic did once lead them to commandeer the USS Enterprise-D for their own needs. Bynars have now been mentioned three times in two recent shows: Mariner from Lower Decks once had the Bynars on her conspiracy board (hello!), and she said that she had once dated “bad Bynars” in “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris.” Now in the second episode of this season of Picard (“Disengage”), we learn that young Jack Crusher is accused of “terrorism” on Bynar III. Could this be their revenge? 1 or 0?
Bynars
What about Lore?
While Data’s emotional, imperfect brother Lore only appeared in 4 episodes of TNG, he made a lasting impression on fans, including showrunner Terry Matalas, who has brought him to Picard Season 3. When it was first revealed that Brent Spiner would be playing Lore in season 3, he was described as one of the villains of the season. When we last saw Lore, he was trying to destroy the Federation (ah-ha!) while leading a cult of Borg drones. When his plan was thwarted, he was disassembled and his emotion chip was removed. It’s been revealed that Lore’s disassembled body and mind are being held at Daystrom Station, the same place the portal tech was stolen from. Perhaps the theft was really a cover to break him out and he’s actually the big bad? It’s hard to believe Lore is anything but evil, given his past associations with baddies like the Crystalline Entity and the Borg. What is he really doing in season 3? It seems like he could be the one pulling the strings behind Vadic, or possibly they’re just working together due to shared goals.
Lore in the ‘This Season’ promo
Other possible associates
The big bads behind season 3 are not working alone, and we know that the season includes a number of other characters that could be part of the wider conspiracy. These are not mutually exclusive, and some are more likely to be working with different primary suspects.
Moriarty
The New York Comic Con trailer revealed that Moriarty is back, and he, too, was described as one of the villains for season 3. After being trapped in a fake reality by Jean-Luc Picard, it’s easy to see how he might have some resentment. Like Lore, he could also be connected to Daystrom. While likely not a major player, he could have a role in assisting Vadic, if only to get back at Picard.
Moriarty brought a gun to the Picard NYCC trailer.
Shaw
Captain Liam Shaw might be one of the most polarizing captains since Edward Jellico. Sure, he’s a jerk to two of the most legendary officers of all time, but is he justified or a really bad guy? In a galaxy full of “Badmirals,” it seems too obvious that Shaw is a double agent and instead is more like Jellico than we think (a really good captain).
Captain Liam Shaw
Jack Crusher
Could Jack Crusher himself be somehow involved? The self-described thief is also a serial liar and master manipulator. Could his involvement all be an elaborate ruse to get back at his father for not being in his life and/or whatever happened between him and Beverly 20 years ago? There does seem to be more to Jack than meets the eye, so it could go either way.
Jack Crusher
Secret agent on Titan?
Also known as Ensign Side-Eye (not really), he was in the corridor when Picard and Riker first boarded the Titan in episode 1 and he gave a suspicious-looking glance at the pair as they walked by. He appeared briefly again in the transporter room when Jack and Seven were pointing phasers at each other in episode 2, and the transporter room would be a key position for a member of the conspiracy. Both are blink-and-you-‘ll-miss-it moments, but he does appear to give an ominous look in the direction of our two heroes in the first episode. Like the guy eying the pair in Guinan’s bar, it does appear that Riker and Picard are being monitored. It could be nothing, but maybe security should check his quarters for gravity boots.
Side-Eye Guy
Jae Hwang
Not much is known about Raffi’s ex-husband Jae, but he was an associate of Sneed, so he could also be involved in the conspiracy. Did he know that Raffi would choose to meet with Sneed? Was he counting on Sneed to eliminate her, since he (and his son) clearly don’t want anything to do with her?
Jae Hwang
Brunt
If you looked closely at Sneed’s rap sheet, of his many known associates (including Quark! and Morn!), the one name that jumped out as having a motive was Brunt. He was a devious character whose loyalty swayed back and forth like a solar sail on its way to Cardassia Prime. When we last saw him, he was escorted off of DS9 after trying to suck up to Grand Nagus Rom. Did Rom remove him from the Ferengi Commerce Authority, and has he been plotting his revenge ever since? He has many reasons to be angr,y so a Brunt appearance would make sense. Plus, we’d get to see Jeffrey Combs in Star Trek again!
Brunt, FCA
What say you?
Do you have a prime suspect? Did our arguments sway you either way? Anyone we missed? Sound off in the comments below.
The third and final season of Picard premiered on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., and Latin America, and on February 17 Paramount+ in Europe and elsewhere, with new episodes of the 10-episode-long season available to stream weekly. It also debuted on Friday, Feb. 17 internationally on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
I am surprised that his article doesn’t mention one of the most likely former villains to show up: a person who could give Vadic access to what appears to be a Romulan-adjacent ship, who hates Jean-Luc Picard, has a connection to the Enterprise-C, and who is played by a person whose presence would really enhance the TNG reunion idea of this season.
Plus I could buy that with the destruction of Romulus, Starfleet has all but forgotten about ol’ Sela. They probably assumed she died in the supernova.
Logical enough.
The hint about the Dominion War, and Worf’s spiritual journey, are making me think… Pagh-wraiths.
Rather than Sela I would love it if it were Alt timeline Yar. We heard she was killed trying to escape but we never actually saw it happen.
Joe from Accounting? Yeah I hate that guy too.
This was also my thought.
Denise Crosby stated on Twitter that she was a bit sad not to be included in the “not reunion” reunion that is Picard Season 3. Granted it could be a feint to make her reveal all the more spectacular but at this point, I’d be surprised if she showed up.
But it would be awesome to see her again.
I’ve been expecting a Crosby appearance of some sort. I mean, they put Westley in S2 and he denied being involved with the show.
Well, the Big Bad’s behind the Conspirator have at last Deep Intel of Starfleet Personal, or how we can explain the knowledge of Vadic about the Captain and Admiral’s “Secret”?
So there must be an Intel Security leak and well… mostly in the past time it was done by some Security clearance of “Bad Admiral”
But the Writer Rooms loves to use the Color Red for that kind of Stuff.. Remember the “Red Squad” in DS9? Red Lady and so on
Also She has some connections to Starfleet (forbidden) Weapons, too. Also if you look closely, this Parasite Head is nearly the Same as the Ships Nose. So perhaps the Crew and Ship is from them
A Starfleet connection isn’t required for this. If they’re the “Conspiracy” aliens, they’d have access to intel.
and seems like Vadic, because of her pause in speaking, she got this Infos livefeed from their Databanks.
huh, that was a good catch. Makes sense to me.
On another board, someone just posted a new theory about a link to the TNG episode Aquiel.
That episode featured Halaiins, who are empathic/telepathic. There is a Halaiian bridge officer on Titan. Telepathy could be an explanation for information getting to Vadic.
The episode also featured Dr Crushers trying to identify DNA from an odd ash from an apparent phaser kill.
This theory is completely new to me, but it seems like it could be part of the explanation.
But for that, She/he needed to know that Picard and Riker would board the Titan. I can accept that they laid out the Bait with Crusher to get Picard came to rescue (Helping the Damsel in Distress cliche). But they did not know what kind of Ship he would use. So there are a bit to much unknown and Randoms in this idea for me
It gets more compelling when you realize that the ash was the remains of a meta morphing alien that could copy humanoids and drain their memories.
It could be that there are replacement crew on many ships, not just Titan.
I admit it’s a deep cut to a single episode, but it sounds like there’s a good case to consider it.
I think the villain is a deeper cut than any of the theories listed in the article.
Something about the mannerisms of the Titan “suspect” reminds me of a Suliban.
You’re right haha. Kinda like when Silik was under cover on Enterprise.
I don’t think it’s Brunt but that would be funny to see honestly. No I think he was just being name dropped. Although I do want to see Jeffrey Combs in live action Trek again. I’d take a Brunt cameo in a heartbeat.
I’m going to stare at the screenshot of Weyoun forever though. I miss him, he was so cute.
As much as I wish that somebody would follow up on CONSPIRACY, it seems about as likely as following up on the OPERATION: ANNIHILATE spine-sucking jellyfish.
I honestly wonder if the Ensign Eye shots were a tribute to Albert Brooks’ MODERN ROMANCE, in which he plays a film editor trying to give some snap to a lame STAR WARS ripoff. He adds a cutaway to a background player during George Kennedy’s speech, and the director goes ballistic over this intrusion into his sacred territory. As an edit, the Brooks character’s move is nothing special, and is actually pretty obvious, but the movie hs is cutting is so bad that anything would improve it. There’s also a hysterical bit where he has to dub in loud footsteps as Kennedy runs through a corridor, and the sound guys call up HULK RUNNING — which is basically a step followed by an extended roar.
MOD ROM was made on the extreme cheap side, but I really love it. It costars Kathryn Harrold, which should be enough to get any hetero male of a certain age to rent it. Younger folks may actually find Brooks’ character a little too unPC for comfort, especially the way he tries to control Harrold (when it comes to making sure her nipples don’t show through her tops, I understood where he was coming from, but even so … )
Wow, you are always bringing up these now seemingly obscure gems of movies that I had totally forgotten about. Thanks
That we should be remotely concerned with the ‘comfort level’ of the “young folks” i.e. millennials delinitating the humour of classic early 80’s Albert Brooks is of grave concern, and a touchstone of how back-asswards our society is currently moving..
Hey, I don’t like the censorship and reediting of Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming that is happening currently either, but I won’t even begin to equate that with the far more impactful calls ignoring or making fun of global warming for over half my life, which have already resulted in devastating and seemingly irrevocable consequence. And the Supreme Court’s brazen partiality is for the foreseeable going to do more to make things bad for many people than any wokeness — misguided or reasonable — no matter what that hatemongering idiot running Florida into the swamp is trying to do.
How about Vadic being the daughter of Gul Madred from the Chain of Command episode. She surely has a beef against Picard and family.
Ok. So up until now, I have been wildly thinking that Vadic could be a surgically altered Vorta who was stuck here after the war. I never considered that she was connected to the Cardassians.
But now, I am wondering. Her scars underneath her eyes, that could be scarring from the removal of the Cardassian brow underneath the eye. A surgically altered Vorta would have no scarring there – as that just requires removal of the weird ear.
Madred’s offspring would have a beef, not just with Picard, but with Beverly, both were involved with the spy mission.
The Cardassians do have a history of altering themselves for things like having a spy in the Maquis.
“Weird ear’ 😔 to me they’re cute ears. Vorta are cute to me, especially ones named Weyoun. Also I don’t think Vorta would have been surgically altered when the Founders themselves could do that way more easily.
But a Vorta, who was abandoned in the Alpha Quadrant when the Dominion returned, might have wanted to disguise herself to avoid capture. I think Vorta is unlikely, unless she is trying to bring the Founders back to the Alpha quadrant in victory. It’s a stretch that Jack is involved, unless Beverly was involved in the creation of the virus.
Yeah, also Seska the name gave me my Internet alias : Seska Larafey. yeah, thats my internet name since 1999 (Everquest Avatar)
But why would Madred have a grudge against Picard? He was the one that abducted Picard, not the other way around. Picard never did anything to him. If anything he should have a grudge against Jellico.
Because Picard never broke. I think it’s probably unlikely. I could see Dukat’s, who has a bunch of kids, or Damar’s daughter before Madred. Still, what does Jack have to do with it?
I honestly do not know. I hope we find out soon!
A quick reminder to everyone there should be no posting of spoilers for upcoming episodes including commentary from those claiming to know what’s coming or even what’s not coming. This is speculation based on knowledge of two episodes and two episodes alone
THANK YOU! You’ve probably noticed, but there are some anonymous participants here who are claiming they have seen the six eps (who knows if that is even true?), and are leveraging that to throw their weight around and be dismissive of other fans comments here over the first two weeks of S3.
In fairness, a lot of people have seen the first six, as Paramount showed them to a sizable group of journalists. But I agree with the sentiment of your comment nonetheless.
Good enough — in regards to the sentiment of my comment, I think we have both seen some posts here that are disappointing in the way some fans are trying to leverage this.
or, like me, have only access to Free Episode Clips (International) in the Net. They are rare, but i try to make the best out of it and i love to speculate like breathing fresh Air in morning time Park
Sounds like you should grab the ‘one free week’ promotion when this is over and binge the season.
Is this “one Free Week” also for EU/Germany?
Here in the US, Amazon is offering me a Paramount+ 7 day free trial. Hope everyone everywhere get the same offer.
It says so right on the start page of Paramount+ Germany
I really have a hard time believing it would be the Dominion or Cardassians. On screen at least Picard had absolutely nothing to do with the War and if either species has a reason to hold a grudge against anyone it’s obv Sisko. Of course Sisko is out of reach. I do like the conspiracy idea. I’ve always wanted to see a return of that species.
My guess tho is that, knowing Matalas, this species is not going to be a Berman era species but rather a TOS era one. I’m racking my head tho trying to figure out which TOS era species would care about Picard one way or the other. The Enterprise? Sure. But not Picard or Crusher.
Speaking of the “Berman Era” I’m kind of hoping this season leads to Matalas being elevated to a greater position within the Trek franchise so that starting from here we might have “the Matalas era.”
I’m not one to attack behind the scenes folks like Kurtzman… he is what he is… he has done some stuff right (like hiring Matalas) but I think Matalas may be the better person to run the franchise on a creative level.
Agreed but didn’t Kurtzman recently get a sizable sum for a 5 year contract or something?
Yes, and I think he works well as an “architect.” But when he gets involved creatively, guiding these shows, is when his weaknesses begin to show. I don’t suspect Matalas will get a bigger role, and i’ll admit that it might be premature. But just a gut feeling i’m getting from him and this season says he’d do a great job creatively guiding things.
But beyond that, just as Roddenberry had Berman and Berman had Piller, Kurtzman could have Matalas.
Thats the thing tho. I don’t think he’s been involved creatively lately. I have nothing to base this off of because I know ZERO people in Hollywood. But Prodigy, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, none of these feel like something Kurtzman would have done. In fact IIRC the first few seasons of Discovery with the Klingon stuff and everything were more Bryan Fuller relics than Kurtzman decisions. Not trying to defend him mind you, he helped give us STID, one of the WORST Star Trek movies ever. But I think he really is giving over creative control.
He has surrounded himself with good people and is guiding the development of new series’. That’s his job, and frankly, he’s nailing it.
Regarding STID, he was a co-writer under JJA, and we all know that that story came from Mr. Conspiracy himself, Bob Orci, and that JJA was to cheap to sign Benicio Del Toro for Khan, so we got the “WTF” white Brit for Khan. Besides, Rick Berman gave us Insurrection and Nemesis, and Harve Bennett gave us STV, and GR gave us TNG S1, so there are plenty of misfires associated with each of the great franchise leaders over the years.
Well, lets put things into perspective here.
I’m not sure Rick Berman was all that great a story teller either. He made some hugely questionable choices. But he too surrounded himself with good people.
Sur Kurtzman was a co-writer and the idea of STID came from Orci. Not denying that. But he was still in the room and still contributing. Has to take at least some of the blame there.
Berman gave us Insurrection and Nemesis sure. But TNG really only ever had one good movie. They just never were a good movie cast for whatever reason.
As for Harve Bennett and STV, I would love to blame Shatner for the movie and to a large degree I do, but I have heard so many times that the finished product is not the movie Shatner nor Benett wanted to make. It sounds to me more like Paramount exec interference BS that has always plagued ST.
Yeah, I agree with all of that.
Totally agreed. He only got more directly involved with S2 of Picard when Terry stepped away to work on S3.
But with so many shows, I think it’s worth asking if Kurtzman could use a guy like Matalas by his side. Even Kevin Feige at Marvel has a co-president (even if you don’t hear much about him).
Once again, i’m not attacking Kurtzman. But I think he has a very specific skillset and might benefit from a more creative mind like Matalas to help him.
I’m probably off the rails at this point. It was initially just a passing thought because I adore this season of Picard so much. I’ll probably back off from it in a month when my excitement ebbs and I can muse more rationally.
I’m def not against the idea. I just need to see the entire season before I can say, YEAH this is the guy!
Yeah, we are in the “Kurtzman-era” right now. He’s clearly the franchise leader, and Myers, Matalas, Paradise, McMahan and the Hageman brothers all report to him. And that’s the way it’s going to stay. And it’s really hitting it’s stride now, so no reason to change.
If Kurtzman did depart, my sense would be that Myers and the Hageman brothers would be P’s top choices to move into the leader slot. But I don’t think Kurtzman is going anywhere.
That’s my feeling as well. Especially with the Success of Strange New Worlds? After all this time still a 98% on Rotton Tomatoes? Like GEEZ! He’s going nowhere.
Not just SNW, but also Lower Decks and Prodigy.
However, Kurtzman is no idiot, and neither are his bosses at Paramount. They have seen that getting closer to both Berman Trek and Original Trek is paying off big time in popularity and the reduction of criticism. The bosses in Paramount are certainly paying particular attention to what is occurring with this year of Picard vs the previous two.
I expect that we may very well see a spin-off here, I am hoping a Shaw/Seven/Titan spinoff – and quite possibly a Kirk spinoff about to occur from SNW as well after season two. A show aboard the Farragut captained by Kirk leading into him replacing Pike. It allows for bringing Bones, Scotty, and Gary Mitchell onto the Farragut with Kirk, and for SNW to run concurrently for 3-4 seasons before merging to Kirk’s first year on the Enterprise.
…and quite possibly a Kirk spinoff about to occur from SNW as well after season two. A show aboard the Farragut captained by Kirk leading into him replacing Pike. It allows for bringing Bones, Scotty, and Gary Mitchell onto the Farragut with Kirk, and for SNW to run concurrently for 3-4 seasons before merging to Kirk’s first year on the Enterprise.
YES!!!!! Bring it on! Or, “TOS Continues,” which would pick up after the events in S3 of TOS and continue the stories.
I’d love a Shaw/Seven spinoff. but not a Kirk spinoff with the new person from SNW. Because the latter is coming dangerously close from becoming a prequel of TOS to becoming a complete reboot of it and for me that is something I will never be on board with.
Well, my plan would be your call it, “Star Trek Continues” and you pick up TOS crew right after the final Ep 79, and then cover the final 2 years or so of the original five year mission, which could be like 5-6 seasons worth at only 10 eps per season. You could also then move into the period between the end of the five year mission and the point 2.5 years later when TMP happens.
I like the idea of that. But it’s tricky. What if it’s hugely successful and people want it to go on? There has to be a stopping point by the time TMP comes around but if the show makes money and ratings they won’t stop
I think that’s why I’m enjoying the new shows more. We’re finally getting Berman Trek again and all the amazing characters and past storylines with it. It’s feeling like the old days with SNW, LDS, Prodigy and finally Picard.
Keep it up Kurtzman and you’ll get less hate from me at least! 😎
The Hagemans are first and foremost kids media people. These are the pair of brothers that wrote the LEGO Ninjago movie and most of the LEGO Ninjago show it was based off of (the pilot miniseries and seasons 1-6, 8 and 9.) Personally I have no problem with that if that did happen but the fandom at large will need to ask themselves if they’re okay with the franchise becoming controlled by people who made LEGO shows.
I also have no idea why there was no merchandise deal made with LEGO for at least Prodigy. Prodigy would have made some pretty cool sets. But I’m getting off topic.
I also have no idea why there was no merchandise deal made with LEGO for at least Prodigy. Prodigy would have made some pretty cool sets.
Great point! Seems kind of obvious that they should have done that?
The Diviner’s ship would have been an awesome set. Same with a small scale Protostar and Dauntless. I’d get those sets but I am a LEGO guy already. And minifigs wouldn’t have been hard either. Drednok you can get from existing Star Wars minifigs (maybe a KX unit or magmaguards crossed with dark troopers), the three Vau N’Akats could also be adapted from molds for Star Wars figures and I think that if they take a mold they’re currently using for MCU based sets and modify it a little they could get Andorians. I’d love a Tysess minifigure but I need to stop myself here before I keep being gay for Trek characters.
Yes! I could also get down with a huge $300-level Klingon Sarcophagus ship from DSC. Yeah, it got mixed reviews on screen, but that would be a really cool large LEGO model, where you could attach the little Klingon mummies to it, etc…lol
Right that would be a lot of fun. Not for me personally but for people that would like that, it’d be great. For me, I’d like an ultimate collector’s series type thing of the Defiant or Voyager. The Jem’Hadar ships would be really cool sets too.
TBH I know why. It’s not a fun answer but here it is. Star trek toys are not fun toys. They are not light sabers where you go into battle or GI Joes or anything like that. Who wants a bridge set as a kid where you you say is go fast and a ship goes fast? Now if you are talking about starship models that you can build and buy that get into battles that’s a different story. But little kids aren’t really into IDIC and pretending to reenact it with LEGOs.
Unfortunately, you are probably right. Perhaps though Prodigy can gradually change that?
Fingers crossed!
Give kids some credit, I got into Trek in the 90s, I was born in 1990. Voyager was my introduction into it. 5+ year old me would have loved a set of Voyager’s bridge so I could pretend to write my own episodes of it.
Also LEGO isn’t just for kids now, they have entire lines of sets meant for adults, and for teenagers and late childhood/preteens ages.
I loved Trek as a kid and although I am not nearly old enough for it, my intro was TOS. I even built my own life sized cardboard bridge when I was a kid out of cardboard and my dad’s old used office chairs lol. But 99% of the time when I was playing pretend it didn’t end up being on the bridge, it was with my pretend phaser made out of pends taped together with handles and stuff and hiding behind a couch and pretending Klingons were firing at me on some strange new world LOL
The European rights for Trek have been with another block company. Sigh.
My kids would have loved Playmobil Star Trek if it had been out before they hit their teens. An astonishing amount of gift money went on various Playmobil sets from preschool through tweens.
Which was honestly a mistake to me. Not Playmobil but a company that I had never heard of until I saw Trek merch sites talking about their sets. And they seem to not be that available. Paramount is really shooting themselves in the foot by not going to LEGO.
Sigh.
I am a Matalas fan, and love Okudagrams, but I don’t want us locked into updates of Berman era production designs or TOS plot arcs either.
Let’s have a chance to see how fresh a new 25th century series can be before we get on the ‘Terry Trek’ bandwagon.
Besides, I really want what he can produce running a show and don’t want to lose him to running a franchise.
Let me put it this way: it’s not his specific story that I love so much, or the look or feel. Just the overall tone. He seems to be able to strike a good balance between story, character, action, and drama. I think Henry Alonso Meyers on SNW has also done a good job in that respect.
Now, I’m not suggesting Matalas should showrun every series. Just… creatively guide them if that makes sense. Like I said, maybe i’m premature to say that because it’s just one season. But it’s a good start.
This is some of the best Trek since Enterprise for me, I’m completely onboard with more Terry Trek if this season stays this good. ,😎
Sigh. I am a Matalas fan, and love Okudagrams, but I don’t want us locked into updates of Berman era production designs or TOS plot arcs either. Let’s have a chance to see how fresh a new 25th century series can be before we get on the ‘Terry Trek’ bandwagon. Besides, I really want what he can produce running a show and don’t want to lose him to running a franchise.
Yeah, exactly, I could not have said this better myself. And the dude did four seasons of Enterprise, so I will need more convincing that he’s learned his “what not to do on Star Trek” lessons from that cluster-F, failed series.
And let me make myself perfectly clear, I do not think we are anywhere near yet to the point where we pull out Kurtzman and give Matalas the keys to franchise. That’s prematurely moronic…lol
We saw Sylvia in “Catspaw” assume several forms, so the people who have different faces each time could be more of her people.
Hey! Yeah that could be interesting….
There are also the people of Antos, who are the ones who taught Garth (from “Whom Gods Destroy”) to morph his cellular structure so as to look like anyone he wants. And of course the Talosians from “The Menagerie” can make people think they look like someone else.
There’s also the guys from that other galaxy that turned people into cubes and were also shapeshifters that were also from TOS.
The Kelvans from “By Any Other Name,” yes. They didn’t seem as if they could switch from form to form quickly, though. Given that they didn’t switch out of the forms that were giving them so much trouble, it seemed as if they might either need a long time or a lot of energy to take on a new form.
They’ve had over a century to work on it by now and it was always similar for the Founders. I actually don’t think it’s them and am just throwing them out as a guess anyway.
But they were already so advanced in the TOS time. They should be able to do a “Q” snap and wipe everyone out at this point. Why bother with Vadic or a Starship to get their revenge?
“I don’t think it’s actually them.” I don’t really care who it is actually. I just think it’s not the Dominion.
I don’t think it is the Dominion either.
Ha ha, I should have known as soon as I mentioned a TOS species might be the Villain you would have a bunch of answers I could not think of :)
*smile* Hee! You do know me, don’t you? :-)
HAHA, yeah I do!!!
I am also assuming Moriarty was being stored at the Daystrom research facility as well.
Yep, recovered after the Enterprise D saucer was recovered.
It’s L.Q. Sonny Clemmons. He still wants Data to go on tour with him and this time he will NOT take no for an answer.
Obviously, it’s L.Q. Sonny Clemmons. He still wants Data to tour with him and this time he will NOT take no for an answer.
I don’t care what anyone says, I love that episode. Guilty pleasure for sure.
Same here. It’s a hoot.
Me too. Everyone seems to forget it’s the first time we see the Romulans since TOS (Saavik not withstanding).
“We are back!… see you again… in season 3!”
See you again… When I am a Cardassian!
@AlphaPredator
What’s really fun is how many people don’t know that one of the two Romulans in the episode is played by Marc Alaimo, Gul Dukat (and Madred) himself.
Heh Heh, Yep!!! That’s what I eluded to in my reply to Wiley above!!! :)
Did you know he was also one of the weird dog-like creatures from Lonely Among Us?
He’s too busy building memories with low-mileage pit woofies.
HA! Best follow-up comment so far.
Haha!
According to the Federation News Network on Lower Decks Sonny has had a renewed career as a musician since he thawed.
Nice! Much success and many pit woofies to you, sir.
I found interesting was the “language” used by the crew of the Vadic’s ship sounded like the insectoid Xindi from Enterprise.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
That’s interesting.
It is interesting they say an enemy Starfleet has long forgotten and not that the Federation has long forgotten. But still tho, why would the Xindi have such a grudge against Picard or Crusher specifically?
Two Words: Mirror Universe.
“After appearing in episode 2, claiming to be a “bounty hunter,” we are starting to get the first hints.”
Interesting. I wasn’t aware the writers of TrekMovie appeared in season two. :)
This is one of those subtleties of writing I never caught before, but once clued into it during a writing class, I can’t not see anymore.
I always find it weird when I see pro writers doing this. They should know how to avoid such misconstructions.
To be fair, most “pro writers” aren’t actually professionals with journalism degrees or English degrees, and most have probably never even taken an advanced writing course.
This is both a good thing and a bad thing. There are a lot of people in the world with interesting thoughts and the internet allows them the opportunity to express them after literally centuries when such expression was mostly limited to the most educated or privileged. Wealth and high education are no longer a strict barrier. Frankly, I think that’s a good thing.
At the same time, it does often mean we get less-than-professional writing disguised as professional writing, which sometimes inadvertently can lead to a total change in the language. For example, if enough people start using words, phrases, and improper grammar the same way, it becomes the lexicon and soon enough those improper things become proper.
But hey, that’s evolution for you. /rantover
Ha! It’s a dangler, and it’s been fixed.
I’m surprised no one’s suggesting the aliens from “Schisms” who kidnapped Picard’s crew. They made the same clicking noises.
Not quite the same clicking noises, as these ones also seem to have some machine processed speech. As well, those aliens didn’t have real hands, more like claws.
But it’s a great point because I have seen them put forward here and on other boards. I think there’s a few more less popular theories missed in the roll up above.
Also, I have proposed the Breen, who are always behind masks and environmental suits. There’s some alignment with their ship types, and it’s possible they’ve updated their masks.
That’s what I was thinking too because of their speech.
What about Daimon Bok? Who else is so fixated on getting revenge on Picard? Especially a son or presumed son.
I know, right? Seems like he should be on the list. Surprised people aren’t talking about him more.
Makes perfect sense except for the fact that Bok was never a true threat in any way to Starfleet like this description implies.
Maybe he got motivated.
He’s a Ferengi. Maybe he made some deals.
Sure that could be the case. But enough to threaten all of Starfleet? Seems like a stretch for one guy
I think Lore and Moriarty working together makes a lot of sense given that Moriarty was created as a foil for Data and that they’re both artificial intelligences designed to emulate humans. I’m not sure where Vadic would come in though (I even tried a text search of the Sherlock Holmes stories for Vadic or Shrike, just in case).
Lore and Moriarty do make a whole bunch of sense. Both AI. Both grudges against Data. Both who have reasons to hate Picard.
In which case – you may get the crew reopening the Moriarty programme as an equal to try and better Lore?
If I remember correctly. There was a shape shifter on the bridge of the Titan. I will have to go back and verify. If that’s the case, my money is in the shape shifters. The one on the bridge could be a spy.
There was not a Founder on the bridge
It’s been revealed she was a new species call the Nonnikcam.
Seeing as how Matalas worked on all four seasons of Enterprise, I wouldn’t be shocked to see some crossover. There’s the Xindi, the Suliban, the Sphere-builders, Future Guy…
…but I’m really hoping for a Conspiracy follow-up.
Well We have already seen Xindi on Prodigy so we know at the very least the Reptilians are still around.
Vadic is Future Guy?
What if Vadic is the child of Yar from Ent-C?
I don’t have any theories. Not good ones. I can’t wait to see what she’s all about.
Sela was the daughter of the alt Tasha from Enterprise C
Yeah but what if Sela had a sister? Sela was old enough to remember her mother attempting escape, maybe Yar was pregnant again and that’s why she ran? Sela had yellow hair and pointy ears, her sister could have gotten the dark Romulan hair and human ears. Plus the Shrike looks vaguely Reman to me.
and the age would be about right
I like it! I’ve been theorizing Alt Yar being behind this forever now!
I think she is a former Starfleet intelligence officer (not necessarily Sect 31), Worf maybe connected to her in unanticipated ways. Perhaps she was a deep cover agent during the Dominion War who went all Rogue Nation. It does appear that she is being fed data in a timely matter (i.e. someone in Starfleet is providing assistance) and does have someone who she is answering too or working with (Lore and Moriarty may fall into a variation of that network). However, I feel there may be some type of “surprise” coming with Geordi as well, his preview scene’s seem to put him a bit crossways with the rest of the crew (especially Picard).
I really got the impression that she was working for someone else. Why does she need Jack? Just to torture Beverly and/or JLP?
I’m still thinking it is the Conspiracy aliens, although I don’t know what the link to the Dominion War could be. I think the rumored/hinted de-aging Picard and Riker and reappearance of the Enterprise-D will be to the events of Conspiracy.
Sela’s a fair candidate, but her story seemed to be pretty well played-out (and my head canon is that because of her spectacular failure, she was executed very shortly after the events of Unification.)
The Schisms aliens I don’t consider as strong a candidate as Conspiracy’s aliens. Remmick’s signal and Beverly’s “Trust No One” just fit the Conspiracy crowd much, much more strongly.
I still think the connection to the war is through the stolen weapon
Last thought…while I may have missed it, but could it be the Breen. They all are wearing mask.
Yes, Breen definitely should be considered.
I’ve been offering up the Breen as an alternative, but you seem to be the only other person here who sees masks, environmental suits, deception and a unresolved long-standing threat as reason enough to add them to the mix.
People seem to forget that they have a history with the Klingons and have been a mysterious threat since the 22nd century.
Ya but the Dominion war was recent enough that I don’t think the Breen were long forgotten
Well, if anything, all this speculating is fun. Keep ’em flying.
Well this is all centered on the 250 Anniversary of “Going Boldly ” So 250 years ago who was the enemy who has been forgotten since then ? Has to be The Suliban
Wow, sure, could be. But I’ll ask you the same as everyone else. Why the specific grudge against Picard or Crusher?
Run in with them in their early days on the Star gazer?
Sure. Could be off screen I suppose?
Maybe they were the aliens when Jack crusher got killed
I guess. Other than the fact that Crusher died in some sort of accident where Picard had to choose other ppl I can’t think of a canon reason why they could not have caused it.
Assuming that we were told in good faith by Matalas that the villain is connected to the Dominion, how would the Suliban connect with the Dominion? There would be some backstory to tell there which could be interesting.
I actually was thinking that Vadic could be the surgically altered daughter of General Chang from Star Trek 6 who somehow time-traveled to TNG era and getting revenge on Starfleet but this theory fails because why would she have a beef with Picard or Crusher if that is the case. I think the Cardassian and Conspiracy aliens theories make more sense.
I have wondered if there is some Klingon connection, because there has been part of a TOS Klingon theme playing at times I believe.
I think the only time the Klingon theme is playing is when we see Worf which is of course appropriate.
The parasites and also the Elachi ?
I think It’s Khan’s daughter
Oh please dear GOD no!
Are we forgetting about the Maquis?
Involved with Dominion War
Took it kind of hard when they got removed from Cardassian space
Not afraid to use terrorist or banned weapons
JLP does have background with them
Would really be something if we see Ro Laren.
The Maquis and Ro would certainly be an interesting twist, especially if some of them somehow survived the combined forces of the Cardiassian/Dominion alliance!
Didn’t the Maquis get completely wiped out by the Dominion? I remember there was a DS9 episode about that, which was pretty much the end of the Maquis as any kind of threat.
Voyager. Extreme Risk
Conspiracy bugs, Moriarty, and Lore working together. Vadic is a holographic combination of Moriarty/Lore.
The villain of the season is clearly the French girl in the holodeck Paris cafe that Picard talks to who was stood up. Classic season 1 call back to “We’ll Always Have Paris.” She’s self-aware, has had some upgrades and holds a grudge. This is the most obvious answer. Hell hath no fury…
That would certainly be original!
If you don’t know what to write about then simply don’t write anything.
She wants crusher alive because he is the only one that knows how to unlock the weapons true potential.
Notice how the shrike and the parasite have the same mandible. Why would the changelings want Picard specifically? Doesn’t make sense.
The season 3 villains are the Edo! Half-naked white people running around everywhere mad that Wesley stepped on their flowers. They can’t execute Beverly’s first son, so they are going for her second. It’s pretty clear that’s where this all is headed.
I’m pretty sure they are busy with *other* activities.
At least in her debut episode, it doesn’t seem like Vadic is particularly interested in Picard. It DOESN’T seem personal, which is a nice change, except that she’s after his (alleged) son.
So the question is really “What could be so important about Jack Crusher?”
Presumably it’s either something he knows or something he did or something unique to him physically. Something the small c conspiracy thinks is VERY. IMPORTANT.
Is he genetically engineered and immune to however they take over or replace people? Or maybe “one of them” but on the run?
I’m feeling like there must have been a reason Beverly kept him away from everyone she served with, not just from Picard.
Something that kept her relatively off the grid might also be a reason her son is wanted as an adult.
I really hope this isn’t a ‘chosen one’ trope.
When Picard was told to trust no one, he should not have gone to Riker. There are two of Riker, and one has already gone rouge.
Tom frankly had a reason to go rogue. Imagine living isolated by yourself for like a decade. Only to be found and lose the love of your life that the deam of kept you alive. That can drive anyone mad. And all Tom did was join the Maquis which is no more than Chakotay or Belanna did.
If you follow Tom Riker’s background Story you will notice some little but important Detail. Why he is not Tom. It is the one and only William Thomas Riker
Hey, everyone, How about a really Deep Cut villain from TNG , who quite possibly could have been around back in the Kirk or even Pike years, who’s TNG story is very ‘Khan-ish” and who even fits the ‘ a lot of names in Picard 3 are anagrams of workers on the show-trope?’ I am wondering if the Big Bad is——-ARMUS! Remember ‘him’ the black goo-boogeyman that offed Tasha Yar and gave her a maroon ‘Rotten tomatoes’ Birth mark on her face too boot?? Did anyone notice the odd curvilinear mark on Vadic’s face that could be the ‘outline’ of such a mark? Or that he was left behind, never to be checked-on again, as far as we know, by Starfleet, except maybe by a doctor without borders following up on Starfleet’s forgotten worlds? The entity may have finally found away off world, maybe possessing or creating new ‘Skins of Evil’ to hide within or possess lifeforms to do his bidding? Another big clue for him is the scene in the trailer with Deanna sensing incredible darkness, with almost the same words and shot that was used when she sensed the same thing in the episode? And also, Vadic’s Funky hairstyle could be a shout -out to the look of black oil…… That Armus being would have a huge , very Khan-like axe to grind with Picard and drew and that left him behind as their combined shed evil skins…… What do you all think???
That would, indeed, be a deep cut.
That said, I’m calling it: It’s the Pakleds.
LOL, I would think the Pakleds would be more pissed at Freeman.
Well, yes. That’s why they attacked the Red Lady, who they then called Janeway.
They did bring back Armus as the butt of a joke on Lower Decks. My guess is that is where they will leave him.
Jack Crusher is another Shinzon clone sleeper agent.
HA! I was actually joking in my head Beverly hooked up with Shinzon instead of Picard!
Once again any comments regarding people talking about upcoming episodes will be deleted, and repeated attempts will result in ban.
I still feel is the Conspiracy parasites, but the “long forgotten” line from the promo makes me not rule out a possibility that they might reach back to TOS or ENT for this seasons villain.
It would be freaking amazing if they pick up the Future Guy arc.
That being said, my money is still on TNG villain, not TNG era, but TNG the show.
Did anyone else notice that once again that the musical phrase in the Romulan Theme from Balance of Terror was used at the end of first episode, The Next Generation? It’s subtle, at the 49:40 mark. Not as obvious as in the first episode of the first season, but it’s there. I wonder if that’s a clue to who the baddie is?
Has anyone noticed that Jack Crusher has a British accent, but no parent to learn it from? He never spent any time with Picard and his mum doesn’t have one. Is that a clue? Or an oversight?
I figured it was Jack listening to Picard’s logs in the premiere and he had been instructed to learn from them growing up.
So, Beverly was silent his entire childhood or simply chastised him anytime he didn’t speak with a perfect English inflection?
Jack might’ve been ‘grown’ in stead of being born, without Beverly’s knowledge. Maybe she even found him years later.
But why keep it secret from Jean-Luc and everyone else?
Why do Americans assume everyone everywhere uses the same accent?
Even if the American accent represents Federation standard, why would people on the edges of Federation space or in isolated colonies mostly off-the-grid sound the same or use the same vocabulary?
To me, it’s a clue where Beverly’s son was raised.
Kids adopt the accents and dialects of the place/ community where they grew up and the schools they attended. It happens with immigrants all the time.
Good point. My children have perfect Australian accents, but I still have my original accent.
If Combs Brunt is the master villain of Maybe The Final Season, then Matalas will have wrested for himself the crown of Great Bird of the Galaxy.
While we know there is a Dominion War angle in the season, it can’t be as simple as Revenge of the Big D because the show isn’t Star Trek: Sisko – you don’t do “the final mission of TNG” and have it revolve primarily around the plot of Deep Space Nine. Sure there’s Worf, but Pat Sew has no onscreen history with the Dominion. Cardassians check off both Dom War and backstory with Picard, so more likely. As for Conspiracy Critters, no folks, they are not doing a sequel to a one-off episode from the first season. Pshaw.
I don’t know, the TOS movies once did a sequel to a one-off episode from the first season. Though that one had more going for it.
Space Seed was a TOS episode, though. The Dominion War was the DS9 storyline and was mentioned exactly once in all of the TNG saga, a throwaway line in Insurrection.
Yeah, Space Seed and Conspiracy both being one-off episodes in their series’ first seasons respectively. That’s the connection I was making. What might seem like a one-off can come back.
Voyager’s finale hinged upon defeating a TNG villain. The Dominion is fair game, and I can’t be the only one who wishes the franchise leaned into the shared universe harder and earlier – Star Trek: Insurrection could easily have been a Dominion War story.
The comment that Crusher made about all the different people coming after them – Klingons, Federation, Fenris Rangers – is very interesting and maybe does point to the Changelings. The Changelings and a rebooting of the Dominion by them could be a very interesting ongoing antagonist for a 25th century Trek show.
The storytelling is interesting for the breadcrumbs that it leaves for future revelations. Raffi’s handler talking about warriors suggested that Worf was probably who she was talking too. Perhaps the line about multiple different attackers coming after the Crushers similarly teases Changelings?
Or another metamorphic species Salt.
(Good to have you join him by the way…)
We’ve seen more than one species in TOS and TNG canon that can take on the looks of a humanoid and replace them.
As I mentioned up this thread, someone on another board suggested the morphing, memory stealing alien in the TNG Geordi-focused S6 episode ‘Aquiel’.
I would have dismissed it as unlikely but mystery in that episode hinges on strange ash being analyzed by Dr Crusher, and Geordi had an attachment to a Halaiin character. — Halaiins empathic/telepathic species we’ve otherwise seen little of, but the Titan has a Halaiin comms officer.
Vadic is one of the Harry Mudd wife clones from TOS, that has lived a long freakin’ time and is still pissed (at Harry I would assume)
Would be interesting if the Conspiracy aliens end up being connected with the Dominion. They did send their signal out, probably took a long time to reach its destination. Could definitely be in the Gamma Quadrant. Still the quadrant we know the least about, I’d say.
What I have heard no one talk about is the fact Jack said: “Mon ami” in episode 2. That is a Q thing to say. Although I’m sure the Q are not involved I’m not really sure why he’d say it. Or rather, why the writers would make him say it.
Or could Jack be part Q and is he out for revenge since his father’s death?
It might just be a way to snark at someone who speaks French.
By telling them ‘my friend’?
“Mon ami” is a commonly known French phrase used playfully in English-speaking cultures, like “capiche” or “mucias gracias.” I’m all for looking for clues, but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Q already has a son, played by John Delancie’s own son in Voyager.
Vadic’s crew look and sound like the malevolent other-dimensional aliens from the Season 6 episode “Schisms”.