Season 1 of Star Trek: Picard brought back audiences' most beloved Starfleet captain, Jean-Luc Picard (played iconically by Sir Patrick Stewart), pulling him, only semi reluctantly, back into the limelight. With season 2 approaching to grace screens starting March 3rd, what exciting new adventure can fans expect to see from Picard and his budding new crew?
The adventures of season one are best left for an in-depth season recap, as a lot of moral, political, and space trekking shenanigans took place. However, one of the most important things to take away is that beloved Jean-Luc himself died…sort of. Throughout the season he is suffering from a defect in his parietal lobe caused by his encounter years ago with the Borg, when they turned him into the skin-crawlingly creepy Locutus. There is something about Patrick Stewart playing an old man who dies that really sets audiences' tear ducts off, like when his iconic Charles Xavier passed away in Logan, and it made for a wonderful end to the Starfleet captains adventures. Of course, having been approved for season 2 already at this point, this couldn't be the actual end. To resolve this, his consciousness is transferred into a cybernetic body built by Dr. Soong (played by Brent Spiner).
It’s unclear how much this will play into the second season, whether this was just a way for writers to wiggle out of Picard dying, or if this will be a pivotal plot point. The trailer reveals a lot of new and exciting content, mainly the return of much loved (or perhaps hated) Q, played by John de Lancie, as potentially the main antagonist. Q, with his reality bending powers, takes Jean-Luc and his motley crew in a parallel universe, a result of a "road not taken."
It’s unclear which of the many roads not taken by Picard this universe stems from, but it’s clear from the villainous black pleather uniforms that this is not a peaceful federation. The trailer subtly hints this by changing the beautiful, almost tranquil painting of the Enterprise in Château Picard, into a depiction of the same ship in a battle.
In order to fix the new "broken timeline," the characters appear to use Borg technology to travel back in time to 2024, interacting with the Borg Queen, played by Annie Wersching. They use the “chronometric particles” that the Borg used in First Contact to time travel and change humanity’s past in order to conquer its future. It’s still unclear the importance of the year 2024, as it predates vulcan’s first contact with earth in 2063, but it’s more than possible that Q's meddling in this timeline directly influenced this pivotal event.
While the new timeline future implied no Borg influence (thankfully), it’s unlikely Q’s interference had nothing to do with the Borg Queen’s shenanigans in First Contact. It’s possible that the two events are still linked somehow.
What is interesting regarding the reactivation of the Borg Queen is the enthralled face of Dr. Agnes Jurati (Allison Pill), who unsurprisingly seems to be entranced by her. As a cybernetics expert it’s no surprise, however, audiences should consider Dr. Jurati’s flip-flopping allegiances and double-crossing actions in season one — working for the Romulans, murdering her past lover Bruce Maddox, and more. The Queen also has the uncanny ability to lure others to her side. Considering both these factors, the Queen might cause Jurati to play an unwitting part in the undoing of Picard's new mission.
Q and the Borg Queen are not the only friendly, or unfriendly, faces to return in the season 2 trailer. Excitingly audiences are shown interactions with Starfleet's favorite bartender Guinan, played by the one and only Whoopie Goldberg. While her appearance could easily be passed off as a friendly face and cameo for all those old Star Trek fans, her presence is made all the more important by her connection to Q. Throughout The Next Generation, there is a strange history between the Q and Guinan. It’s suggested that Guinan had dealings with de Lancie's Q sometime during the 22nd century, as well as other members of the Q Continuum. While her exact relationship with Q remains unclear, it evidently soured. Most notably, Q described Guinan as an "imp" and warned Picard "where she goes, trouble always follows."
Nothing ever came of this relationship in The Next Generation, however, so it is highly likely that Season 2 of Picard will delve deeper into their as yet unexplained relationship. It is also important to note that Guinan was around on earth during 2024, having been hiding there since the late 1800s, so she may even make an appearance during the gang's time hop.
While seemingly following the trend of parallel universes set out by Spider-Man: No Way Home, and what has been teased about Dr. Strange 2: Multiverse of Madness, it’s important to remember that Star Trek has been the pioneers of the multiverse in a sense, and if anything, they are returning to their roots by exploring alternate universes and timelines. Season 2 of this show is sure to bring audiences into several storylines at once, narratives that converge and connect across space and time. It should bring the older and much-loved Star Trek up to date with all the new and exciting things that are taking place now.