The dramatic announcement at the end of the Star Trek: Picard season 3 premiere episode sets up the action and riddles for the remainder of the season.
Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) stepped onto the SS Eleos, Dr. Beverly Crusher’s medical vessel (Gates McFadden).
After a young guy (Ed Speleers) momentarily tries to keep Riker at gunpoint, they discovered Beverly in cryostasis. The Shrike, the dread spacecraft that Captain Vadic, the season’s villain, owned, finally confronted the Eleos (Amanda Plummer).
“The Next Generation,” the first episode of Picard season 3, confidently lays the groundwork for what is essentially a ten-hour Star Trek: The Next Generation movie by reintroducing Picard, Riker, and the crew of the USS Titan-A, the starship they attempt to commandeer to rescue Dr. Crusher.
The only TNG icons shown in the premiere are Riker and Picard, while Will’s wife Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and Geordi La Forge are mentioned (LeVar Burton). Ensign Sidney La Forge, the Titan’s helmsman, is introduced to Picard and Riker by Geordi’s child Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut.
Michelle Hurd’s character, Commander Raffaela Musiker, is working by herself on M’Talas Prime as part of an undercover investigation to find out who stole experimental weapons from Daystrom Station.
A Surprise Revelation: Beverly Crusher Has Another Son
A young man who claims to be Beverly Crusher’s son is introduced to Picard and Riker on board the Ship Eleos. Will and Jean-Luc don’t have much time to comprehend this shocking information because they need to focus on the unidentified foes pursuing the Eleos right away.
If you believe the man, Beverly Crusher having another child—who also happens to be Wesley Crusher’s (Wil Wheaton) younger brother—is a huge canon-altering bombshell by Star Trek: Picard season 3.
It does, however, explain why Beverly, acting alone at the beginning of Star Trek: Picard season 3, made sure he was safe by fending off the marauders.
The question of who the father of Beverly’s son must be posed right away, and it follows that Jean-Luc Picard is the obvious candidate.
In any case, Beverly’s son has a weird British accent. However, Jean-paternity Luc raises some logical questions as well, such as when he might have given birth to him and whether or not Jean-Luc and Beverly developed romantic feelings for one another after Star Trek: Nemesis.
The ages of Jean-Luc and Beverly also raise doubts about Picard and Dr. Crusher conceiving a child together. Several scenarios for the father of Beverly’s child exist (including the possibility that he is lying), but Star Trek: Picard won’t address this information until at least episode 2.
Who’s Hunting Dr. Crusher and Her Presumed Son?
Who is pursuing Dr. Crusher and her alleged son is a crucial additional question. Aliens who do not identify as any of the recognized Star Trek aliens boarded the SS Eleos.
However, Beverly cautioned Jean-Luc to “trust no one,” not even Starfleet, in her distress call. The identity of their pursuers and their pursuers’ pursuers confused Crusher’s son as well.
While Captain Vadic is the season 3 antagonist of Star Trek: Picard, her thugs are kept under wraps.
Although the third season opener of Star Trek: Picard didn’t explain why Vadic may be in charge of a coalition of several species chasing the Crushers.
Captain Rachel Garrett: The Red Lady’s Mysterious Connection to a Tng Classic
Raffi Musiker’s research into the weapon taken from Daystrom Station on M’Talas Prime led to an Orion contact who gave her directions to “the Red Woman.”
Raffi realized that the Red Lady was a crimson statue of Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O’Neil) after a frustrating series of anonymous talks with her handler from Starfleet Intelligence.
Garrett was the tragic captain of the Starship Enterprise-C who got lost in a different universe and was first introduced in the Star Trek: The Next Generation classic, “Yesterday’s Enterprise.”
Sadly, the terrorist attack on the Red Lady, in which a portal gobbled up a Starfleet recruitment building (and Garrett’s monument), could not be stopped by Raffi, piloting La Sirena, who was also too late.
It is unclear as to why the mysterious villain attacked a Starfleet recruitment facility and why the memorial of a former Enterprise Captain was the intended target.
It will be interesting to discover what the bigger story is and whether Star Trek: Picard’s Red Woman attack was more than just a TNG Easter egg.
Seven’s Conflict Between Picard and Riker and Her Duty to the Titan
As First Officer of the USS Titan-A, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) is visibly struggling in her position. Seven, who is required to use her former name as Commander Annika Hansen by her Captain, Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick), was immediately torn between her loyalty to Picard and Riker and her responsibility to the Titan.
In defiance of Shaw’s directives, Seven sent the Titan to the Ryton system to assist Picard and Riker in rescuing Beverly Crusher. But when Captain Shaw learned that the Titan had been taken over and that their intrusive visitors had stolen a shuttle, he turned his wrath directly toward Seven.
Seven “just ended” her Starfleet career, according to Shaw. Did everything come crumbling down in Star Trek: Picard season 3 after waiting since the conclusion of Star Trek: Voyager to see Seven of Nine in Starfleet?
Shaw’s Hostility Towards Picard and Riker
When Picard and Riker met Captain Shaw, Seven advised them not to get their hopes up, but things turned much worse than the TNG heroes could have imagined.
Both Picard and Riker were treated with contempt by Shaw, who vehemently rejected their “request” to change the Titan’s course to go to the Ryton system.
Shortly after insulting Riker, Picard, and Seven and claiming that the latter two former Borg were accomplices, Shaw stormed off.
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To Shaw’s defense, Riker and Picard were attempting to trick him and had plans to shanghai his ship for their gain. When Picard and Riker unexpectedly emerged on the Titan and pretended to be conducting an “inspection,” Shaw knew something wasn’t right.
Shaw was right to suspect ulterior motives on the part of the former Enterprise leaders. But, Shaw’s animosity towards Picard and Riker appears to be deeper ingrained than he could contain. There must be more to the story between Shaw, Riker, and Picard even though they had never met before.
The Mysterious Handler: Who Could It Be?
Captain Raffi Musiker has no idea who her superior officer is as she reports to an unidentified handler in Starfleet Intelligence.
Because of her undercover work on M’Talas Prime, Raffi appears to have been abandoned by Starfleet Intelligence, leaving Musiker to confront her separation from her family and her former habits.
In the meantime, Raffi only receives brief communications from her enigmatic controller in the form of support, information, or assistance.
Raffi also acknowledged that her “girlfriend left” her, implying that her relationship with Seven of Nine has regrettably come to an end. The identity of Raffi’s handler is a significant bombshell that is built up, and there are a few candidates.
One of the TNG cast members who haven’t yet made an appearance, such as Geordi, Worf (Michael Dorn), or Deanna Troi, who Riker acknowledged “would be pleased” to spend time away from him, frighteningly implying their marriage is in trouble, is undoubtedly a possibility.
The third season of Star Trek: Picard features the return of Data’s villainous android sibling Lore (Brent Spiner). However, given that Star Trek: Picard season 3 is also intended to be a sequel to both spinoffs, it might be a character connected to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, such as Commander Tuvok (Tim Russ) from Star Trek: Voyager or Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) from Star Trek: Voyager.
