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Narissa Rizzo

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She was portrayed by Peyton List , who also portrayed Poison Ivy in Gotham , Lucy Lane in Smallville , and Lisa Snart/Golden Glider in The Flash .

An agent of the Zhat Vash , her actual name is unknown. Rizzo is the identity she used when she infiltrated the Federation Starfleet in the late 24th century. Rizzo grew up in a family that included a deceased brother, another brother named Narek , and an Aunt named Ramdha.

In 2385 Rizzo traveled with her Aunt Ramdha and a group of other Zhat Vash initiates to the planet Aia. There the Zhat Vash leader Oh had them participate in the Admonition, a message the Zhat Vash believed to be a warning to never allow synthetic lifeforms develop. The Admonition was actually an ancient message from a group of synthetic life forms to other synthetic lifeforms that might follow, but was such that organic brains could not handle the stream of information. With the exception of her Aunt, all the other initiates committed suicide upon seeing the message, leaving only Rizzo standing and coherent.

Following her experience with the Admonition, Rizzo helped Oh reprogram the synths working on Mars to carry out a devastating attack on Mars. In the aftermath the Federation banned synthetic life forms. Like Oh, Rizzo also infiltrated Starfleet in the guise of a young human female, using the Rizzo identity. By 2399 she held the rank of Lieutenant in Starfleet.

After finding a biological android named Dajh Asha, Rizzo sent a team to kill the young android. The operation did not go as planned, with the strike team being killed and Dajh being activated. Dajh went to Jean-Luc Picard for assistance but was killed by Zhat Vash operatives a short time later. Oh chastised Rizzo for botching the operation to kill Dajh.

Learning that Narek had found Dajh's twin sister Soji working on a derelict Borg cube known as the Artifact, Rizzo abandoned her cover identity and traveled to the cube to oversee Narek's attempts to find out where Soji came from. She was critical of his attempts to seduce the information out of Soji, and felt that he was being manipulated by her.

After Soji learned the truth of who she was, Narek and Rizzo attempted to kill her but she escaped with Picard. Rizzo set about murdering many of the ex-Borgs in order to get the project director Hugh to reveal where he had sent Picard and Soji. Rizzo later murdered Hugh.

Rizzo disguised as a human.

When the Borg cube was reactivated by Seven of Nine Rizzo ordered the Borg drones flushed out into open space, killing nearly all of them. She survived when the Artifact crashed on Soji's homeworld of Coppelius. Confronting Seven of Nine, Rizzo fought with her. Seven gained the upper hand and pushed her off a ledge to her death, claiming the act was for her friend Hugh.

• 2 The Boiled One
• 3 Judge Holden

Why Narissa From Star Trek: Picard Looks So Familiar

Every "Star Trek" show features plenty of memorable characters, but few can match " Star Trek: Picard " on that particular front. As the title implies, Patrick Stewart's legendary Jean-Luc Picard is the star attraction, here, but the show features the return of several other franchise favorites, as well. From "Star Trek: The Next Generation" favorites like William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) to "Star Trek: Voyager" breakout Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), all sorts of classic characters turn up for their last (or, at least, latest) hurrah. 

The presence of so many "Star Trek" Hall of Famers, of course, means that the forces that oppose Picard must be formidable enough to stand out. One of the more interesting characters on the opposing front is Colonel Narissa, the ruthless Zhat Vash operative and expert infiltrator who causes no end of trouble to everyone on her way. A role like this takes plenty of acting experience and genre savvy, and the actor playing Narissa certainly has both. Here's why she looks so familiar.

Peyton List is Lucy Montgomery in As the World Turns

Peyton List's — who shouldn't be confused with the Peyton List who plays Tory in "Cobra Kai" — first acting credit was "Blonde Girl #1" in a 2000 episode of "Sex and the City," but her acting career truly picked up the next year, when she joined the cast of CBS daytime drama " As the World Turns " as Lucy Montgomery. A longtime character in the show, Lucy is the daughter of Sierra Esteban (Played by Mary Beth Evans during List's tenure with the show) and Craig Montgomery (Hunt Block).  

Like several other characters in the long-running show, Lucy has been played by multiple actors. List took over the role from Amanda Seyfried, and was followed in the role by Spencer Grammer and Sarah Glendening. However, List remains the longest-serving Lucy actor. What's more, her tenure coincides with what may very well be the most popular era of the character, due to Lucy's romance with Dusty Donovan (Grayson McCouch) at the time. The pairing of these two characters became so popular that it has its own Wikipedia page. 

Peyton List is Nicole Kirby in FlashForward

After leaving the soap opera world behind, Peyton List had major roles in the NBC lottery win drama "Windfall" and ABC's relationship comedy-drama "Big Shots," as well as numerous one-off roles in TV shows like "One Tree Hill" and "CSI." However, in 2009, she started gravitating toward genre fare by joining the all-star cast of ABC's "FlashForward." The "Lost"-style scifi drama centers on a mysterious incident that causes the vast majority of the world's population to simultaneously experience a short blackout, which causes them to see a few months into the future. List's character is Nicole Kirby, a young babysitter whose terrifying "flashforward" shows her seemingly being drowned. 

"FlashForward's" stellar cast and intriguing premise made it a potential smash hit, but unfortunately, the show was cancelled after just one season. Still, the experience was hardly a loss for List. After all, she got to work as a part of an ensemble cast that involved names like Joseph Fiennes and Dominic Monaghan ... and soon after the show was over, it became apparent that she was only getting started.

Peyton List is Jane in Mad Men

AMC's " Mad Men " is a masterpiece of period drama, and its very specific vibe requires a lot of style, grace, and dramatic chops from its cast. Imagine the challenge, then, when a role requires the actor to shine even brighter than the rest of the show's impossibly charismatic characters. Peyton List tackled this challenge when she joined the show's cast in Season 2 as Sterling Cooper secretary Jane Siegel, who immediately becomes the hot topic at the workplace ... and, perhaps unsurprisingly, clashes with office manager Joan (Christina Hendricks) on multiple occasions. 

In an interview with Baltimore Magazine , List said that playing the role was a great experience, and that many parts of Jane's journey in the show came as a complete surprise to her.  "I have an absolute blast," she said. When I came on, I had no idea what would happen to the character. They keep you guessing, even the actors. I had no idea she was going to wind up marrying the boss [Roger Sterling, played by John Slattery]. I remember sitting at that table read and everyone was like, 'What?'"

Peyton List is Cara Coburn in The Tomorrow People

From 2013 to 2014, Peyton List starred opposite Robbie Amell in The CW's "The Tomorrow People," a sci-fi show about young people who have evolved beyond the norms of humanity, and have various psionic superpowers. These "Tomorrow People" have existed in the shadows for years, hunted down by a hostile organization called Ultra. List stars as Cara Coburn, a powerful and high-ranking member of the Tomorrow People. 

Jumping from critically acclaimed period drama like "Mad Men" to a fun sci-fi show might be counterintuitive to some, but in an interview with Nerdly , List made clear that the script appealed to her greatly, and that she absolutely loved playing a self-assured character with powers. 

"The story is exciting, entertaining and fast paced," List said. "When you're not even a part of the show and you read the script, you get blown away by it. That's how I fell for it. On top of that, I think that any girl would want to play my character. She's strong and she knows herself. She's got super powers and she's a bad ass. How cool is that? I love the character, I love the story and I love this group of people we have working on the show. I really enjoy everything about it, so it's a complete dream job for me."

Judging by the fact that List has appeared in numerous genre shows over the course of her career, it's pretty clear that she wasn't exaggerating her love for sci-fi and superhero fare. 

Peyton List is Ivy Pepper in Gotham

Because it mostly focuses on James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) is still a few years removed from his costumed crime-fighting years, Fox's "Gotham" is free to play fast and loose with the future Batman's rogues gallery. One of the clearest examples of the show's refusal to adhere to traditional bat-standards is "Gotham's" take on Poison Ivy, Ivy Pepper. Various aging antics mean that the character has no less than three actors over the course of the show: Clare Foley, Maggie Zeha, and as the incarnation that's closest to the classic Poison Ivy character, Peyton List. 

List took over the role for the last two seasons of "Gotham," and her portrayal of the character is deadlier than ever. "Dangerous," producers of the show described her version of Ivy (per Deadline ). "A live wire of crazy energy. She'll set her sights on Gotham, intent on making the city her own green paradise."

Interestingly, Ivy isn't the only DC villain List has portrayed. In 2015, she played Captain Cold's (Wentworth Miller)  younger sister, Lisa "Golden Glider" Snart, in "The Flash." 

Screen Rant

Picard season 1 wasted its most interesting villains.

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Narek (Harry Treadaway) and Narissa (Peyton List) were Star Trek: Picard season 1's most interesting villains, but their potential was wasted by season 1. Star Trek: Picard season 1 centered on a Romulan conspiracy to wipe out synthetic life in the universe. Narek's mission was specifically to glean the location of Coppelius, the homeworld of androids, from Soji (Isa Briones), who initially wasn't aware she was synthetic. Unfortunately, Narek and Narissa's outcomes turned out to be disappointing.

Narek and Narissa were the first brother-sister Romulan Tal Shiar agents in Star Trek. The siblings served the Zhat Vash, a secretive sect within the Tal Shiar dedicated to wiping out synthetic life. Narissa was also a mole in Starfleet like her superior officer, General Nedar (Tamlyn Tomita). Nedar posed as Commodore Oh , who rose to become Starfleet's Chief of Security, while Narissa disguised herself as Lt. Rizzo. Narek and Narissa had an intimately antagonistic relationship with a sexually-charged undercurrent. Star Trek had never seen Romulans like Narek and Narissa before. It's a shame that by the time Star Trek: Picard season 1 was over, the Tal Shiar siblings' fates were sealed so that it's unlikely they will return.

Related: Star Trek Shows The Start Of Picard's Romulan Supernova Tragedy

What Happened To Narek & Narissa In Picard Season 1

Narissa, who was a Colonel in the Tal Shiar, was killed in a battle with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in Star Trek: Picard season 1's finale. After Seven, Elnor (Evan Evagora), and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) came aboard the Borg Cube Artifact , Narissa committed heinous crime, including ejecting thousands of Borg Drones into the vacuum of space. But Narissa's most despicable act was murdering Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco). Narissa faced off with Elnor in a battle between the Zhat Vash and their ancient enemies, the Qowat Milat, but Seven ultimately killed Narissa as revenge for Hugh's death.

Narek's fate was left more ambiguous. The Romulan spy chased after Soji and followed La Sirena to Coppelius. But Narek had a change of heart, and he helped Cristobal Rios (Santiago Cabrera) and Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) take on Soji's synthetic siblings, who were led by Sutra (Isa Briones). However, Narek was forgotten, and he wasn't seen in Star Trek: Picard season 1 finale 's closing moments. In an interview with TrekMovie , Star Trek: Picard season 1 showrunner Michael Chabon revealed the intention was to show Narek taken into custody by the Federation, but he was a casualty of the editing process.

Why Narek Lusted After Soji When He Supposedly Hates Androids

Narek's twisted relationship with Soji was Star Trek: Picard' s spin on an abusive relationship. Narek came aboard the Artifact with a mission to acquire Coppelius' location from Soji, but he ended up seducing and sleeping with the android. Narek developed actual feelings for Soji, but he was forced by Narissa to fulfill his mission and murder her, although Soji escaped thanks to Picard. This was the fascinating contrast between Narek and Narissa because the sister was much more fanatical about hating androids and more dedicated to the Zhat Vash's cause. Narek, in his own grotesque way, actually fell for Data's daughter.

None of this excuses Narek's deceitful and despicable actions in Star Trek: Picard season 1. If anything, it's all the more frustrating that Narek never received a proper comeuppance for his crimes, especially against Soji. Narek was simply forgotten and Soji seemingly moved on in her lone appearance in Star Trek: Picard season 2. There was definitely more mileage that could have been explored from Narek and Narissa, but Star Trek: Picard just wasn't interested. Instead, one Romulan sibling is dead while the other simply vanished without explanation, and it's such a waste of two compelling villains.

Next: Every New Power Picard Gave The Borg Queen

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 premieres February 16, 2023, on Paramount+.

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Narissa's Romulan Prosthetic Makeup Timelapse

Actress Peyton List becomes Narissa for Star Trek: Picard.

Actress Peyton List becomes Narissa in this prosthetic makeup time lapse for Star Trek: Picard .

Star Trek: Picard streams on CBS All Access in the United States,  in Canada on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave, and on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories.

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Lieutenant Narissa Rizzo

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Appearances

• Episode 1x02: Maps and Legends ( Jan 30, 2020 )
• Episode 1x03: The End Is the Beginning ( Feb 6, 2020 )
• Episode 1x04: Absolute Candor ( Feb 13, 2020 )
• Episode 1x06: The Impossible Box ( Feb 27, 2020 )
• Episode 1x07: Nepenthe ( Mar 5, 2020 )
• Episode 1x08: Broken Pieces ( Mar 12, 2020 )
• Episode 1x10: Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ( Mar 26, 2020 )

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Harry Treadaway Explains Why His ‘Picard’ Villain Is a Bernie Bro

Narek's resolve is the key to his character..

Star Trek ‘s greatest villains have always been colored by shades of grey. That was true for the brutal colonizer and hopeless romantic Gul Dukat on Deep Space Nine , the godlike manipulator and struggling dad Q on The Next Generation and Voyager, and the charmingly Byronic warlord Khan Noonien Singh on The Original Series . It remains true for Star Trek: Picard ‘s Narek, played by  Harry Treadaway ( The Crown, Penny Dreadful ). Narek is one of Picard ‘s most engaging creations—an icon of modern emo pathos as well as intergalactic Romulan spy who is out to find and kill sentient artificial life, aka the “Synthetics,” across the universe.

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Throughout Picard ‘s freshman season, Narek and his sister Narissa Rizzo (Peyton List) have proven themselves worthy adversaries to Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) and his ad hoc crew aboard La Sirena , and they aren’t above using subterfuge and murder to achieve their goals. As Treadaway explained to Observer in a recent interview ahead of the season finale “Et in Arcadia Ego Part 2,” Narek is driven by a pursuit of the “greater good,” to the exclusion of any compassion for the artificial sentient life he intends to eradicate—whether that means his Soji Asha ( Isa Briones ) or any of her family.

SEE ALSO: ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Is Now Your Best (Free) Coronavirus Binge

“She represents a huge threat,” Treadaway explained of Soji, the android daughter of fan-favorite TNG character Data. To Jean-Luc Picard, she’s the sympathetic and frightened daughter of one of his best friends and beloved comrades. To Narek and Narissa, she’s prophesied to be “the Destroyer,” responsible for the destruction of not just the Romulan people but of entire worlds across the galaxy.

It’s why he seduced her before she learned of her heritage and why he attempted to kill her using the Rubik’s cube–like “Impossible Box” in the episode of the same name. “For their whole history, the Romulans thought the Synthetics would converge and destroy everything. It’s something which has been instilled in him since childhood,” Treadaway said. “And then, confusingly and troublingly, being humans or Romulans or synthetics with feelings, it hasn’t proved quite as simple as that.”

As an actor Treadaway admits it’s a challenge to inhabit a character who lives both on a razor’s edge of morality as well as hundreds of years into the future. Conversations with series creators Michael Chabon, Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman and the show’s other writers helped him fill in the gaps of the character’s backstory and relationship to the other characters.

“He’s trained in the art of subterfuge. He’s a spy. He’s someone who’s got an incredibly important mission, but is very much solo,” Treadaway explained. Narek is isolated, both by his mission but also in the context of his troubled sibling relationship with Narissa, who taunts and criticizes him, and Treadaway had to find ways to humanize that character.

“I’ve done lots of research into sociopaths and psychopaths for various roles,” Treadaway explained with a laugh, saying that Narek’s intimacy with Soji earlier in the season is in line with a willingness to do “whatever it takes” to accomplish his goals. That extends to locking her in a room with an evil alien Rubik’s cube and unleashing a deadly gas to try to kill her.

“The mission he’s got—which he thinks is to try to save all organic life forms—is so huge,” Treadaway said. “The morals and ethics go out the window when the stakes are so high. He was a man prepared to enter into an intimate relationship with someone for what he sees as the greater good for organic life in the universe. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to gain information from her.”

Narek’s resolve is the key to his character. It’s also what makes Treadaway certain that Narek would vote for Bernie Sanders in the 2020 United States presidential election—if the character had the option.

“I wanna say Bernie,” Treadaway said, when we put the question to him. “Bernie wants to save the most amount of lives. He cares about healthcare for the most amount of people. If you look at Narek’s character arc, he’s trying to save the most amount of organic life forms possible.”

The two-part season finale “Et in Arcadia Ego” will serve as Narek’s final test. He has followed Soji, Picard and the Sirena crew to the android planet Coppelius and escaped the Synthetics’ capture by killing one of them. His goal is the ultimate genocide of their people, and we as the audience have yet to see how that will play out when he and Soji inevitably come face to face again.

“He may well have feelings” for Soji, Treadaway said. “But he’s still got to go through with what he’s got to go through with.”

• SEE ALSO : Will Keen On Playing Vladimir Putin On Broadway in ‘Patriots’

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews
• Episode aired Mar 5, 2020

Picard and Soji, who's struggling to make sense of her recently unlocked memories, travel to a planet that happens to be the home of Picard's old friends Will Riker and Deanna Troi; Elnor an... Read all Picard and Soji, who's struggling to make sense of her recently unlocked memories, travel to a planet that happens to be the home of Picard's old friends Will Riker and Deanna Troi; Elnor and Hugh are left on the Borg cube to face Narissa. Picard and Soji, who's struggling to make sense of her recently unlocked memories, travel to a planet that happens to be the home of Picard's old friends Will Riker and Deanna Troi; Elnor and Hugh are left on the Borg cube to face Narissa.

• Douglas Aarniokoski
• Gene Roddenberry
• Akiva Goldsman
• Michael Chabon
• Patrick Stewart
• Alison Pill
• Isa Briones
• 71 User reviews
• 16 Critic reviews

• Jean-Luc Picard

• Dr. Agnes Jurati

• Raffi Musiker

• Cristóbal Rios

• Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Narissa Rizzo

• Commodore Oh

• Romulan Guard

• La Sirena Computer

• (uncredited)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Riker and Troi's daughter Kestra was named after Troi's late elder sister, who appeared in Dark Page (1993) .
• Goofs When Picard helps himself to Riker's bottle of wine, he picks it up with his right hand and has his left at his side. Then the shot changes and now his left hand is in his pocket.

Will Riker : So I'm just going to speculate, and say out loud what's in my brain. You don't have to tell me anything. How's that sound?

Will Riker : You're worried about the cloaks. That says Romulans. The level of anxiety and fear for our safety? It's got to be the Tal Shiar. You're not the one they're after, it's her. What has poor Soji done to incur their wrath? Could it have anything to do with the fact that she's clearly an android? And not just any android. I recognize that head tilt. She's got Data in her DNA. How am I doing?

Jean-Luc Picard : Not bad, for a pizza chef.

• Connections Featured in re:View: Star Trek: Picard Episodes 6, 7, and 8 (2020)
• Soundtracks Theme from 'Star Trek: The Motion PicturE' Composed by Jerry Goldsmith

User reviews 71

• Mar 5, 2020
• March 5, 2020 (United States)
• Log Cabin, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA (location)
• Roddenberry Entertainment
• Secret Hideout
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 58 minutes

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The 'Star Trek: Picard' finale is both amazing and awful, yet ultimately disappointing

You'll be shell-shocked for sure.

Here's your chance to beam out to avoid spoilers for episode 10 of "Star Trek: Picard."

To quote a former " Star Trek " alumni in a pre-"Star Trek" role, "Oh boy." 

There was a lot riding on this, the concluding episode of the two-part season finale of " Star Trek: Picard ," entitled "Et in Arcadia Ego — part II," especially given that the build up last week was not too shabby. The week before however, episode 8 , had been a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows — now, imagine that times a thousand. 

You'll be shell-shocked for sure, and after that, probably left feeling more than a little disappointed, maybe even angry, but definitely wondering how much the writers on this show get paid.

Sadly, this season finale is going to polarize "Star Trek" fans for a long time to come. In essence, the first two acts, with the exception of a few small to mid-sized shortcomings, were mostly of high quality, with some good ideas and even a couple of glimpses of genius. But then, just when you thought that Alex Kurtzman, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman and everyone else who has a hand in writing this show were about to pull off the boldest most unexpected and courageous move ever …the plot reaches its apex, forward momentum gently slows to a stop and then it pitches, nose down and heads vertically straight for the ground at maximum warp. 

Related: You can watch 'Star Trek: Picard' for free right now! Here's how More: What 'Trek' to watch before 'Star Trek: Picard'

We start at the crashed Borg cube — that somehow didn't cause an extinction level event when it plummeted through the atmosphere of Coppelius last week — with Seven ( Jeri Ryan ) having a conversation about being an xB with Elnor (Evan Evagora). Narek (Harry Treadaway) tiptoes past them, undetected into the cube. 

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We get some idea of the enormity of the Borg interior (a typical Borg cube has a volume of 28 km³ or 10,000 times the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza ), which is worth remembering given the ease with which all the characters seem to be able to find each other. Narek is looking for his sister, Narissa (Peyton List) who still takes an unhealthy interest in her brother's carnal activities. 

We quickly cut to Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Soji (Isa Briones) skimming like a stone, off the surface of a conversation about whether or not the synthetics have a choice to live and roll the opening credits: it's a short pre-credit sequence this week.

Back on the Borg cube, Narek is equipping himself with wide-dispersal, molecular solvent grenades in an attempt to destroy the Space Orchid Defense System, before the Romulan fleet arrives. He convinces her to stay on the Borg cube and work to get its defenses operational, the reasoning behind this will become clear later.

Meanwhile on La Sirena, Rios (Santiago Cabrera) and Raffi (Michelle Hurd) are struggling to use the mysterious MacGuffin that Arcana gave them last week to help repair their ship. It's another example of 24th century "Trek" starship maintenance that luckily doesn't require anyone to ever get their overalls dirty, but the scene offers the opportunity for the two to engage in a little banter and Raffi figures out how the spectacular space spanner works pretty quickly. 

Back at Coppelius Station, Dr. Altan Inigo Soong (Brent Spiner) is showing Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) machinery in Dr. Maddox's laboratory that's required to download a human consciousness into a synthetic body. Dr Soong compliments Dr. Agnes on her decision to support the synthetics in the upcoming confrontation and she tries to psych herself up for what she does next.

The critical repair work of Raffi and Rios is interrupted by the sound of Narek throwing rocks at the bridge viewport of La Sirena. It seems he wants them to work together to stop what's coming to kill them all. They take the Romulan spy into the ship where he explains what's going on at Coppelius Station. He tells them about the beacon that will unleash what the Romulans call Ganmadan, which will destroy all organic life. They try contacting Picard with no luck and then suddenly Elnor shows up and holds his sword at Narek's throat! The crafty Qowat Milat, he's been tracking that pointy-eared pragmatist all the way from the cube.  

Related: Picard's greatest moments from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'

Jurati approaches Soong and asks for the encryption codes to some of the neural engrams that she needs for the golem. "Bruce always said your crypto kung-fu was the best," she says, flattering him. 

Sufficiently flattered, Soong goes off to decrypt the files and leaves Jurati with the body of Saga (Nikita Ramsey), the android that was stabbed through the eye last week . It's odd that such a wound would be fatal to an android. Moreover, Jurati just mentioned that Maddox spoke to her about him, so she knew Soong existed, even all the way back to episode one . Maybe it's a plot oversight, or maybe she was just playing him. Or maybe it was the former and will get passed off as the latter.  

We find out what Jurati was psyching herself up to do, but we don't get to see what's involved. What we get instead is a head and shoulders close up of the good doctor and some delightful squelchy noises as she plucks out the other eye from Saga non-functioning body. 

Back at La Sirena, Narek is telling the ancient Romulan story of the Seb-Cheneb, as everyone sits around a campfire. Some say that the story dates back to even before his Romulan ancestors arrived on Vulcan. Turns out that the event is called Ganmadan and it refers to the end of all things, like Judgment Day or Ragnarök. 

Twin sisters or khalagu (demons) will come and they're prophesied to release the ch'khalagu (really bad demons). One sister is called Sepnatahn (the foreteller) and she plays a drum made from the skin of children. She strikes it with a chain of skulls so hard and for so long that her heart bursts from the effort. 

The other sister is called Seb-Cheneb (the destroyer) who carries a horn from the great pale hell beast called Ganmadan. When she blows a blast on that horn, it will unleash all the ch'khalagu who have been waiting since the beginning of time. It's well delivered by Treadaway and, with the exception of the Zhal Makh scene in episode six , this is probably his best performance in the show so far.

Staying with Rios, Raffi, Elnor and Narek, it's morning now and Narek is explaining how the wide-dispersal, molecular solvent grenades can now be used against the transmitter instead of the Space Orchid Defense System. The plan is to go through the front door, naturally. The thing is, La Sirena is repaired and operational now, so quite why they don't just fly in and blow it up isn't really explained. It would've been quite easy to solve this dilemma, since even Will Riker's (Jonathan Frakes) house had a shield , so briefly mentioning something similar that Coppelius Station could have had would've worked, but no. 

The gang arrives at the house and present Narek as a prisoner that they found to gain entry. The explosive will need a delivery system, however, it has to be non-metal. There's a transporter block over the compound (no shield though) so they can't beam it in. Rios, the genius that he is, puts it inside one of his futsal balls.

Related: 'Star Trek: Section 31' to start filming when 'Discovery' season 3 wraps  

Actually inside the compound, Jurati uses her "third eye" (sorry, Saga)  to get past the retina scan and into the quarters Picard has been locked inside, busting him out of his cell-of-sorts and dragging him back to La Sirena. 

Soong meanwhile is marveling over the fact that his Golem is now ready to receive neural engrams. In the background, he's been downloading Saga's memories and stops his work as he sees her very last memories, which of course, were of being stabbed through the eye. He can see Narek, obviously, but also Sutra (also played by Isa Briones). In fact, it's Sutra who fatally stabs her android associate. 

Picard and Jurati reach La Sirena and learn that the Romulan fleet is just seven minutes away. Picard gives one of his bite-sized speeches; this one on how the synthetics have life yes, but no one is teaching them what it's for. The "Star Trek" fanfare plays softly in the background to add further grandeur to the moment. It's all good fun and is a nice reminder of what "Star Trek" is really all about without overdoing it, this time at least. Picard powers up La Sirena and Jurati turns from her helm control chair, smiles and says, "Make it so," which on the whole, probably wasn't really necessary, but it's hardly a major complaint. That comes later. 

Back at the compound, Sutra is giving her evil monologue to all the other synthetics. Soong marches through the crowd to confront his artificial offspring and finally deactivates her. The others get ready to deliver the explosives, but they have to get past Soji, who's still brainwashed to follow Sutra's cause and hell-bent on completing the beacon. Rios launches the drone containing the charge but Soji catches it and throws it some distance away before it detonates harmlessly, without even scratching the beacon. 

Video: Patrick Stewart and Isa Briones Talk Trek with Space.com

And then, we unexpectedly cut to the Borg cube, where Narissa has finally managed to get the weapons systems online. She tries to target lock La Sirena, but out of the shadows comes Seven, blaster in hand. 

Narissa vs. Seven is something we hadn't even considered – what a match-up! Sadly, the fight is a major disappointment, it's brief and poorly choreographed: from Seven's obvious over-extension while holding her blaster (surely a Fenris Ranger would've heard of center axis relock ) giving Narissa ample opportunity to disarm her, all the way to Narissa's eventual demise. It's a monumental missed opportunity. We all wanted it, especially after the death of Hugh. Out of all the disturbing ways to die as seen in "Star Trek" — incinerated by a Horta, having all the salt sucked out of your body, blown out into space or being ripped apart at a sub-atomic level while half formed in a transporter — Narissa plunges down a shaft. Yawn . 

The Romulan fleet drops out of warp and Soji launches the Space Orchid Defense System. They form a net of sorts and while they're destroying quite a few Romulan Warbirds, it just isn't enough. 

And just in case there was any question that it was the Picard Maneuver that was being referenced last week , it's definitely referenced this week. If only they had some kind of whacky fundamental field replicator with a neural atomic interface. Thankfully, the mysterious MacGuffin is lying there on the control console and quicker than you can say "redundant melacortz ramistat kiloquad interface modules," they've created the illusion of hundreds of ships, all identical to La Sirena, dropping out of warp and facing off against the Romulan fleet. 

If only General Oh (Tamlyn Tomita) could say "fire" quicker, this would've all been over ages ago.  

Picard makes one last plea to Soji to power down the beacon; she refuses, so he tells her that he's going to offer her people (the synthetics) one last thing in an attempt to convince them to change their minds, his life. 

Related: The penultimate episode of 'Star Trek: Picard' will blow your socks off

The fight above the planet continues, but if the fundamental field replicator with neural atomic interface has created hundreds of projections of La Sirena, wouldn't they all be twisting and turning and generally flying in an identical manner to the original ship? 

Soji activates the beacon and a giant, red bolt streaks into the sky, opening some kind of Eye of Sauron-looking, trans-dimensional portal, or something. And Oh is just about to give the command, again , to engage planetary sterilization pattern number five, when the "Star Trek" fanfare plays once again and a few hundred starships arrive. 

The Federation flagship hails the treacherous Tal Shiar and waddaya know, it's Acting Captain Will Riker, commander of the USS Zheng He. Apparently the United Federation of Planets has designated the planet Ghulion IV in the Vayt sector as under the protection of Starfleet according to the terms of the Treaty of Algeron . 

"Right now, I'm on the bridge of the toughest, fastest, most powerful starship Starfleet has ever put into service and I've got a fleet of them at my back," Riker says. 

And he's right, they all look identical: very much like the Pathfinder Class from Star Trek Online, which raises a few questions. Is Starfleet really only building one class of starship now? Well, according to TrekCore , the visual effects work for the season only got completed last week and VFX supervisor Ante Dekovic said that a wider range of ship variation simply wasn't possible due to a lack of available production time. And that just sounds a bit odd. 

Related: The 25 greatest spaceships of science fiction

Riker explains that he'd heard Picard had tried to send an SOS, presumably that was the message he'd tried to transmit from Coppelius Station. That was when the Romulan fleet was two days away, La Sirena had only got there earlier because they utilized a Borg transwarp conduit. How the blazes did Will Riker assemble a fleet quickly enough to arrive 20 minutes or so after the Romulans?

Oh still isn't giving up and gives the order to prepare to fire, again . The two fleets stand ready to annihilate each other. But back on La Sirena, Picard's terminal condition flares up, for the very first time, ever. Jurati gives him a hyposhot to get by and Picard opens a channel to Soji that everyone can hear and see. Quite why the two massive fleets of ships aren't slogging it out in orbit yet is anyone's guess. 

Picard pleads with Soji to show everyone that she's not the enemy that the Romulans think she is and power down the beacon. He makes a compelling argument, naturally, as Oh looks stares at her viewscreen and Riker breaks into a wry smile as he watches his dearest friend and mentor save the galaxy once more. 

And just as whatever horror was coming reaches the portal, Soji smashes the beacon, which has the effect of closing it. So, in a brilliant move by the writers, the whole "what's coming" plot is dismissed in very well executed misdirection. Bravo. 

Related: The 10 best 'Star Trek' episodes ever

You might have thought it was Control. You might have thought it had something to do with the Tkon Empire. You might have thought it had something to do with Lore. You might even have thought Sutra was Lore in a dress and he'd pull a "Scooby-Doo" ending and peel off a rubber mask and reveal himself as the mischievous son of Soong that he is.

Riker says cheerio and then Picard really starts suffering and in all honesty, this just feels like lazy writing. It's now, in the finale, that his condition starts to show itself. Could the writers not have perhaps introduced this in a more believable manner over a period of time? Take for example Marshall Pentecost (Idris Elba) in "Pacific Rim" when his nose starts bleeding at inopportune moments. This could've been something that Picard had had to try and hide from everyone, perhaps with varying degrees of success. That way it certainly wouldn't feel like rushed or unimaginative writing, which this does.

But that aside … for a moment, for a fleeting second it does feel like the writers and show runners are about to go for the most daring "Star Trek" season finale since "The Best of Both Worlds" and actually kill off Picard. Why not? Capt. Kirk was killed off in "Generations" when they could've just left him alone and continued the saga without him. Why couldn't they have Jean Luc Picard make the ultimate sacrifice, he was prepared to do it. Yes, "Picard" has been renewed for a second season — but Patrick Stewart could be utilized in all sorts of ways — Brent Spiner was for this season. 

If he wasn't ever going to be permanently killed off, he should've never have died in the episode.

Related: The 10 greatest Picard moments from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'

That said, the actual death and the subsequent mourning by everyone is genuinely emotional, from Raffi in particular. There's a tender moment between Rios and Seven and between Raffi and Elnor. A cursory glance however, at the time remaining shows there's more than a quarter of the show still left to watch and you'd be forgiven for thinking "how is this going to be filled?"

It was obvious someone was going into the golem that Soong had been preparing. We had feared it would be used to recreate Data, but thankfully that didn't happen. There was an outside chance it might have been Soong himself, but in hindsight perhaps it was obvious it was going to be Picard.

In a subconscious dream-like scene, Picard once again meets Data and the two, in essence, seek closure in the afterlife for the events that took place in "Nemesis" when Data died to save Picard. It needlessly drags on a bit and this is what basically fills most of the remaining time in the episode. However, Data asks for a favor, before Picard steps into the light.

Picard wakes up in Soong's laboratory and yes, he's in the golem. But, rather than allow him all the benefits an artificial body made of the most robust elements known to mankind might offer, no, they've incorporated all his frailties to make the body feel more natural. And now we enter The Ridiculous Zone; granted, the parietal lobe abnormality has been removed, but who chooses arthritis or cataracts over the fitness of a 20-year-old? Poor Picard back is still stuck with huffing and puffing when he climbs stairs like we saw in episode one .

"I knew you wouldn't want to adjust to something new, not after 94 years in the same body," Soong says, explaining away that particular issue. 

The favor that Data asks is that he be switched off, terminated effectively and allowed to die. This might seem a little strange, but we see some data sticks that were obviously the engrams of Data's mind that Maddox managed to save. It seems he was alive in a complex simulation and it's possible that the butterfly that was always nearby, in Soong's office, represented his consciousness. Or at the very least, it was intended as a metaphor. 

We end on La Sirena and see that Seven and Raffi have hooked up, not entirely unsurprising as there was clearly more to Seven's relationship with Bajazzle than we saw. One assumes the thing with Chakotay didn't work out. And that's it; the crew takes their position and set course for Season two. Let's hope that an extended pre-production period will give the writers time to come with something less formulaic and more fearless. We still like to see Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould given a chance to run a live-action series of "Star Trek."

For a season finale, this was ultimately disappointing. There were some moments of absolute ingenuity and then some moments of appalling absurdity. Sadly, the latter outnumbered the former. But it's still better than "Discovery."

Was the entire first season about seeking closure with Data? What's happening with Mars, it's still burning after all. Where did Narek end up?

The question also arises as to how much of this story was changed when the second series was confirmed. Clues like the drawn out third act, the lack of practical effects when Jurati pulls out Saga's eye (remember when we saw poor Icheb in episode 5 ?), the Maddox-Soong-Jurati plot slip up, the lack of VFX for the Federation fleet, perhaps Jean-Luc was going to be killed off when it was just one season? Will we ever find for sure, doubtful. 

It's frustrating because "Star Trek" has a habit of killing off characters and not having the courage to keep them dead. They have to be reincarnated by the power of spores, or neural engram transfer. At least Tasha Yar wasn't reanimated through an orifice of Armus. And yet Hugh was casually dismissed without even batting an eyelid. It's like a pendulum swing from one extreme to the other. 

Every series of "Star Trek" has to follow certain, basic criteria, otherwise it’s not "Star Trek," but they really are very basic. "Picard" offered a new, updated incarnation, complete with unnecessary expletives, but it really didn't stray from the formula, at all. And we end up with something that's trying to be new, modern and edgy, but it's still held back by the restraints of nostalgia. Remember when the producers of "Stargate" tried something totally new with "Universe?" Sadly, it was short-lived, but that was because of the lack of foresight of the Syfy channel, again. It might be nice to see "Star Trek" try something new, really new, because this wasn't it and "Discovery" isn't either.

  Rating: 6 ½ /10

 Weekend on Rigel II ✓ 

•  Planetary Sterilization Pattern Number 5 LOL Good name for a band.
•  The misdirection of Ganmadan and not revealing what it is was brilliant.
•  Harry Treadaway's performance in this episode was one of his best as Narek. 
•  Jonathan Frakes looked pretty good in that 2399 Command Red. 
•  The "we were here to save each other" speech was well written and effective. 

 Imprisoned on Rura Penthe ✗ 

•  Narek seems to have switched sides without any major ethical struggle. 
•  Narissa's death, after everything she's done, was a monumental let down. 
•  Why didn't Rios et al fly into Coppelius Station and destroy the beacon? 
•  A fleet of identical starships? Was this to cut down the VFX budget? 
•  Was Dr. Jurati aware of Dr. Soong the whole time, but didn't mention it? 

The 10-episode "Star Trek: Picard" is on the paid subscription streaming service CBS All Access in the U.S., and in Canada on Bell Media's Space and OTT service Crave. It streams exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries worldwide within 24 hours of its premiere on CBS All Access and Space in the US and Canada, respectively.

CBS All Access subscription is the home of "Star Trek: Picard," "Star Trek: Discovery" and a host of other original and archival CBS television shows. Subscriptions start at $5.99 a month. You can try CBS All Access for a week free here .

•   'Lost In Space' will return for season 3 on Netflix  
•   HBO renews quirky sci-fi cruise comedy 'Avenue 5' for second season  
•   New 'Star Trek' series 'Section 31' to start filming when 'Discovery' season 3 wraps  

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Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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• Woodstock It's Dr Octopus, isn't it..?? That's who they were summoning with the beacon... Reply
• okrapickles Seriously? It was amazing! People are being too hard on this series I'm a longtime fan and I thought it was great. Reply

okrapickles said: Seriously? It was amazing! People are being too hard on this series I'm a longtime fan and I thought it was great.

Admin said: The concluding part of the "Star Trek: Picard" season finale is going to polarize 'Star Trek' fans for a long time to come. But as a piece of writing for television, it falls short. 'Star Trek: Picard' finale: It's both amazing and awful, yet ultimately disappointing : Read more

• nightbird Long term Star Trek fan, loved this series and this episode. Critiques are valid but I'd still give it 9/10. The other spin-off series trying to be hip and cool are far more cringe inducing, the underlining philosophy that makes Star Trek Star Trek is faith in humanity. Getting out of the prisoner's dilemma though trust. Reply
• Credible_Bulk I generally agree with the above commenters about the show having a lot more of the appropriate Star Trek DNA than Discovery. I also think the finale was obviously rushed as it didn't even really deal with a number of hanging plot threads like Narek or the Borg who both seem to be forgotten before the end of the episode. Hopefully thats because the series renewal changed their plans while the show was still in production and not because of poor writing. Overall the first season had some good and some bad and hopefully they can explore these lose ends in the next year. That being said, this probably makes it better than TNG's first season. Reply
• Prema Laboni Are you kidding me?? It was AMAZING!! This episode reminded me of what an astounding and powerful person Picard really is! It actually made me cry. Maybe there are a few technical faults, like the point about the Borg cube, but that is really not the point that defines this episode. Picard aside, there are many other aspects that were really touching, deep, and beautiful, including the scenes about Data's request. Reply
• horrido Frankly, your review is too harsh. Too many Star Trek fans are OCD. I've been a Star Trek fan since the 1970s. I've watched all the spin-off series. You know what? They all have their shortcomings, including the original series. But I forgive them because I love the Star Trek universe they inhabit. The shows are entertaining. The best episodes are moving. The science can be nuts. There are plot holes. Some episodes are badly scripted. And, sure, they don't always follow Star Trek canon. However, I don't care. I'm not OCD. I love Star Trek: Picard. I love Star Trek: Discovery. I'll probably love the Section 31 series. That said, there were some spin-off series that I didn't particularly like. Voyager. Enterprise. I even have problems with the original series! I give Star Trek: Picard 8/10. Reply
• Velenn I thought the episode was fine. I was slightly irritated at Picard ending up with an artificial body to go with his artificial heart, a little too pat IMO. I'm glad to hear there will be a second season. Reply

Velenn said: I thought the episode was fine. I was slightly irritated at Picard ending up with an artificial body to go with his artificial heart, a little too pat IMO. I'm glad to hear there will be a second season.

• View All 33 Comments

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Meet the crew of Star Trek: Picard season 2

Who's back, who's new, and who's who for Star Trek: Picard season 2!

Time to boldly go where no man has gone before...again! Another season of Star Trek: Picard has engaged! And after last year's freshman season brought back everyone's favorite captain (sorry, Kirk!), some very familiar faces, and a whole slew of new crew, it made sense to prep everyone with a cheat sheet about who they're seeing this year as we enjoy Star Trek: Picard season 2 !

Warning! There are spoilers for Season 1 and the Season 2 premiere ahead.

Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard

There can’t be a show called Star Trek: Picard without Jean-Luc Picard. So of course, former admiral Jean-Luc Picard is back. But this time, he’s not taking his original body with him. Picard was diagnosed with a terminal illness during the events of the first season. 

And at the end of the season, the La Sirena crew had to transfer his consciousness into a new golem designed by Dr. Alton Inigo Soong. So where is he now? Episode 1 of season 2 finds Picard, in his new healthy body, and the La Sirena crew facing down the Borg!

Alison Pill as Dr. Agnes Jurati

Returning for season 2 is a crew member and brilliant scientist, Agnes Jurati, played by Alison Pill. Jurati was introduced in the second episode of Picard season 1. Early in season 1, Jurati was manipulated by Starfleet Commodore and Romulan mole, Oh into killing Maddox, and attempting to murder fellow La Sirena crew member, Soji Asha (more on her later). 

However, Jurati actually turns against Oh’s directive, aiding Picard and becoming an official member of the La Sirena. She becomes instrumental in the creation of Picard’s new body at the end of season 1.

Isa Briones as Dr. Soji Asha

Dr. Soji Asha, introduced as a major character in Picard season 1, is an android crew member of the La Sirena. She is a clone of Data created by Dr. Maddox. Most of Picard ’s first season was centered around the mystery of Soji, as a synth and daughter of Data. 

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Romulan villains Oh, Narek, and Narek’s sister Narissa, tried to manipulate Soji into giving them more information about androids and had her build a beacon to lure synthetic lifeforms from other dimensions to them. Soji, with the help of Picard, uncovers the plot and destroys the beacon, foiling the plans of Narek, Oh, and Narissa.

Michelle Hurd as Lt. Rafii Musiker

Rafii was a Starfleet lieutenant under Picard following his adventures in Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) . She bitterly retreated to the desert of Vasquez Rocks after being fired by Starfleet for siding with Picard on a controversial mission. 

Picard recruits her to stop the Romulans that have infiltrated Starfleet, and she reluctantly agrees. She serves alongside the crew battling the Romulans and helping save Soji and other synths at the end of the season. She ends up captain of the USS Excelsior at the beginning of Season 2.

Santiago Cabrera as Captain Cristóbal Rios

Rios was a former Starfleet officer who served on the USS ibn Majid, who was ejected from Starfleet after having PTSD from an incident where he had to cover up the murder-suicide of his former captain. 

Rios went out on his own and assumed command of the La Sirena. He aids Picard in fighting off the Romulans and protecting Soji at the end of season 1. In the season 2 premiere, we find he’s been reinstated back at Starfleet, but this time as the captain of the USS Stargazer.

Evan Evagora as Elnor

Elnor was a boy Picard met during one of his missions to save Romulans from a Supernova. Picard became a mentor for Elnor but ended up abandoning his protegee, only for them to reunite during the first season. 

Now an adult, Elnor, despite their history, decided to aid Picard and the La Sirena crew against the opposing Romulans near the end of season 1. At the beginning of season 2, he ends up joining Starfleet and is assigned to Rafii’s ship, the USS Excelsior.

Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine

Fan-favorite Voyager character, Seven of Nine returned in season 1. When we last saw her, she had just helped the La Sirena crew take down the Romulans by killing villain Narissa and assimilating with The Artifact to free xBs from Romulan control. 

At the beginning of season 2, La Sirena is now being captained by Seven, and she must team up with Picard and the rest of the original crew to stop The Borg.

Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan

Guinan has always been a comforting presence aboard the Enterprise. So hearing about her return, no matter how brief, is always welcoming. From both an emotional and diplomatic standpoint, her years of wisdom have always been a beacon of guidance for Picard and the crew. 

In season 2, he employs her help when confronted by a more personal Kobayashi Maru in his life: that of allowing himself to go after some semblance of happiness and companionship. Aging as gracefully as a fine Chateau Picard wine, Goldberg returns to distribute shots and emotional support as a calm before the impending storm to come this season.

John de Lancie as Q

All of this leads to the other anticipated return for the premiere. One of the most popular Star Trek figures of all time, while never an outright villain in the history of TNG , Q has always been a bit of a chaotic, omnipotent force of nature for Picard to contend with. 

His obsession with using his powers to test humanity has created some of the most trying moments for Picard and the most iconic moments in TNG history. During their final moments in TNG’s classic series finale All Good Things , Q ominously stated he’d be seeing Picard “out there”, and that (as he repeats in the Picard Season 2 premiere) “the trial never ends” indeed.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 is available to stream on Paramount Plus in the US and on Prime Video in the UK.

Mike is a proud, sarcastic nerd with a penchant for comic books, comic book movies, and movies in general, and occasional delusions of grandeur. He's also a UC Berkeley graduate who decided to go into writing over pre-med because he figured he'd ultimately save more lives by not being a doctor. He's a Slytherin and a Pisces, so he's very emotionally sensitive, yet also evil, but can be defeated by exploiting his insecurities. His goal is to live one hell of a unique life, and it's been working so far! His proudest moments are being retweeted by James Gunn and Ryan Reynolds in the same week, and getting 999,999 points on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters at Disneyland. 

You can find Mike's writing around the web at publications like The Nerds of Color, What to Watch, Spoiler Free Reviews, and That's It LA.

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See Captain Sisko Meet A Familiar Face From ‘Picard’ In Preview Of ‘Star Trek’ #20

| May 14, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 4 comments so far

This week IDW’s ongoing Star Trek series continues the 6-issue “Pleroma” storyline with part 2 of the new arc that delves into the issues of divinity that have arisen since Sisko’s return from the celestial temple. Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing co-write the series with art by Megan Levens ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Starsigns ). We have covers and a preview of issue 20.

Star Trek #20

Having revealed their true godlike identity, T’Lir is relying on Captain Sisko to help repair Kahless’ damage to space-time and save their species from extinction. Despite the Prophets’ eerie warning that Sisko is forbidden at the Pleroma-a meeting place for god-level species at intersecting space-time coordinates-he and his crew head to the Utopia Planitia Federation Shipyards for a retrofit to the  Theseus  in preparation to boldly take on the unknown. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure from Section 31 approaches Lily with a mission, claiming the Federation’s future is in her hands..

Cover A by Megan Levens

Cover B by Taurin Clarke

RI cover by J.J. Lendl

Setup/credits:

Five-page preview:

Star Trek #20 available Wednesday

Star Trek #20 arrives on May 15. You can order issue 20 or upcoming issues at TFAW . Or pick up individual digital editions at Amazon/comiXology .

The new “Pleroma” arc continues through the summer. You can see covers for the next two issues arriving in June and July below…

The J.J. Lendl retailer incentive covers for “Pleroma” fit together to make a stained glass-style piece of art. Each cover features different “gods” from Star Trek history. You can see how all six Lendl covers fit together below…

Six covers by J.J. Lendl for “Pleroma”

Star Trek annual coming in July

The 2024 annual issue of the Star Trek series arrives on July 3. You can pre-order the digital edition at Amazon/comiXology . Here is the synopsis and cover:

With no one but himself to blame for his brother’s sudden escape during the Klingon Day of Blood, Lieutenant Commander Data sheds his Starfleet uniform for an ensemble inspired by none other than Sherlock Holmes to track down Lore’s whereabouts… and figure out what sinister plans he’s been scheming. With the one and only Miles O’Brien as his Watson at his side, there is no mystery that Detective Data can’t solve!

Cover A by Rachael Stott

Star Trek collection

Last month IDW released a hardcover collection of last year’s “Day of Blood” crossover of their ongoing Star Trek and Defiant series. The release collects Star Trek: Day of Blood , Star Trek: Day of Blood–Shaxs’ Best Day , Star Trek 2023 Free Comic Book Day issue, Star Trek issues #11–12, and Star Trek: Defiant issues #6–7. You can order now at Amazon for $27.99 or get the Kindle eBook version for $9.45 .

Keep up with all the Star Trek comics news, previews and reviews in  TrekMovie’s comics category .All Eyes Are On Lieutenant Harry Kim In Preview Of ‘Star Trek’ #17

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Wait, Shaw doesn’t geek out on meeting Scotty?

We need a Shaw / Titan-A show/cartoon/comic/podcast whatever

All the Shaw. 24/7. Please. What an enormous mistake knocking him off at the end of the season. He could have easily carried a very successful Titan series. Just a big waste of a terrific character and actor playing him, thrown away in favor of an ephemeral nostalgia squirt in service of an outgoing cast. Bah.

Great to see the classic Connie.

Star Trek: DS9 Guest Star Was Almost TNG's Captain Picard

• Armin Shimerman reveals Stephen Macht was second choice for Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• Macht portrayed Bajoran General Krim on Deep Space Nine, leading a coup against Starfleet to gain control of the station.
• Although Macht lost out on the role of Picard, he played Krim with diplomatic honor and made a memorable adversary on DS9.

It's hard to imagine anyone else besides Sir Patrick Stewart in the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation , but a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest star was almost cast as the Captain of the USS Enterprise-D, according to DS9 's Quark actor Armin Shimerman. As a hub of activity near the Bajoran wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, the Deep Space Nine station was host to many Bajorans, Starfleet officers, and colorful visitors, so it's not surprising that casting directors might turn to actors who had previously auditioned for Star Trek roles to portray Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's recurring characters and guest stars.

As the director of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 1, "Encounter at Farpoint", Corey Allen was able to offer input regarding the casting process for TNG . Allen went on to direct 4 more episodes of TNG and 4 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , including DS9 season 2, episode 2, "The Circle". When it came time to cast actors for the guest roles in "The Circle", it's possible that Star Trek director Corey Allen referred back to the shortlist of actors considered for Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and recommended a memorable standout to portray a role on DS9 that required a similar sense of leadership.

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Stephen Macht Was Second Choice for Star Trek: TNG's Captain Picard

Patrick stewart famously won the role of picard.

During a discussion of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 2, "The Circle" on The Delta Flyers podcast, Armin Shimerman reveals that Star Trek: DS9 guest star Stephen Macht, who played Bajoran Over-General Krim, was in the running to play Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation . Macht actually got far enough in the audition process for TNG to be the second choice for Picard, but of course, Patrick Stewart ultimately won the role. Read Shimerman's quote below and listen to The Delta Flyers , starting at the 10:20 timestamp.

Armin Shimerman: "Stephen and I have worked together many times, doing theater together, so I know this for a fact: Stephen Macht was the second choice for Picard. It is interesting to me ... that here's Corey Allen, who directed the pilot [of Star Trek: The Next Generation] and had a choice in who was going to play Picard. Was it Corey who said we're going to get Stephen Macht to play this part?"

Stephen Macht is Bajoran General Krim in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 2

Krim only made one appearance on ds9.

Stephen Macht played Bajoran Over-General Krim in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episodes 2 & 3, "The Circle" and "The Siege". As the highest-ranking officer in the Bajoran militia, Krim led Bajor's coup to take DS9 from Starfleet, believing the move was in Bajor's best interests, instead of being designed by the Bajoran extremist group, The Circle. Krim made an interesting adversary to Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), and respected Sisko as a military peer. In The Delta Flyers , Armin Shimerman points out script notes in "The Circle" suggesting Krim could have returned, but Stephen Macht's Krim was never seen again after DS9 season 2's 3-part opener .

As Bajoran Over-General Krim, Stephen Macht wasn't among the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest stars who was hidden beneath heavy prosthetic makeup, so genre fans may recognize Macht from his other guest starring appearances on 1990s sci-fi television . Macht appeared in guest roles in FOX's Millennium and Sliders , and another acclaimed space station show, Babylon 5. Earlier in his career, Stephen Macht starred in 1980s films The Mountain Men and The Monster Squad. Although Stephen Macht ultimately lost the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation to Patrick Stewart, Macht portrayed Over-General Krim in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with similar diplomatic honor.

Source: The Delta Flyers season 10, episode 2, "The Circle"

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Cast Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Rene Auberjonois, Nicole de Boer, Michael Dorn, Andrew Robinson, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig

Release Date January 3, 1993

Genres Drama, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

Network CBS

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller, Ronald D. Moore

Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller

Rating TV-PG

Where To Watch Paramount+