5 questions we have after the Star Trek: Picard premiere

Star Trek: Picard has brought us back into the universe after the events of Nemesis and Star Trek 2009. Here are some questions we now have.

Thanks to CBS All Access, we seem to have a TV Star Trek renaissance with Star Trek: Discovery and now Star Trek: Picard, Revisiting the universe at its latest point, Picard marks the first time we have been back to this era since Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002.

While there have been a plethora of novels to fill in the gaps after that film, we haven’t seen anything on-screen for how the universe looks now. Picard does good work in its first episode at answering a lot of the questions fans might have. It also brings up a few new questions of its own, too.

1. Why did the androids attack Mars?

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Star Trek: Nemesis left the fate of synthetic individuals in a precarious place. Commander Data was the most sophisticated and well-constructed android in existence and had, in the past, been severely reluctant to let anyone study him to an extent where they might be able to replicate him into others. It’s reasonable to assume that stayed true.

His death at the end of Nemesis left B4 as one of the only androids in the universe, but he never had any of what made Data special.  Nevertheless, Starfleet continued to work towards creating synthetic lifeforms and it would seem that they managed to create a great many. Even if they weren’t as human, even at a base level as Data was, what would compel them to attack the shipyards on Mars?

It’s possible that the batch that Maddox, one of the top researchers in that field and by all indications created them, just simply came out wrong and evil but even that lacks a motive. What would cause them to turn against the people that created them?

2. What is the status of Starfleet now?

After Romulus was destroyed and the androids attacked, it sounds like Starfleet and the Federation turned inwards on itself, becoming more isolated than it ever had before. That’s Picard’s reason for resigning as Admiral, at least. We don’t know what that means yet, though.

Does Starfleet still have an active role in the galaxy or has it relegated itself to the Earth and other allies within the Federation? Is there still a priority placed upon exploration or has that been scaled back considerably? It appears like Picard’s decision to help the Romulans in the wake of its destruction was an unpopular one but what is Starfleet’s stance on helping them now?

3. Why a Borg Cube? 

Speaking of the Romulans, we see at the end of the premiere that they have set up a reclamation site within nothing other than a Borg Cube. The obvious question is why but also how? What series of events lead to the Romulans deciding this was the best place for an endeavor like this?

How did they get their hands on a Borg Cube? Did Starfleet let them have it? If so, is there any latent Borg technology and why would Starfleet let them have it in that case. If it’s not the case, then it’s just a large, open shell whose only advantage might be one of security.

More importantly, do the Romulans and Starfleet have an agreement of some kind? The presence of Soji, Dahj’s twin, suggests so. Otherwise, it would be very conspicuous for a human to be working in a Romulan station.

On that note…

4. Why were the Romulans after Dahj?

The Romulans seem to be aware of the existence of Dahj and Soji. They tried rather hard to acquire Dahj during the episode and it stands to reason that Soji is right where they want her with the ability to ask her things whenever they like, at least discreetly. What exactly is their interest in the twins and how far do their goals extend?

The fight between Dahj and the Romulans appeared to have been wiped from the cameras, which implies a conspiracy of some kind within the Federation and the Romulans. If that is the case, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that their greater goal is to either eliminate them or try to bring them into the fold as operatives that could appear completely human but have extraordinary advanced talents.

5. Why did Maddox create Dahj?

That’ s the big question. Was Maddox taking this evolutionary leap after by creating both Dahj and Soji or was he coerced into making them? If, after he disappeared, Maddox was coerced by the Romulans to create the twins, it would explain both their existence and the Romulan’s interest in them. Again the question begs: To what end?

What do you think of Star Trek: Picard so far? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Star Trek: Picard is now streaming every Wednesday on CBS All Access.