What on Earth Is Going On With Star Trek: Picard’s Season 3 Cast?

Star Trek: Picard’s second season finale was a bananas journey, messily working round attempting to carry closure to the present’s remaining plot threads whereas throwing out some wild Hail Marys for the present’s future. But within the wake of its launch, one bizarre development has emerged: a seeming exodus of a lot of the present’s authentic forged.

In the previous few days since “Farewell” bid, properly, farewell to season two, a number of members of Picard’s supporting forged have introduced that their time on the present has come to an finish. Some of those are apparent, like Santiago Cabrera, whose character Rios selected to remain behind prior to now of 2024 LA to be together with his new love curiosity, Teresa—and whose demise prior to now we be taught of when Guinan tells Picard about it in the twenty fourth century. Cabrera took to Instagram to bid farewell, however he wasn’t the one forged member to announce they wouldn’t be returning for the third season.

Both Isa Briones—who performed the androids Soji and Dahj as a central ingredient of Picard’s first season, and performed Korre Soong, daughter of Brent Spiner’s geneticist villain Adam Soong, in season two—and Evan Evagora, who performed the Romulan spiritual mercenary turned Starfleet cadet Elnor in seasons one and two, additionally took to social media to substantiate that their Star Trek journeys had been over. These are each significantly bizarre, as their characters weren’t precisely written out with goodbyes; Dahj appeared in only a single episode of Picard season two, however Korre’s ultimate scene noticed her meet Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher, and get whisked away to affix the all-powerful transdimensional being often known as the Traveler with him. Elnor in the meantime spent a lot of season two being useless, however was introduced again to life within the finale to proceed his coaching on the Academy with Raffi.

Perhaps much more peculiar than these exits was Alison Pill, who performed Dr. Agnes Jurati and, ultimately, the brand new Borg Queen in Picard season two. “I know that season three will be the end. I wasn’t a part of season three, so I don’t have much to say about it in terms of spoilers,” Pill just lately informed Movieweb. “I will get to watch along with everybody else.” This particularly seems like a wild transfer contemplating the season ended with Pill’s Borg Queen/Jurati hybrid formally asking for a brief membership for the Borg Collective—rebuilt right into a seemingly amicable power—to enter the Federation and safeguard a newly opened Transwarp Conduit. If you thought that is perhaps a significant a part of season three, apparently not—or at the very least, not with out the Borg Queen. Showrunner Terry Matalas has confirmed on Twitter that the third season of Picard begins roughly a 12 months after season two ends, so perhaps that’s simply loads of time for the Federation and the Borg to determine issues out and go their separate methods, however nonetheless… it definitely looks as if a peculiar departure from such an intriguing storyline and character.

As of writing, the one remaining Picard supporting actors rejoining Patrick Stewartwork for season three are Jeri Ryan, Michelle Ann Hurd, and Orla Brady, who play Seven of Nine, Raffi Musiker, and Laris, respectively. Although each Hurd and Ryan have confirmed their returns for season three, Brady has but to (io9’s reached out to Paramount for touch upon her return, and can replace this put up if and once we hear again). But why is Picard seemingly shuffling off so lots of its authentic forged members off, some with storylines that don’t precisely really feel ended simply but, earlier than its ultimate season? Well, one factor is clear: the arrival of the unique predominant forged of Star Trek: The Next Generation. With six new main forged members arriving—and we all know they’re going to play substantial roles within the season already—trimming down the present forged with a view to give characters time and a spotlight is smart.

But there’s nonetheless one thing just a little bizarre and just a little unhappy about seeing potential plotlines with characters distinctive to Picard itself seemingly being reduce quick with a view to return to the characters we, and Jean-Luc, knew and liked throughout The Next Generation. Star Trek: Picard’s at all times grappled with the way it wished to method its titular hero and whether or not it wished to be one thing largely new or one thing in loving dialog with TNG—it will appear, in its ultimate season, it’s at the very least determined to be the latter, because it says goodbye to a lot of the previous.

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