The first season of Star Trek: Picard has now ended and provided a surprising twist to the synthetic plot line of the ten episodes we’ve seen so far. Picard, having persuaded Soji to turn off the beacon bringing a deadly form of synthetic life into the universe, collapses as the result of a fatal brain abnormality, and seemingly dies. However, Patrick Stewart’s character is then resurrected through a new synthetic body, meaning that we’ll be getting more adventures from the captain in season 2 of the series.
Of course, the twist for the season had arguably been set up in the previous episodes, both through the reveal of Picard’s worsening brain condition and talk of a ‘golem,’ a synthetic body capable of being imprinted with a human’s mind. Moreover, the consequences of Picard’s abnormality had been teased since the last episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, whereby he’s revealed to have a defect in his parietal lobe that makes him vulnerable to degenerative illnesses.
By the time of Star Trek: Picard, this condition has worsened in risk to the point that he’s examined by Dr. Moritz Benayoun and warned that he likely doesn’t have much time left. While it was never really a possibility that Picard would die, the decision to revive him through a technique from Altan Inigo Soong, the model for Data, has a certain symmetry to it.
The transfer of Picard’s consciousness to a new synthetic body, albeit one that’s not immortal or super-powered, was already being strongly rumored before the finale. Although the choice will likely frustrate some fans by providing a quick solution to Picard’s mortality, something that Stewart himself was surprised by, it does cement the character’s long-term support of synthetic life.
Whether we’ll see more consequences of the ‘golem’ in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard is another question, given that the series more or less clarified that Jean-Luc is exactly the same, minus that pesky brain defect. What do you think of the big change to the series, though, and how do you see it being explored in the next set of episodes? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.
