Picard Season 3's Latest Character Death Hits A Lot Harder Than Expected
This post contains spoilers up to the ninth episode of "Star Trek: Picard" season 3.
If one is a user of social media ... well, first off, my apologies. But, if so, enterprising Trekkies may find that the hashtag "#StarTrekLegacy" has floated through the discourse. "Star Trek: Legacy" is already the name of a "Trek" tie-in 2006 PC game that allowed players to engage in elaborate starship tactics using vehicles from "Star Trek," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and "Star Trek: Enterprise." The hashtag, however, has nothing to do with the game and is, instead, a plea to Paramount from many fans of "Star Trek: Picard" to launch a spin-off TV series.
For many Trekkies, this fan-proposed television show would ideally be set on board the U.S.S. Titan-A and would star Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw and Jeri Ryan as his first officer, Seven of Nine. "Picard" also introduced several supporting characters in Lieutenant T'Veen (Stephanie Czajkowski), Lieutenant Mura (Joseph Lee), Ensign Esmar (Jin Maley), Ensign Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut), and Dr. Ohk (Tiffany Shepis).
Many Trekkies saw this season of "Picard" as a backdoor pilot to "Star Trek: Legacy," and speculation had already begun about the adventures the above cast might go on.
In the season's eighth episode, "Surrender," however, a disappointment struck. T'Veen was unexpectedly killed by the wicked Changeling Vadic (Amanda Plummer), a casualty of a hostage situation. It seemed that the "Legacy" cast was already being thinned. While tragic, some Trekkies comforted themselves in the knowledge that their imaginary show would only require Captain Shaw and Seven of Nine to function properly. He is curt, she is humane, and their antagonistic working relationship would be fascinating to watch on a weekly basis.
Then another disappointment struck.
Rest in peace, Captain Shaw, you beloved a-hole.
Nooooooo!
By the ninth episode of "Picard," called "Võx," the villain Vadic has been dispatched and the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has finally been united in the same room. The mystery of Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) remains to be solved. Why is he having mysterious visions of a red door, and why has he suddenly developed eerie psychic powers? Also, what exactly did the Changelings want with the dead body of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), which they had stolen from Daystom Station? It turns out that Picard's brain, previously thought to be diseased, still contained a genetic something-or-other that had Borg coding on it. The Changelings implanted the gene into the transporters of thousands of Starfleet ships, infecting the brains of anyone under 25 who used them. When Jack confronts a nearby Borg Queen (Alice Krige), he submits to her and plugs his brain into the Borg network. This activates all the infected youngsters, effectively turning them into Borgs.
Is it convoluted? Yes. It is an interesting story twist? Sadly, not really. Is it amusing to think that Picard and the old Enterprise crew are protected because they're all in their 90s? Yeah, kinda.
And is it completely outrageous that one of the activated Borg ensigns murders Captain Shaw? Very, very, very, very much so.
Previously, Shaw refused to address Seven of Nine by her preferred name, referring to her as Commander Hansen, her human identity before she herself was assimilated by — then rescued from — the Borg. His dying word was Seven's preferred name. With his last breath, he gave her respect.
How dare you, Terry Matalas?
To "Star Trek: Picard" showrunner Terry Matalas: how dare you, sir?
Captain Shaw was a welcome change of pace on "Star Trek." He explains at one point that he only became a captain during a violent Borg battle years earlier — the battle of Wolf-359 — where over a dozen of his superior officers died, forcing him into the captain's chair. He was previously an engineer and, we find, never took very well to command. He prefers rules, order, and a crew that does exactly what he says. As an engineer, he likes it when everything locks into place. He doesn't rely on instinct, he doesn't take suggestions, and he often communicates how annoyed he is. Captain Shaw is, in brief, a really terrible boss.
But he's not necessarily a bad captain. He knows when his crew is in danger, and he prefers to keep them safe. He may not be a cavalier adventurer, but he is a curt adherent to "Star Trek" propriety. That's an admirable trait. Does he care about his crew? Maybe not on a personal level. But he values their lives and their talents. Many Trekkies have been quick to compare him to Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox), a similarly jerkwad-ish commanding officer from a two-part episode of "Next Generation."
A series starring Shaw would have been marvelous. There have been multiple "Star Trek" shows about capable and open-minded captains. Few have been about a captain that is a little bit mean and who kind of hates his first officers. "Star Trek: Legacy" could have explored how Shaw and Seven hate each other, but still work well together. It could have been fascinating.
But now it can't. Not now that Shaw is dead.
R.I.P. Liam Shaw
So it seems two things died when Liam Shaw was killed in "Võx." Trekkies who liked the brusque jerk lost a beloved character, and speculative fans lost the possibility of a spin-off series. "Legacy" (or perhaps "Star Trek: Titan") could have been a good way to explore "Star Trek" as it exists in the 25th century. As it stands, two "Star Trek" shows are set in the late 24th century ("Lower Decks" and "Prodigy"), one is set back in the mid-23rd ("Strange New Worlds"), and one is set way ahead in the 33rd ("Discovery"), thanks to a time jump. A "Titan" series could roll the Trek chronology forward in a natural way. Indeed, Todd Stashwick himself has said that he's game to return for a Captain Shaw spin-off, knowing that he'll forever be associated with the franchise.
Captain Shaw, by dint of the show on which he appeared, would have to remain a supporting player under Jean-Luc Picard. His on-screen presence, however, belies an ability to lead a show himself. The part, Terry Matalas once said, was written specifically for Stashwick, and he occupies it with such aplomb that he emerges as an equal to some of the show's more notable legacy characters. Indeed, he certainly has a lot more screen time than some of them.
But, it seems, he will get no more.
Of course, this was also a series that shunted Picard's consciousness into a positronic body after his death, and where Data was somehow cloned from a single particle of his exploded android form, so death is a little less clear cut. In this universe, there's every reason to believe Captain Shaw survived. If the "Star Trek" head honchos are determined, they could bring back the character if they wanted. Fingers crossed.