Picking up a loose thread from the Next Generation, Discovery turned a one off story about a quickly forgotten galactic revelation into a full season of expanding the lore and mystery of the Progenitors. It’s not for the first time either. Spock’s plan for unifying Romulus and Vulcan started in the 24th century and had been realised by the time Burnham landed in the 32nd.
It’s not just Discovery pulling at the tapestry. Picard showed us what happened to the disconnected Borg Hugh, Lower Decks revealed Academy dropout Nick Locarno as a season baddie. Even Prodigy picked up on Janeway’s career following her cameo as an Admiral on the big screen. The trend continued in recent years with Picard mining the Next Generations past, answering questions fans had long pondered from the fate of Ro Laren to what happened to the other Soong type androids.
The method of using the past to build the future worlds seems to be in style. But with so much ground covered, what other loose ends can be pulled?
A Continuing Conspiracy
In the early days of the Next Generation the command structure was wiped out after some creepy alien bugs planted themselves in the head of Starfleets finest in a bid to take over the fleet and be generally evil! When you think about it, Starfleet Security really need to get some extra training because it took Picard and Riker running around blasting alien heads off before anyone noticed….
It’s common knowledge by now that Conspiracy ended with a signal to bring reinforcements afor a second go. And nothing happened because creative ideas changed. Biological assimilation was replaced with technological and the Borg were brought in instead. But what about that bug alien signal? Sure, it might be a bit quick to try that story again. Out of Picard’s three seasons, two of them involved a conspiracy within Starfleet. Doing it again might be a little bit much, especially after Discovery landed on a feeling of hope.
Yet, if we’re mining for mysteries to solve, it might be time to find out if someone did answer that signal….
Beyond The Barrier
Not visible from afar, yet very visible in close range with a hefty effects budget, is a barrier surrounding the galaxy. Filled with weirdness that makes it hard to travel through without spending even more of your effects budget, the barrier made it’s debut in the original series before being revisited in Discovery when the crew reached out to mysterious Species 10C. Even in the 32nd century though, the barrier felt like a limit to exploration…
For all the exploration in the Star Trek Universe, in real terms the reach the Federation had was still very small and our galaxy is only a tiny dot in the wider universe and no matter what era, the same people around bringing he same conflicts. The idea of breaking the barrier has only seemed to be broached behind the scenes, whether it was a pitch of a lost starship or the idea that the 26th century Enterpise J could survive the journey, but the risks seem to hold Star Trek into avoiding he same exploration as other franchises such as Stargate in expanding beyond the limitation. It might not technically be a loose end, but breaking the barrier to race to another galaxy is one idea the franchise could boldly go next.
Commander Sela & Tasha Yar
Thanks to timey wimey shenanigans, an alternate version of Tasha Yar ended up on the Enterprise-C during a battle with the Romulans. In the regular timeline, that Tasha was captured, birthed Sela. Sela became a massive antagonist to Captain Picard and the Enterprise. Then she just dissapeared. Unlike the Duras sisters, who kept popping up until they popped their cloggs, Sela’s story just came to a stand still.
Considering everything that happened in the years following, from the Romulans and the Dominion to the entire Senate being executed in Nemesis, it always seemed mystifying that such an intriguing possibility was left behind. Sure,. Star Trek Online told a story of what Sela could have become. But with all the references and returns in recent years, there’s still a huge possibility to have Sela return one day…
The Jurati
Technically this has had a season to itself. Picard’s second season was pretty much an origin story for a new type of Borg. Once Assimilated by the Bnorg Queen from another dimension, Agnes Jurati managed to counter that assimilation and assimilate the Queen right back. It wasn’t entirely forgotten. Shaw mentioned it in Picard’s third season, hand waving Jurati as not the real Borg, but it’s such a huge thread to leave wide open. The turn of the century has peaceful Borg!
Of course, there’s no show set in that time period right now and it’s uncertain if there ever will be. Despite the fan campaign for a Legacy show to continue the adventures, Terry Matalas has moved on to pastures new and executive overlord of all Trek Alex Kurtzman has said it’s not even his call if Paramount wants to greenlight or not. Will we ever see how the Jurati fit in as the Federations protectors?
The Sisko
It’s been twenty five years since Benjamin Sisko made his promise to Kassidy Yates. Just like Arnie, he said he’d be back. Well Ben, we’re waiting!
Deep Space Nine was a show that had a complete ending. As every character either said their goodbyes or began a new chapter of their life, Kassidy and Jake were left waiting for Sisko to return after he left the corporeal world to join the Prophets. Sisko’s arc was mostly complete. He went from a depressed and bitter widower to rekindling his life on DS9, becoming a religious icon, war hero and remarried. There’s even another Sisko on the way who’s be well into being an adult by now guided by his mother and much older brother.
But there’s still a lot of stories to tell. The Prophets have always protected Bajor and whether by threat or by unity, the Emissary will always have a reason to return. Especially after so much turmoil in the Federation which would have reached DS9 and Bajor.
Sadly, it’s unlikely we’d ever see this happen. Avery Brooks has long retired form acting and stopped even doing fan conventions as he didn’t like retreading old ground so often. Which is fair. But if Patrick Stewart can end Picard in his 80’s, and William Shatner willing to return (with the aid of CGI!) to end his voice to Kirk once more, we can still hold on to the slightest bit of hope that The Sisko will return….
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It’s Not Easy Being Green Blooded: ‘Level Five Transporter Accident’, Strange New Worlds S4E05
Spock's going through a bit of a personal crisis and Scotty's become madly competitive with an old Academy rival. These two separate threads collide in the weirdest way when Spock finds himself as the only person who can control the ship as Scotty's transporter antics turn everyone into puppets... Writers: Henry Alonso Myers & Dana HorganDirector: Jordan Canning Spock's not quite feeling himself and he hasn't quite been himself since the Griffin Incident. And things are getting worse. Leaning heavily towards logic over his exploration of his human side, and in the wake of La'an deciding their relationship had reached it's 'natural conclusion', he's spiraling. Well, as much as a Vulcan would allow themselves to. Desperately trying to balance himself, he's leaning into logic and reaching out to his scorned ex-fiancee for help in re-establishing his Vulcan side.While thats happening, Scotty's on a […]
1701 Shades of Grey: ‘A Case of Chiaroscuro’, Strange New Worlds S4E04
It's been a stressful few months for the Enterprise crew and they want, well, demand, shore leave. Choosing a tech-free planet with natural psychedelics in the atmosphere, the command crew take a shuttle down, take in all the wonders the world provides. And then it all goes a bit wonky... Writers: Skylar Ojeda & Dana Horgan Director: Meera Menon Aside from orbiting a star who's radiation gives an altered perspective of light, Mat'aar XII is a world occupied by Klingon overlords. Having taken control of the population, and implemented strict monitoring and restrictions on movement, the Klingon's rule with fear, torture and by creating division. Like any good occupiers, they've given cushy jobs to some locals including their top Lieutenant, Navatte, a local who proudly wears her silver Klingon armband and interrogates anyone who oppose the Empire. Or so […]
[Departmental] Introducing General Board
The General Board is a relatively new concept and the next evolution of Fleet Support. Mirroring the Captains Table, the General Board is constructed to help overall fleet operations and to contribute more voices and ideas to the clubs operation. Based very loosely on the political 'two house' structure, and named after the real-world General Board within the US Navy in the first half of the 20th century, the starting point was to appoint two sets of voices within the fleet. The Captains represent their unit and their members need within that unit, each representing an area or group that makes up the whole. To contrast and add to the Captains Table, Fleet Support – and now the expanded General Board – allows to give both opinions of fleet leadership and fleet membership equal standing and ensure we hear a […]
Welcoming Our New Fleet Development Officer
To quote Heraclitus, the only constant in life is change. Quadrant 2 has been through many changes before and with the recent appointment of a new Admiralty Board, we're looking ahead with more changes to the fleet structure. With Piers Drinkall joining the board alongside David Shires, there were some discussions about what to do with Piers' Fleet Development role and after some serious thinking, a decision was made. After aiding in Piers' efforts within the Command Training Program, and being a solid right hand on the USS Sovereign, we're pleased to welcome Karl Drinkall to the Fleet Development position. Karl is a sharp mind with a lot to give to the fleet and a clear grasp of our aims and goals in the coming months and years. With his dedication and string mindset, it was an easy decision to […]
[Retro Review] Errand of Mercy
Relations between the Federation and the Klingons are in tatters and the prospect of an all out war casts a shadow over the region. To help prepare for the worst, Kirk and the Enterprise are sent to Organia, a planet populated by inherent pushovers right on the border between Federation and Klingon space. With the prospect of the Klingons getting a foothold that would help their war efforts, Kirk's job is to negotiate a protection order, getting the Organians on their side before the Klingons annexe the planet as a launching pad for conflict. Problem is, the Organians are hardcore pacifists and their native tech is limited. They don't want to be part of any war, and they don't want to change their values to resist. Which becomes a bit of a problem when the Klingons arrive ready to occupy the […]
Dude, Where’s Your Shuttle? Human Best Friend; Strange New Worlds S4E03
It's been a stressful few months for the Enterprise crew and they want, well, demand, shore leave. Choosing a tech-free planet with natural psychedelics in the atmosphere, the command crew take a shuttle down, take in all the wonders the world provides. And then it all goes a bit wonky... Writers: Kathryn LynDirector: Yana Gorskaya Engineers and pilots hate each other. It's the rules. Scotty and Ortegas have been following those rules to the letter, with the bickering pair opening with a dual monologue highlighting how irritating they are to each other between Scotty setting up alerts and alarms to keep the engines in check, and Ortegas duct tapping over the console to get rid of them so she can push the limits freely.While they're constantly irritating each other, the rest of the Alpha shift command team are exhausted. Months […]
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