Screengrab from Paramount+ Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
Today is “Captain Picard Day,” which fans around the social media world celebrated with tweets and short videos. This fun (and fake) holiday is a reference to the TNG episode, “The Pegasus.” Check out this Heavy article for a complete explainer about the holiday and why folks have made a point to continue celebrating it.
While the episode where the day first came about aired back in 1994, fans got to see the impact that the celebration had on Jean-Luc Picard nearly 30 years later. In the first episode of “Star Trek: Picard,” everyone saw that Picard kept the old banner the children made for him. In “Remembrance,” Picard took viewers into his storage archives to dig up a few things — including a painting Mr. Data created back in the day. That wound up being a painting of Data’s secret daughter, Soji, and/or Dahj (played by Isa Briones).
In their way of celebrating Captain Picard Day, Paramount+ released a new teaser trailer for the upcoming second season of “Picard.” The new season will debut in 2022.
The network let it be known some time ago that Q (John de Lancie) would return back on First Contact Day (April 5) with the release of a different teaser trailer. This one had more details and featured more than just Q’s voice torturing the old captain (played, of course, by Sir Patrick Stewart).
Here is a quick breakdown of what producers revealed, in just over a minute, with the Captain Picard Day teaser:
Fan Favorite Laris is Back
Laris (Orla Brady) is one of two Romulan caretakers on Picard’s vineyard estate in France. The trailer opens with Picard calling for her. Notably, he’s wearing a high-collared sweater, with what appears to be an actual Starfleet delta communicator or emblem on it. Picard did not wear a communicator in Season One because he was officially retired. However, he did wear a symbol from his new ship, the La Sirena.
Screengrab from Paramount+Laris (Orla Brady)
Interestingly, this uniform or sweater has somewhat reflective panels across the chest and shoulders, which is reminiscent of what his clone Shinzon (Tom Hardy) wore in “Star Trek: Nemesis.”
By God — It’s Q
The omnipotent yet scoundrel-like being who tormented Picard through so many episodes during the seven years of TNG is back. Q is a bit grayer than he was on TNG, “Deep Space Nine,” and “Voyager.” But he appears to be just as menacing.
Screengrab from Paramount+John de Lanice as Q
As Q speaks, the audience is treated to a scene where Picard presents at a United Nations-style event. Picard is center stage, while representatives sit beneath their banners. This includes the Klingons, the Federation, Starfleet, the Vulcans, the Borg, and others.
A closer look at Picard reveals that he has more pips on his collar than he did when he retired. This may mean that Picard is a part of a ceremony on an alternate timeline, where he rose to the rank of “Senior Admiral.”
The Road Not Taken
Q says that Picard is going to visit the “very end of the road not taken.” The trailer then shows glimpses of the crew from last season, including Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), Cristobal “Chris” Rios (Santiago Cabrera), and either Soji or someone who looks very much like her. Raffi (Michelle Hurd) and the space elf Elnor (Evan Evagora) can be seen running for just a moment as well.
A voice says that “time has been broken,” and Picard states that they “can save the future.” As Picard’s voice is heard, we see Rios look as if he is just transported onto his ship, the La Sirena. He touches the Starfleet delta on his chest, almost as if he was surprised to be wearing it.
This could mean that Picard and company are part of a different timeline or that just Jean-Luc is. It could be either or both. Much like the finale of TNG, “All Good Things…,” we could see Q put Picard through the paces in a time where he didn’t exist or where he didn’t do something he was supposed to do.
The Mysterious Seven
Seven on Nine (Jeri Ryan) is back too. Fans see her startle as she wakes in a luxurious bed. Seven no longer has her Borg implant and takes a moment to touch her forehead where it should be. This could be a dream sequence, or it could be that Seven had the implant removed.
Screengrab from Paramount+Jeri Ryan as Seven
Since they contacted the xBs in Season One, it might be feasible that she could have worked with some of their doctors to have the device taken off. Or this could be a different Seven, one who was never assimilated by the Borg. In which case, they’d call her Annika.
But, since she made a point to touch her temple, where the implant was supposed to be, perhaps she knows that she does not belong in this alternate timeline, the same way that Guinan knew she didn’t belong on “Yesterday’s Enterprise.”
Jewelry and a Logo
Before the trailer ends, the camera flips down onto a purple brooch or some other sort of jewelry. Or it could be a communicator or both. But, the symbols contained in the object have caused quite the stir among Trek fan circles.
@trekreport @CaptainCKCoffee @HeroCollector_ A closer look…..
Many have speculated that it could represent something from the Mirror Universe, which would be interesting, as no TNG episodes ever dealt with the Mirror Universe.
@trekreport A badge of an alliance formed when the galaxy came together to stop the romulan supernova. The black circle signifies the supernova
Others speculated that it could have something to do with the xBs and their alliance with the Romulans, or possibly the ill-fated attempt to save the Romulans from the destruction of their homeworld. That was why Picard quit Starfleet, according to the episode “The End is the Beginning.”
@trekreport Borg/Terran alliance insignia. Maybe she’s a Borg Ambassador.
Back in April, fans posted on Instagram a scene from the filming of “Picard” at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. This image shows a few banners that appear to have the same purple logo/emblem emblazoned.
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