We don’t know exactly when the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard is going to arrive, but we know it’s bringing a whole lot of Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members back to hang out with Jean-Luc (Patrick Stewart). And now you can add one more name to that list, if a somewhat surprising one: According to actress Denise Crosby, you will see Tasha Yar.
It is, of course, deeply unclear what that might mean, given that Crosby’s character infamously died during the very first season of The Next Generation, only to be brought back in all sorts of wacky ways over the show’s run. Crosby specifically said “Tasha Yar,” not some other version of her—but in a May interview, it sounded like she had missed any chance to be on the show, which was already done filming.
Back in June, Picard showrunner Terry Matalas said that there’s “a nod” to Tasha in the upcoming season:
It’s not Sela. It is a new character. But here is definitely a nod to Tasha in the new season. https://t.co/GfmrE3We4s
— Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) July 24, 2022
Whether this means Sela isn’t in the show at all, or just that Sela isn’t the season’s big bad, isn’t entirely clear. Would we put it past Star Trek to include both Tasha and her daughter?
Matalas tweets a lot of teasers and hints about Picard, some of which are more straightforward than others. One that’s quite clear is that Worf (Michael Dorn) has a new weapon, and it was designed by the creator of the Klingon bat’leth.
The sword on Worf’s back is called a Kur’leth and it was designed by the creator of the Bat’leth, Dan Curry. And yes, you WILL see him use it. #StarTrekPicard pic.twitter.com/xFNgxdjmeE
— Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) July 24, 2022
He’s also said that the fallout from the Dominion War is important to this season:
You'll just have to see. I'm just saying… that's not where we meet him here. He's on another track… one related to the Dominion War. Now I've said too much. Bye! https://t.co/HGmBjxXR3h
— Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) July 25, 2022
When we got our first look at the returning TNG cast during San Diego Comic-Con, there was a lot of speculation about the different ranks that their Starfleet uniforms seemed to show. Admiral Seven (Jeri Ryan)? Not quite: Geordi LaForge (LeVar Burton) is now a commodore, and Seven of Nine is a commander, but Matalas hasn’t said whether she’s working under Seven of Nine or her original name, Annika Hansen. But then he also said that maybe some of these folks shouldn’t be in uniform?
Wait and see. It will all make sense. Also… maybe some here are in uniform and shouldn't be? pic.twitter.com/aBEqB1Vuh7
— Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) July 23, 2022
Let the theorizing continue! And speaking of theorizing, there’s a reason Brent Spiner didn’t get his own nifty character poster. Speaking with TrekMovie, Matalas said:
Brent’s character is specifically tied into the plot and the mythology in ways that if you were to show a poster, you would have a thousand more questions. And I think you want to earn it. But he plays a new old character that you have seen and never seen before. it’s, we think, a great way to do this that honors what has come before yet treads new ground.
That last sentence sounds like it could apply to the whole final season, though we’ll have to wait and see. Star Trek: Picard will wind up on Paramount Plus, probably early next year.
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