Star Trek: Picard Season 2 Should Restart The DS9 Sisko Feud
Star Trek: Picard season 2 should dig back into the animosity between Jean-Luc and Deep Space Nine's Benjamin Sisko. Patrick Stewart made his long-awaited Star Trek return in the early part of 2020 thanks to a solo venture set in the years following The Next Generation. The first season of Star Trek: Picard put its title character in the middle of an fiery battle between a shady Romulan cabal and a planet of synthetic beings born from the remnants of Jean-Luc's old friend, Data. Picard gave his life to avert a potentially galaxy-threatening war between organic and synthetic life forms, but everything turned out fine in the end - Picard's consciousness was implanted into an artificial golem, the troublesome Romulans were arrested, and the synthetics were officially recognized by Starfleet. The season ended with Picard's new crew blasting off into the unknown.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view. Start nowWhile Jean-Luc Picard is most widely known as the star of The Next Generation, he also made a memorable appearance in the series premiere of Deep Space Nine, "Emissary." Here, Picard offers the space station job to Sisko and the meeting between the two is rife with tension. This is due to the death of Sisko's wife, in which Picard had a hand while he was under the influence of the Borg. Addressing his superior, Sisko can barely hide how much he resents Picard at the beginning of the story, but when the pair meet again in the final act, Sisko's demeanor has changed dramatically. Not only does the DS9 protagonist accept the job offer, but he also shakes Picard's hand, suggesting any ill will has been put to bed.
Revisiting the dynamic between Jean-Luc and Sisko in Star Trek: Picard season 2 could be fascinating for a number of reasons. Compared to previous series, Star Trek:Picard was a deeply sentimental journey, with the former Enterprise captain atoning for past regrets, correcting mistakes and grappling with the loss of Data. Patrick Stewart's character was more contemplative than ever before, but in terms of major regrets, Picard's bloodstained stint as Locutus surely has to rank at the top. These traumatic memories were referenced while Jean-Luc visited a Borg cube in season 1, but now that he's sporting a brand new body, Picard's transgressions against the Sisko family might be worth another look.
Bringing Sisko into Star Trek: Picard season 2 would play brilliantly alongside the show's overarching themes of artificial life and what it means to be sentient. Picard might not have been directly responsible for the actions of Locutus, but does that absolve him of responsibility or negate the inevitable guilt? Picard's Borg phase is worth exploring in general, and Sisko could be the face of that storyline - a familiar, fan-favorite representation of the pain Locutus caused. The Sisko/Picard feud is even more appropriate now that Jean-Luc is once again inside a synthetic shell. In his enigmatic role as the Emissary, Sisko might already know that Picard is part-cyborg again and deem the synthetic Jean-Luc too risky to leave unchecked - a judgement certainly colored by his own past experiences.
Including Sisko in Star Trek: Picard season 2 would help to clarify a contentious point among DS9 fans. In the finale episode, Sisko appeared to fall to his death, but was taken to the Celestial Temple and told his work was only just beginning. It's an ambiguous ending that was never properly developed, but the finale leaves a door open for Sisko to return. Star Trek: Picard can finally answer what work the Prophets wanted him to do, and a tense reunion between Sisko and Picard would be a refreshing change compared to the feel-good, fan-pleasing returns Star Trek: Picard has indulged in so far.
Even if Sisko himself doesn't physically appear in Star Trek: Picard, the feud can still be reignited through Ben's son, Jake. A journalist by trade, Jake was understandably affected by his mother's death, but perhaps didn't hold Picard accountable in the way his father did. Something might've changed that attitude in the years between DS9 and Star Trek: Picard, and season 2 could reintroduce a more vengeful, bitter, older Jake Sisko on the hunt for a reinvigorated Jean-Luc Picard.
Star Trek: Picard season 2 is currently without a release date.
Source: screenrant.com