Boom. Another legacy character bites the dust. Star Trek: Picard Season 3 was a love letter to The Next Generation—except it came with a body count. From Ro Laren’s explosive redemption to the Borg Queen’s final gasp, the season didn’t just reunite the crew—it culled them. But were these deaths meaningful closure or cheap emotional hits? Let’s break it down.
The Casualty List: Who Didn’t Survive the Fan Service?
Picard’s final season played like a TNG greatest-hits album—with a few tracks abruptly cut short. Here’s the roll call of the fallen:
- Commander Ro Laren: Went out in a blaze of glory, piloting a shuttle into a Starfleet ship. Redemption? Check. Shock value? Double-check.
- Lore: Data’s evil twin finally got deleted—because one Spiner-faced android is enough.
- Admiral Shelby: The Borg’s revenge was brutal—murdered in the captain’s chair, just like Best of Both Worlds foreshadowed.
- The Borg Queen: The OG villain got a poetic (if overstuffed) send-off—crushed by Picard, again.
Historical Context: This isn’t new for Star Trek. Deep Space Nine killed Jadzia Dax unceremoniously. Discovery axed Prime Universe Georgiou. But Picard’s deaths felt different—less about narrative necessity, more about feels.
Why These Deaths Worked (or Didn’t)
✅ Ro Laren’s Exit: Perfect closure for a character abandoned by TNG. Her sacrifice? Chef’s kiss.
❌ Shelby’s Off-Screen Demise: A Best of Both Worlds icon deserved better than a blink-and-miss-it death.
🤷 The Borg Queen: Her Voyager defeat was cleaner. This felt like beating a dead cube.
The Real Question: Did these deaths serve the story—or just nostalgia? Ro’s did. The rest? Debatable.
Emotional Payoff or Fan Service Overload?
Picard Season 3 was a victory lap—but it left tread marks on a few beloved characters. Some deaths landed like a phaser blast to the heart; others felt like the writers yelling, “Remember this guy? Well, they’re dead now!”
Trek has always been about hope. But maybe—just maybe—it’s okay to let some characters retire in peace.
