Picard Showrunner Discusses [SPOILER] Fate; Actor Comments

There has been no shortage of surprises on Star Trek: Picard, but as far as certain characters go, we probably shouldn’t get too attached, given the events of the third season. The hammer fell on a popular one as executive producer and showrunner Terry Matalas found all the right notes to tug at the heartstrings of franchise fans everywhere. Speaking with Collider, the Matalas broke down the fateful decision on what it could mean for the future. The following contains major spoilers for the episode “Vox.”

Star Trek: Picard: The Gutwrenching Moment

As the U.S.S. Titan-A found itself alone most of the season as Starfleet has been compromised by the Changelings which have infiltrated their ranks. The mystery of Vadic’s (Amanda Plummer) handler remained a mystery until the reveal that it’s been the Borg, which the Collective has been in pursuit of Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) all season. The plan was tied to the Federation transporter systems in every ship. Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) DNA extracted from his original body was infused to trigger a mass assimilation event where anyone 25 and younger would join the Collective.

As we had members who fit those criteria, the Titan also became compromised when they approached Earth on Frontier Day, and before the unaffected escaped to the maintenance shuttle, the younglings took their biggest casualty, Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick), who became a lovable Space Archie Bunker learning to finally accept his first officer Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) as he stopped deadnaming her in his final moments and passed command to her with her and Raffi (Michelle Hurd) nearby.

“It’s his worst nightmare, but one he faces heroically, and he gets to be the one who sends them on the escape pod,” Matalas said. “They are the lucky ones this time. You know, the story was always about the brave lieutenant who sent them off. He gets to be the one who does that, and I think he’d probably have it no other way. And in his last moments, he gets to show Seven of Nine the respect that he always knew she was due. That was always his story.”

Shaw revealed the source of his bigotry stemming from his youth days as a “dipshit from Chicago” and “grease monkey” trying to make it in Starfleet when he was thrown into the fire at the Battle of Wolf 359 as the Federation was largely being laid waste by the Borg cube that assimilated Jean-Luc and turned him into Locutus. It’s a very powerful scene that sees him interrupt Jean-Luc and Jack having their first heart-to-heart in the Holodeck. The experience left him with survivor’s guilt and a career largely avoiding risks as a by-the-books captain. For anyone hoping that Stashwick’s Shaw somehow survived into “The Last Generation,” Matalas has some bad news to quote Bones, “He’s dead, Jim.”

“I love that people have loved him because the journey has been from hate to love with him, you know?” the showrunner said. “So, that has been gratifying. I will say that we’re not done with Shaw yet, in some ways, [and] that Todd Stashwick appears in all 10 episodes this season. But he is dead.” As hopes for a Star Trek: Legacy series might factor in, Matalas has to put on the breaks given its current non-status. “I will say this, because I have to say this, there is currently no Star Trek: Legacy in development at Paramount+. But from the very beginning of this season, there has always been a plan for this character to be part of the spin-off, and it is absolutely amazing how. And should we be so lucky to ever have a discussion, it would be very cool, and Todd Stashwick would absolutely be a part of it.” The series finale of Star Trek: Picard streams on April 20th on Paramount+. In the meantime, Stashwick took to social media with a subtle message.