Warning: SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Picard episode “Farewell” are ahead!
Star Trek: Picard Season 2’s finale, a.k.a. “Farewell,” was released on Thursday, and the events of the finale brought with it some major departures. Ahead of the episode’s arrival to Paramount+ subscribers, Alison Pill said she wouldn’t be back for Picard Season 3, and her absence has been put into context now that we’ve seen her merged with Annie Wersching’s Borg Queen and taken the Bog Collective down a new path. And as if Chris Rios staying in the 21st century and Jean-Luc Picard learning about how the rest of his life unfolded wasn’t enough of a tipoff, Santiago Cabrera also indicated on social media that his time on Picard is over. Well, now three more actors have confirmed they won’t appear in Picard Season 3 either.
Evan Evagora
Starting off, we have Evan Evagora, who played Elnor in a handful of Star Trek: Picard Season 2 episodes. Although Elnor died in the episode “Assimilation,” Evagora popped in and out for the rest of the season initially through visions Michelle Hurd’s Raffi Muskier saw of Elnor, as well as in hologram form in “Hide and Seek.” Then, because Rios decided to stay in the past, John de Lancie’s dying Q had enough energy to resurrect Elnor when the other main characters returned to their own timeline. Alas, Evagora revealed on Instagram that he won’t be present in Picard Season 3. The future looks bright for Elnor in Starfleet again, but we won’t see what the next chapter of his life holds in store on this series.
Isa Briones
Next, we have Isa Briones, who mainly played Soji Asha during Star Trek: Picard Season 1, but only appeared once as the character in Season 2, specifically its premiere. Instead, Briones starred in Season 2 as Kore Soong, the latest in a long line of clones that Brent Spiner’s Adam Soong created. With Q’s help, Kore cured her genetic illness and rebelled from her father. After deleting all of Soong’s digital files, Kore was recruited by Will Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher to join The Travelers. But just like with Elnor, whatever happens next with Kore and/or Soji won’t happen on Picard, with Briones announcing on her Instagram page that her time on the show has come to an end.
Wil Wheaton
Finally, we come to Wil Wheaton, who only cameoed in “Farewell,” but it seemed like that appearance could have paved the way for him to return in Star Trek: Picard Season 3 alongside the other Star Trek: The Next Generation actors who are coming back. Evidently not, as the Wesley Crusher actor said on his personal website that while it’s possible his character and Kore could pop back up in other Star Trek shows or perhaps never appear again, either way, Season 3 isn’t in the cards for him. Still, it was nice to see Wesley again nearly three decades after his last major appearance in The Next Generation’s “Journey’s End” (he’s only briefly seen in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis).
So now we have five actors confirmed not to be appearing in Star Trek: Picard Season 3, and it’s entirely possible that could grow to six, as it’s unclear if Oral Brady will reprise Laris, who agreed to Jean-Luc Picard’s request for him to have a second chance at building a closer relationship with her in “Farewell.” So for now, the only Picard main cast members confirmed to return are Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan. However, as already mentioned, we know that in Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden and Michael Dorn will all be around in Season 3. What’s unclear is if all these actors will be considered main cast members or guest stars. If it’s the latter, then who will join Stewart, Hurd and Ryan in the main cast lineup?
Since Star Trek: Picard Season 2’s finale only just came out, it may be a while until we get an answer to that question and others about Picard Season 3, which is expected to hit Paramount+ in early 2023. In the meantime, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (a perfect entry point for new fans) is now airing on the streaming service, and there are other Star Trek TV shows to look forward to later this year and beyond.
