Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Picard episode “Two of One.” Read at your own risk!
Star Trek: Picard has hinted at a major change for Agnes Jurati that could confirm a popular fan theory, and now it feels like a major character might leave the show. Viewers saw Picard fight for his life after being hit by a car driven by Adam Soong and learned that one member of the crew is loving the stay in 2024. The question is, will Cristóbal Rios ultimately decide that he likes living in the past more than the future?
Chris didn’t have the best start in 2024 when his rogue transportation resulted in a head injury, and almost getting deported because he didn’t have documentation wasn’t a blast either. Despite those shortcomings, Paramount+ subscribers have seen the the Stargazer captain frequently complimenting the upsides of living in 2024, especially the food. Apparently, replicators are handy in getting a quick meal but don’t measure up to the taste of baked cookies at the hospital or the hors d'oeuvres of the Europa Mission pre-launch party.
Cristóbal also showed Raffi a cigar that he procured at the party and noted that it was real. The implication is that Rios’ cigar that we see him chomping in the future isn’t, and that might be why he never lights it. In fairness, it’s also probably a terrible idea to smoke on a starship, but it did feel like an interesting detail that noted another thing Rios liked about living in 2024.
There’s also no denying that Rios has some attraction to Teresa, the physician who treated him and attempted to save Picard after his accident. Raffi warned Rios about attempting any romantic relationship, especially since trying to date anyone and being unable to tell them that you’re from the future starts out the entire relationship on a lie. It’s also possible that Rios’ presence in the past could potentially create a butterfly effect that negatively impacts the future, which obviously is what they’re trying to prevent.
Even so, it’s hard to imagine that Rios’ decision to remain in the past would result in a reality alteration of the level of what Q (whose motives for altering time still remain unknown) created with The Confederation. It’s also hard for me as a fan to overlook Star Trek: Picard frequently pointing out Rios’ love for aspects of 2024, and wonder if it's signaling that this season ends with him remaining behind in the past.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 recently completed production and it seems that at least Jeri Ryan (who celebrated production wrapping) and Patrick Stewart are involved. We also know that a bulk of the cast from The Next Generation will appear in Season 3, and co-showrunner Terry Matalas recently confirmed on Twitter that the roles will be meatier than mere cameos. Given that, I’d have to assume that the Picard cast might have to cut a character or two to allow for screentime, which makes me wonder if Season 2 will end with a goodbye to Rios. I hope not because I’d hate to lose him, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Star Trek: Picard streams new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. This season is just one of many new Star Trek projects on the way in 2022, so be sure to keep an eye out for what’s around the corner.
