Star Trek: Picard Showrunner Reveals What Happened to Narek

Star Trek: Picard's season 1 is now over, and fans already have some big questions about what's to come in season 2. However, while most of those questions are about things the finale hinted at for season 2 of Picard, there's one question that's more akin to a plothole in the season 1 finale: What happened to Narek (Harry Treadaway)? The Romulan Zhat Vash agent was the key in breaking open the mystery of Data's daughter Soji Asher, and her secret community of next-generation synthetics. However, during the frantic events of Picard's season finale, Narek simply vanished. Now, Star Trek: Picard showrunner Michael Chabon has an explanation to share.

Chabon has been frequently using Instagram Stories to answer Star Trek fans' questions about Picard each week - including the obvious one about why Narek never got any resolution to his storyline in season 1, despite being a pivotal part of the finale. As Chabon hints (not so subtly), it was the finale editors who dropped the ball with Narek:

"Yeah. Narek. We know, we know. A casualty of the editorial process, alas. The intention was for him to be taken into Federation custody."

Narek had one of the more dynamic new character arcs in Picard season 1. He started out trying to prove his worth to the Zhat Vash and his sister (and Starfleet spy) Narissa, by getting close to Soji and learning her all-important secret. While Narek ultimately did his duty, he did develop genuine feelings for Soji, it seemed. In the end, Narek found a middle ground, by not staying to loyal to the Zhat Vash, but also trying to accomplish the goal of avoiding a mass genocide of organic life by the Synthetic Alliance. That's all to say: it was kind of an important detail to see what became of Narek - especially since Seven of Nine killed his sister, and the Zhat Vash has seemingly disavowed him. While there's been no official word yet, many fans would almost certainly like to see Harry Treadaway back as Narek, in Picard season 2.

More to the point: there are already hints that the story of the Zhat Vash and the Synthetic Alliance doomsday are not yet done. Chabon has revealed that Picard season 2 will revisit the Zhat Vash's scheme of frame synthetics for the Mars uprising - at least, "in a way." With the resentment over the uprising still out there, and a very real machine apocalypse hanging overhead, Narek may prove more useful outside of a cell, rather than inside of one.

Star Trek: Picard is now streaming on CBS Access.