Star Trek: Picard Showrunner Explains Why They Killed SPOILER

Star Trek: Picard has been one of the darker rides that the franchise has taken us on, and the latest episode of the show has done little to reverse that trend. Picard episode 7 “Nepenthe” saw one longtime Star Trek: The Next Generation fan-fav finally meet his fate. (SPOILERS) Jean-Luc Picard and Data’s daughter Soji made a desperate escape from the Romulan Site on a Borg Cube – but only with help from Picard’s friend (and fellow former Borg drone) Hugh. Unfortunately Hugh is killed by Romulan operative Narissa Rizzo while covering Picard’s escape. Star Trek fans were surprisingly affected by the loss of Hugh, and showrunner Michael Chabon is now offering explanation as to why.

So: why did Star Trek: Picard just kill off Hugh? According to Chabon (via Instagram stories):

“One of the stories we are telling this season on ‘Picard’ is a story about the tragedy of being Borg, or more precisely, of being assimilated and then, even more poignantly, being restored from assimilation, and struggling forever after with assimilation’s traumatic legacy. In a very unique way, Hugh was able to recontextualize his trauma into something that brought healing and hope to others, which gave purpose and brought healing to himself. But his predicament, like that of all former Borg – as he explained to Picard in episode 106 – remained essentially tragic, and tragically is how he dies, cut down by someone who sees him as a disgusting monster at the moment when he makes his boldest claim to dignity and freedom.”

Well, that explanation from Michael Chabon certainly explains the showrunners’ thought process when they decided on how Hugh’s story arc would play out. However, Chabon’s response won’t do anything but fuel the most heated critics of Star Trek: Picard, who claim that the series is too bleak. Hugh didn’t get any kind of happy ending to his long struggles and tragedies – and so far, it hasn’t looked like any of the former Borg drones from The Next Generation and/or Voyager will either. Seven of Nine (Jerri Ryan) returned as a much more troubled and violent version of her former self, while Picard is slowly dying from some kind of degenerative brain disease. Even Voyager’s young former Borg drone Icheb met with a particularly brutal and gory death, and all-in-all it seems like there is no happy way back from being assimilated by The Collective.

Star Trek: Picard is now streaming on CBS All Access. New episodes are released every Thursday. Star Trek: Discovery will return for season 3 later this year.

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