Star Trek Reveals an Entire Colony of New Synthetic Beings

Star Trek: Picard continues to take Star Trek mythology established by The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and remixing it into exciting new modern drama and intrigue. In episode 2 of Star Trek: Picard, “Maps and Legends”, we see the Romulan race gets major retcons to its history in culture; a new Borg faction is established; and we even get the reveal that the new “Perfected” form of Synthetic being isn’t limited to the twin “daughters” of Commander Data (Dahj and Soji Asha). Indeed, as we learn in Picard episode 2, there is a whole race of these new “Perfected” synthetics hiding out there in the universe – and they are in grave danger!

Warning: Star Trek: Picard episode 2 SPOILERS Follow!

With “Maps and Legends”, Star Trek: Picard reveals the series first big villains, which is none other than “Zhat Vash,” an ancient and clandestine Romulan black-ops unit, which has the added zeal of a fanatical hatred of A.I. and synthetics. Zhatt Vash has gone undetected outside the Romulan Empire for thousands of years (which is why we’re just now hearing about them), but the reveal of Dahj and Soji has changed everything. Now Zhat Vash has made its presence known to Picard – and as we learn in episode 2, the organization has spread its influence further than anyone suspects.

As it turns out, Starfleet command has been comprised by traitors working for Zhat Vash, occupying high places of command. One of those double-agents (Lt. Rizzo) is actually the sister of Narek, the Romulan Zhat Vash agent that has infiltrated the Borg Cube Reclamation Site, and gotten in close (as in intimate) with Soji Asha. It’s in Rizzo and Narek’s conversations with each other and their co-conspirators that we learn Zhat Vash’s goal – and get the tease of this new race of synethetic beings.

As it turns out, “Perfected” Syntethics have established an entire colony somewhere, but are staying hidden after the backlash to synthetics following the Mars uprising. Dahj and Soji are key road maps to finding that hidden colony of Perfected Synthetics, but their programming keeps them “asleep” and unaware of their true nature, until they are “activated” and have their true identity and memories turned on again.

What this colony and larger race of Synthetic beings is, and what they are doing within their community, remains to be seen. All we know right now, is that the world of Star Trek just got bigger.

Star Trek: Picard is now streaming on CBS All Access. New episodes are released every Thursday.

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