NOTE: This article contains spoilers about the events of the ninth episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3 titled "Vox." Read at your own risk.
The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3 featured a lot of big moments including The Next Generation crew's long-awaited reunion with the Enterprise-D, decades after we saw the ship get destroyed in Generations. However, the episode also saw the demise of the fan-favorite recurring character Captain Liam Shaw, played by Todd Stashwick.
In the beginning, Captain Shaw was presented as a cold and by-the-books captain of the USS Titan that wasn't friendly to Jean-Luc Picard and William Riker. However, throughout the season, the character ended up becoming a fan favorite as fans were able to embrace his personality and motivations.
Before his unexpected demise, a lot of fans were clamoring for the character to have his own spinoff series once Picard ends and perhaps see his adventure along with the USS Titan crew in the final frontier. Unfortunately, it looks like that may not happen anymore.
Speaking with Collider, showrunner Terry Matalas opened up about their decision to kill off the character in the penultimate episode and explained that it was always part of their plan regarding Shaw's arc in the season.
"It was always part of Shaw's arc to die at the hands of the Borg. It was always going to be, from the beginning, how he went out," he said.
"It's his worst nightmare, but one he faces heroically, and he gets to be the one who sends them on the escape pod. They are the lucky ones this time. You know, the story was always about the brave lieutenant who sent them off."
Matalas continued, "He gets to be the one who does that, and I think he'd probably have it no other way. And in his last moments, he gets to show Seven of Nine the respect that he always knew she was due. That was always his story."
The showrunner also addressed the rumors and whispers going around the web regarding a potential spinoff series titled Star Trek: Legacy and discussed how Shaw could factor into it if ever they decided to pursue the project.
"I will say this, because I have to say this, there is currently no Star Trek: Legacy in development at Paramount+," he said.
"But from the very beginning of this season, there has always been a plan for this character to be part of the spin-off, and it is absolutely amazing how. And should we be so lucky to ever have a discussion, it would be very cool, and Todd Stashwick would absolutely be a part of it."
It was really unfortunate to see Shaw meet his demise as fans are really clamoring for him to get his own series once Picard wraps and this puts the nail in the coffin regarding the possibility. For now, we can look forward first to the show's conclusion which will mark The Next Generation crew's final voyage.
Also Read: Star Trek: Picard Finale Nabs Special Screening in Multiple IMAX Theaters
The final episode of Star Trek: Picard will premiere on Paramount+ this Thursday.
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