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[SPOILER]’s return in Star Trek Picard season 3 episode 10 explained

A major Star Trek character returned in the Star Trek Picard season 3 finale, and we're here to unpack how it happened and what it all means. We're shocked too.

Star Trek Picard Q return - Picard on TNG looking surprised

How did Q return in Star Trek Picard season 3 finale? This article contains spoilers for the final episode of Star Trek Picard.

Just as we thought Star Trek Picard season 3 episode 10 was completely finished, there was one final surprise. Jean-Luc Picard’s most irritating adversary, Q, returned. Q who? Q from The Next Generation cast, of course.

But this is a return with lots to unpack, as the previous season of the Star Trek series established that Q had died. In fact, the whole season relied on the plot point. So how is Q back in the Star Trek Picard finale? You’re in the right place to find out.

Q’s Star Trek Picard season 3 return explained

The final scene we saw in the Star Trek Picard season 3 episode 10 reintroduced Q. While Jack Crusher was unpacking his goods into his new quarters aboard the Enterprise-G (newly renamed from the USS Titan) Q showed up in the room.

Jack questioned Q, saying that he thought Q was dead and that humanity’s trial was over. Q replied with two answers. First, on the matter of his death, Q told Jack to stop thinking in such linear ways. Second, on the trail of humanity, he told Jack that the trial was never really over. This sets up a potential plot point for Star Trek Legacy, should it ever come.

Star Trek Picard Q return

How did Q return in Star Trek Picard season 3?

It has not been directly confirmed how Q returned in Star Trek Picard season 3, given that he died in season 2. So, it’s time for speculation.

Based on his dialogue where Q tells Jack to stop thinking in such “linear” ways, this could be a Q who travelled into the future from before he died in the Star Trek timeline. Q is an omnipotent being, after all, and it would be completely feasible for him to jump into the future to visit Jack Crusher before he died.

That’s our theory for now, but more might get confirmed as we go forward. For more on Star Trek, check out finale thoughts with our Star Trek Picard season 3 ending explained. Or, you can take a look at our guide to the Star Trek Legacy release date, the Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 release date and learn the five changes we think it needs to make to stay great.