Star Trek: Picard season 3 breakout Todd Stashwick reveals when Captain Shaw decided that Seven of Nine deserved her promotion to Captain.
Summary
- Captain Liam Shaw decided Seven of Nine deserved to be promoted to Captain before Picard and Riker arrived.
- Shaw appeared as a hologram in episode 10 to acknowledge Seven as the new captain of the ship.
- Despite his tough exterior, Shaw always believed in Seven and recognized her potential.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 breakout star Todd Stashwick reveals when Captain Liam Shaw decided that Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) deserved to be promoted to Captain. Shaw was killed while fighting off the Borg in Picard season 3, episode 9, “Vox,” but he appeared in a holographic recording in Picard season 3’s finale, “The Last Generation” to recommend Seven’s promotion to Captain. However, it wasn’t clear when Captain Shaw recorded his holographic evaluation of his First Officer during Star Trek: Picard season 3.
In an interview in Star Trek Explorer issue #9, Todd Stashwick verifies that Captain Liam Shaw decided Seven of Nine should be promoted to Captain before Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) came aboard the USS Titan-A to hijack Shaw’s starship in Star Trek: Picard season 3’s premiere. Check out his quote below:
In episode 10, there was a beautiful moment when he appeared again as a hologram and basically told those that needed to hear it that she is captain material. They wrote a beautiful goodbye as I’m literally dying in Seven’s arms. It was him acknowledging that it’s no longer his ship. She has the con. The hologram… He actually recorded the message before Riker and Picard ever came on. What’s revealed to her is that he always believed in her. It’s this great insight into who he was. Even though his external presentation was gruff, caustic, and acerbic, inside he was thoughtful and he did see her for who she was.
Star Trek Picard Season 3 Ending Explained (In Detail)
Star Trek: Picard season 3’s finale concludes the story of TNG in grand style and sets up the next generation’s legacy, along with a big surprise.
How Todd Stashwick’s Reveal Changes Shaw & Seven Of Nine’s Relationship In Star Trek: Picard Season 3
Shaw respected Seven more than he let on.
Todd Stashwick’s revelation that Captain Liam Shaw recorded his recommendation to promote Seven of Nine to Captain before the events of Star Trek: Picard season 3 adds a new context to their contentious relationship. Commander Seven was unhappy serving under Shaw, as she felt he didn’t respect her by referring to Seven by her former human name, Annika Hansen. In turn, Seven bristled under Shaw’s gruff command style. For his part, Shaw was a cold and dismissive Captain, especially after Admiral Picard and Captain Riker boarded the USS Titan-A.
Despite his death, there is an idea of how to bring Todd Stashwick back as Liam Shaw if Star Trek: Picard’s proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy, gets made.
However, by recording his hologram recommending Seven of Nine be promoted to Captain before the main action of Star Trek: Picard season 3 kicked off, it reveals Shaw’s true feeling of respect and admiration towards his First Officer. Indeed, it now seems like Admiral Picard and Captain Riker’s scheme to steal the Titan set Shaw off, and if that hadn’t happened, Liam might have indicated to Seven sooner that he supported her more than she realized. Liam was working through his trauma and hatred of the Borg, but it’s now clear Shaw saw Seven of Nine as much more than an ex-Borg. Seven of Nine was Starfleet Captain material all along, and her heroism in Star Trek: Picard season 3 proved it.
