Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 2, Episode 1 - "The Star Gazer"
The death of Zhaban (Jamie McShane) in Q (John de Lancie) intervenes and changes the timeline into a new, dark reality. However, arguably the more compelling journey for Jean-Luc in Star Trek: Picard season 2 is the journey within as the series asks pointed questions as to why Picard has chosen to be alone all of his life.
Zhaban was introduced in Star Trek: Picard season 1 as the husband of Laris (Orla Brady). The Romulan couple were former Tal Shiar agents who met Jean-Luc during the crisis when the Romulan sun went supernova and iral Picard led the United Federation 0f Planets' aborted mission to save the Romulan people. Afterward, Laris and Zhaban worked at Chateau Picard, Jean-Luc's family's vineyard in La Barre, . Zhaban may be best ed for reminding Picard to "be the Captain they ," before Jean-Luc's controversial interview in Star Trek: Picard's season 1 premiere. Picard left his Romulan friends behind when he went into outer space in season 1 but, when Star Trek: Picard season 2 begins, Zhaban has already been dead for a year-and-a-half. Although Laris misses him deeply, she has moved on in the Romulan fashion.
It's obvious in Star Trek: Picard season 2's premiere that Jean-Luc and Laris share a romantic attraction, although Picard chose not to act on it, which disappointed Laris. Their flirtation kicks off one of Star Trek: Picard season 2's theme of exploring why, exactly, Jean-Luc has never had a lasting romantic relationship. Even when Picard goes to see Star Trek: The Next Generation Easter eggs Trekkers could hope for, the real meat of season 2 is finally telling the story of why Jean-Luc Picard chose duty and Starfleet over love, and why he decided not to have the best of both worlds.
Of course, Picard is right that he has had romantic relationships in the past. On Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Picard had flings with Vash (Jennifer Hetrick) and he tried a relationship with Lt. Commander Nella Daren (Wendy Hughes). In Star Trek: Insurrection, Picard also had a romance with Anji (Donna Murphy), one of the Ba'ku. And, of course, Jean-Luc's longtime friendship with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) bordered on romantic, although they never pulled the trigger, and Beverly is curiously absent from Star Trek: Picard thus far. Yet Picard believes that the ship of romance has sailed now that he's in the twilight of his years, in spite of the new lease on life he was given thanks to his synthetic body.
However, wiping Zhaban off the table is a move that certainly implies that Jean-Luc could find love with Laris after all. At this point, Laris is the woman who knows Picard most intimately since she shares a chateau with him and has been at Jean-Luc's side for about 15 years in the Star Trek timeline. It's not clear how old Laris is but Romulans are as long-lived as Vulcans and she is likely of an approximate age as Picard. Still, if Jean-Luc will eventually find love, at last, with Laris, Star Trek: Picard won't make it easy for either of them. But whatever happens, this exploration into Jean-Luc Picard's heart is a compelling story that is finally being told in Star Trek: Picard season 2.
Star Trek: Picard streams Thursdays on Paramount+.