WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from "Remembrance," the series premiere of Star Trek: Picard, now streaming on CBS All Access.
There are two cataclysmic events that have happened to the Star Trek universe in the years between Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek: Picard. The first was introduced in the 2009 cinematic reboot of the franchise: the supernova of the Hobus star, which sent Spock and the villainous Nero into a divergent timeline while consuming Romulus, resulting in the dissolution of the Romulan Star Empire. The second was a devastating attack on Mars, which led to the death of thousands, mass devastation across the planet and the Federation banning synthetic lifeforms for their role in the horrific assault. However, these two events may be more linked than they initially appear at the start of the new series.
Due to the massive influx of Romulan refugees, the Federation rescinded its promised aid and ended its humanitarian efforts towards them as the Romulans sought to reform their civilization after the loss of their home planet. While there is a noticeably large contingent of Romulan refugees in Federation space, the population has largely undergone a diaspora across the stars as it has attempted to rebuild, and Jean-Luc Picard is vocally disgusted by the Federation's sharp shift towards isolationism. With the Romulans formerly one of the most aggressive civilizations in the galaxy, this slight is unlikely to be forgotten.
The ending to Picard's series premiere revealed that somewhere in deep space within a repurposed Borg Cube the Romulans are working on something referred to as the Romulan Reclamation Project. As the episode concludes, the Cube is revealed to be surrounded by an armada of ominous looking spacecraft. What makes the sight even more sinister is that the smaller ships resemble the spacecraft that carried out the attack on Mars years before the series premiere, automated planetary defenses that had been reprogrammed by rogue synthetics to carry out the assault. And given the Romulans' new connection with Borg technology, they may have a newfound interest in synthetic life.
Throughout the episode, a woman named Dahj is stalked by masked figures who came on the scene after her positronic systems activated, which inadvertently revealed her to be an android. In the episode's final action sequence, it becomes clear the attackers are Romulans. While Dahj is evidently destroyed by an overloaded phaser, it turns out her twin sister Soji is working with the Romulans on the Cube as a medical doctor. She was approached by a Romulan to presumably get closer to her due to her android background.
The Borg had been interested in co-opting Data into their cause in Star Trek: First Contact. They were drawn to him because he was a sentient being that was inorganic, like all the races they had steadily been assimilating. Given their interest in Data and their technological mastery, it is not far-fetched to assume that the Borg developed technology capable of hacking into something like the Federation's planetary defense systems. And with the Romulans possessing a clear reason for wanting revenge against the Federation, they could have launched the attack to weaken the Federation from within.
With an active android in the mix, the Romulans could be hunting Dahj and Soji as a means to further their research on Federation systems so they can subjugate Federation space by overcoming Starfleet vessels and defenses. The attack on Mars resulted in the deaths of over 90,000 and sweeping changes to Federation policy. A complete hijacking of the Federation's systems by the Romulans could set the entire galaxy on fire.
Star Trek: Picard stars Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera and Harry Treadaway. New episodes of the series premiere every Thursday on CBS All Access.