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Is Janeway A Changeling?! Picard Hints At Star Trek Bombshell
Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 5 - "Imposters."
Commander Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) dropped a Star Trek: Picard season 3 bombshell that suggests that Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) may have been replaced by a Changeling. In Picard season 3, episode 5, "Imposters", former Maquis member and fugitive Ro Laren is now a member of Starfleet Intelligence sent to apprehend Jack Crusher (Ed Speelers) and interrogate Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Unable to believe that Starfleet Intelligence would hire a former traitor, Picard believes that Ro is actually a Changeling impersonator, rather than his treasonous ex-protégé from the USS Enterprise-D.
In emotional scenes that resolve a 29-year-old TNG cliffhanger, Picard and Ro begin to trust each other again as she reveals the extent of the vast Changeling conspiracy. Ro takes Jean-Luc into her confidence to reveal that the Changelings have infiltrated Starfleet, and she's aware of at least a dozen starships with Changeling impersonators aboard. Astonished by this, Jean-Luc suggests to Ro that they should contact Admiral Janeway, but Ro shoots him down by emphasizing that she can't trust anyone. There's an implication that even the former Star Trek: Voyager Captain has been replaced by a Changeling infiltrator.
Did Changelings Replace Admiral Janeway In Star Trek: Picard Season 3?
While Ro's lack of trust implies that even Janeway has been replaced by a Changeling infiltrator, it's not backed up by what's been shown of the Changeling's plot thus far. Star Trek: Picard's Changeling villains have primarily impersonated lower-decker staff like Ensign Foster (Chad Lindberg), or junior bridge crew like Ensign Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut). This suggests that, in order to avoid detection, the rogue Changeling schism is replacing key minor positions aboard the dozen or so starships on which they're placed. This makes it unlikely, but not impossible, that the rogue Changelings would have been able to replace such a high-ranking official as Admiral Janeway.
The suspicious figure that was listening to Picard and Riker's conversation in the Star Trek: Picard season 3 premiere indicates the Changelings are on Earth ahead of the Frontier Day celebrations. Further, Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) stated that there was a reluctance to use the information provided by Odo (Rene Auberjonois) because Starfleet wanted to avoid a second Dominion War in Picard season 3. The other explanation could be that there is a senior member of Starfleet Command that has been replaced by a Changeling, and is pulling strings to avoid the information getting out and exposing their own position. If that's the case, then it's a possibility that senior Starfleet staff like Admiral Janeway have indeed been replaced by Changelings.
What Changeling Janeway Would Mean For Star Trek
The most worrying consequence of Janeway being replaced by a Changeling is that the real Kathryn Janeway could be dead. Commander Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) discovered the corpse of the real Ensign Foster when she was searching his quarters for clues, so the Changelings clearly have no qualms about killing those impersonate. This is a change from the Changeling plot in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in which they held the likes of Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and General Martok (J.G. Hertzler) captive while they sent a Changeling infiltrator to replace them.
It's clear from Picard's name-checking of Janeway that she's one of the few senior Starfleet officers that the former Enterprise captain trusts. Replacing her with a Changeling would mean that Starfleet has been seriously compromised in Picard season 3. Of course, being killed and replaced by a Changeling is not a fitting end to the story of Kathryn Janeway, and Kate Mulgrew is not known to appear in Star Trek: Picard season 3. But given that the Changelings already impersonated Sidney to trick Seven of Nine, it's a worrying piece of foreshadowing that Seven's greatest champion, Admiral Janeway, may have been replaced.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
