Summary
- Riker & Troi lost their son Thad to a rare disease, unable to cure him due to the Federation ban on synthetics.
- Ba'ku's regenerative properties could have saved Thad, but possible events may have changed its effectiveness.
- Riker and Troi likely had a valid reason for not taking Thad to Ba'ku, despite their willingness to do anything to save him.
As revealed in Star Trek: Picard, Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) lost their son, Thaddeus, to a rare disease, but why didn't they take him to Star Trek: Insurrection's Ba’ku? Picking up twenty years after the events of Nemesis in the Star Trek timeline, Picard season 1 checked in on Riker and Troi and their daughter, Kestra (Lulu Wilson). Riker and Troi had settled on the planet Nepenthe because of the planet's healing properties, in an attempt to heal their son, Thad.
Thad contracted a disease known as mendaxic neurosclerosis, a silicon-based virus that could be cured using an active positronic matrix. However, after the Federation banned synthetics following the synth attack on Mars in 2385, there were no positronic matrices available. Unfortunately, the healing properties of Nepenthe's soil were not enough and Thad tragically passed away. But this raises the question of why Riker and Troi didn't settle on the Ba'ku planet, as they had been there before in Star Trek: Insurrection and seen the healing properties of the Briar Patch firsthand.
Riker & Troi Forgot To Take Their Dying Son To Star Trek: Insurrection’s Fountain Of Youth
Why Didn't Riker & Troi Take Thad To Ba'ku?
In Star Trek: Insurrection, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew disobey direct orders from Starfleet to protect the peaceful Ba'ku people and their planet from the villainous Son'a. Because of Ba'ku's location in the region of space known as the Briar Patch, the planet's inhabitants are effectively immortal and free from any disease. When Picard and his crew land there, they soon feel younger and rejuvenated. Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) even gains natural eyesight, although the effects wear off when he leaves the planet.
Thad's death caused understandable strain in Riker and Troi's marriage, although they came back together in Star Trek: Picard season 3.
If the properties of Ba'ku could restore eyesight, then it seems likely they could cure Thad's illness. Unfortunately, a person must remain on the planet for the effects to work, meaning Thad's illness may have returned if he had ever left. Still, Riker and Troi would likely have seen settling on one planet as a small price to pay if it meant their son survived. After all, they moved to Nepenthe for that very reason. Perhaps some in-universe reason that has yet to be explained kept Riker and Troi from returning to Ba'ku.
Star Trek: Picard Hints What Could Have Happened To Insurrection’s Fountain Of Youth
Did Something Happen To Ba'ku Or Its Regenerative Properties?
Will Riker and Deanna Troi were willing to relocate and settle in Nepenthe in order to help their son, which suggests something may have happened to the Briar Patch and/or Ba'ku. Although no explanation has been provided on screen, it's possible the Briar Patch region of space no longer has regenerative properties due to some anomaly or natural disaster. It's also possible the Son'a or some other species took over Ba'ku, and that it is unsafe. Or perhaps the Federation simply no longer has control of the planet and they do not allow visitors.
Riker and Troi seem like the types of parents who would do everything to save their son, so they must have had a good reason for not traveling to Ba'ku. While it would have been interesting to see them search for a way to save Thad, either by seeking a positronic matrix on the black market or traveling to a planet like Ba'ku, the story would have had to end in tragedy. Perhaps it's enough to know that Riker and Troi did what they could to save Thad before Star Trek: Picard, but, just like in the real world, some tragedies cannot be prevented.
