Summary
- Kore Soong returns as a villain in Star Trek #20, representing the cold and ruthless Aegis group.
- The Travelers, introduced in The Next Generation and Picard , make an appearance in Star Trek #20.
- Lanzing and Kelly bring back the mysterious Aegis group and tie them to Kore Soong in Star Trek #20.
Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #20!
Kore Soong, one of the breakout stars of Star Trek: Picard, has returned to the franchise…as a villain. When fans last saw Kore, she was recruited by Wesley Crusher to join the mysterious Travelers. Now, in Star Trek #20, Sisko and the crew of the Theseus have truly gone where no one has gone before, and the Travelers–and Kore, are not happy about it.
Star Trek #20 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Megan Levens. Thanks to the efforts of T’Lir and Mister Scott, the Theseus has penetrated the Galactic Barrier, and entered the Pleroma. After adjusting to their surroundings, the ship receives a transmission. Kore Soong appears on-screen, representing the “Aegis,” or the bosses of the Travelers. Kore informs Sisko that she was once human too, but this is not a place for them. She informs them that they cannot stay, nor disseminate the technology that got them there.
Finally, she ominously declares they will be “umade.”
Kore Soong Has Ties to a Star Trek Icon
The Soong Dynasty Is Still Having an Impact on the Star Trek Timeline
The Soong family has had a major impact on the Star Trek universe, and not all of it good.
Introduced during season two of Star Trek: Picard, and played by actress Isa Briones, Kore Soong was the clone daughter of Adam Soong. The Soong family has had a major impact on the Star Trek universe, and not all of it good. Chronologically, Kore's father Adam, is the first member fans meet. Living in the 21st century, and patterned after the tech giants of today, Adam Soong was a ruthless business person and scientist, keen on creating the perfect human. Kore was the end result of his experiment.
Except for Kore, every member of the Soong family has been played by Brent Spiner.
In season two of Picard, the crew travel back to the 21st century, where Adam is trying to prevent the launch of the Europa Mission. His schemes are thwarted by Picard and company, and at season's end, Soong's funding for his genetic experiments is pulled. However, the season strongly implied that Soong would be behind the rise of Khan, the genetically engineered tyrant responsible for the Eugenics Wars. Other members of the Soong dynasty include Arik, who lived in the mid-22nd century and continued his ancestor's fascination with genetics. Adam was an ancestor of Noonian Soong, Data’s inventor.
The Travelers Are A Powerful, and Mysterious, Star Trek Group
The Travelers Ensure the Star Trek Universe Keeps Flowing Smoothly
Kore was confronted with the truth of her existence, and rebelled against her father. In the Picard season two finale, “Farewell,” Kore leaves Earth, and our plane of existence. She was recruited by Wesley Crusher to join the Travelers, and she leaped at the opportunity. When Wesley approached Kore, she was doubting herself, having just learned she was the next in a long line of genetic experiments. Wesley told Kore her gifts were better suited to being a Traveler, and while he did not promise her safety, it would still be the experience of a lifetime.
The first Traveler fans meet is played by Eric Menyuk, and he would appear in three episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation
The Travelers remain an enigma in the Star Trek universe. Capable of traveling through time and space, the nearest pop culture analogy would be Doctor Who’s TIme Lords. The Travelers were introduced in the first season Next Generation episode “Where No One Has Gone Before,” in which they showed a vested interest in Wesley Crusher. At the time, it was believed the entity Wesley befriended in that episode was called "the Traveler." Later, in the seventh season episode “Journey’s End,” it was revealed they were an entire organization, and Wesley left everything behind to join them.
Season two of Picard revealed more about the Travelers, connecting them to the “Supervisors” introduced in the Original Series. In the episode "Assignment: Earth," Kirk and the Enterprise travel back to 1968, where they encounter Gary Seven, who identifies himself as a "Supervisor." He tells Kirk he has been sent by a mysterious agency to help guide Earth's development. Seven was not seen again, but the idea of the Supervisors was picked up in Picard's second season, which connected them with the Travelers. The two groups work in conjunction to keep the universe working.
Star Trek Fans Have Met the Aegis Previously
The Aegis Is Cold and Ruthless, and It Has Rubbed Off on Kore
Lanzing and Kelly, the writers of Star Trek, used the Aegis, the Travelers and the Supervisors during their epic Year Five run. They reveal the Aegis, who remained unseen, was harsh and demanding bosses. While they remain a mystery, it is known the Aegis abducts species from across the galaxy. The Aegis then uses them as pawns in their plans, dispatching them throughout the galaxy. The Aegis also performed genetic experiments on their agents. Star Trek: Year Five showed Gary Seven's origin: he was living a normal life until his overlords summoned him. Subjecting him to a battery of experiments, they then send Seven to Earth.
Although Seven was portrayed as a good guy in "Assignment: Earth," Star Trek: Year Five repurposed him, and his bosses, as villains. Seven actively tries to sabotage the final days of Kirk's mission, but he ultimately rebels against the Aegis. The series ends with Doctor McCoy attempting to undo the genetic conditioning the Aegis performed on Seven. Lanzing and Kelly took a far more dim view of the Aegis, one that may not at first gel with their portrayal on-screen. However, so much about the Aegis, the Travlers and the Supervisors remains unknown.
Has Kore Soong Become a New Star Trek Villain?
Or Will She Join Gary Seven in Rebelling Against Her Overlords?
Kore Soong is just the messenger, but the one she brings to Sisko is a grave one. She does not define what “being unmade” means, but it does not sound pleasant. The Travelers, with their command over space and time, are capable of unmaking someone. With such power at their disposal, there is a risk they could lose their empathy and see themselves as "above" other groups. Whether Kore has internalized this remains to be seen, but if she has, the Soong legacy of evil will stretch on. In Picard’s season finale, Kore leaves to embark on a great adventure, but as seen in this issue, it has stripped her of her humanity.
