One Star Trek: Picard character's death prevents a story involving Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) that would have been perfect for Star Trek: Legacy. Picking up about 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, Picard not only reintroduced Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) but also Star Trek: Voyager's Seven of Nine. After the USS Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant, Seven applied to join Starfleet Academy but was rejected due to her past as a Borg. Sometime after this rejection, Seven joined the Fenris Rangers, a peacekeeping force operating along the Romulan Neutral Zone.
Seven of Nine was not the only former Borg drone among the USS Voyager's crew. In Star Trek: Voyager season 6, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew rescued four teenage Borg drones, one of whom was named Icheb (Manu Intiraymi). Seven became a mentor to Icheb and the others, helping them adjust to their new lives. Icheb soon proved to be incredibly intelligent, developing a particular interest in astrophysics, leading him to join Starfleet after Voyager returned to Earth. A flashback in Star Trek: Picard season 1 revealed that Icheb (Casey King) tragically lost his life after a criminal broker in Borg parts forcibly removed his Borg implants.
Icheb Would Have Been An Excellent Addition To Star Trek: Legacy
Seven Of Nine & Icheb's Story Should Have Continued
After the conclusion of Star Trek: Picard season 3, fans began clamoring for a spin-off following Captain Seven of Nine and the USS Enterprise-G. Despite enthusiasm from crew members and fans alike for the project dubbed Star Trek: Legacy, Paramount+ is focusing on other Star Trek projects. Picard's ending set up Captain Seven of Nine leading the USS Enterprise-G, with Seven as the lead of Star Trek: Legacy. Icheb would have been a great addition to Seven's story, but his death in Picard season 1 prevents his return.
With his tragic backstory and history as a Borg, Icheb became a compelling addition to Voyager's crew. Still, he was a teenager whose childhood was taken from him, so he got into a fair amount of mischief. Icheb had been through so much, it would have been nice to see him succeed as an adult. Icheb would have been the perfect candidate to join the crew of Seven's Enterprise as a bridge officer. Seven had come to view Icheb as something close to a son, and Star Trek: Legacy could have continued to explore their fascinating dynamic.
Why Icheb's Star Trek: Picard Death Was Controversial
Icheb's Death Was Unnecessarily Gruesome & Cruel
Star Trek: Picard season 1, episode 5, "Stardust City Rag," flashes back to 2386, revealing pieces of Seven's life from her time with the Fenris Rangers. In this flashback, Seven finds Icheb, barely conscious and in immense pain. Knowing his injuries are too severe and that he cannot survive without his Borg implants, Seven is forced to kill Icheb to end his suffering. Not only was Icheb's death particularly graphic, but having Seven be the one to kill him felt unnecessarily cruel. It also falls into the trope of bringing back a character only to immediately kill them off.
In the present day of Star Trek: Picard season 1, Seven avenges Icheb by killing Bjayzl (Necar Zadegan), the criminal broker responsible for his gruesome death. While Icheb's death clearly had a profound effect on Seven, it's never brought up again after Picard season 1. Picard could easily have given Seven another reason to be seeking revenge, without including Icheb. Icheb's death was controversial not only because the character was brought back only to be killed, but also because of the brutal nature of his death, as well as Seven's involvement.
Icheb's Original Actor Likely Won't Return, But The Role Could Have Been Recast
Although there was no official explanation for why Star Trek: Picard recast Icheb for his controversial death scene, it could have something to do with Manu Intiraymi's social media posts. Intiraymi has been called out for insensitive and even racist tweets in the past. In 2017, Intiraymi tweeted about Star Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp and Kevin Spacey, downplaying Rapp's abuse allegations and praising Spacey's response. Intiraymi immediately received backlash from Twitter users and Star Trek fans but continued to double down.
It's unfortunate Icheb was killed off.
Manu Intiraymi has since apologized, but some believe he was not asked to return to play Icheb in part because of his past tweets. Either way, it seems unlikely Intiraymi will return to Star Trek, but that doesn't mean Casey King or another actor could not have portrayed Icheb. It's unfortunate Icheb was killed off, as he would have made an excellent addition to Star Trek: Legacy. Still, Star Trek characters have been known to return from the dead on occasion. Although Icheb's death in Star Trek: Picard season 1 seemed definitive, anything is possible.
