Star Trek fans have arguably never had it better, at least in terms of the sheer quantity of boldly-going available for their viewing pleasure. It’s hard to keep up with the various spin-offs and series airing or in production, and right now the second season of Star Trek: Picard is streaming worldwide.
Following the release of episode two—‘Penance’—last week, showrunner Terry Matalas revealed a startling trivia tidbit about the titular Starfleet icon via Twittera horrid truth that will strike terror into the hearts of many a Nintendo fan: Picard not only murdered Super Mario’s trusty dinosaur steed Yoshi, but also has his skull displayed for all to see in a macabre gallery of his defeated enemies. Blimey!
Okay, some context. Season 2 of Picard sees the erstwhile Captain transported to a dark alternate timeline courtesy of his old friend Q where he is no longer Admiral Picard, celebrated galactic explorer, speechmaker and Earl Grey connoisseur, but General Picard, fearsome, despotic xenophobe and destroyer of entire races.
It’s this Picard from the dark timeline that keeps trophy skulls gruesomely displayed in his chateau, one of which was revealed to be a Saurian named ‘Y’shi’, as seen on the plaque in Matalas’ on-set photo:
As you can see, the showrunner makes very clear the inspiration for this poor soul in Picard’s bony collection. And while the name isn’t a spot-on match, we should remember that Yoshi has gone by multiple monikers. T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas, for example.
And if you’re wondering, a Saurian is a reptile-like species in the Star Trek universe, famous for their big eyes and brandy.
So yes, turns out there’s a universe where Jean-Luc Picard killed Yoshi (sorry, Y’shi
Feel free to share your thoughts on this startling revelation in the comments. Also, tell us how many lights there are.