Summary
Star Trek: Picardseason 1 star Peyton List shared a storyline that was supposed to be similar to that of HBO’sGame of Thrones.However, the production didn’t push through the “creepy and sexy” story arc.
List played Colonel Narissa, who also doubled as Starfleet Lieutenant Rizzo inStar Trek:PicardSeason 1. She was a member of the Zhat Vash, a fanatical sect of the Romulan Tal Shiar secret police that abhors all forms of artificial life. Narissa killed thousands of Borg drones and murdered Soji’s twin sister, Dahj (Isa Briones).Seven (Jeri Ryan) fought and defeated Narissaaboard the Borg Cube, which led to the latter’s death in the first season. Recounting her stint onPicard, List shared a storyline that didn’t make it onto the screen.
List appeared on theThe D-Con Chamberpodcast and discussed her role inStar Trek: Picard.While she was remembered as the Romulan killer, the producers were reportedly considering exploringa Game of Thrones-like incestuous relationship between her character, Narissa, and her brother, Narek (Harry Treadaway). The relationship was supposed to be similar to that ofJaime Lannister(Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and List knew about it when she auditioned for the role. She said, “When I was auditioning, when I was cast, they were hinting at a sort ofGame of Thronesbrother and sister thing. And then we get to shooting, and they’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t really know if we’re doing this,’ and [Harry Treadaway] and I were like, ‘So, do we play it? Do we not play it? What do we do?’ They’re like, ‘Somewhere in the middle… Because we might and we might not.’ What does that mean? What are we supposed to do? So we sort of were playing it in the beginning, and then they pulled way, way, away from it. So now it kind of looks like, ‘What is up with those actors?'”
Host Dominic Keating asked what the producers or writers were afraid of because they didn’t air the said plot. Keating believed it would have worked well. Keating said it was “creepy and sexy at the same time.” List agreed with Keating but said they just got on with what was presented to them “Because it’s something rather than nothing.” She added that the producers didn’t have a clear vision of what they really wanted for the Romulan siblings. So, they worked on the story on the fly and played down what could have been an intriguing relationship between Narissa and Narek. Instead, they focused on making Narek a bad boyfriend to Soji and highlighted their twisted and abusive relationship. Akiva Goldsman, a producer, director and writer forStar Trek: Picard, also confirmed that there was a romantic streak script for Narek and Narissa. He even admitted that he found it good, but didn’t explain why they didn’t pursue the idea.
Goldsmansaid:
As you can probably see, originally, they were written to be brother, sister… and lovers. And there’s still some color of that. I probably was, not shockingly, the one who really thought that was a good idea. I’m an only child, so it was easy! But you can still feel that between them. And she’s amazing. He’s amazing. And they’re fun together.
Keating and List were right about Narek and Narissa’s incestuous relationship being downplayed. The said story arc was intriguing and it could have garnered traction. The audience felt thesexual tension between the siblings, with a number saying they were expecting the pair to make out during their tense scenes. Even if the original plot was scrapped, the chemistry between List and Treadaway was so strong that the viewers were only waiting for them to show signs that they were more than just siblings. Apparently, it didn’t happen and their story ended in Season 1 after Narissa died. Narek has a more open-ended storyline. He survived but was put under the custody of United Federation of Planets officials on Coppelius.Star Trek: Picardaired its third and final season in 2023.
