Star Trek: Picard featured a magnificent performance from Amanda Plummer as the Changeling Vadic, following in the footsteps of her father Christopher Plummer's legendary performance as General Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Christopher Plummer was one of the most celebrated film actors of the 20th century, and he was arguably the most high profile actor to take on the role of a Star Trek villain when he played the treacherous Klingon Chang. His Shakespeare-loving conspirator remains one of the very best Star Trek villains of all time.
While not an A-list movie star like her father, Amanda Plummer has also enjoyed a varied, critically acclaimed career, notably starring in classic films like Pulp Fiction and The Fisher King. As Vadic, she's been idiosyncratic and aloof, smoking cigarettes and giggling as her ship, the Shrike, takes fire. Her performance in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 7 "Dominion" puts her squarely in the ranks of the all-time great Star Trek villains, right alongside her father.
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Star Trek: Picard season 3's cast includes several new characters and the return of some of the biggest names and iconic characters in Star Trek.
How Christopher Plummer's Chang Compares To Amanda Plummer's Vadic
The Pair Couldn't Be More Different
While Chang and Vadic are both great Star Trek villains, they couldn't be much more different as characters. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the final film to feature the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series, General Chang was a decidedly different kind of Klingon, eloquent and even sort of charming in his own way. His verbal volleys with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) early in the film perfectly set up their final lethal battle. He was a worthy villain for the TOS crew to go out on.
Vadic features none of Chang's charms. As she pursues Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) for reasons that remain unclear, her eccentricities are on full display. The rage that fuels her has driven her to the brink of madness, and Vadic's Changeling discomfort in keeping the form of the "solids" she so hates is readily apparent. She's a volatile, unpredictable antagonist, perhaps the most chaotic Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has ever faced.
Vadic Could Be One Of The Great Star Trek Villains
The Antagonist Was One Of Picard's Greatest Additions To The Star Trek Canon
The pantheon of great Star Trek villains is robust, with characters like Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) and Q (John de Lancie) eventually becoming part of pop culture canon. Vadic may not be able to reach quite that level of notoriety, but she remains a fascinating character, arguably the strongest antagonist since Star Trek returned to television in 2017. Landing someone of Plummer's talent was a coup for the show, as she's loaded a massive amount of intrigue into a character that could have been a severe misfire in the wrong hands.
Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 7 "Dominion" revealed Vadic's horrifying backstory, a victim of horrendous war crimes at the hands of the Federation during the Dominion War. Tying her origins to arguably the Federation's darkest, most amoral era is a strong choice, perhaps finally forcing the Federation to grapple with its awful, desperate acts late in the war. It makes Vadic an important piece of Star Trek: Picard, but also the wider Star Trek mythos.
How Vadic's Story Ended In Picard
The Villain Came Scarily Close To Succeeding
Vadic's origin story and master plans were revealed in "Dominion", but the rest of Picard season 3 didn't go well for the new fan-favorite antagonist. Picard's attempt to trap Vadic failed, and she and her crew manages to take over the Titan. She promptly began executing the Titan's crew, including Lieutenant T'Veen. Thanks to some quick-thinking and smart use of a personal force field by Jack Crusher, however, Tavic's plans are quickly thrown into chaos.
A team that included Worf, Riker, and Deanna Troi were able to retake the Titan, and when Picard realized Jack and Seven of Nine were safe thanks to Jack's quick thinking, he jettisoned Vadic into space along with the rest of her crew. Vadic froze in the vacuum and was shattered when she crashed into the Shrike's deflector shield.
However, Vadic's death wasn't the end of her impact on the world of Star Trek: Picard. It became clear that Vadic had been working with the Borg, and was an integral part of their goal to assimilate the entirety of the Federation. Vadic had been secretly spreading Picard's Borg-tained DNA through Starfleet's systems, which gave the cyborg menace the opportunity it needed. Fortunately, Admiral Crusher was able to ultimately defeat the Borg and identify all of the Changeling Infiltrators Vadic had created. Still, the plans of the Borg in Star Trek: Picard came incredibly close to succeeding, and it's thanks in no small part to Vadic that Starfleet was almost defeated.
Star Trek: Picard - Season 3
- Season Number
- 3
- Series
- Star Trek: Picard
