If Leonard Nimoy was still alive today and able and wanting to work, would the show be different?

[Unimatrix Q]

Would the writers have let Spock somehow return from the Kelvinverse or would there have been a bigger retcon, e.g that the destruction of Romulus didn't happen in the prime timeline at all or could there have been other changes?

Just wondering how different the show might have become?

A possibility i see is that instead of the supernova, the producers may have worked out a similar setting compared to the alternate future in "All Good Things", where the Klingons conquered Romulus with the Federation making some halfhearted efforts to help the Romulans without stepping on the toes of the Klingons.

 

[Yistaan]

Nimoy was never the workaholic that, say, Shatner is (which they've discussed in documentaries together back when they were still friends). I just don't see Nimoy asking to be part of Picard, and he'd be very aware that any appearance by Spock would overshadow Picard on Patrick's own show. And he'd only appear on Picard if CBS asked him to and the showrunners had a strong Spock role in the script. If it was a role that any other character could do, Nimoy would decline and Spock wouldn't show up (and Nimoy mentioned this as part of why he declined Generations).

 

[Lord Garth]

I think that if Leonard Nimoy lived, they would've found a way to work in him into Picard somehow, via flashback. It would have to be something that he'd deem relevant and not just a walk-on cameo, but I have faith that Michael Chabon would've been able to pull it off. He made lemonade (Picard) out of the lemons he was left with (latter-day Berman Trek). If he could do that, he can do anything.

 

[F. King Daniel]

If Nimoy had lived, we probably would have gotten Star Trek Into Oblivion or some version of it instead of Star Trek Beyond. And if the third movie had been more successful who knows what direction the series' would take.

Spock had zero interest in returning to the Prime universe. He felt responsible for what transpired and dedicated himself to helping the surviving Vulcans. Him coming back would have been cheap as fuck, and left me feeling as disappointed as when the XB's were left and forgotten at the end of Picard when Seven's place was clearly to stay and lead them.

 

[Dukhat]

I would think that if anything, Nimoy would have been on DSC or SNW, not PIC, since Burnham is his foster sister, and Ethan Peck is his younger version. He really had nothing to do with Picard other than ‘Unification.’

 

[Ronald Held]

Without a string role and reason to be there, I doubt he would be on Picard or DSC.

 

[Yistaan]

I would think that if anything, Nimoy would have been on DSC or SNW, not PIC, since Burnham is his foster sister, and Ethan Peck is his younger version. He really had nothing to do with Picard other than ‘Unification.’

Spock would likely be helping the Romulan refugees in Picard if he somehow traveled home from the Kelvin Timeline. At most I can see for his role would be being with the refugees in Vashti, and possibly Elnor being rewritten to be Spock's adopted Romulan son (assuming Spock returned at the exact moment he left in the Prime Timeline to add room to raise him).

Elnor himself is in some ways an evolution of the D'Tan character from Unification. I wonder if they couldn't have just made him D'Tan, but aside from likely royalty fees then needed for Unification writers (why Locarno was changed into Paris and T'Pau into T'Pol I believe), D'Tan would be at least mid 30s by Picard, far older than the Elnor character is written as.

If Nimoy had lived, we probably would have gotten Star Trek Into Oblivion or some version of it instead of Star Trek Beyond. And if the third movie had been more successful who knows what direction the series' would take.

Spock had zero interest in returning to the Prime universe. He felt responsible for what transpired and dedicated himself to helping the surviving Vulcans.

Spock also has an obligation to the Romulans he feels responsible for in the Prime Timeline too. Plus, he's a long time political figure in Romulan society whereas he's basically a stranger from the future among the Kelvin Timeline Vulcan refugees.

And as for his usefulness in rebuilding New Vulcan in the Kelvin Timeline, it's hard to see how him leaving would make much difference. Any significant help he could give hinges on him providing and using future information, and Star Trek Into Darkness revealed he vowed never to tell anyone about the future advances and events of the Prime Timeline. By putting those limits on himself, it's hard to see how he'd offer any significant help that another Vulcan refugee couldn't already do.

In fact, despite their stoic demeanor, I'd bet a bunch of latinum that the Kelvin Timeline Vulcan refugees are completely infuriated that Spock Prime won't share his future knowledge, and they may very well tell him to either tell what he knows about the future (even if it's not technically their future per se) or get lost (the non-canon but licensed IDW comics also show that Spock Prime wasn't exactly super popular with the Vulcan refugees in the Kelvin timeline).

 

[Arpy]

If Picard was going to be “ass deep in Romulans” for the rest of his life, then, yeah, he’d have dealings with Spock, if Spock didn’t die in the supernova.

That is, if Spock ever made it back from the Kelvinverse, or some other Spock (Zachary Quinto?) came to ours.

It would be interesting if the Reunificationists were a strong force during all this, allied but separate from the Absolute Candor Romulans. Maybe some are from old imperial families while others are radical youth.

Maybe some factions have more Reunificationists than others — the Tal Shiar controlled faction we saw in PIC having fewer than its neighboring faction, the “Romulan Star Republic.” I dunno — it’s just more to play with.

 

[Yistaan]

If Picard was going to be “ass deep in Romulans” for the rest of his life, then, yeah, he’d have dealings with Spock, if Spock didn’t die in the supernova.

I don't think the question is if Picard would have dealings with Spock. Of course he would in regards to the supernova. I think the question would be whether those instances would have been important enough to warrant an actual Spock appearance on the show. At the time the show is set, the supernova had already happened over a decade ago. Picard was hiding in a vineyard. Spock, if he had somehow returned to the Prime Timeline, I speculated would be helping Romulan refugees on a world like Vashti.

However, Picard's motivation in the show was not to help the refugees, but try to save Soji and her fellow synths. The stopover at Vashti was more a side thing. And Spock doesn't seem to be relevant to the synth storyline at all.

 

[fireproof78]

it's hard to see how he'd offer any significant help that another Vulcan refugee couldn't already do.

Well, for starters, he could take a job that a younger Vulcan would normally do allowing for them to repopulate the species. He also could offer knowledge from a technological point of view to sustain ongoing rebuilding efforts. Finally, he could not share future knowledge but could guide around known threats.

Not saying his return to the Prime Universe couldn't be helpful but that Spock would have motivation to stay.

 

[Ronald Held]

Why would Spock choose to return to the PU versus helping rebuild the Vulcan civilization in the JJverse?

 

[Yistaan]

Why would Spock choose to return to the PU versus helping rebuild the Vulcan civilization in the JJverse?

I had a whole post covering just this topic like 4 posts up.

 

[Arpy]

I don't think the question is if Picard would have dealings with Spock. Of course he would in regards to the supernova. I think the question would be whether those instances would have been important enough to warrant an actual Spock appearance on the show. At the time the show is set, the supernova had already happened over a decade ago. Picard was hiding in a vineyard. Spock, if he had somehow returned to the Prime Timeline, I speculated would be helping Romulan refugees on a world like Vashti.

However, Picard's motivation in the show was not to help the refugees, but try to save Soji and her fellow synths. The stopover at Vashti was more a side thing. And Spock doesn't seem to be relevant to the synth storyline at all.

There wasn’t a reason for Hugh to be director of the reclamation initiative or for Seven to be in the rangers. They could have found a way for Spock to be helpful, or, indeed, crucial to the Romulan aspect of the story.

Maybe it’s he who gets them access to the Artifact, not Raffi’s long lost captain friend.

Maybe there’s a whole subplot about an ongoing Romulan civil war that’s made the whole region unstable and the Romulan problem even worse, and he’s part of that somehow....maybe Reunification would mean increased Federation involvement, aid, and an end to chaos.

 

[Arpy]

Why would Spock choose to return to the PU versus helping rebuild the Vulcan civilization in the JJverse?

Because the locals have it under control with the full help of the Federation? Because his alternate universe quantum matrix is unstable in the JJverse? Because another adventure lead him back? Because of the same reason that Worf was in the TNG movies instead of ambassadoring on Qo’noS?

 

[Yistaan]

There wasn’t a reason for Hugh to be director of the reclamation initiative or for Seven to be in the rangers. They could have found a way for Spock to be helpful, or, indeed, crucial to the Romulan aspect of the story.

Maybe it’s he who gets them access to the Artifact, not Raffi’s long lost captain friend.

Maybe there’s a whole subplot about an ongoing Romulan civil war that’s made the whole region unstable and the Romulan problem even worse, and he’s part of that somehow....maybe Reunification would mean increased Federation involvement, aid, and an end to chaos.

Well considering how underdeveloped Commodore Oh was (and where's she going to go now that everyone knows she destroyed the evacuation fleet for Romulus? Turning herself to the Federation probably would be more merciful for her), I can see her and Spock having some sort of history.

 

[fireproof78]

Why would Spock choose to return to the PU versus helping rebuild the Vulcan civilization in the JJverse?

Fan service.

 

[Coops]

Had he been around, I think there may have been a concerted effort to shoe-horn Nimoy into Discovery to explain Burnhams connection to Spock. I'd like to think at the first meeting Nimoy would have told the producers "You know what, this character, these stories, this show, doesn't actually need to be tied into Spock, you don't need me."

 

[Yistaan]

Had he been around, I think there may have been a concerted effort to shoe-horn Nimoy into Discovery to explain Burnhams connection to Spock. I'd like to think at the first meeting Nimoy would have told the producers "You know what, this character, these stories, this show, doesn't actually need to be tied into Spock, you don't need me."

Technically, they don't need "old Spock", so Nimoy would be right that they don't need him. But if CBS was bent on connecting Discovery to Spock, they're well within their rights to do so anyway regardless of what Nimoy's opinion was. They'd just get a new actor to be young Spock to appear with Burnham, which is what they ended up doing.

 

[Coops]

Obviously it goes without saying the producers can do what they want with their show but, compared to how smoothly Picard connects to it's history, the Spock stuff with Discovery feels a bit tagged on and unnecessary. And I'm a big fan of Discovery, loved it all (Doug Jones - what a revelation as an actor not just a mass of prosthetics) but Picard feels more natural to me.

 

[Khan 2.0]

maybe IDW could do a comic where Spock faked his death in Kelvinverse (bc of Cronenbergs explanation in Disco) to return to the Primeverse ..he meets Picards golem and is like 'yes as you know the same happened to me, sorta' - Star Trek Countdown 2: This Time Its Canon