Looks like at least in one timeline Seven is now captain of La Sirena, now used in her fight as a Fenris Ranger. Which falls prey to pirates... Although she apparently deactivated all the Rios EHs, except for Emmet! Not sure if "her" La Sirena also gets a new exterior color scheme?
I'm still in the belief that everything seen during the first segment of The Ready Room is the original timeline, before whatever happens changes it.
I too think that Q is showing up to prevent Picard dying in the self-destruct sequence - and that is when the alt-timeline takes place. The confusing part is why the Borg/Borg Queen is onboard the ship. Could be related to Seven and the La Sirena. I assumed them finding the Queen was how they travel back in time to fix what Q wants them to, in the past.
That would have been my assumption, too. And it sounds like Sirena going to Seven is part of the normal present, no time travel or other meddling. But then again, they've done massive misdirections before, when Isa Briones spent the run-up of season 1 only ever talking about playing Dahj and never Soji, so the twin reveal would be a surprise... But yeah, my main assumption is that Seven taking over La Sirena (at least for now) is meant to be the normal timeline and universe at the start of the season. Though I do hope she didn't permanently deactivate the other holos. That would feel very out of character for someone who spent years being friends with Voyager's EMH and thus knows that Emergency Holograms have a potential to become sentient when run a lot (which I would still argue seems to be the case for Rios's EH's). Seven's whole life story is gaining individuality and independence and self-determination - proving you are more than some centrally controlled artificial intelligence. In my opinion, she should have more respect for the holos than wiping them from the system because they "annoy her". But we'll see if they'll actually elaborate on that, or if it was just something Jeri Ryan said. (And if she means she deactivated them permanently, or they're just not around in that moment.)
Seven is a soldier. She is nothing if not practical. If they're causing trouble, she probably would've been happy just to get them out of her hair for the moment.
I really hope the Federation got to work fixing that flaw about 30 seconds after the EMH made contact in Message in a Bottle, because the idea that they're allowing anyone with a ship to create their own sapient slaves belongs more in Black Mirror than in Star Trek.
Don't count on it. In the two minutes it took you to write that. you already put more thought into "character" motive over plot necessity, than this creative staff have done in years. As you indicate she would most definitely have empathy before switching any of them offline, especially for the Dr. EMH Emil who would have invoked a familiar EMH for her. But yeah, they are probably just temporarily disengaged. Except the one she found most useful (and probably Cabreras had the most fun playing. And was the most fun to play off her. El placer es mio! \
I'm still pissed they never added the swashbuckling Emergency Armed-Security Hologram - "Aramis" Well could the Confederacy of Rios' "crew" run their own ship, ...and lives? (and should they have a right to)? That's what makes it interesting. It would be bizarre and yes in a "Black Mirror"ish way, if they all got to take the ship over, and re-named it La Araña' Cósmica (The Cosmic Spider.) What bizarre cosmic and existential adventures would this crew get into? I'd almost love to see it explored. The continuing Adventures of the Cosmic Spider. Although for their hypothetical adventure, I'd keep the ship's frankenstrat web design, although maybe make it darkish blue for a more cosmic feel. (*fyi ^ pulsars so called Cosmic Spider phenomena )
I'd assume they'd have the ability to run a ship, in the same way a self-driving car can drive a car. But on the scale of self-determination I'd hope they were closer to a calculator than to a Dr Soji Asha. If there's even a question of whether they have lives to live, they're too sophisticated.
And that's where the interesting stories lie If there is a possibility that the holograms become sentient (which we know there is), how would the prevention mechanisms be legislated and iplemented? If you have someone like Rios, who runs a ship designed to have a crew of four to six on his own (and often has trouble with PTSD, alcohol, and other self-destructive behaviour that might make him less than functional for a while), he probably relies on his holo-helpers to a more than usual degree (because he cannot deal with the thought of having a real crew on board). We know Rios is off the books and not super concerned with the letter of the law, so would he interfere with these prevention mechanisms to make the holos more efficient? I can totally see Rios not giving a damn about regulations, but he is not going to have the EEH pester him with questions every ten minutes. He has access to all of the Federation's engineering knowledge, he can figure it out by his own damn self. So I wouldn't be surprised if he messed with their protocols a bit (if those protocols did exist) and over years and years of helping out around the ship, the holos developed some degree of sentience. Not to mention what being a self-scan based on someone as deeply traumatized as Rios might do to a hologram, in addition to the alterations he undertook shortly after their activation...
In what starts as the prime time-line, after Seven joins the Stargazer at the anomaly, Rios says - What the hell have you done to my ship? Seven - Correction my ship. Rios - Look after her I said. So the assumption from him seems like it was a lone. Next time we Seven she's already on board the Stargazer, did she transported, and La Sirena ^ is just drifting along side (see above?)^ Or does La Sirena docs on-board the Stargazer? They show Picard's shuttle docking. However as she meets Picard in the Docking Bay, as far as I can tell they didn't show La Sirena docked.
E1 Stargazer was epic, but going forward(or backward?) the crew is back on the motley hero ship- S2 E2 trailer La Sirena shots Queen on board...
We've never seen them do that before, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have ;9 The show's VFX Supervisor said on twitter his assumption had been those outermost engines were the warp nacelles (which would perhaps explain why they move, since some designers try to adhere to the Rodenberry edict that nacelles must have line of sight), but then he said he's going to stick with the originally intended design beta canon after all. I.e. the idea that the large wings are the warp nacelles and the small pods at the side are the main impulse engines. I love that they can move now, though. They always looked like they could, and now we have confirmation
There's Season 1 concept art showing that they can move. They fold out of the way so the ship can land.
If you're thinking of the same image I'm thinking of, the engines are actually in the same position relative to the rest of the wings, it's just that the rest of the wings is straight across the top rather than angled down as it is in the final design. (I don't have my laptop with the images right now, will have to add tomorrow.) Although you're right that it's entirely possible the original concept intended for the outer engines to be able to move and fold up or down, it just never got translated to screen.