Jay Karnes in Season 2 - was anyone else thinking about a Voyager connection?

[GotNoRice]

When Jay Karnes showed up as an FBI agent in Season 2, did anyone else automatically assume that this was the start of a connection to Voyager?

For those who don't recall, he played Lieutenant Ducane in the Voyager Episode Relativity where he was a senior officer aboard a 29th century time-ship and the mission of that ship was to investigate and correct disturbances in the timeline. He eventually took command of that ship at the end of that episode.

In terms of Picard Season 2, this would have meshed perfectly with everything that was going on, as obviously there were some pretty significant timeline disturbances going on... I thought for sure that the whole FBI agent thing was just a ruse and that he was going to eventually reveal his true identity (as Ducane). In the end, there was no connection, but I can't imagine I was the only one who was thinking about that.

Of course establishing that connection would have required inserting actual Sci-Fi elements into the plot, whereas Picard is a show that is 99% about personal tragedy, but oh well.

 

[Tuskin38]

Several people were.

Terry Matalas worked with him before on 12 Monkeys, that's probably the connection.

 

[The Wormhole]

For those who don't recall, he played Lieutenant Ducane in the Voyager Episode Relativity where he was a senior officer aboard a 29th century time-ship and the mission of that ship was to investigate and correct disturbances in the timeline. He eventually took command of that ship at the end of that episode.

Really? I certainly never realized that. That totally feels like something everyone on this forum would be spinning their wheels about ever since the first trailers were released showing Jay Karnes in them.

Yes, that was sarcasm. Everyone around here thought he was Ducane for some reason. It's like they all forgot actors do get reused for different, completely unrelated characters or something.

 

[fireproof78]

It's like they all forgot actors do get reused for different, completely unrelated characters or something.

Especially in Star Trek.

 

[The Wormhole]

Especially in Star Trek.

Indeed. All the various unrelated characters that such actors as Jeffrey Combs, Vaughn Armstrong, Marc Alaimo, JG Hertzler and others have played throughout the franchise and no one questions a thing. Jay Karnes shows up and everyone's all "They're bringing Ducane back!!!!"

My word, people really do apply different standards to these new shows than they did the old ones, don't they?

 

[NCC-73515]

yes, it is of course totally unreasonable to assume that a timeline repairman would show up in a messed up timeline season. how stupid of us.

 

[Mage]

It's like they all forgot actors do get reused for different, completely unrelated characters or something.

Ofcourse, it happens all the time. But when an actor that only had one part in Star Trek before, as a TimeCop, shows up during the trailer of a story involving time travel, and his scene is him interrogating a time traveller.....Ofcourse people were going to make that conclussion.

 

[The Wormhole]

And yet, I thought all along he was just a reused actor, and as it turned out, I was right. As it is, an FBI agent is a lot closer to the kind of roles Jay Karnes is typecast as these days (indeed, his most recent role before Picard was in the series FBI Most Wanted) which IMO made it even less likely he was playing a one-shot character from over twenty years ago which fandom had forgotten until the Picard trailers showed Karnes in them, but hey, what do I know? I'm just the guy who correctly predicted Ducane was not returning.

 

[Tuskin38]

yes, it is of course totally unreasonable to assume that a timeline repairman would show up in a messed up timeline season. how stupid of us.

Where were they in 90% of all other Time Travel stories in Star Trek?

 

[Dukhat]

Instead of talking about the idea that Karnes was playing a one-off character from VOY that hardly anyone watching PIC other than die-hard Trek fans would even know about, we should be talking about the fact that his character in PIC was completely irrelevant to the plot and only served to waste an entire episode of a ten-episode season.

So other than the guy being a buddy of Matalas in real life, what exactly did the character of Agent Wells do that had any importance to the overall story? He met Vulcans as a kid and has been traumatized by the experience ever since, to the point where he became an FBI agent trying to root out what he thinks is crazy stuff caused by ‘aliens’ like that History Channel guy with the ‘I’m not saying it’s aliens, but I’m saying it’s aliens’ meme? And even after Picard explains what happened to him and asks for his help (which would at least serve to give the guy something to do with the plot of the season) he gets fired from his job, becomes no help at all, and we never see or hear from him again. So what was the point of having him in the show at all, other than to give Karnes an acting job for a day?

 

[Mr. Patient]

So what was the point of having him in the show at all, other than to give Karnes an acting job for a day?

I think his role was primarily emblematic of one of the themes of the season, which is that monsters are not necessarily monsters, and that with a little perspective we might understand and appreciate their motives.

 

[fireproof78]

I think his role was primarily emblematic of one of the themes of the season, which is that monsters are not necessarily monsters, and that with a little perspective we might understand and appreciate their motives.

Does exactly what the point was.

And reflective of what Picard would eventually do.

 

[Dukhat]

Does exactly what the point was.

And reflective of what Picard would eventually do.

Except it wasn’t at all necessary to move the plot forward. And the idea that ‘monsters are not necessarily monsters,’ while apt, didn’t need an entire episode of an already short season just to make that point.

 

[fireproof78]

Except it wasn’t at all necessary to move the plot forward. And the idea that ‘monsters are not necessarily monsters,’ while apt, didn’t need an entire episode of an already short season just to make that point.

True enough.

 

[NCC-73515]

Where were they in 90% of all other Time Travel stories in Star Trek?

not in any of their trailers?

 

[Lord Garth]

I must say I didn't recognize the actor as the guy who played Ducane, only because over two decades had passed. I didn't realize it until I saw it pointed out on TrekBBS. Then I was wondering if there would be a VOY Connection to "Relativity". But I wouldn't have it if I didn't post here Then it turned out to be an ENT Connection to "Carbon Creek" instead. And I wouldn't have even known about or remembered "Carbon Creek" either if not for TrekBBS persuading me to binge ENT two years ago.

Moral of the Story? Thanks TrekBBS.

 

[wayoung]

And yet, I thought all along he was just a reused actor, and as it turned out, I was right. As it is, an FBI agent is a lot closer to the kind of roles Jay Karnes is typecast as these days (indeed, his most recent role before Picard was in the series FBI Most Wanted)

Ever since The Shield he's been typecast as a Detective/FBI Agent.

I still think Dutch should have got a spin off.

 

[dupersuper]

Many were, but that's not the way they went. Though you could always assume he was the time agent's ancestor, as identical ancestors are common in this show.