Let's speculate on the deep, dark secret

[Midquest]

To me, the biggest mark against theories involving time travel, Borg origins, and similar is that everything about this series seems to reject the more magical elements of the world in favor of the more granular and grounded. That interest in the more technical details of world-building is part of what I love about Picard so far. It's also hard for me to imagine Stewart being interested in the more timey-wimey parts of the franchise.

Then again, it's hard for me to imagine what could be so earth-shattering that isn't something universe upending.

 

[Dale Sams]

To me, the biggest mark against theories involving time travel, Borg origins, and similar is that everything about this series seems to reject the more magical elements of the world in favor of the more granular and grounded. That interest in the more technical details of world-building is part of what I love about Picard so far. It's also hard for me to imagine Stewart being interested in the more timey-wimey parts of the franchise.

Then again, it's hard for me to imagine what could be so earth-shattering that isn't something universe upending.

I'm telling you those dumb time crystals are going to play a part.

 

[FederationHistorian]

Here’s my crazy theory:

Spoiler

It was the Romulans that created the Vulcans for numerous reasons (ranging from military uses to cheap labour to procreation to creating men and women that would act and behave logically in all aspects of life). And they were initially based off of the ridge-less Romulans, who were originally pacifists on Vulcan. However, the Vulcans started warring with one another, to the point that Romulans abandoned Vulcan.

Since then, there has been an interest in reunification, mainly because the Vulcans are a threat to the galaxy as they are designed to engage in violent and apocalyptic warfare, and there is a desire to get them under control before its too late. It also explains their dislike of humans, and why they’re still humiliated by their defeat at the Battle of Charon over 200 years ago later: they lost to the synths they created, and even think, or thought that humans were synths created by the Vulcans. And therefore, naturally become hostile to anyone that allies with humans and Vulcans (i.e. Klingons), as they secretly think of them as synth sympathizers and under their influence. The self-imposed isolation the Romulans tend to go through has really been away to figure out how best to deal with the Vulcans. And the best they have been able to figure out is by deceiving them into accepting reunification.

The interest in the Borg cube is that the Romulans are going to an extreme length in regards to reunification as a last-ditch effort before the Vulcans malfunction, cease embracing logic, and destroy the galaxy. They are essentially learning about assimilation, and how to assimilate the Vulcans into a Romulan created collective, and how to switch off said collective. The Borg as a species are technically dead, due to the events in “Endgame” on VOY; it just took years for the damage to reach all of the collective.

The connection to Maddox is that the way he created Dahj and Soji is how the Romulans created the Vulcans. Meaning the Romulans have always known how to create an android like Data all along for millennia. However, the experience went badly for them (Vulcan rebellion), hence the fear that Data’s daughters will do the same thing again. So they decided to stop Maddox.

The Romulans, despite their long history of deceit and treachery, are actually the heroes of the story.

Also, the Romulans are going to learn by accident that species 001 was the Iconians, and that the Borg and Iconians are actually related to each other.

 

[SolarisOne]

You don't create a super secretive cabal with it's core tenet being a hatred of artificial life without cause or precedence.

Sure you can. It doesn't take something being true for people to be up in arms about it (and even willing to commit acts of terrorism because of it.)

 

[Nerys Myk]

I've presumed up until now that Agnes killed Maddox for his ability create biological androids.

I've also assumed the actions of the Zhat Vash in the present are to prevent a reoccurrence of what happened - or at least came close to happening - thousands of years ago. You don't create a super secretive cabal with it's core tenet being a hatred of artificial life without cause or precedence.

A synth producer once replaced the previous actor in a minor role with a new one and for that the Praetor outlawed all synths.

 

[rfmcdpei]

This theory sounds right.
A promise: If it is right, and if we are ever in the same city, I will buy you a beer.

 

[Makarov]

I think the Romulans invented a new type of grape that produces a superior wine. That explains why Picard is wrapped up in all of this and why Starfleet is keeping him in the dark. The very foundation of the picard chateau is at stake. That explains all the references to wine in the show so far. At the end of his arc he'll realize the true value of his grapes

 

[WarpFactorZ]

Here’s my crazy theory:

Spoiler

It was the Romulans that created the Vulcans for numerous reasons (ranging from military uses to cheap labour to procreation to creating men and women that would act and behave logically in all aspects of life). And they were initially based off of the ridge-less Romulans, who were originally pacifists on Vulcan. However, the Vulcans started warring with one another, to the point that Romulans abandoned Vulcan.

Since then, there has been an interest in reunification, mainly because the Vulcans are a threat to the galaxy as they are designed to engage in violent and apocalyptic warfare, and there is a desire to get them under control before its too late. It also explains their dislike of humans, and why they’re still humiliated by their defeat at the Battle of Charon over 200 years ago later: they lost to the synths they created, and even think, or thought that humans were synths created by the Vulcans. And therefore, naturally become hostile to anyone that allies with humans and Vulcans (i.e. Klingons), as they secretly think of them as synth sympathizers and under their influence. The self-imposed isolation the Romulans tend to go through has really been away to figure out how best to deal with the Vulcans. And the best they have been able to figure out is by deceiving them into accepting reunification.

The interest in the Borg cube is that the Romulans are going to an extreme length in regards to reunification as a last-ditch effort before the Vulcans malfunction, cease embracing logic, and destroy the galaxy. They are essentially learning about assimilation, and how to assimilate the Vulcans into a Romulan created collective, and how to switch off said collective. The Borg as a species are technically dead, due to the events in “Endgame” on VOY; it just took years for the damage to reach all of the collective.

The connection to Maddox is that the way he created Dahj and Soji is how the Romulans created the Vulcans. Meaning the Romulans have always known how to create an android like Data all along for millennia. However, the experience went badly for them (Vulcan rebellion), hence the fear that Data’s daughters will do the same thing again. So they decided to stop Maddox.

The Romulans, despite their long history of deceit and treachery, are actually the heroes of the story.

Also, the Romulans are going to learn by accident that species 001 was the Iconians, and that the Borg and Iconians are actually related to each other.

That's not really a spoiler, since it's your personal theory and has little to do with events in the show. I very much doubt they're going to upend the most iconic race (and hence characters) of all Star Trek and backstory them as androids for shock value.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

Here’s my crazy theory:

Spoiler

It was the Romulans that created the Vulcans for numerous reasons (ranging from military uses to cheap labour to procreation to creating men and women that would act and behave logically in all aspects of life). And they were initially based off of the ridge-less Romulans, who were originally pacifists on Vulcan. However, the Vulcans started warring with one another, to the point that Romulans abandoned Vulcan.

Since then, there has been an interest in reunification, mainly because the Vulcans are a threat to the galaxy as they are designed to engage in violent and apocalyptic warfare, and there is a desire to get them under control before its too late. It also explains their dislike of humans, and why they’re still humiliated by their defeat at the Battle of Charon over 200 years ago later: they lost to the synths they created, and even think, or thought that humans were synths created by the Vulcans. And therefore, naturally become hostile to anyone that allies with humans and Vulcans (i.e. Klingons), as they secretly think of them as synth sympathizers and under their influence. The self-imposed isolation the Romulans tend to go through has really been away to figure out how best to deal with the Vulcans. And the best they have been able to figure out is by deceiving them into accepting reunification.

The interest in the Borg cube is that the Romulans are going to an extreme length in regards to reunification as a last-ditch effort before the Vulcans malfunction, cease embracing logic, and destroy the galaxy. They are essentially learning about assimilation, and how to assimilate the Vulcans into a Romulan created collective, and how to switch off said collective. The Borg as a species are technically dead, due to the events in “Endgame” on VOY; it just took years for the damage to reach all of the collective.

The connection to Maddox is that the way he created Dahj and Soji is how the Romulans created the Vulcans. Meaning the Romulans have always known how to create an android like Data all along for millennia. However, the experience went badly for them (Vulcan rebellion), hence the fear that Data’s daughters will do the same thing again. So they decided to stop Maddox.

The Romulans, despite their long history of deceit and treachery, are actually the heroes of the story.

Also, the Romulans are going to learn by accident that species 001 was the Iconians, and that the Borg and Iconians are actually related to each other.

I love this theory. It's way better to have the Romulans be the original civilization than the other way around, because of Romulus appearing way more as a planet where sentient humanoid life may have developed on than Vulcan.

And i would really appreciate the idea of the Borg being of iconian origin.

 

[Tarek71]

I'm not sure about the Romulans alone being synths being a big thing. Why would anyone in the Federation care particularly about the fact that their long-time enemy and neighbour is of artificial origin? Now, if Vulcans _and_ Romulans were of artificial background, or of mixed natural and artificial background, that could do it.

Neither would cause Jurati to think killing Maddox was warranted. And he would have had nothing to do with that. However, the supernova, and the attack on Mars to destroy the rescue fleet being built to save it's victims being the fault of the synths, and Maddox' role in doing that deliberately might make her think he is some kind of genocidal Hitlerian monster.

Even though the actual culprits are not Maddox.

 

[rfmcdpei]

Neither would cause Jurati to think killing Maddox was warranted. And he would have had nothing to do with that. However, the supernova, and the attack on Mars to destroy the rescue fleet being built to save it's victims being the fault of the synths, and Maddox' role in doing that deliberately might make her think he is some kind of genocidal Hitlerian monster.

Even though the actual culprits are not Maddox.

Maybe? I am not sure that works for me, since Jurati was involved in Maddox's project as well. If what Maddox did was responsible for the two-step genocide of the Romulans, through the supernova and then through the devastation of Mars, Jurati would share in at least some of that responsibility. If she was aware of that, I would have thought she would be more burdened. Her main moments of stress seem to have occurred instead when she was faced with the prospect of Maddox arriving and her needing to kill her. I does not think it quite fits.

It makes most sense to me if Jurati thinks she has to kill Maddox to prevent, or otherwise mitigate, something that he is likely to do in the future, or something that he has done, to interrupt some process that she is complicit in through her past work.

We will find out when the mindmeld with Oh gets revealed, I am sure.

 

[rfmcdpei]

That's not really a spoiler, since it's your personal theory and has little to do with events in the show. I very much doubt they're going to upend the most iconic race (and hence characters) of all Star Trek and backstory them as androids for shock value.

I'm not sure about that. If it turns out that the Vulcans, or the Romulans, or both, are wholly or partly of artificial origin, would this take away from the past we have seen of them? Or would it put a new spin?

 

[Tarek71]

I took something Jurati was "shown" to indicate an event or events in the past. Namely, things the synths he created were involved with. They may establish that at least some Vulcans can see the future, but I doubt that. More likely, Oh was lying to Jurati. It was not "fatal error" in their code, or whatever Picard was told 14 years ago. Someone deliberately hacked them, or slipped a virus into them to cause them to attack on purpose. Commodore Oh may have given Jurati it was the deliberate action of Maddox.

Yes, they worked together, and were romantically involved. So you would think that unless it was something after he left, she might know about it. But she must have missed it either way. What made the synths do this? Either she missed the error that Starfleet initially said caused this, or it was deliberate and she missed that too. Not hard to believe that a researchers AI or computers could be hacked or malicious code slipped past them.

 

[Hythlodeus]

What if Jurati was told that synths secretly took over major positions in the UFP? Leading politicians, philosophers or scientists being replaced by artificial stand ins that masked their nonexistent resemblance with bushy beards? That's why she had to kill the synth that posed as Maddox.
"He was not Brian Brophy!", she wept as Starfleet escorted her to the penal colony in Hobbington

 

[Soong-type Android]

I hope this "deep, dark secret" doesn't involve a major upending of important aspects of Star Trek lore that turns Romulans or Vulcans into artificial lifeforms or anything like that as some of the theories here suggest.

 

[ThreeEdgedSword]

My biggest hope is it won't involve anything connected to DSC. (Like Control.)

 

[Search4]

Well i would want something that fundamentally dealt with why the Romulan sun went supernova plus making sure the evacuation is hindered by attacking Mars. I believe the supernova was planned not natural and someone really wants the Roms to be extinct or near enough.

I believe the Federation stopped assisting the evacuation post Mars because while it of course was hard, the same force that causes the Romulan sun to blow made it clear they would blow Federation sun(s).
Mars was a good excuse.

So who really has it in for Romulans? Who benefits if they go? Is the “secret” that their is someone out there who can cause a sun to supernova and is pushing the Galaxy to their view?

 

[Hythlodeus]

So who really has it in for Romulans? Who benefits if they go? Is the “secret” that their is someone out there who can cause a sun to supernova and is pushing the Galaxy to their view?

The answer is: Elim "Plain and Simple" Garak

 

[Nerys Myk]

The answer is: Elim "Plain and Simple" Garak

He's just a simple tailor.

 

[Hythlodeus]

He's just a simple tailor.

And look at Berman era Romulan fashion. Something HAD to be done!