WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 1, "The Next Generation."The events of Star Trek: Picard season 3 take place in the lead-up to Frontier Day, a celebratory occasion akin to First Contact Day, and here's why Picard has created this new event. Frontier Day is described by Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) as "a parade through space" which celebrates 250 years of "going boldly." First Contact Day marks April 5, 2063, when Dr. Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell) broke the warp barrier, attracting the attention of a nearby Vulcan ship, which led to the First Contact between the two species. Frontier Day celebrates what came after, namely the founding of Starfleet in the early to mid-22nd century.
The choice of Frontier Day as the focus is likely a clue as to the intentions of the terrorist group behind Picard's Red Lady attack. The Star Trek: Picard season 3 trailer contained heavy hints that the villainous Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer) holds a grudge against both Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. Therefore, a big celebration of Starfleet's 250th anniversary would be the ideal target for her planned attack. However, there's also another very good reason for Picard season 3 avoiding First Contact Day as a potential target.
Why Picard Uses Frontier Day Instead Of First Contact Day
Ultimately, Vadic's target isn't First Contact Day because Star Trek: Picard season 1 already depicted the celebration turning into a tragedy. It was during First Contact Day 2385 that androids at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards on Mars went rogue and destroyed the Starfleet facility. They also targeted Starfleet's rescue armada, the Mars orbital facility, and decimated the planet's surface. It was unknown at the time, but the attack was masterminded by Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita), an android-hating Romulan Tal Shiar agent who infiltrated Starfleet in a successful attempt to convince the Federation to ban synthetic life forms.
The death toll of the attack on Mars was in the region of 92,000, a devastating loss of life on a day that should have been a celebration of galactic unity. Star Trek: Picard season 3 takes place less than two decades after the devastating events of First Contact Day 2385, so the pomp and circumstance of a parade through space on April 5 would be incredibly tasteless on such a black day for the Federation. From the perspective of viewers, an attempt by Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew to stop a disaster on First Contact Day could be seen as repetitive plotting.
Why Is Frontier Day So Important To The Federation?
Riker's description of Frontier Day is telling, because the parade through space sounds like the displays of military strength that are often seen in countries like North Korea and Russia. It's slightly at odds with First Contact Day's celebration of commonality between species, and recalls the controversial changes made to Starfleet that ultimately led to Picard's retirement. Elsewhere in Star Trek: Picard season 3's premiere, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) warns Picard to "trust no one", suggesting that someone, like Picard season 1's Romulan villain, has infiltrated Starfleet. Perhaps by diverting so many starships, Frontier Day is part of Vadic's plan to destroy the Federation.
Alternatively, in the wake of the tragedy of First Contact Day 2385, Frontier Day has become the main focus of the Federation's celebrations. In celebrating the positive work that Starfleet has done across the galaxy for the past 250 years, it can go some way to healing the scars left by the attack on Mars. Following the attack on M'Talas Prime's Starfleet recruitment center, it's clear that someone has sinister intentions for Frontier Day in Star Trek: Picard season 3, and hopefully the reunited TNG crew can avert another disaster like First Contact Day.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.