WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 1, "The Next Generation"Commander Raffi Musiker's (Michelle Hurd) mysterious Starfleet Intelligence handler in Star Trek: Picard's season 3 opener is clearly an existing Star Trek character, but who? As Picard season 3 opens, Raffi is on the trail of stolen weapons in an attempt to stop a terrorist attack. Throughout her investigation, she's in contact with her handler, who does not appear on-screen and only communicates with Raffi via text.
The fact that the identity of Raffi's handler is currently a secret sets up a potentally shocking reveal later in Star Trek: Picard season 3. As the final season reunites the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Raffi's handler could be any of the TNG characters who are yet to appear. Since audiences have only seen Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), that could be anybody. However, Picard season 3 will also feature nods to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, there are several other possible candidates for Raffi's mysterious handler, including someone tied to Star Trek's upcoming Section 31 show. Here's every Trek character that could be working with Raffi to investigate the theft from Daystrom Station.
7 Emperor Philippa Georgiou
Star Trek is yet to confirm where and when exactly Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) was sent by the Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle) in Star Trek: Discovery season 3. Therefore, it's entirely possible that Georgiou has been sent to the 25th century to re-establish Section 31 after their controversial rogue actions during DS9's Dominion War. The former Mirror Universe Emperor wouldn't have batted an eyelid at Section 31's genocidal actions against the Changelings, so she probably wouldn't be an ideal choice to rehabilitate Starfleet Intelligence.
That doesn't mean that Georgiou isn't at the other end of the subspace communication with Raffi, of course, but it makes it less likely. Given the fact that Picard season 3 is designed to give the TNG cast the heroic send-off they were denied by the derided Star Trek: Nemesis, it's unlikely that Alex Kurtzmann would use it as a backdoor pilot for Yeoh's Section 31 series. Nevertheless, the prospect of Georgiou recruiting Raffi would give hope to those who want more stories for Picard's original cast.
6 Luther Sloan
Luther Sloan (William Sadler) was the best-known of Star Trek's Section 31 operatives. Introduced in DS9, Sloan was a self-styled patriot who sacrificed everything to protect the ideals of the Federation, even if that meant acting in direct contravention of those very ideals. His most controversial plan was the morphogenic virus he introduced to the Great Link via Odo (Rene Auberjonois) in an attempt to wipe out the Dominion's Changeling founders. Sloan took his own life to protect the secrets of Section 31 during a brutal interrogation by Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) as they desperately tried to find a cure to save the life of Odo.
However, as Picard's death in Star Trek proved, death is not necessarily the end of a character's story. Sloan was a master of deception and espionage, so it wouldn't be entirely surprising if Sloan's death was revealed to be a ruse. Bashir prolonged the dying Sloan's life to retrieve the cure for the morphogenic virus but was offered the bigger secrets of Section 31. While this was arguably a means to stop Bashir from leaving with the cure, Sloan's "death" could have been an elaborate last-ditch attempt to recruit Bashir to Section 31. However, Sloan being Raffi's handler would therefore require a complex retcon of DS9 canon that would make a living Trek character a far easier prospect.
5 Admiral Ross
Though he wasn't one of Star Trek's evil Admirals, William Ross (Barry Jenner) turned a blind eye to the controversial techniques deployed by Luther Sloan and Section 31. Ross aided the covert intelligence group in their plan to install a Romulan asset at the heart of the Romulan Star Empire in DS9 season 7, episode 16, "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges." Ross' actions led to an innocent Romulan politician being arrested for a crime they didn't commit, in the interests of strengthening the Federation's position in the Dominion War.
Confronted by an outraged Bashir, Ross defended his controversial actions, by asserting that "in times of war, the law falls silent." Ross' actions call back to one of Sisko's darkest DS9 moments, when Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) used deception to convince the Romulans to join the war against the Dominion. It's easy to see, therefore, how the Admiral could go from condoning the actions of Section 31 to joining Starfleet Intelligence and working alongside Raffi. However, if Raffi's handler turns out to be Ross, Barry Jenner passed away in 2016, which means the role would be recast for Star Trek: Picard season 3.
4 Commander Tuvok
Star Trek: Lower Decks recently revealed that Voyager's Commander Tuvok (Tim Russ) was working for Starfleet Intelligence to exonerate Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) for the destruction of Pakled Planet. Tuvok certainly has experience in covert operations like Raffi's investigation in Picard. He spent time infiltrating the Maquis, a terrorist organization made up of Federation citizens and former Starfleet officers who objected to the Cardassian Union's treatment of the Bajoran people.
Starfleet's infiltration of the Maquis would have given Tuvok the field experience needed to be Raffi's handler in Star Trek: Picard season 3. She, too, is investigating a potential terrorist organization, so Tuvok would be a suitable candidate to give her advice and direction. The abrupt tone to Raffi's text communications with her handler lends the messages a slight detachedness, meaning they could well be the words of a Vulcan intelligence officer.
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3 Captain Morgan Bateson
Star Trek: Lower Decks also revealed that Captain Morgan Bateson (Kelsey Grammer) of the USS Bozeman was also part of the elite team that exonerated Freeman. It's therefore possible that it's Bateson, rather than Tuvok, who's in communication with Raffi. Given that Bateson appeared in TNG season 5, episode 18, "Cause and Effect", he would be a fitting deep-cut character to include in Star Trek: Picard season 3's TNG send-off.
Picard has already referenced Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O'Neil) in the season 3 premiere, so the revelation that Raffi's handler was another temporally displaced Starfleet captain would be a nice touch. Given actor Kelsey Grammer's work on the long-gestating Frasier reboot for Paramount+, he may have been on-hand to film a guest spot for a future Picard episode. Terry Matalas has stated that there are some surprise TNG character returns in Picard season 3, so Bateson could very well be one of these surprises.
2 Worf
Perhaps the most likely candidate to be Raffi's handler in Star Trek: Picard season 3 is Worf (Michael Dorn) who was formerly an intelligence officer on DS9. The Klingon is one of the many TNG characters confirmed to return for Picard season 3, and his new job with Starfleet Intelligence would be a great way to update his story. As the Klingon has chosen a more peaceful lifestyle, the quieter world of espionage could be the best option for maintaining Worf's pacifism in Picard.
The most telling clue that it's Worf who's receiving Raffi's intelligence briefings is when the handler calls her a "Warrior." If there's anyone in Star Trek: Picard who knows what makes a great warrior, it's Worf, son of Mogh. Star Trek: Picard's beloved Klingon Warrior could prove to be the most obvious choice to be working alongside Raffi to investigate the missing weapons and the attack on the Starfleet recruitment center.
1 Dr. Julian Bashir
Bashir had always entertained fantasies of being a secret agent, as seen in the James Bond-inspired DS9 episode "Our Man Bashir." The DS9 documentary What We Left Behind saw the writing team imagine a DS9 season 8 that would have seen Julian Bashir revealed as a villain who had lost his way and finally joined Section 31. Perhaps Bashir's experiences during the Dominion War inspired him to join Starfleet Intelligence, a group that was more in keeping with the Federation's ideals than Section 31.
With Terry Matalas confirming links between Star Trek: Picard season 3 and DS9, Bashir's surprise return would be a great way to link both shows. Of course, Worf's time on DS9 already serves as a link to the acclaimed Star Trek show, but Bashir working for Starfleet Intelligence would be a great way to update viewers on the lives of the original DS9 characters. Such a reveal could even set up Bashir potentially joining the upcoming Section 31 show.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.