Todd Stashwick joins the cast of Star Trek: Picard season 3, but he has actually appeared in Star Trek before. In Picard season 3, Stashwick portrays Captain Liam Shaw, the commander of the USS Titan-A. Shaw leads the brand-new Constitution III-class starship alongside his First Officer, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). But nearly 20 years before being cast in Star Trek: Picard, Stashwick played a very different kind of role on Star Trek: Enterprise.
Star Trek: Picard season 3's trailer reveals that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) come aboard the Titan, apparently on an "inspection." However, Picard received an urgent distress call from Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) that she's being hunted by a new enemy, Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer). So it seems Picard's "inspection" is really a ruse to launch the Titan on a rescue mission to save Beverly. This likely won't sit too well with Captain Shaw, who is already being set up as an antagonist to the Star Trek: The Next Generation legends, albeit one who is a fellow Starfleet Officer.
Todd Stashwick Guest Starred In Star Trek: Enterprise
In Star Trek: Enterprise season 4, Todd Stashwick is almost unrecognizable from Picard's Captain Shaw. Stashwick donned Vulcan ears to portray Talok in the Enterprise season 4 episode, "Kir'Shara." Talok is revealed to be Romulan operative in deep cover who had posed as a Vulcan for years. Talok's mission is to retrieve the Kir'Shara, an ancient artifact containing the original teachings of Vulcan leader Surak. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and Sub-Commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) teamed up with T'Pau (Kara Zediker) to deliver the Kir'Shara to the Vulcan High Command and keep it out of Talok's hands.
Talok is a far cry from Captain Shaw, which speaks to Todd Stashwick's versatility as an actor. Talok was a challenging role as he was a Romulan who had to suppress his emotions to pass as a Vulcan for years. Talok had even successfully fooled T'Pol after he served alongside her on the Tomed mission years before Star Trek: Enterprise begins. While it's unclear whether Captain Shaw sees any action in Star Trek: Picard season 3, Talok and his fellow operatives engage Archer, T'Pol, and T'Pau in an exciting fight scene. Talok's goal was to maintain Romulan's secret control over the Vulcan High Council, but he spoke of the same Vulcan-Romulan unification that Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) would seek 200 years later.
What We Know About Captain Liam Shaw In Picard Season 3
Captain Liam Shaw's name was embargoed until it was recently revealed on Twitter by Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas, and it raises the curtain a bit on who the new Captain of the Titan is. The Picard season 3 trailer shows a dinner scene between Shaw, Riker, and Picard where the Titan's current commanding officer haughtily talks down to the Admiral and the Titan's previous Captain. Such behavior is sure to find Shaw few fans among Star Trek fans, but it's fascinating to see the revered Picard and Riker opposed in such a manner. Many Trekkers are guessing that Captain Liam Shaw isn't going to last very long in Star Trek: Picard season 3, which would allow Riker and Picard to take over the Titan.
But even in brief glimpses thus far, Shaw is an intriguing character, and Stashwick previously worked with Matalas on 12 Monkeys, which indicates Shaw is not merely a walk-on role for Stashwick. Matalas' Tweet informs that Shaw is a former engineer with "a long history in Starfleet." This means Shaw impressively rose from Engineering to become a starship Captain, which isn't too common. Captain Liam Shaw surely has a fascinating backstory in Star Trek: Picard season 3 that probably bears no resemblance to Talok in Star Trek: Enterprise, but all credit goes to Todd Stashwick's acting talents for portraying such disparate but intriguing characters.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 premieres Thursday, February 16, on Paramount+.