One of the best things about Star Trek: Picard was learning what happened to Will Riker and Deanna Troi after all these years. Although we found out that the couple had two children, we never got to meet their eldest child who was lost to an illness. Luckily, showrunner Michael Chabon has shared more about Thad, who was actually named after a beloved Star Trek: The Next Generation character.
In Nepenthe, Riker and Troi revealed that Thad passed away because his illness needed treatment with banned synthetic technology. However, Chabon's latest post on Medium offered more details about the boy who had a gift for linguistics as well as a familiar middle name.
"The imaginary world that came to be known as Ardani began as a language, Kelu, invented by Thaddeus Worf Riker-Troi circa 2384, when he was about three and a half," the document reads.
"From a very early age, Thad became interested in the different native languages spoken by non-human personnel on board the USS Titan, a starship under the command of his father, William T. Riker. Born on Titan, taught Federation Standard, Thad was fascinated by the idea of a 'native language' and how it was intimately associated with the idea of 'home.' Home — a homeworld — became a source of intense longing for the boy Thad, growing up rootless on the Titan, constantly on the move. Employing a child's logic, Thad decided that the first step toward having a homeworld of his own would be to speak a native language of his own. And so Kelu was born."
Chabon wrote the document as part of the Star Trek: Picard's props department in 2019. We're loving all the awesome details included in the document and hopefully, the showrunner will share even more in the future.
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 is set to begin production in February. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.
Related: Star Trek: Discovery Actor Tig Notaro Confirms Jett Reno's Season 4 Return
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