Star Trek: Picard season 1 actor Peyton List reveals that her Romulan villain, Narissa, and her brother, Narek (Harry Treadaway), were supposed to have a Game of Thrones-like incestuous relationship like Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). Narissa was a member of Zhat Vash, a fanatical Romulan sect dedicated to wiping out synthetic life forms. Meanwhile, Narek’s mission was to seduce and kill synthetic scientist Soji Asha (Isa Briones) after he learned the location of her homeworld, Coppelius.
Appearing as a guest on The D-Con Chamber podcast, Peyton List discussed her role as a Romulan killer in Star Trek: Picard season 1 with hosts Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer. After List explained how many of her scenes as Narissa’s alter ego, Starfleet Lt. Rizzo, were shot out of order, Peyton revealed the original Game of Thrones-inspired idea for Narissa and Narek. Read List’s quote and watch The D-Con Chamber video below:
Peyton List: When I was auditioning, when I was cast, they were hinting at a sort of Game of Thrones brother and sister thing. And then we get to shooting, and they’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t really know if we’re doing this’, and [Harry Treadaway] and I were like, “So, do we play it? Do we not play it? What do we do?’ They’re like, ‘Somewhere in the middle… Because we might and we might not.’ What does that mean? What are we supposed to do? So we sort of were playing it in the beginning, and then they pulled way, way, away from it. So now it kind of looks like, ‘What is up with those actors?’
Dominic Keating: What were they frightened of [with] not playing it? Because I thought worked rather well. It was creepy and sexy at the same time.
Peyton List: Creepy, yeah. Creepy and sexy. Yeah, I think we were kind of like, ‘Well, let’s just go for it a bit. Because it’s something rather than nothing.
What Happened To Narek & Narissa In Star Trek: Picard?
The Romulan siblings might not be seen again
Peyton List’s rundown of her Star Trek: Picard filming experience explains why Narissa and Narek’s storyline felt muddled. Picard’s producers didn’t have a clear vision for the Romulan siblings and were adjusting their story on the fly, playing down what could have been an intriguing (if derivative) relationship between Narek and Narissa. Instead, Star Trek: Picard season 1 delved into the twisted and abusive seduction and obsession of Soji by Narek.
Narissa fell to her death in the Borg Cube Artifact after a brawl with Seven of Nine.
Narissa’s story ended violently, which is fitting after the atrocities she committed like murdering Soji’s twin sister Dahj (Isa Briones) as well as killing thousands of helpless Borg drones. Narissa fell to her death in the Borg Cube Artifact after a brawl with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Narek’s story is more open-ended as he was taken into custody by United Federation of Planets officials on Coppelius. With Star Trek: Picard now over, it’s unlikely Narek will return, and Star Trek: Picard season 1 is all audiences will know of Narek’s relationship with Narissa.