10 Star Trek Cliffhangers That Were Never Resolved

6. What Happened To Juliana Tainer?

Star Trek Juliana Tainer
CBS Media Ventures

Juliana Tainer was introduced in the seventh-season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She had been, at one point, the wife of Dr. Noonian Soong, effectively making her Data's mother. However, the episode reveals that this 'Juliana' is actually an android copy, unaware of the true nature of her existence.

At the episode's end, she is allowed to go on without knowing what she is. So, when the years pass, Data is killed on the Scimitar, and the Tal Shiar causes a synth uprising on Mars, this effectively makes her one of the last known Soong-type androids in existence. What happened to her? In her positronic brain, there are all of the tools needed for Riker and Troi to cure their son, Thad, from the illness that killed him. Did they ever try and reach out to her?

For that matter, did Starfleet ever try to hunt her down, now that her 'race' was effectively labelled an enemy of the state? As long as positronic minds exist, there was a chance that the events on First Contact Day could have been repeated, so it is a fairly big gamble to leave her out there. If nothing else, Picard and several of the crew are aware of her nature. Did they hide it?

In this post: 
Star Trek
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"