Picard Goes Full Locutus In Star Trek: Showdown At Sector 001

Published Nov 11, 2026, 1:00 AM EST

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. 

Star Trek has put Jean-Luc Picard through the wringer over the franchise's history, from his brutal interrogation at the hands of the Cardassians to his repeated confrontations with Q and countless brushes with death. However, nothing comes close to the nightmare he endured at the hands of the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In the iconic two-part episode "The Best of Both Worlds," Picard was famously captured and assimilated by the Borg Collective, stripped of his humanity and transformed into Locutus. His knowledge of Starfleet was used against the Federation, causing one of the most devastating defeats in its history at Wolf 359. Although Picard was eventually rescued, the mental scars would haunt him for decades.

Now, Star Trek is officially revisiting one of Picard's darkest chapters in Showdown at Sector 001, bringing the terrifying Locutus back into the spotlight.

Picard is back as Locutus in a brand-new collection of Scene Cards in the upcoming MTG crossover, recreating one of The Next Generation's most memorable moments. For anyone unfamiliar with Scene Cards, these special borderless cards feature individual pieces of incredibly designed art that combine to create a larger image when put together. They're fully playable Magic: The Gathering cards, but they also double as collectible cards celebrating iconic moments throughout the Star Trek franchise.

Showdown at Sector 001 is a four-card mosaic illustrated by Nicky Barkla, showcasing the confrontation between Data and the Borg-assimilated Picard in "The Best of Both Worlds." The complete scene comprises the following cards:

• Lieutenant Commander Data
• Locutus, the One Who Speaks
• Infinite Diversity
• Death Is Irrelevant

The centerpiece is without a doubt Picard's "Locutus, the One Who Speaks," featuring the beloved captain in all his terrifying Borg glory. The card grants a power boost to artifact creatures under the player's control, fitting perfectly with the Borg motif. Meanwhile, "Death Is Irrelevant" makes artifact creatures indestructible and allows players to assimilate creatures from graveyards, bringing another familiar element of the Collective into the game. You can take a look at the full scene below:

It's an incredible tribute to one of Star Trek's greatest storylines, and fortunately, there's plenty more where that came from. There are three additional Scene Card collections available through Play Boosters and Collector Boosters, including Unimatrix Zero, a six-card tribute to Star Trek: Voyager featuring Seven of Nine and Captain Janeway. Deep Space Find celebrates Deep Space Nine with a nine-card mosaic, while Mirror, Mirror recreates the iconic Original Series episode with six cards featuring alternate versions of Kirk, Spock, and the crew.

Fans can also pick up two dedicated six-card Scene Boxes: Enterprise-Q, featuring Picard's crew dealing with another of Q's antics, and Divergent Timeline, which reunites the Kelvin timeline's Enterprise crew.

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If it wasn't obvious, all of this is part of the highly anticipated Magic: The Gathering x Star Trek crossover, officially landing this Friday, November 13, 2026. Celebrating 60 years of Star Trek, the release brings together characters, spacecraft, iconic tech, and unforgettable moments from across every chapter of the franchise from the last six decades.

It's shaping up to be one of the most exciting Magic: The Gathering crossover releases in years, particularly for longtime Star Trek fans. Even those who have never played Magic have plenty of reasons to be excited, with collections like Showdown at Sector 001 giving us a completely new way to celebrate the franchise's legacy.