On June 20, 2025, Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was assimilated into Locutus of Borg in the mega-famousStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 3 finale cliffhanger, “The Best of Both Worlds Part 1.” Although the end ofTNG’s third season is best known as the beginning of the showdown between Locutus and theU.S.S. Enterprise-D, the episode is mostly a workplace drama between William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and his possible replacement, Lieutenant Commander Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy). A Borg expert, the Starfleet officer appeared once more on-screen inTNG’s season 4 premiere, “The Best of Both Worlds Part 2,” before being sent to Beta canon purgatory for over three decades. But inStar Trek: Picard, Episode 309, “Vox,” Shelby finally returned to the screen.
Shelby is brilliant. In “The Best of Both Worlds Part 1,“as Starfleet Command’s new Borg expert, she’s brought aboard theEnterpriseto investigate the decimation of an entire colony by the Borg. Shelby suggests a way to search for the Borg, extrapolating a “Borg footprint” from unusual magnetic resonance traces left on damaged section ofEnterprise’s hull after the ship’s previous encounter with the Collective.
Shelby is also ambitious. And this is what many viewers remember about her instead of her achievements. In “The Best of Both Worlds Part 1,” the young Lt. Commander unapologetically tells Number One that she wants his position as Picard’s First Officer and works hard to outshine him. For the rest of “The Best of Both Worlds,” Riker has an attitude toward Shelby and is actually kind of unlikeable. Yes, she’s ambitious and forward about her ambition, but Riker treats her with a level of disrespect that doesn’t go unnoticed by his colleagues and friends.
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What Happened to Lt. Commander Shelby?
Shelby next appeared in a series of books by Peter David calledStar Trek: New Frontier, establishing her full name as Elizabeth Shelby. In novels, readers also witnessed her promotion to Admiral. However, after “The Best of Both Worlds Part 2,” Shelby didn’t appear in anotherStar Trekseries until this week’s episode ofPicard.
It’s unclear how Shelby’s Beta canon actions contributed to her promotion, but she’s now been promoted to the rank of Admiral on-screen as well. Considering Starfleet has her in command of Kirk’sEnterprise(NCC-1701) for Frontier Day’s ceremonies, we can assume that her ambition served her well—although maybe at the expense of her ideals.
