Who Is Nico On S.W.A.T. Exiles? Jessica Cortez Connection Explained

A new era of “S.W.A.T.” is officially upon us following Friday’s premiere of the Starz spin-off series “S.W.A.T. Exiles.”

Shemar Moore is back at Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, but he’s not quite the same man we knew from the original CBS procedural. He’s had a difficult year, triggered by losing a young man named Nico during a mission gone sideways. Hondo blames himself, and Nico’s ghost looms large over many of the decisions Hondo makes regarding his new team.

“I like to think of this show as a cousin to the original; the DNA is absolutely there, but to evolve the show, we needed this space in the middle where stuff happened,” showrunner Jason Ning tells TVLine of Hondo’s new backstory. “The old team is no longer there, so it was important to give it that space, to make it feel like a different show.”

But who is — or was — Nico, anyway? Played by Alejandro Akara, the character introduces himself to Hondo as “Jesse’s cousin” during a flashback in the series premiere. Given that this is a spin-off of “S.W.A.T.,” we couldn’t help but wonder if Nico’s cousin Jesse might actually be Jessica Cortez, played by Stephanie Sigman for the original show’s first two seasons.

The short answer is no. “It’s a completely different Jesse,” Ning says. “It’s a brand new character altogether.” Then again, this is Ning’s world to shape as he sees fit, and he isn’t opposed to changing his mind. “Someone else brought that up,” Ning adds, referring to TVLine’s query about Jesse being Jessica. “I was like, ‘maybe,’ but it’s purely coincidental and wasn’t intentional. But let’s make it canon at this point, sure!”

Regardless of whether or not Nico was related to Jessica (the verdict is still out!), there are plenty of other ways in which “S.W.A.T. Exiles” remains connected to the original “S.W.A.T.”

For starters, several of Hondo’s former teammates and associates will drop by for cameo appearances throughout the first season. Commander Hicks (Patrick St. Esprit) and Deacon (Jay Harrington) are the first to show up in the premiere, with David Lim also confirmed to be returning as Victor Tan later in the season.

“We want to honor the original show as many ways as we can, and part of that is asking if there are opportunities for OG cast members to show up in really cool cameo instances,” Jason Ning explains to TVLine. “But not just to show up. We really looked for ways to bring OG cast members back and make it essential to the story.”

Are you enjoying “S.W.A.T. Exiles” thus far? Did you also wonder about Nico’s familiar-sounding cousin? Grade the “S.W.A.T.” spin-off below, then drop a comment with more of your thoughts.