wil wheaton star trek picard season 2

How Wil Wheaton became Star Trek’s own “Time Lord”

The Star Trek icon and friend to geeks everywhere reflects on his time-traveling role.

Wesley Crusher has returned.

Or perhaps Welsley Crusher never left. In the season 2 finale of Star Trek: Picard , Wil Wheaton makes a pivotal cameo — a surprise appearance that suggests his character, Wesley, is now a bonafide time traveler. Actually, make that “Traveler” with a capital “T.” Like another Next Generation character called “the Traveler,” Wesley has become, as Wheaton says, Star Trek’s version of “a Time Lord.”

Just before Picard dropped the episode “Farwell,” Inverse caught up with the beloved actor, host, and writer to talk about his return to Trek, the endless possibilities for Wesley, and why we’re all so obsessed with time travel. Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 finale of Picard .

THE RULES OF TIME TRAVEL is an Inverse special issue exploring the evolution of science fiction's most imaginative sub-genre. From Marty McFly to Avengers: Endgame .

Mastering His Destiny

Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) says goodbye to his mother, Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), and Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) in the TNG episode, “Journey’s End.” In Picard Season 2, we finally found out what happened to Wesley next.

Starting in 1987, Wesley (Wheaton) was a precocious teenager on Picard’s Enterprise , who eventually joined Starfleet formally in The Next Generation . But in the episode “Where No One Has Gone Before,” a mysterious alien called The Traveler (Eric Menyuk) revealed to Jean-Luc that Wesley had special latent abilities. These powers would give him the ability to manipulate space and time.

“I have spent an incredible amount of time thinking: what would be going on in Wesley Crusher’s universe?” Wheaton tells Inverse . “And for years, I have thought space and time and thought are not disconnected the way people think they are. I mean, that’s just a Time Lord [from Doctor Who ] with more steps.”

“That’s just a Time Lord with more steps.”

Although Wheaton left TNG as a series regular in the season 4 episode, “Final Mission,” he returned as Welsey in a handful of episodes. In the season 7 episode, “Journey’s End,” the Traveler recruited Wesley to gallivant around all of space and time, using nothing but the power of their minds. Other than a very brief cameo in Star Trek Nemesis , this was the last time we heard from Wesley in Trek canon, which all changed in the Picard Season 2 finale.

“The Wesley Crusher, who I kind of made up and imagined based on the last time we saw him canonically in Star Trek, turns to be awfully similar to the Wesley Crusher, who now canonically exists in the Star Trek universe,” Wheaton says. “When [the Picard writers] came to me and told me what they were thinking, I almost fainted. I was so excited.”

Wesley/the Traveler (Wheaton) and Kore (Isa Briones) in the Season 2 finale of Picard .

Twenty-eight years after we saw Wesley in TNG , he’s become a timeless being who thinks of himself as the Traveler. On top of that, Wesley/the Traveler is also in charge of the mysterious “Supervisors” and “Watchers,” who make sure that the flow of time on Earth (and elsewhere) stays the way it should.

In this one cameo, Wesley retroactively became the boss of Gary Seven from The Original Series and Tallinn from Picard . He also recruits Kore (Isa Briones) into his organization, a genetic “child” of Adam Soong, who is tangentially connected to Synths.

“Wesley's journey and my journey are very similar.”

In short, Wesley is clearly the master of his own destiny, as well as having a profound impact on the fate of the entire galaxy.

“Wesley's journey and my journey are very similar,” Wheaton says. “We both were placed on paths that we weren't necessarily involved in choosing. Everyone expected Wesley to be a Starfleet captain someday. Everyone in my life told me, ‘You're going to be a big movie star someday.’ And at the same moment in both of our lives — the character and I said, ‘Wait a minute, this is not what I want.’”

Trekking a New Path

Wesley (Wil Wheaton), Picard (Patrick Stewart), and the Traveler (Eric Menyuk) in the TNG episode “Where No One Has Gone Before”

Since his Next Generation days, Wheaton has forged his own path in more than one way. Currently, Star Trek fans see his face often. As the host of the weekly Trek aftershow, The Ready Room , Wheaton frequently sits down with the movers and shakers in the final frontier.

This works because Wheaton is a true fan of Star Trek and science fiction in general. During the big Doctor Who renaissance of the early aughts, Wheaton was a huge cheerleader for the franchise. Similar to how he hosts The Ready Room now, Wheaton also interviewed many stars associated with Doctor Who on camera, making him an ally and signal-booster for geeks everywhere.

“It’s as old as science fiction.”

Wheaton’s fandom is real . It’s not affected. His first memoir, Just a Geek , has recently been republished and revised as Still Just a Geek . And because he is such a huge geek and is now canonically the most powerful Star Trek time traveler, why does he think we’re all so obsessed with time travel in general?

“It's as old as science fiction,” Wheaton says. “Like what is that thing that people have dreamed up forever and ever and ever: Oh my god, time travel! We can use the knowledge that we have earned from our own experience and apply it to that timeline and see how it changes things. It’s something we cannot ever accomplish in our reality as we understand the laws of physics. But giving us a chance to explore that is very aspirational.”

Seemingly, the reappearance of Wesley as the new Traveler in the Star Trek canon sets up a possible spinoff series, which essentially could take place in all the Trek time periods at once. Wheaton doesn’t want to “jinx” it, but he says he is excited about Wesley’s newfound ability to materialize in literally any new Star Trek project at any time.

“Star Trek loves to visit those timelines and take advantage of that,” Wheaton says. “There's just so much that they could theoretically do. I don't want to speculate. Because if I say something that ends up happening, they’ll be like, ‘He knew!’ But I don’t know. I hope to do a lot more with it.”

So, in the more immediate future, will Wesley Crusher return to Star Trek: Picard for Season 3 and join his other Next Generation castmates ?

“I wish so badly that I could say for certain it was true,” Wheaton responds. “But, what I can tell you is I love the opportunities and possibilities that are available to him. I also love this suggestion we pick up that there's a bit of ancient wisdom in Wesley similar to the way that there is a little bit of ancient wisdom in me.”

Star Trek: Picard Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Paramount+ .

This article was originally published on May 6, 2022

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Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 2's Finale - "Farewell"

Wesley Crusher's (Wil Wheaton) surprise return in Star Trek: Picard season 2's finale retcons Star Trek: The Original Series and explains why Wesley won't appear in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Wesley's was one of the many shocks in Star Trek: Picard season 2's ending; Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his motley crew set Star Trek's timeline back on its proper course but, in the process, bid farewell to Q (John de Lancie) and Cristobal Rios (Santiago Cabrera) , who opted to remain with his newfound family in 2024 Los Angeles. But Wesley didn't interact with Picard, his former Captain. Instead, Crusher came to Earth to recruit Kore Soong (Isa Briones) into the Travelers.

Wesley's destiny was marked to become a Traveler from the very beginning of Star Trek: The Next Generation . The young Crusher first met the Traveler (Eric Menyuk) in the TNG season 1 episode, "Where No One Has Gone Before," which also contains the only canonical appearance of Jean-Luc's mother, Yvette Picard (Herta Ware), before Star Trek: Picard  season 2 retconned her backstory. Wesley encountered the Traveler twice more in TNG ; meanwhile, Crusher's Starfleet Academy career was marked with scandal because of his role in a cover-up when one of his classmates died. In the TNG season 7 episode, "Journey's End," Wesley left Starfleet and agreed to go with the Traveler to explore new planes of existence in time in space, becoming a Traveler himself. However, Wesley reappeared nine years later in Star Trek: Nemesis , mysteriously wearing a Starfleet uniform with a Lieutenant's rank at the wedding of Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis).

Related: Picard's Mother Secret Retcons TNG Season 1

Wesley shockingly returned in Star Trek: Picard season 2's finale to recruit Kore Soong as a Traveler. In doing so, Crusher gave a remarkable download of new information about the Travelers and their galactic purpose. According to Wesley, the Travelers are "very different" from the Q Continuum and their function is to protect the universe's "tapestry" from "annihilation." One of the Travelers' responsibilities is recruiting and dispatching Supervisors to protect people who are crucial to the timeline, such as Tallinn (Orla Brady), who fulfilled her mission to protect  Renée Picard (Penelope Mitchell) from Dr. Adam Soong (Brent Spiner). Wesley's revelation of the purpose of Gary Seven (Robert Lansing) and the Supervisors from "Assignment: Earth" answers a Star Trek question that has lasted for 54 years, and Star Trek: Picard 's retcon canonically links TOS 's Supervisors to TNG 's Travelers.

Wesley's appearance in Star Trek: Picard season 2's finale was a secret that was, thankfully, never leaked, which made it a complete and welcome surprise. Wil Wheaton hosts The Ready Room , a behind-the-scenes series that covers all of the Star Trek shows on Paramount+ but when the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation was announced to star in Star Trek: Picard season 3, Wheaton issued a statement that he would not be joining his TNG castmates . Taking Wheaton at his word, Wesley's cameo in Star Trek: Picard season 2 would effectively mark Wesley Crusher's final appearance in Star Trek. It's an update to Wesley's whereabouts that brings Crusher's story to an end while passing the torch to a new Traveler, Kore Soong.

However, this also means that there's no explanation for why Wesley Crusher was suddenly back in uniform in S tar Trek: Nemesis . Perhaps Wes took a break from matters of galactic import, returned to Starfleet, and then realized his best destiny is as a cosmic being, after all. Crusher did tell Kore that he made mistakes that affected the galaxy and it's possible there's an inference that briefly leaving the Travelers was one of them. Thankfully, Wesley's quick hello-and-goodbye in Star Trek: Picard gave his classic TNG character a proper closure that nods to Wesley Crusher's importance to Star Trek . Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Kore Soong will be Star Trek's new Traveler and if she will return as a being who defies time and space in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

Next: Picard: Why Renee's Europa Mission Changes The Future

Star Trek: Picard Season 2 is streaming on Paramount+. 

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 premieres in 2023 on Paramount+.

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Patrick Stewart on the Picard season 2 finale cameo, the Next Generation reunion, and more

There's a lot to unpack, from Alison Pill's last scene on Picard to the show's impending end with season 3.

Warning: Spoilers from the Picard season 2 finale are discussed in this interview.

It's time for another captain's log with the man himself, Patrick Stewart .

Picard season 2 came to a close with "Farewell," an episode in which a lot went down, starting with Jean-Luc's crew thwarting Soong ( Brent Spiner ) and seeing Renée (Penelope Mitchell) off safely to the Europa rocket to safeguard the future, even at the loss of Tallinn (Orla Brady).

After then making nice with a dying Q (John de Lancie), the team are transported back to the present where they find that the Borg Queen is actually Jurati ( Alison Pill ), who's trying to stop a space anomaly from destroying the sector. They, too, stop that from happening by allowing Borg Jurati to control their fleet's ships and unite their shields. In what will now be Pill's final scene on the show, since the actress won't be returning for season 3, Jurati requests entry into the Federation in order to be a gatekeeper of the anomaly.

What else are we missing? Oh yeah! How about Wil freaking Wheaton ? The actor, who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation , pops in for a surprise cameo in the finale. He's now a traveler of space and time, and leads the Supervisors, who protect the spacetime continuum. He wants Kore (Isa Briones) to join them.

EW spoke with Stewart, the show's star and an executive producer, to unpack some of these big moments, in addition to Picard ending with a season 3 that will bring back stars of The New Generation .

We heard recently that season 3 of Picard will be the final season. Did you always have the expectation that there would be three seasons of this show? That was always something I was a little uncomfortable about, whether we would be able to expand into season 2 and maybe season 3. My idea always was that three seasons were what we really needed to tell what was left of Jean-Luc Picard's life and what had become of him. It seems perfect because it has all the years that have passed to look at. And it has changed natures, changed personalities. Perhaps the most remarkable one is John de Lancie and the work he did. There is, in this second season, a transformation in the character of Q, which I think John does brilliantly. I was so moved by John's scenes.

The news of the final season also brought word that you guys are reassembling the ˆ crew in season 3. Do you know how all of that was orchestrated? Well, yes. We will meet them, but it's not a reassembling at all. It's not just a reunion. Everybody has a function, and that's really all I'm allowed to say, because what's coming up in season 3 I think is very exciting. And, of course, a lot of it will involve the way that the characters we've known for so long have evolved.

Did the idea for a Next Generation reunion in season 3 come out of the fact that some of the Next Generation actors were already involved in season 1 and season 2 of Picard ? Yes, they were. I think it was our mutual experience — producers, directors, actors, and writers — that it was a different world we were in, and what had to be examined, and what activated The Next Generation crew was not just a walk down memory lane. Not remotely, but the fun and the excitement of what we did in 2 and 3 was that it was new and it was different. We had to approach it differently.

I also wanted to ask you about the surprise cameo that we get in the season 2 finale with Wil Wheaton coming back. What was that like to have him back on set? It was marvelous. I had great respect for Wil and the work that he did in Next Generation . There was, in a sense, probably mostly at the beginning, that he was the kid in the show. But as I got to know him, I found that, apart from the fun he loved to have, he wasn't a kid. He was a very, very mature 13-year-old when we first met him. He might have been 12. I'm not sure. And so, to have this grown-up man back… I mean, he has interviewed me several times for his own show, and I have been astonished by his articulacy and his thoughtfulness and wisdom with regard to The Next Generation and what we did. I hope that he hasn't given up acting, performing. I hope that we see him again, because I think Wil brings a very significant quality to the screen.

You've had a lot of cameos on Picard over seasons 1 and 2. Are there specific ones that will always stick with you when you think back on your experience making the show? All those encounters have had an impact. But I think the strongest one, this may surprise you a little bit was... Well, no, not the strongest one, because that was John de Lancie. What John brought to Q in the second season was extraordinary. Who would've thought that Q could touch you so deeply? He was just somebody who irritated. And this time now, of course, he was vulnerable and open. Also, it was the work that Alison Pill had done. Alison wrapped the series at the end of season 2, and I was very moved by her last scene in episode 10. Brought tears to my eyes.

Was it a different experience filming that scene with Alison? Yes, it was a different relationship with Alison and with her character. She was changed by her Borg experience, and because Picard had an understanding of that, it connected them in a way that others could not be connected, because they had not been Borg. She's just a remarkable performer, as were all of the new people we had on the show. Santiago Cabrera and Michelle Hurd, wonderful work they did.

How do you think episode 10 of season 2 puts us in a good place to launch into the story of season 3? When I read for the first time the ending of season 2, I do remember one of the things that I said was, "Where the hell are we going to go from here?" Because it almost seemed that there was a conclusion. I wondered for a moment, "Oh dear, are we going to be wrapped early, and the show will disappear?" But we did not. And season 3, in many respects, proved to me to be among the most interesting of episodes and moments that we had in the whole show.

Picard season 2 is currently streaming on Paramount+. Season 3 is being planned for a debut in 2023.

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Related content:

• Star Trek: The Next Generation vets are reuniting with Patrick Stewart in Picard season 3
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‘Star Trek: Picard’: Wil Wheaton Explains Why Wesley Can’t Visit The Crushers

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[Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for the series finale of Star Trek: Picard.] While the final season of Star Trek: Picard featured the return of several friendly faces , and some not-so-friendly faces, there was one person who was notably absent from the long-awaited The Next Generation reunion. Season 3 of Picard centers around the revelation that Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) and Dr. Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ) share a son, Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ), and his role in a mystery that traces back to Picard's most legendary foes — The Borg .

The finale episode features a guest appearance from John de Lancie 's Q, in a post-credits scene that tells fans that Jack Crusher's adventures in Starfleet are just beginning. With this last special cameo from a being who can travel easily throughout space and time, audiences couldn't help but wonder, has Wesley Crusher ever met his brother? Actor Wil Wheaton , who played Wesley in Next Gen and now hosts the Star Trek aftershow The Ready Room , took to Facebook to weigh in and give his explanation as to why we've never seen Wesley come back to visit his mother.

In response to a Gizmodo article on Picard's unanswered questions, Wheaton shared "as close to an official answer" as we'll get on why Wesley can't pop in for a family reunion. Wesley became a "Traveler" in his final episode of Next Gen , giving up his human existence in order to do so. He explained that while it's not officially part of Star Trek canon, he used this explanation when he wrote "the Wesley Story for the 400th Star Trek comic."

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Picard's Ed Speleers Wants to Play Jack Crusher for "The Next 15 Years"

Wesley Crusher Had to Sacrifice His Human Life to Become a Traveler

According to Wheaton, "One of the fundamental rules of being in the Travelers is that, once you've joined, you must NEVER interact directly with the people, places, planets, etc. that were part of your previous life, because it can affect your judgment and break reality." He continued, saying that while "Wesley would like nothing more than to visit his mom, and meet his brother," he knows that "not seeing them is a sacrifice he has to make in service of something so much bigger than anything else in his reality." Wheaton's appearance in the Picard Season 2 finale fits within these parameters as he only appeared to extend an invitation to The Travelers to Kore Soong ( Isa Briones ).

All three seasons of Star Trek: Picard are now available on Paramount+. Don't miss our conversation with the other Crushers—you can read our conversations with Gates McFadden and Ed Speleers now, and check out Wheaton's post down below.

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Star Trek: Picard season 2 finale: Patrick Stewart on Wil Wheaton cameo

Star Trek: Picard May 5, 2022

Yet, the one we absolutely did not see coming was the cameo from Wil Wheaton. The former  Star Trek: The Next Generation  star was not mentioned in the recent cast announcement for season 3, and now we understand why: There was a surprise at the end of  this  season.

Anytime a former cast member comes back to the  Trek  universe, it is always a cause of great excitement. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly , here is what Sir Patrick Stewart had to say about the return of Wesley Crusher, and also the potential for him to come back again down the road:

It was marvelous. I had great respect for Wil and the work that he did in Next Generation. There was, in a sense, probably mostly at the beginning, that he was the kid in the show. But as I got to know him, I found that, apart from the fun he loved to have, he wasn’t a kid. He was a very, very mature 13-year-old when we first met him. He might have been 12. I’m not sure. And so, to have this grown-up man back… I mean, he has interviewed me several times for his own show, and I have been astonished by his articulacy and his thoughtfulness and wisdom with regard to The Next Generation and what we did. I hope that he hasn’t given up acting, performing. I hope that we see him again, because I think Wil brings a very significant quality to the screen.

We know that Wesley was a polarizing character on  The Next Generation  and from our vantage point, there has to be something quite healing about getting to play him now. It’s a chance to redefine Wheaton’s experience, which may be especially valuable given that he was so young when he first appeared as his character.

What did you think about the  Star Trek: Picard  season 2 finale cameo?

Be sure to share some of your thoughts on the subject below! Once you do just that, be sure to keep coming back for some other updates.

Photo: Paramount+

How [SPOILER]'s Appearance in the Picard Finale Closes a Star Trek: Nemesis Plot Hole

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The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard’s Season 2 finale.

When the plan for Star Trek: Picard 's third season was announced to be a Next Generation reunion , some fans asked what about Wil Wheaton and Wesley Crusher? Now we know why he wasn’t included in the cast list for Season 3 -- it would have spoiled one of the Season 2 finale’s biggest surprises. Yet, seeing Wesley again also closes a plot hole created by Star Trek: Nemesis .

After helping the heroes foil the villain’s plot, Isa Briones’ Kore Soong gets a mysterious message on her tablet computer telling her to find out what comes next. She expected to meet Q, whose dealings with Dr. Soong seemed to be less about beguiling Picard and more about freeing Kore from his clutches. Yet, rather than the omnipotent chaos agent, fans see the familiar face of Wil Wheaton, again playing Wesley Crusher. And, in doing so, Picard tied together some interesting pieces of Star Trek lore to Orla Brady’s Tallin.

RELATED: Picard's Watcher Is the Successor to a TOS Character's Legacy

The clues were out there, too. When the TNG reunion was announced, Wheaton took to his website to address the fans in a blog post. He told them that he “shared some of their sadness,” and then presented a fan-fiction scene where Traveler Wesley reunites with Picard. However, the last time Star Trek fans saw Wesley, he was back in Starfleet, possibly about to serve on Captain Riker’s USS Titan . That's a big change from his final TNG ’s appearance.

In Star Trek: Nemesis , it’s obvious that the producers wanted to bring Wil Wheaton back for the movie, specifically the scenes where Riker and Troi are married. In a deleted scene, Wesley even admits he rejoined Starfleet and will join Riker on his new command. This suggests that he abandoned the Traveler’s offer to return to a more mundane Starfleet life. Yet, in Wheaton’s fan-fiction blog post, it’s not Lieutenant Crusher who meets Picard, but Wesley the Traveler. It’s the character’s rightful role.

RELATED: Picard's Patrick Stewart Describes 'Wonderful' TNG Reunion

Early on fans didn’t like Wesley because he so often came up with the solution needed to save the day. Later on in the series, the writers explained this via an episode starring a mysterious alien called “The Traveler.” He traveled through time and space, a classic Star Trek character where advanced science and mysticism blend together . He noted that there was something special about Wesley to Picard before he left. He appeared again in another episode to help Wesley save his mother. Fans wouldn’t see him again until one of the last episodes of TNG ’s final season, “Journey’s End.”

Wesley is shown feeling out of place at Starfleet Academy. He eventually resigns in protest because he believes the Federation's handling of the problem-of-the-week is wrong. He also undergoes a spiritual awakening ritual that suggests his future lies outside Starfleet. By the end of the episode, Wesley discovers he has the ability to literally “pause” time. The Traveler appears to him and gives him a slightly vaguer version of the speech Wesley gives to Kore. This storyline, while a little weird, does help justify the extraordinary abilities Wesley showed early on in the show. It retroactively edits a possible element of bad storytelling into a lore-expanding opportunity to create another branch of the universe on which stories can grow.

RELATED: A Picard Easter Egg Connects to a Star Trek Time-Travel Classic

The Wesley Crusher fans meet in the Season 2 finale of Picard is one who either did not go back to Starfleet or did that as part of his “Traveler duties.” Explaining that Tallin was part of this nebulous group protecting the fabric of reality builds on the foundation laid by TNG and the Traveler episodes . It’s a group not unlike Starfleet’s Department of Temporal Investigations, but with a much less militaristic vibe. That fits with what we know of Wesley, who was always played as a bit of a hothead who wasn’t a big fan of following the rules.

It's possible that fans will see more of Wesley in Picard S eason 3, especially since he took Isa Briones with him. She plays multiple characters, though, so the actor can return to the series without needing Wesley. Yet, chances are, Traveler Wesley will have a role to play beyond Wil Wheaton’s regular gig hosting the Star Trek promotional series The Ready Room. Now, the only question that remains is what have the rest of the Enterprise-D crew been up to?

You can see how chill Wesley has become for yourself by streaming Star Trek: Picard Season 2 on Paramount+.

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Star Trek: Picard | Wesley Crusher Returns | Paramount+

The Next Generation cameos just keep coming! Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) returns as a Traveler in the finale episode of Star Trek: Picard Season 2, and he shares some behind-the-scenes intel during filming. Plus, Showrunner/Executive Producer Akiva Goldsman and Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman share the "war" that occurred between the Star Trek series about just who got to bring Wesley Crusher back. Stream full episodes of Star Trek: Picard, exclusively in the U.S. on Paramount+.

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‘Star Trek: Picard’ Renewed For Season 2 With Terry Matalas As Showrunner; Wil Wheaton To Host Aftershow

| January 12, 2020 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 122 comments so far

Today at the Television Critics Association Winter 2020 event, CBS talked all things Picard .

Second season renewal official

In a move that should surprise no one , CBS confirmed today it has renewed Picard for a second season ahead of the first season debut.

Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President, Original Content, CBS All Access, is quoted as saying:

The energy and excitement around the premiere of STAR TREK: PICARD has reached a magnitude greater than all of us at CBS All Access could have hoped for. We’re thrilled to announce plans for a second season before the series’ debut, and we are confident that ‘Star Trek’ fans and new viewers alike will be captured by the stellar cast and creative team’s meticulously crafted story when it premieres on Jan. 23.

Second season showrunner named

Terry Matalas, who most recently was the creator/showrunner of the TV adaptation of 12 Monkeys , has been named as the showrunner for the second season. Matalas isn’t a stranger to Star Trek either; he paid his dues working as a production assistant for both Voyager and Enterprise .

Terry Matalas joins Picard for the season season.

Producers and cast talk season one

“It’s very rare that you spend and extended time on Earth in Star Trek. We didn’t want to rush that.” – Alex Kurtzman on the first episode of #StarTrekPicard #TCA20 — Alec Bojalad (@alecbojalad) January 13, 2020

Akiva Goldsman says they're very aware of trying to attract non-Trekkies to #StarTrekPicard – they believe Trek is a universal communication. They tried to be equally enjoyable for Trekkies and non-Trekkies. #TCA20 — Diane Gordon (@thesurfreport) January 13, 2020

#StarTrekPicard star Santiago Cabrera says his character is human. "I'm a resident alien in this country, but I'm human." #TCA20 #CBSAllAccess — Melanie McFarland (@McTelevision) January 13, 2020

Sir Patrick Stewart says it's taken awhile to absorb the impact of his Trek work. Says he feels a sense of pride in this current ensemble. It's about the quality of the work. #StarTrekPicard #TCA20 — Diane Gordon (@thesurfreport) January 13, 2020

Patrick Stewart hopes to include more TNG castmates

Closing out the #StarTrekPicard panel, Sir Patrick Stewart just said it's his hope that every core #StarTrekTNG cast member make an appearance in #Picard before it's all over. Whut. #TCA20 — Aaron Pruner (@AaronFlux) January 13, 2020

Wil Wheaton to host aftershow

We're really happy to announce that Wil Wheaton will be the new host of The Ready Room. Watch it every Thursday after you watch #StarTrekPicard for a deep dive into the latest episode. pic.twitter.com/sq8s7aH7yj — Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) January 12, 2020

Season 1 cast portraits

More images from season 1 of Picard

Star Trek: Picard will premiere on January 23, 2020. It will be available on CBS All Access in the USA and on the CTV Sci-Fi Channel and CraveTV in Canada. It will premiere on Amazon Prime Video for the rest of the world on January 24. Episodes will be released weekly.

Keep up with all the  Star Trek: Picard   news at TrekMovie.

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Hey, isn’t that a Colonial Emblem from the original BattleStar Galactica hanging as a wall ornament behind Patrick Stewart and Raffi (Michelle Herd) in the eighth from last photo, where they are both chatting on the Patio? It’s kind of a wrought iron wall decoration and is only partially visible, but it looks like the original 1979 Colonial symbol – maybe an Easter Egg?

At least the bottle of vino is from the Picard vineyards….

It’s actually the Sri Yantra, a sacred symbol in Hinduism.

TOLD YOU! FIRST!

We known this for literally months now. But yes nice its official.

I’m glad that they’ve landed a showrunner, and one with Trek experience at that.

I’m kind of avoiding looking closely at the production stills at this point. I don’t think that I need any further spoilers.

Hopefully a Berman era production assistent can instil some Berman era aesthetic into this show next season… It’s kind of hilarious how all modern shows go through the same growing pains (Enterprise and Discovery regarding TOS aesthetic).

No one wants that.

Oh right. A34 has spoken! Mods, lock this thread, no need for further discussion! ;)

I get it not all parts of Berman Trek aesthetics are liked, and I personally dislike the “elevator music” that replaced Ron Jones’ daring scores, but part of it like Okudagrams and smooth fluidly designed starships is part of the era’s signature and should be retained.

I can do without the color beige

One of my biggest non-writing related gripes is the production design/aesthetic of Discovery doesn’t fit the design language which was kept cohesive for nearly 2 decades so… maybe don’t go tossing “no one” around when stating what people want. I want that, some others want that, you don’t. This isn’t to say I want a rehash of the sets/designs of older Trek series… I just want the new stuff to look like it could realistically have evolved either from or into whatever came before or comes after it in the world as it was built.

Moreover, the color beige stopped being a thing after Generations so… perhaps the color on your TV is off?

I want that and I am sure there are others that do as well.

It’s almost like stuff gets dated and looks crappy for modern design sensibilities or something… huh, who’d a thunk it?

Nobody wants to watch 60 or 30 year old ideas of the future, why chain ourselves to the 80s and the Hilton floating through space look?

So let’s go the Discovery route and make everything – 23rd century, 24th century and 31st century – feel like the 2010s (now outdated), including daft party music?

I bet you had no problem with Picard listening to ancient classical music.

Do you realize that the design they’re using is very much rooted in edgy 90s, complete with excessively sharp edges and useless beveled paneling that give nightmares both to work safety inspectors AND cleaning personnel? ;)

Look at those cast photos. If it weren’t for that expensive cinematic lighting, it would look like a 1998 show. And do you know why? Because Eaves is an one-trick pony, that’s why: when he doesn’t know what to do, he keeps adding angular details.

@Boze: Eaves doesn’t design the interiors.

Have to disagree on this.

More Plexiglas!

I think we may get the odd nod to the TNG look but I wouldn’t count on it. Mike and Denise Okuda were all but signed to do DSC but because of Canada employment law, CBS hired Canadian talent. The Okuda’s are working for the Apple + show For All Mankind.So, their input wasn’t used on Picard. I do know that Mike Okuda did send EVERYTHING he and Denise designed over the almost two decades when they were asked by the DSC people. So, if it’s not being used it’s not because CBS doesn’t have it. I also have a friend who designed certain elements for the Picard show (sorry, won’t say which ones until after airing!) and what he was able to show us didn’t have much if any TNG elements to it. He only showed us 2 or 3 elements so I don’t want to set off any design alarms. In 1987, the editor of Starlog encouraged us to embrace the then new TNG show. It had been almost two decades since we’d had Trek on TV. There was a lot of push back because TNG wasn’t TOS. “Trek Classic!” Who Needs A Next Generation?” T-Shirts were at every convention in 1987.It was a take on the Coca Cola Classic debacle happening at the time. I walked around with a new AMT Enterprise D and the Galoob metal D at one con. I got accosted by several fans stunned that I could even like the new Trek. So, things haven’t changed much in 30+ years. One thing is certain: Star Trek, as a franchise is-in a way- repeating history. TOS limped off the air in 1969 only to triumphantly return on the big screen in 1979 with TMP. TNG limped off movie screens in 2002 only to return triumphantly to TV in 2020. Where Trek belongs I might add.

It’s going to look and feel different in places, folks. In my opinion, it has to to remain relevant and ground breaking in the 2020 TV universe. I also expect and hope for subtle nods for us long time Trek fans. Again, Starlog encouraged us to embrace TNG in 1987. It was good advice then, it’s good advice today.

I very much enjoyed the first two seasons of Twelve Monkeys, but then it sort of ran out of steam.

It is comforting to know that zipper technology will remain unchanged in 380 years.

always bugs me how chairs nearly always look contemporary. TNG had those wheeled office chairs, and they could have at least covered the wheels up, which is what we zero-budget filmmakers did, after covering the garage floor with black garbage liner.

Although, why would human beings change from wheels though?

There’s a whole lot of things we can do now, if we wanted to, that would be high tech but cost prohibitive where low tech will achieve the same ends.

Why would a business or industry in the future move to “hover chairs” when most people will say I can just push one with wheels a few feet across the room?

Then again, who still uses a mechanical computer mouse these days?

From the construction point of view, it makes sense to replace moving parts with static parts whenever possible, because moving parts have most potential fault points. Wheels are the most often damaged part of a chair (and they ruin the carpet, too). We know that levitating cargo platforms and stretchers are a thing as early as 2270s (and I think I ever saw a levitating suitcase somewhere in the background), so the technology must be cheap and accessible. It’s only a matter of time before someone tries to put it on a chair; then everybody can simply download the schematic and print their own amazing contact-less office chair in the nearest industrial replicator. ;)

I’m talking about doing a simple hide like what was on the nx2000 chairs in TSFS (a cheapo job to be sure.) You just hide the ‘bought yesterday’ look to suspend disbelief, and that’s enough on a bg element to keep it from distracting.

There is no need to change the zipper. It works, no improvement required. Just because centuries pass it doesn’t mean everything needs to change. Kmart, again… Why hide the wheels of office chairs? So that we would think the chairs are gliding on some sort of anti-gravity ground-effect? Why, literally, re-invent the wheel? Let’s keep it simple, it works! Just my humble opinion. Yours may differ…

silvereyes, If you’re going to use an antique design for the chairs, then go classic with Eames. More practically, the horizontal legs on office chairs are tripping hazards, and they can ROLL when on a slant, like when ship tips over. Bad, not credible. Do you really think we’re going to need sticks under the cushion to control the height of the chair in 50 years, let alone hundreds?

My opinion definitely differs from yours. Take a look at the chair designs in the book THE 2001 FILE, with tons of stuff that did and didn’t wind up in the Kubrick movie. In my review of the book from a few years back, I mentioned that the then-upcoming TV series for GQ, DSC and others would probably be smart to lift from these wonderfully evocative yet practical designs, and they are as far beyond 80s office chairs as you might expect from an actual designer (Harry Lange.)

To me those office chairs are worse giveaways of cheapness and lack of imagination than the TV in Pike’s quarters in CAGE or the undisguised microphone used as a sound masker in COURT MARTIAL — they’re even worse than the use of a contemporary remote control — masquerading as a ray gun — in THE FANTASTIC JOURNEY (the Space Command model which had 4 buttons and at least LOOKED cool, with mesh on the front.)

Picard is wearing a suit and tie in one of the stills.

Think it’s the first time I’ve seen a “Star Trek” character wear a tie in a 23/24th century setting.

And that suit design is right out of “Aliens”.

No more spandex.

Edward Samuela,

What? You never saw A PIECE OF THE ACTION or PATTERNS OF FORCE and have those episodes confirm for you that Kirk and Spocko knew how to tie a tie?

Buttons were a cutting-edge technology in 14th century Germany it seems.

6 centuries later, we still use them extensively.

I’m willing to give the zipper another few hundred years.

Yes I was going to point out in TOS there were still plenty of buttons, dials and analog clocks 300 years later even though we use less of those now, but I imagine those will still be used later. So I don’t think zippers are going to really die out with the way of the dinosaurs anytime soon.

Incidentally I just read that Lucas mandated on Star Wars that there not be any visible buttons or zippers on clothes, same as no glasses (which Mandalorian just broke). Strikes me as a smart choice. Nothing dates a show like grounding it in contemporary technologies YOU KNOW will be obsolete in the future. The issue is about perception more than anything (Eaves’ “garbage scow” starship design aesthetic, in direct violation of the Proberts “hidden technology” designs, is another example)

It seems someone pays attention to Screenrants articles ;)

You are correct of course, GT ;)

Yes, but unfortunately the haird-dos in the OT dates those movies more than anything lol.

Whats wrong with the Pretzel? I take it over the currently en vogue Discovery “Marge Simpson” any day of the week :P

Are you saying zippers, wheels and buttons are necessarily going to be obsolete at some point in the future, as in, we can take that for granted? Or were you talking (writing) in more general terms? I really don’t see how we can improve either (except buttons maybe). Why even bother to improve on the zipper? Make it electric? And wheels… I just don’t see how they can become obsolete.

I do think zippers are a major headache and have alot of room for improvement with their many weaknesses, hassles and lack of robustness. We already invented velcro before as a potential zipper-replacement (ok T’Pols grandmother did ;), so its not a stretch to see new inventions. The task is not so much in correctly forecasting rhe future but hiding the past and present, anything that screams “contemporary”. And I’m sorry, but 2010s style zippers on uniforms don’t look “more realistic” to me, they make it harder to suspend disbelief and accept this as 400 years on the future. Clearly both the sense of fashion and clothing technology was VERY different 400 years in the past! The Discovery costume designer using 3D printing was actually more forward thinking in this, although they overdid complexity as clutteredness.

Vulcan Soul,

Pretty sure Abrams had the keeper of the Skywalker lightsabber wearing goggly glasses.

Pardon the play on words, but I’ve no idea what any vision of the future requires everything to look synthetic. It’s impossible to imagine that hand crafted just completely disappears a couple hundred years into the future, be it food, clothes, furniture, or art.

I freaking hate Wil Wheaton. His acting is fine, loved him in Stand By Me. I just cannot stand his long, hateful political rants. Dang, just about as bad as listening to DiNero

Just to point out that many of us are very content with how well Wil was able to define himself as a blogger.

(And I still wonder how there are so many self-identified Trek fans out there who are so intolerant of the values deep-baked into the franchise.)

You have to check your premises then, TG47. Perhaps they are not intolerant of values or perhaps you don’t recognise some of the other values that have been promoted in previous versions of Trek (e.g. the promotion of freedom of thought and expression).

It needs to be said for alot of actors right now that they get paid for being brilliant ACTORS, not politicians or philosophers, and their personal political opinion is worth as much as just about any anonymous internet poster. Of course this becomes a problem when an entire show seems to be designed around that actors’ perception of so called “damaging influences”, that is widely NOT shared by the majority of the populace as determined in democratic elections and referendums … the line between entertainment and propaganda is a thin one.

Well, I won’t go in the details of specific political opinions, but the assertion that a certain opinion has more worth or less worth than another strikes me as off.

My take on that would be: actors have a built in audience, hence they at least potentially reach more people than “any anonymous poster“. “Any anonymous poster“ does not have to expect a shitstorm or backlash over a controversial comment. Many shitty rants just fly under the radar.

So, an actor has the same right to make political speeches as you and me, and a lot of actors of course use their reach to be heared. That is very understandable and nothing immoral per se.

Very well, GT, but don’t forget my second and more crucial point: I was looking forward to “a deeply psychological portrait of Picard in his emeritus years” that we can all enjoy (irrespective if if it is TNG 2.0 or not), not Stewart’s bitter rant on “why the British people are wrong on Brexit” (and isn’t it interesting how the West, and very often these very same people as Stewart, are quick to support or even stir independence and separatist movements in other countries, but once it concerns one of their own, it is ‘evil’ and must be opposed in all its forms?)

You have in my view a rather distorted view on Brexit. Cameron acted irresponsibly by pushing the brexit referendum only to get re-elected. In the wake of that, a campaign of lies and fake news was launched which resulted in a very close vote for Brexit. The fighting over Brexit is keeping the british parliament in chaos for more than 3 years now and put Boris Johnson on top. Boris Johnson!… Scotland may well leave the UK, and nobody knows what conflicts will rise (again) in Ireland. I am not saying that the EU is perfect – far from it. But no democratic system is. That is not a reason to abandon the concept. Growing alliances in Europe kept peace and stability for over 70 years now. Countries potentially leaving the EU is objectively worrisome for of almost every person I know in my generation and younger (I am 35).

As for stirring up independence movements, I can only guess you think of countries like Taiwan, Tibet. Hongkong, and the Ukraine Crisis? If you can’t see how different these cases are from Brexit, I do not know how to discuss this with you. Differentiation is key…

As for Star Trek as political allegory: This was built into the Star Trek DNA from the get-go. In “The Cage” we see a race that wasted their home planet with nuclear war AND a rather intimate character study of Pike. In “TUC” we see a “Chernobyl” and “End of the cold war” allegory combined with a look on an aging Spock and Kirk contemplating their usefulness. The Suliban and the Xindi very much mirrored terrorist movement and terrorist attacks to thematise Post 9/11 (Suliban was even derived from Taliban) (ok, I don’t know where the character development was in Ent…)

So I really, really do not share your fear that we will get a condescending political theatre devoid of complex character development. I`ve rather got the feeling, if Sir Patrick Steward was pro Brexit, you would not mind his “rants” on the subject matter so much.

As a Brexiteer, there is much I disagree with on your post, but this isn’t the place to get into a debate on it. You’re probably right about some not getting triggered as much is Sir Patrick was on our side of the debate.

For me, I don’t mind Sir Patrick expressing his disagreements with world events; it’s always more insightful listening to an opponent to someone who shares your views. However, if Sir Patrick’s opinion on Brexit percolates into the show and you have Starfleet clumsily saying “we’ve got to take back control” (or a paraphrased Brexit slogan) as it becomes some pseudo-fascist and/or xenophobic organisation, I will be triggered as it would just be a brazen attack on the majority, many of whom are very decent people.

The same could be said about the Brexiteers who oppose the independence of Scotland and the reunification of Ireland.

So, how would you feel if a mailman tried to proselytize you for his church while bringing you your mail? What about a bus driver refusing to board you because your slogan t-shirt clashes with his personal political opinion? Or a butcher trying to talk you into donating money to hungry kids in Africa, even though all you wanted was to buy some bratwurst for the weekend?

As public figures, actors are at work whenever they are speaking publicly. That’s why they are paid so much money: because they’re essentially giving up their private life. That’s why it is inappropriate for actors to yap about politics: such talks have no place at work. At work, you are supposed to be polite, respectful, professional and neutral.

Yes, actors have a “reach”, just like a mailman has access to all the apartment buildings in his district. That’s because we give them our trust necessary to provide us with a service. By mixing their personal politics into that service, they are overstepping their boundaries and effectively betraying our trust. We grant actors the “reach” in order to entertain us, _not_ to politically influence us – just like mailmen are supposed to bring us mail, not the word of God.

And really… as a German, you above all should understand that when artists start dabbling in politics, it often ends in embarrassment. ;)

Very well put, Boze. We used to regard the Leni Riefenstahls of this world as unethical tools of propaganda, but somehow Isaacs and now Stewart receive a lot of goodwill for their missionary zeal just because they are on the same side as commenters. This should be a matter of principle and not of sides.

Wait, seriously? Patrick Stewart = Leni Riefenstahl. Absolutely not! And why? Because it is a matter of principals.

I think that actors should make their political views or opinions known in the appropriate forum or situation. The whole “shut up and sing/act” that some celebrities get from the public I feel is inappropriate. They are humans just like all of us. If a celebrity is being interviewed in a public forum and the topic ventures into politics? They should be able to respectfully voice their views. At work, on set? No, I don’t think the high profile celeb should be yelling “Vote for my candidate!”

Kinda like your rant now?

I think Wil Wheaton is a smart choice for this, and I’m glad he was there selection. I still groaned when I read his name though, and when I tried to remember why I found him so distasteful….it was for the same reason you mention. The problem isn’t that he has opinions or his specific opinions. The problem is the way he communicates his opinions: with arrogance and intolerance of those that might disagee. And he’s reeeeal off the cuff with some of his comments too. I thought After Trek was terrrrible, and didn’t watch whatever they replaced it with. I’ll hope this is better and maybe give it a try. I don’t care either way about it but I’m at least glad they made a choice that catered to the fans anyway.

I’m excited to see what he (Wil) does with the job. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sir Pat lobbied for him to get the gig. There was one con where Sir Pat was asked by a fan why Wil Wheaton was still on the show. Sir Patrick- let’s just say- vigorously defended the Wesley character AND Wil Wheaton. He deserves a seat at the table

I think this whole point of not wanting to hear actors’ political opinions was made moot when voters started electing William Henry Harrison and other actors/entertainers to office. Because of this, I, for one, find it useful to know their political thoughts BEFORE an election as opposed to AFTER they’ve been elected.

Re: Harrison

My mistake there. I meant the entertainer turned president of the US, Warren G. Harding.

Then dont watch the after trek show. Everything that everyone involved with the production says and usually any clips from the proceeding episodes end up online anyway.

Wil Wheaton is fantastic, really enjoyed him on the Star Trek Cruise. I thought the After Treks were beyond lame last season, I’m really looking forward to this.

I think it was a very smart move to use Wheaton because he sort of has become very popular not just with the Trek fanbase but the geek social media crowd in general. And its nice to get someone who was directly involved with Trek. And yes, obviously being part of TNG will make him feel more relevant to this show.

I don’t know why its so difficult to keep these After Trek hosts though. How hard is it to get someone to ask a bunch of questions and get a few laughs out of it. I thought the last host was really bad if I’m being honest so I understand why she is gone but then I don’t know if she even wrote her own questions and just had someone from CBS PR do it because that’s how it felt most of time.

I don’t know if it’s the hosts.

Laurie from TrekMovie’s ShuttlePod Crew was one of the hosts for AfterTrek. It doesn’t sound like she wanted to stop.

Perhaps the issue is that CBS has had too many different people in charge of this, similar to showrunners.

A likely (hypothesized) issue was that Netflix didn’t want to continue to pay for AfterTrek. So, CBSAA had to come up with something for global direct distribution.

Just wish they had chosen something other than Facebook.

Oh great another after show. How did anyone get by without these? (JK). After Shows are like hot towels at restaurants. No one asked for it, you never needed it before, you feel weird about using it and you don’t know what to do with it when it’s done.

But, hey, at least they can sell more advertising because they didn’t make enough on your subscription. Gotta cover those folks getting it free abroad lol

Well you don’t HAVE to watch it oO

Thank god we dont have to!

I really like the after shows if we get some real relevant information at least. It doesn’t have to be spoilers but they do need to be more than just extended PR puff pieces which the last one mostly felt like.

Stop being modest Sir Patrick you’re most certainly not in ”Shatner’s shadow”, quite the opposite if you ask me.

I was thinking the exact same.

He was being modest. Which IMHO is commendable. But while I consider Stewart to be the superior actor overall… When it comes to Trek I still consider him in Shatner’s shadow. And Nimoy’s if we are to be even more open about this.

I was just taking the comment as meaning that Stewart was the first to have to portray a new captain that wasn’t Kirk, and deal with all of the expectations that came with that.

That is not thinking ‘who is the better actor’ or ‘the better captain’, but rather that Stewart bore the burden of proving that there could be a ‘real Trek captain’ that wasn’t Kirk.

Which given the burden of fan expectations at this point on any new Trek series, was an important point to make.

Well, I was responding to Dvorak’s and BigMovieGeek’s comments.

Got that ML31.

And totally respect that while TNG was never your favourite Trek, you are yourself respectful to Sir Patrick as an actor.

I just wish that few of the other critical voices here would get on board with the strategy of having different series with different looks and tones to appeal to diverse audiences.

I notice that some are seeing this as ‘a fracturing of the Trek franchise’. They seem to only want one kind of Trek to exist : that being whichever Trek they prefer.

Rest assured, I am not one of the voices who can only accept “one” kind of Trek. I personally endorse the idea of having shows of different styles out there. Including ones aimed at different audiences. It does mean that there will be Trek that is NOT aimed at me. But I feel this has the potential to be good for the brand overall. I’ll still eat up all the Trek they throw at us, God help me. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to like all of it or all of the concepts. And I reserve the right to criticize what I feel doesn’t work. Even knowing it wasn’t aimed at me to begin with. Just because one of the new concepts doesn’t work for me doesn’t mean the franchise is dead.

Yes, for the record TNG was never really my cup of tea. I watched it back then and enjoyed the good episodes. Mainly because it was new Trek that I had been Jonsing for. It was merely OK but I feel like it never captured the element that made TOS the classic it is. I appreciate TNG mainly for bringing Trek back into popular culture. And without it there would have been no DS9!

Pretty excited the showrunner and creator of 12 Monkeys has been hired for the show. I LOVED that show and it was done so well. The first season was really amazing and especially how well they kept all the time travel stuff together and still not super convoluted after four seasons of it (take notes Discovery ;)).

I can’t believe season 1 hasn’t started yet and they are already starting on season 2! It could even start shooting while season 1 is still running and we don’t have to wait over a freakin year for another one like SO many of these shows do nowadays. It could be 18 months between season 2 and season 3 of Discovery (it will officially be one year when season 2 started airing in four days ;)) if they wait until Fall. But I’m hoping its summer the latest if they keep to their 2-3 month cushion between each show. Remember the good ole days when we had to wait MAYBE 4 months between seasons of all the old Star Trek shows? Man I miss those days.

And SO HAPPY more TNG characters may show up. I’m hoping we get more from VOY and at least one or two from DS9 as well! :)

I wonder how much the production journey of Picard will mirror that of Discovery, stylistically, narratively and also politically ;) Season 2 mellowed out alot but unfortunately was brought down by sheer writer’s inaptitude (helped by more showrunner upheaval)

Hi Tiger2. While season 2 is formally announced, another site that had someone at TCA reported comments by Kurtzman and Kadin on Picard and the larger go forward plan for Trek.

First, it sound as though they won’t start production on season 2 of Picard until they have audience and fan reactions to season 1. Kurtzman said the concept for season 2 will be surprising, but that they learn from fan feedback even if the concerns may be deeper issues than said on the surface by fans. They want to be able to respond to the deeper concerns flagged by fans. It sounds like this will be a general approach, so I suspect they’ll do the same for Discovery season 4.

Second, the other site reports that Kurtzman says that TWO additional LIVE ACTION series are in development, beyond Section 31. I, like many, hope that at least one of these will be a Pike show. The other site mused about the Academy show that seems to have gone off the radar, but it could be something else.

Last news out of TCA, Variety and Deadline are reporting that Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are developing yet another non-Trek series ‘Clarisse’ for CBS. I really hope that Kurtzman will feel able to step back from hands-on involvement with Discovery given all these other projects.

What secrets does Kurtzman have on the bosses of CBS to be given all these projects lol?

I’m just happy that there’s lots of Trek coming in the next few years.

Berman had charge of several Trek shows in the 90s, but folks didn’t think that was odd.

As far as the other projects go, Kurtzman made the case that Trek was an under used franchise and got it done. CBS executives said at TCA they found the positive anticipation about Picard was significantly higher than expected. So, he’s overdelivered on a strategic priority. People who do that are usually rewarded with another, harder job.

I think if they really hit out of the box with Picard, we can expect to see a lot of big ideas happening, like on MCU level. With so much going on they obviously have very big plans for the franchise that’s probably nothing no one really see coming. I mean if you told me when Discovery started that show would end up in the 32nd century and we were going back to the 24th century starring Picard himself and now FIVE other shows coming on top of those no one would’ve believed it. And yet here we are just 2 and a half years later.

I would guess that he is good at delivering projects that make CBS money.

Wow that is AMAZING news TG47!! LOL, TWO more shows??? I guess we may just get a Pike show after all! :)

Maybe one of the shows is a Pike show and possibly the other could be a Picard spin off show if Stewart really only wants to do three seasons. But yes it could be the Academy show too. I’m open to anything frankly BUT a Khan (ugh) show. That’s really the only one that I’m totally against and even then I’ll still watch it lol.

And it’s great they will listen to feedback first with the Picard show. That’s the right way to do it. They clearly did that with Discovery and we got a MUCH better show for it in season 2 even if it was still flawed. But it’s pretty obvious the only reason the show is going into the 32nd century because they knew how much fans hated how out of place it felt and was generally tired of prequels so course corrected.

That’s why while I understand people don’t like DIS or think Kurtzman is the devil, you have to give him credit, he’s trying! He wants fans to like what they are doing and taking their input seriously. No it doesn’t mean they should listen to everything people say on a message board obviously, but the stuff that clearly was bad decision from the start is being rectified and hopefully we are getting a better show out of it like all the others.

And that gives me more hope for Picard as well if it truly doesn’t hit the right chord in season one! Thanks for the info! It’s time to do some googling!

The Khan show is all but dead. I think Nick Meyer is on the record saying as such? Inglorious Treksperts?

Sounds good, and before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, I think this is a solid choice for a showrunner. 12 Monkeys was one of my favorite science-fiction shows of the last decade and I am sure Mr Matalas will do an excellent job with Picard too.

An aftershow with Will Wheaton? Sounds like fun! I hope Sir Patrick Steward takes the opportunity to say (in jest) “Shut up, Wesley!” at least once! :-D

I checked out Allison Pill recently and … wow. I after seing her filmography I am thrilled she is in the new show!

Is that a coincidence that she’s wearing a blue shirt AND a blue coat, like someone else who was a Doctor…?

Have you ever been to a hospital? Blue is a pretty dotorish color…

It reminds me of Doctor Crusher’s dress and this is EXACTLY how they should honor the aesthetic of TNG without having to fall back to “those awful 80s”, as some here fear…

I found her dark grey jumpsuit in the photo on the ship looked very mid-70s.

So, a lot of styles being mixed there.

It deserves to be renewed. First season was awesome! Especially when that thing happened.

And that thing was what really made the show (and that other thing as well but to a somewhat lesser extent).

Upon second viewing, I agree with you Denny C. All shows go through growing pains. Here’s hoping that second season continues to explore those things while leaving out that other stuff.

But the scene they cut! I would love to see that!

I’m getting serious Legolas vibes from the Elnor character with the long hair pulled back, the sword on the back, and the pointed ears. That’s not a criticism, just an observation. I think it’s a cool look.

I think it’s cool too. Especially as Simon’s TOS Spock reportedly got early criticism for looking to deveil/demonlike.

Kurtzman reportedly made comments at TCA that the Romulans will have more than one look, including bumpy foreheads in the TNG style.

He sees this as consistent with the idea that with different subcultures and ethnicities, not everyone will be the same.

Genetically, I’m thinking that perhaps this means that the Romulans are hybridized with local humanoid populations that existed before their exodus from Vulcan.

This came up in response to a question about whether Michael Dorn might reprise his role as Worf in Picard season 2. Kurtzman says that Wolf’s look would not change to what we saw in Discovery Klingons.

Speaking of renewals and future seasons/shows, Alex Kurtzman said “There are two more live action shows that haven’t been announced yet.” Here’s hoping one of those is a series with Pike and company. He said this January 12 during the Picard press tour in Pasadana. You can read more about the interview over at the trekcore blog. I figure it’s only a matter of time before comments from that interview yesterday also find their way into an article here.

I’m excited about the Pike show. I hope the other new show is set in the Picard era, but with all. We characters

I’m wondering if they might go for another era (early 24th century) or another context contemporary with Picard. A station or a ship.

That said, I’m still keen for Secret Hideout to make use of the Trek-lit that’s out there. There are some series (e.g. Vanguard station in the TOS era) that could be adapted. Or some of the Relaunch novels could provide a foundation for further adventures.

I’m still wanting to see Captain Ezri Dax of the USS Aventine – definitely a character that developed into a force in the novels, and in a way that totally made sense given her history both as a Trill and a symbiont.

If they want to attract new viewers to Picard with a short like Children of Mars, housing it on the CBS pay access channel seems unlikely to accomplish that. I thought this short was very well done and very moving. They should put some of these out on YouTube (assuming they haven’t) shortly after release to drive new interest. Children of Mars certainly took me back to 9/11 and the Challenger disaster, capturing perfectly the moments in life when things come to a stand still.

Kurtzman mentioned Pixar shorts in discussing Short Treks at TCA.

I keep thinking that it would be cool for Paramount to package cinematic Short Treks in front of its features.

That could definitely be a way to build the franchise.

Terry Matalas seems like a huge SF fan, Check out the Star Trek TNG comic he wrote with Brannon Braga! Seems relevant: https://www.digitalspy.com/comics/a387798/star-trek-the-next-generation-miniseries-announced-by-idw/

I hope they go back to the After Trek format now with Wheaton, who has the right combination of street cred, raw intelligence, critical eye, strong knowledge of the franchise, on-screen charisma. Yeah, he can be a bit prickly, but that would make it all the more authentic. Everyone knows the most successful model is Talking Dead and I think that Wheaton is the best chance for success. The first host of After Trek just didn’t cut it. They also needed the occasional super fan comedian to also be on. Wheaton, as a former cast member might be able to bridge the gap between geekdom and the cast and crew. I often found that the cast and producers of Discovery were overwhelmed by Trek geekdom on the show.

I really wish they would just stream this on YouTube to make it globally accessible without pressing fans to join Facebook. Surely CBS has its own channel.

We’re not on Facebook and don’t want to be given the lack of respect for privacy or legal jurisdictions outside the United States.

AfterTrek was only available on CBSAA so we didn’t get in Canada. Instead BellMedia had its own show that didn’t have access to the cast.

“AfterTrek was only available on CBSAA so we didn’t get in Canada.”

Yet another reason why it seems that it is better to be a Trek fan in Canada these days.

There’s lots of reasons at present ML31 why I’m happy that we’re situated in Canada rather than the US or the UK (both of which my spouse and I have experienced).

Missing out on After Trek just never occurred to me as one of them.

I was only referring to Trek related reasons. Let’s not get into the non-Trek related things because I don’t see too many of those from this side of the border.

I was able to watch the after show on Facebook without actually joining Facebook. If CBS released the show on their Youtube channel it would most likely be region-locked like all their other Star Trek videos. For season 1 of Discovery, Netflix had the after show in my country.

If both YouTube and Facebook are not fully accessible, then perhaps they could just stream it from the official Star Trek site.

It’s working well for the global trailers, and it would be a natural use for the site.

I’ve never seen one of those post show shows. I’ve always assumed they would be a stroke fest and I had no desire to watch them talk about how brilliant the show was even if it was brilliant.

Aftershows are a very cheesy concept, shame to see Trek lowering (?) itself to that. Oh well, here’s to hoping Picard itself will be good.

While it is disappointing that Chabon won’t be the show runner for season 2, 12 Monkeys was a fantastic series, so I’m really excited for Terry Matalas to be the new show runner.

While it makes sense that they’d be close to the actual sites of production, how many of these Trek “after” shows, TALKING TREK, AFTER TREK, READY ROOM, etc. were/are/will be filmed in the US?

After Trek and the Ready Room were/are from CBS and produced in the US, while Discovery (and future Trek series other than Picard) are planned to be produced in Toronto, Canada.

So, they aren’t being made where the shows are or contemporaneous with the shows.

BellMedia had its own show for Canada for Discovery season 1, but that was it.

There is SO much information coming out right now but since TM hasn’t added a new article yet I’m not sure where to put this. But I thought it was important for certain fans who thought the events from Picard was going to be a direct tie in to Discovery in season 3 to have this info. Producer Heather Kadin made it clear in an interview there is NO connection or overlapping between the two whatsoever.

In other words all the stuff we will see happening in Picard will only affect that show while the downfall of the Federation story line in the 32nd century in Discovery will come strictly from that show only, as I always thought. So people can breathe now.

Personally, I never felt the two shows storylines would intersect or be relevant to each other in anyway.

I think whatever happens in Discovery probably happens a lot more recent in that timeframe. We know the Federation is still intact up to the 29th century at least.

I like that Kadin started by saying that if there was a good story reason at some point to make the various series connect at some point they would do it, but unlike the Marvel universe, since Trek series are in different time periods, there is no expectation the storylines will directly connect.

And then she said, “just, no.”

Yeah I never believed a show 800 years into the future would be affected by any of the past shows. But you know the internet. And it made less sense because Picard is going multiple seasons so if something did happen from Picard it would need to happen first season of that show or DIS would spoil future season twists.

So didn’t make sense. And not surprised it’s not going to turn into MCU given all the time periods these shows will be in. But I suspect crossovers will still happen a lot with characters in the same period. And as said down the line who knows?

Star Trek’s Wil Wheaton Shares Touching Picard Premiere Moment After Recalling ‘Humiliating’ Trauma From Early Days

The actor shared a touching moment with The Next Generation cast.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 had its Hollywood premiere this past week, and many of the franchise's actors -- of both past and present -- were there to see the first two episodes of the upcoming season. It was an exciting night for the cast and fans in attendance as well as an emotional night for actor Wil Wheaton. Because during the evening, he had a touching moment that really struck a chord due to his "humiliating" memories of past trauma. 

Wil Wheaton and his wife were guests at the Star Trek: Picard Season 3 premiere and the actor had a chance to reunite with many of his former co-stars from The Next Generation, who returned for the final season. Wheaton, who briefly reprised his role as Wesley Crusher in Season 2 , will not appear in the new episodes, sadly. Still, he was more than willing to show up and support his friends. The actor wrote about the event on his blog , including a moment that inadvertently triggered some past trauma related to his days on The Next Generation :

Last night, Anne and I went to the fancy premiere of Star Trek Picard’s final season at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Before the screening began, after we were all settled into our seats, Terry Matalas and Alex Kurtzman introduced the show, thanked the cast and crew, and turned the spotlight over to Patrick. He spoke lovingly and beautifully about the entire experience in that Patrick Stewart way we all love. As he was wrapping up his remarks, he said, ‘I would like to ask the cast who are here to please stand up,’ so they could also be celebrated. I remembered how humiliating it was, how much it hurt, those times Rick Berman deliberately left me seated while everyone else was standing up, those times Rick Berman made me feel exactly the way my father made me feel: unwelcome, unworthy, invisible. Not a great feeling.

The actor explained that former Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman made him feel like an outsider within the cast. He wasn't the only member of the Trek family who did that either, as Wheaton has written about an unpleasant encounter he had with William Shatner when the former child star went to visit him between filming TNG .

Thankfully, the Next Generation cast has often made a point to make Wil Wheaton feel welcome and watch out for him. Apparently, old habits die hard , too, based on the next part of Wheaton's story. It seems that co-star Jonathan Frakes made sure that Wheaton also got some credit on the big night, even though he's not part of the cast. And honestly, this whole scenario can bring a tear to one's eye:

But last night wasn’t about me. Yes, I have a wonderful cameo in season two, but I’m not in season three. And last night was about season three. It was about celebrating my family, who all came together for what is likely their final mission together. So I was happy to stay in my seat while they started to stand up. I clapped so hard my hands are still vibrating this morning. I applauded not just their work on this season but everything they’ve given to Star Trek for over thirty years. I celebrated the absolute hell out of my family. And while I was doing this, I looked across the aisle at Frakes and clapped at/for him. We made eye contact, and he gave me this incredulous look. ‘Why are you sitting down? Stand up, W!’ He said. So I did, and he applauded me, and I may have wept just a little bit. Or maybe a lot.

Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut shared how LeVar Burton's family welcomed her in. 

It's lovely to hear Wil Wheaton talk about what that gesture meant to him and how proud he is of his friends as the world waits to stream Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Paramount+ subscription holders are in for a treat, too, as they'll get to see Jean-Luc Picard reunite with his former crew and see beloved characters like Seven of Nine get much-deserved promotions within Starfleet. 

While Wil Wheaton will not appear in Star Trek: Picard Season 3, his recent return as Wesley Crusher did leave the door open for future appearances. In fact, his status as a "watcher" makes it possible for him to appear on any of the currently airing or upcoming Trek series if the producers see fit to include the character. I personallly wouldn't mind seeing a lot more Wesley in the future. We already know that showrunners like Lower Decks ' Mike McMahan are interested in using Wheaton in episodes, so hopefully, he'll get his chance to return to the franchise sooner than later and continue to get the recognition her sorely deserves in the process.

Catch the premiere of Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+ on Thursday, February 16, and check out CinemaBlend's 2023 TV schedule for release info on other high-profile shows.

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Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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Star Trek: Prodigy had an ulterior motive in bringing Wesley Crusher into the show's second season

Wesley Crusher is "the original Star Trek prodigy," explained the show's creators at San Diego Comic-Con 2024

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The second season of Star Trek: Prodigy — one that almost went unseen, when the show was initially cancelled by Paramount+, before being picked up by Netflix — is filled with all sorts of cameos from familiar Trek characters (and actors), and connections to Trek lore… but there’s one specific appearance that show creators Kevin and Dan Hageman felt was particularly necessary: The Next Generation’s Wesley Crusher.

Spoilers for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 follow! If you haven’t had a chance to watch the full season yet, read on at your own peril.

Speaking at the show’s San Diego Comic-Con 2024 panel on Sunday morning at the show, Kevin Hageman said that the show was created as an entry point into the larger Trek mythology for newcomers. “We wanted to bring new people into Trek. For new people, we asked our writers room, what are the greatest hits?” he explained, adding, “We feel like it’s Star Trek 101, whether you’re a young kid or an adult who’s scared of Star Trek.”

The second season of the show tells a larger story that crosses realities and travels through time, which makes it particularly reasonable to bring in Wesley — a character who went from Starfleet offspring to ensign to omnipotent member of The Travelers, a group that can travel space and time, who the Hagemans described as Star Trek’s “very own Time Lord” during the panel. His involvement in the show was credited to series staff writer Jen Muro, who in particular was a big fan of Wesley, the brothers explained, but there was a very specific reason for bringing him in that went beyond plot.

“Wesley Crusher is the original prodigy of Star Trek,” Kevin Hageman explained. “This guy needs to come back and help out [the Prodigy] kids.”

Although Prodigy season 2 was released after the second season of Star Trek: Picard — which also featured a cameo from Will Wheaton reprising his Next Generation role — it turned out that it was Prodigy that originally got the ball rolling on his return. The Picard producers “knew we were going to do something with him, and they said, ‘it’d be great if we could use him as well,’” Hageman said. “We were really into that.”

Wesley’s involvement — and the fact that it tied Prodigy to Picard as well as The Next Generation — served an important secondary purpose as well, as it turned out.

“As you see, there’s a lot of touchstones with Voyager [in Prodigy], simply because it was organically tied with Janeway,” Kevin Hageman said, “but we wanted to make sure this wasn’t just a Voyager sequel. We wanted to touch on all the different elements of Star Trek.”

Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Netflix now.

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Star Trek Has Always Loved Doctor Who — Here's the Proof

Starfleet and the Time Lords exist in different universes. But in our universe, Star Trek's nods to Doctor Who are very real.

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During San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the showrunner of Doctor Who , Russell T Davies sat down with Star Trek 's overall executive producer Alex Kurtzman in celebration of Intergalactic Friendship Day .

It was an unprecedented moment, in which the Trek and Who franchises publicly acknowledged that their two fandoms crossover, and that in some ways, at least philosophically, these two worlds crossover.

But what if we told you this wasn't the first time Star Trek had given Doctor Who a public high-five?

The truth is, while Doctor Who has been dropping several Trek references since its revival in 2005, there are several examples of the Star Trek franchise overtly — or covertly — referencing the timey-wimey adventures of the TARDIS. Here's a brief guide to Star Trek 's references to Doctor Who , throughout all time and space.

Sonic Drivers and Reversing the Polarity

"Cupid's Errant Arrow"

Fans of Doctor Who know that the titular Time Lord uses a multitool called a "sonic screwdriver." More than just a repair tool, the sonic acts as a kind of scanner, a transmitter, and sometimes as a defensive weapon. But this spacey tool seemingly exists in various forms in Star Trek , too. In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's " The Naked Now ," frustrated with a locked door, Riker asks "Where's that sonic driver?"

In Star Trek: Lower Decks ' " Cupid's Errant Arrow ," Lt. Barbara Brinson said “I managed to reverse the polarity and reboot the time stream.” Starting with the 1972 Doctor Who serial, the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) suggested "reversing the polarity of the neutron flow" to get out of a sci-fi pickle.

The idea of "reversing" a polarity didn't originate with Doctor Who per se, but it was certainly popularized by that series, a fact which various Star Trek incarnations have referenced many times. The Lower Decks shout-out is perhaps the most obvious because Barb also mentions rebooting the time stream, something that seems to happen often on Doctor Who . That said, Chief O'Brien, Geordi La Forge, and B'Elanna Torres had to reverse the polarity all the time.

The Other TARDIS?

"Future Tense"

In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode " Future Tense ," the crew of the NX-01 encounters a small-ish pod that seems to be from the far future. While initially seeming very small, Reed, Archer, T'Pol and Trip soon learn this pod is much bigger on the inside than the outside. The crew discovers this ship operates using a "temporal displacement drive," which allows its dimensions to be much larger inside than out.

Enterprise writer and producer Mike Sussman has noted that the idea of this timeship was directly inspired by Doctor Who 's TARDIS, and at one point, he'd even suggested that the ship could briefly be seen "morphing into a police call box," which was "nixed" by higher-ups at the time. That said, on some level, this idea still exists within the episode, which means we can't completely rule out that in some way, shape, or form, the timeship from Enterprise wasn't a TARDIS. Nobody is saying it is a TARDIS. But nobody's saying it isn't.

Just…The Doctor

"Message in a Bottle"

In the reality of Doctor Who , the Time Lord who stars in all the adventures, isn't actually named "Doctor Who," at least, we don't think so. Instead, they are called "The Doctor," a kind of fancy honorific that is also a proper name.

While this would be somewhat silly in real life, Star Trek fans are accustomed to this sort of thing. The omnipotent space deities all refer to themselves as "Q," despite all being different beings. The holographic Emergency Medical Hologram on Star Trek: Voyager decided to refer to himself as just "The Doctor," which makes him very much like The Doctor of Doctor Who .

Versions of the Doctor also crop up, in the 1985 Star Trek novel Ishmael , by Barbara Hambly, in which Kirk even seems to have knowledge of time travelers from the "Kasterborous galaxy," a clear reference to the home of the Time Lords, and the Doctor in Doctor Who .

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION / DOCTOR WHO - ASSIMILATION² #6

IDW Publishing

So, did Kirk and Spock ever meet a Time Lord? Well, in the 2012-2013 comic book crossover Assimilation², Kirk and Spock did meet the Fourth Doctor in a flashback, while the rest of the crossover concerned a team-up between the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, and the entire crew of the Enterprise -D.

Written by Scott Tipton, David Tipton, and Tony Lee, this crossover also made it clear that Guinan was aware of The Doctor, and that through her unique perception of time and space, was also aware when the timeline had been altered. This suggests that the Doctor's ability to perceive time and space is very similar to Guinan's, which could make the long-lived El-Aurians a kind of version of the Time Lords for the Final Frontier.

Then again, there's also another group of time travelers in Star Trek that might want to steal that crown.

Timey-Wimey Traveler

"Assignment: Earth"

Starting with The Next Generation 's " Where No One Has Gone Before ," the Enterprise -D crew met "The Traveler," a character who could influence time and space through the power of thought.

Much later, we learned, in Star Trek: Picard Season 2, that the Travelers were a group of beings who exist outside of spacetime and try to oversee the proper flow of time, among other multiverse-maintenance tasks. Retroactively, this has meant that the very Doctor-ish Gary Seven — from The Original Series ' "Assignment: Earth" — has now been established as someone who worked as a "Supervisor" for the Travelers.

In the recently-aired Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, Wesley Crusher emerges as a kind of rogue Traveler, defying his instructions from the other Travelers to not interfere with the collapsing timeline of the Prime Universe. Throughout its second season, Wesley behaves very much like various versions of The Doctor from Doctor Who , starting with the fact that just like the Doctor defied the Time Lords in order to help people, Wesley ignores the instructions from the Travelers to leave well enough alone.

"The Devourer of All Things, Part I"

With a heroically long coat and a mind that is way ahead of his rapid-fire speech, Wesley’s latest incarnation is a clear homage to various Doctors, from Tom Baker to David Tennant to Matt Smith, to Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker. In our timeline, Wil Wheaton is a huge fan of both Star Trek and Doctor Who , making this crossover somewhat perfect for him in particular.

But beyond that, the writing team of Prodigy very obviously wanted Who fans to be seen. Not only does Wesley act like a Star Trek version of The Doctor, Dal mentions that the paradoxes of the Protostar 's journey is a "timey-wimey," a phrase coined by the Tenth Doctor from the 2007 Doctor Who episode "Blink."

So, what was once somewhat sly, is now clear. Star Trek has its own almost Time Lord in the form of Wesley Crusher, Starfleet heroes like Dal R'El know about timey-wimey problems, and in both universes, most outer space problems that can't be solved by reversing the polarity are probably way too big for one episode.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

Star Trek: 4 Actors Who Almost Played Picard Before Patrick Stewart

1987 was a hell of a year. Arnold Schwarzenegger was ordering people to get to the chopper, Whitney Houston wanted to dance with somebody, and Patrick Stewart was telling his crew to "make it so" aboard the all-new Enterprise in a daring revitalization of the "Star Trek" franchise that to this day is ranked highly by fans .

When "Star Trek: The Next Generation" entered our airspace, no one knew just how much of an icon Captain Jean-Luc Picard would become. While not quite held to as high a status as the original Kirk (William Shatner) or Spock (Leonard Nimoy), there's no doubt that Stewart's stoic and cerebral Captain carved out enough of a place in the franchise to make each of his returns a welcome one. There was a point in time, however, where Picard came close to not looking like the future Charles Xavier. According to a Paramount Studios memo , there were four diverse and drastically different options that were considered to beam us up before Stewart was ultimately cast.

From familiar faces of the big and small screens at the time to even more alternative choices than the one "Star Trek" fans ended up with, Jonathan Frakes and company would've had a very different captain to report to had the brains behind the Enterprise's crew gone in a different direction. So order yourself a Jean-Luc favorite of Earl Grey tea, and while it's cooling down, just imagine what the other possible Picards might have been like.

Yaphet Kotto could've climbed aboard the Enterprise as The Next Generation's Captain

Not only dabbling in iconic staples of pop culture, Yaphet Kotto was present at the foundation of a major franchise. He might also be one potential Picard that we truly wish we had experienced (sorry, Mr. Stewart). Besides playing Parker in the groundbreaking sci-fi horror "Alien," Kotto also portrayed one of the best Bond villains ever , Dr. Kananga, in "Live and Let Die." Unfortunately, one role he regretted not saying yes to was being at the helm of Enterprise-D, and even in the years that followed, it was a chance he truly wished he had taken.

In an interview with The Big Issue in 2015, Kotto stewed over getting the chance to join the "Star Trek" universe and his decision not to join the five-year mission. This offer also came after he was considered to play Lando Calrissian in "The Empire Strikes Back," which went to Billy Dee Williams instead.

"I think I made some wrong decisions in my life, man. I should have done that, but I walked away. When you're making movies, you tend to say no to TV," he explained. "It's like when you're in college and someone asks you to the high school dance. You say no." Thankfully, though, Kotto will always be remembered for fighting to the death with a xenomorph, which is something Patrick Stewart can't make a claim to.

Mitchell Ryan might've made it so much better than Stewart

You wish to find a Captain, yes? You wish to get someone to seek out new life and new civilizations, yes? Well, at one point before Stewart stepped in, the man behind "Lethal Weapon" villain General McAllister, Mitchell Ryan, was in contention for the lead role in "The Next Generation."

Boasting a career with over 150 acting credits on the big and small screens, Ryan acknowledged the talent he found himself competing with, regardless of his experience. In an interview with StarTrek.com in 2018, Ryan admitted, "It's true. I was. I was pretty well considered until they ran across that incredible British actor... Patrick Stewart." Ryan added, "I don't know how close I came, but I was told (at the time) I was really being considered and it was looking good."

Thankfully, there was still enough space for Ryan to be placed elsewhere in the franchise as Kyle Riker, the father of Picard's Number Two, William Riker (Frakes). Appearing in Season 2, Episode 14, "The Icarus Factor," the actor joined the franchise for a story where father and son settle their differences over a good old round of Anbo-jyutsu, Ryan's appearance was, unfortunately, a one-time thing, much to his surprise. "Who wouldn't want to do more? What's funny, though, is I only ever saw the episode the first time it showed."

Roy Thinnes didn't get Star Trek but shared the screen with a staple of it

Another potential leading man who tapped into science fiction just about everywhere but "Star Trek" was Roy Thinnes. Appearing in shows like the original "Battlestar Galactica," an adaptation of "War of the Worlds," and "The X-Files," one of Thinnes' most notable career points was in "The Invaders," which shares a legendary connection to "Star Trek." While he was on Paramount's short list of actors to take on the role of Captain Picard, he never joined the beloved franchise filled with warp drives and transporter rooms. One of his co-stars from "The Invaders," on the other hand, certainly did.

Created by Larry Cohen, "The Invaders" followed Thinnes as David Vincent, an architect who discovers aliens are already among us and are in the middle of a plot to take over the world. Appearing in the show on two separate occasions was Susan Oliver, who just two years earlier had played the Orion slave girl in the pilot of the original "Star Trek" series. Oliver stands out in "Trek" history to this day, given that her character had green skin and has been an often revisited trope throughout the franchise.

Patrick Bauchau could've brought the same level of clas as Patrick Stewart to Star Trek

When putting Patrick Bauchau next to Patrick Stewart, it's almost easy to see what kind of Captain Gene Roddenberry was going for. A Brussels-born actor who studied at Oxford, Bauchau appeared in both French New Wave and New German cinema. In regards to his English-speaking roles, one of his notable gigs, like Kotto, was as a bad guy in the James Bond movie "A View To A Kill," another entry from the Roger Moore era.

According to the Paramount memo that listed these actors along with Stewart for the role of Picard, Bauchau's was an audition that went well but, unfortunately, never went further. It went so well, in fact, that he and Stewart were the clear favorites for the part. It seemed that diving into that world was a dream that Bauchau continued to cling to years later, when, during a fan event, the actor admitted that he'd still love to head out into space. Speaking with  BondFanEvents , Bauchau said, "I'd love to do STAR TREK. I'm interested in that and I think they are interested in me." Unfortunately, much like a transporter on the fritz, nothing has energized — yet.

Want to learn more behind-the-scenes facts about the classic sci-fi franchise?  Get the untold truth of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" here.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Teaser Sees The Gorn Return in Finale

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Won't Repeat One of Its Most Divisive Episodes in Season 3

Wednesday star jenna ortega walks back controversial comments about netflix show's writing, cartoon network becomes warner bros. discovery's latest victim.

• The season finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds features an alien invasion by the Gorn.
• Captain Pike and Captain Batel are reunited amidst the chaos, but it's clear that the Gorn have declared war and the Enterprise is engaged in battle.
• The Gorn have employed a frequency weapon that disrupts the Enterprise's communications, scanners, and transporters, and the crew must find a way to overcome this interference to save the day.

Invasion! The crew of the U.S.S Enterprise will face off against the Gorn in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ( SNW ) finale on Thursday. Year two of the Paramount+ prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series ( TOS ) wraps up with Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and company squaring off against an unprecedented alien threat in season two, episode ten, Hegemony . And a new teaser features an alien invasion by the Gorn.

Check out the footage below, courtesy of StarTrek.com :

Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) is on the surface of what appears to be a Class-M planet when Gorn vessels fly directly overhead. Immediately after, an encrypted distress signal received by the Enterprise resonates, which originates from the U.S.S. Cayuga — Batel’s ship:

“To any Federation vessel in range, we need help… under attack by the Gorn.”

After studying the footage, the good news for Trekkies is that Pike and Batel, who is his love interest in the streaming series, are reunited. At the 29-second mark, the captains embrace one another amidst approximately a half-dozen other people. However, it’s clear that the Gorn have declared war in the teaser footage, and the Enterprise can be seen engaging at least two — possibly more — Gorn Hunter ships.

Related: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Biggest Surprises and Twists in Season 2

Starfleet Battles the Gorn in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The new Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ season finale teaser features the shattered remains of the U.S.S. Cayuga. In another clip released last week, via The Ready Room with host Wil Wheaton, Captain Pike (Anson Mount) assesses the devastation brought upon the Cayuga in an attack perpetrated by the Gorn. And it’s during that footage the crew of Enterprise discovers the Gorn have employed a frequency weapon that won’t allow the ship’s communications, scanners or transporters to function.

La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) theorizes that the Gorn are using an interference field as a part of an invasion. It’s obvious from the footage that La’an will play a large part in the finale, as she has the whole season. And La'an's past with the Gorn will certainly heighten the stakes for her character. And Chong warns that Trekkies are going to find the final episode of season two quite emotional.

Chong said in an interview with The Ready Room (via Paramount+ ):

“You are definitely going to want all of those things: tissues, security blanket. There’s going to be a few laughs here and there, but as there always is because you’ve gotta have comedy in drama. But it’s gonna come to a head — almost, but not quite.”

Judging from Chong’s comments, fans might have a cliffhanger to deal with in the final episode. What Trekkies should also know is that the Federation has received a map from the Gorn. And it features a demarcation line, which suggests a territorial dispute between the aliens and Starfleet. And the Gorn are hellbent on maintaining that the M-Class planet in question is on their side of the border.

The season finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds drops Thursday, August 10 on Paramount+. And check out more footage from the season finale below:

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)

Star Trek: Voyager's Doctor Before Robert Picardo Was A TNG Criminal

• The USS Voyager originally had a human Chief Medical Officer before Robert Picardo took on the role of The Doctor.
• The unnamed Chief Medical Officer and his team were killed, leading to the activation of the Emergency Medical Hologram.
• Jeff McCarthy, who played the original CMO, also appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Roga Danar in "The Hunted".

Before Robert Picardo took over as The Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager , the titular ship had a human Chief Medical Officer played by an actor who first appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation . After the USS Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew spent the next seven years fighting to get back home. Voyager's initial arrival in the Delta Quadrant was not without casualties, and the ship's Chief Medical Officer and all of his medical team were killed during the ship's transport.

As a result of this unnamed doctor's death, the surviving crew members activate the Emergency Medical Hologram to care for the wounded. Although the EMH was not designed to serve as a Cheif Medical Officer or to run indefinitely, Voyager had no other officers with the necessary medical experience. So, Robert Picardo's EMH became Voyager's Doctor , and his journey to become more than his programming became a running theme of the show. After his untimely death, Voyager's original CMO may have been largely forgotten in the chaos that followed, but he was portrayed by Jeff McCarthy, who had previously appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Voyager's First Officer, helm officer, and Chief Engineer were also killed during the journey to the Delta Quadrant. These positions would be filled by Chakotay (Robert Beltran), Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), and Lt. B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson)

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Jeff McCarthy Played Star Trek: Voyager's Original Doctor Before Robert Picardo

Voyager had a human doctor before robert picardo's emh took over..

In Star Trek: Voyager's two-part premiere , Captain Janeway sets off on her first mission in command of the USS Voyager. She has been tasked with finding the missing Maquis vessel, the Val Jean, on which Lieutenant Tuvok (Tim Russ) has been working undercover. When Voyager sets off, the ship has a full crew complement, complete with an unnamed Chief Medical Officer portrayed by Jeff McCarthy. Before Voyager departed space station Deep Space 9, this doctor performed physicals on some of Voyager's crew members, including Tom Paris.

The CMO had heard of Tom Paris and his past work as a mercenary for the Maquis, and he made no effort to hide his obvious dislike of Paris. He even warned Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) to stay away from Paris, advice Kim would thankfully ignore. When the powerful entity known as the Caretaker sent Voyager to the Delta Quadrant, the ride was a turbulent one, and an exploding console in sickbay killed the CMO. His entire medical staff was killed as well, leaving Robert Picardo's EMH program as Voyager's only experienced doctor.

Jeff McCarthy Also Played Former Soldier Roga Danar in Star Trek: TNG's "The Hunted"

Roga danar was an interesting character who never appeared again..

Jeff McCarthy had previously appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 11, "The Hunted" as escaped prisoner Roga Danar. In "The Hunted," Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D visit Angosia III to evaluate the planet for potential entry into the Federation. While there, a supposedly dangerous criminal named Roga Danar breaks out of a nearby prison. The Enterprise aids in the pursuit and capture of Danar, only to learn that the man is a soldier who was used and discarded by the Angosian people.

Captain Picard confronts the Angosian leader and learns that they created genetically enhanced soldiers to fight their wars, but later imprisoned the soldiers rather than help them return to civilian life. Danar then single-handedly escapes from the Enterprise, eventually traveling back to the prison to help several fellow inmates and former soldiers escape. When the soldiers storm the capital, Picard implores the Angosian leader to hear them out, saying the Federation cannot get involved in their affairs. Jeff McCarthy makes Danar a compelling character, and it's a shame the actor only returned for such a brief stint on Star Trek: Voyager .

Star Trek Voyager

Cast Jennifer Lien, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Robert Duncan McNeill, Roxann Dawson, Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo

Release Date May 23, 1995

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Showrunner Kenneth Biller, Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Release Date September 28, 1987

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman