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It’s official — Patrick Stewart is returning to the Star Trek franchise. The acclaimed Shakespearean actor is set to headline a new Star Trek series for CBS All Access, reprising his iconic Next Generation character, Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The project, which has been rumored since the June announcement of a Star Trek universe expansion with new series, was just unveiled by Stewart himself in a surprise appearance at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention (watch the video above).

The new series, which is not a Star Trek: Next Generation reboot, will tell the story of the next chapter of Picard’s life. It will be shepherded by Star Trek: Discovery co-creator/executive producer Alex Kurtzman who was tapped to oversee development of new Star Trek content under a big new overall deal with CBS TV Studios.

“With overwhelming joy, it’s a privilege to welcome Sir Patrick Stewart back to the Star Trek fold,” Kurtzman said. “For over 20 years, fans have hoped for the return of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and that day is finally here. We can’t wait to forge new ground, surprise people, and honor generations both new and old."

No idea how to take this tbh. It could either be fantastic, or more STD depending on the writing, and given Kurtzman's involvement & comments I will be thoroughly waiting and seeing rather than getting excited.

Original time-line AND Picard?!

Ok this one might actually be good! Esp since they must have bent over backward to get him back in (since didn't he want to/nearly walk off the set of the last movie for ST he was in and has since found new fame in the comic films).

I really wonder how this will pan out; I also wonder how he'll pan out in the role as he's what 78ish. I could see it being a less action and more slower paced series, which to be fair TNG was for the most part fairly steady on the action.

Could be cool! I'm excited to hear more details about the show.
I only watched a few episodes of Discovery, but it seemed.. alright?

 Overread wrote:
Original time-line AND Picard?!

Technically Discovery claims to be original timeline and will have Spock this season. Hopefully this show won't gak all over the era it's closest to; since the same people involved making this are responsible for Discovery as well (minus three showrunners) I'm only giving it a 50/50 chance.

Betting on Stewart doing narration/flashback bookends for a “young Picard” (a la Young Sheldon, from the 5-minutes I’ve seen of that show).

 Jadenim wrote:
Betting on Stewart doing narration/flashback bookends for a “young Picard” (a la Young Sheldon, from the 5-minutes I’ve seen of that show).

I thought it was specifically the next phase after TNG series for Picard so it shouldn't be flashbacks to his past - which I think is good. It is exceptionally hard to write a prologue series where you take a mature experienced character and try to show them as totally inexperienced.Especially because the TV producer side wants to make the new series more bold, brazen and better so suddenly your beginner is doing things far out stripping the grand things they do in their mature years.

Well. I am excite!

Here’s hoping that he has more run ins with Q. And I’m especially keen to see the Federation post Dominion War, something which should have serious ramifications.

I sort of don't want to see a Q episode for a while. Q episodes were often ideal filler because of the nature of Q you could do whatever you wanted and then at the end it was all re-set. I'd kind of hope they build on Voyager and DS9 and go for a tighter series that embraces a long term story arc and takes a big step away from monster of the week. Er I mean alien of the week.

I reckon another visit from Q could be the way to kick it off, but I otherwise agree.

I don't, but I expect I'm in the minority in still actually liking episodic and semi-episodic TV. Frankly I'm kind of tired of the constant stream of shows that are less seasons of TV than 10-hour movies, not because I dislike them but because there's very little else right now if you don't care for vapid police procedurals.

A show were Ambassador Picard has to toddle around solving a different diplomatic crisis every week with the crew of a new Enterprise(ideally using the Ent-F design from STO) as background and B-plot material sounds like heaven to me, but I've no doubt that even if it's good it will be a binge-friendly serialised format instead.

Yodhrin you are right a lot of the current "formula of the week" are police shows; but then lets not remember that at one time the idea of long running story arcs was almost unheard of. You had Babalon 5 and that was it and they could take their lead from that.

B5 still had a lot of events of the week and yet managed to carry over enough story to build into a long running series of major events (granted Season 1 was a bit haphazard and they had to change some since the lead actor left due to medical reasons).

So they could do it that way.

I just hope they leave alternate dimension and time travel well alone. I don't mind such things, but I just feel that they are so often used as a crutch to re-write huge segments or reboot things that they become very tiring in series not focused purely around them from their inception.

My body is ready, no matter what form this takes.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I reckon another visit from Q could be the way to kick it off, but I otherwise agree.

Possibly. The thing about the Q episodes of TNG is that, almost every time, Q was there to teach Picard & Company a lesson. After "All Good Things", what is there for him to teach Picard now?

No good can come of this.

I'm having the exact feelings I had when I found out Harrison Ford was coming back to do Indiana Jones again. Then reality hit, and by reality I mean Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I'm setting my expectations a tad low so I'll be pleasantly surprised regardless. As long as he plays the character true to form, and we don't have clueless writers making the character do something out of... character, then I'll be okay.

One thought - what about the rest of the cast/crew?!

Has there been any mention of other actors reappearing? As they are moving Picard to a new place in the setting it stands to reason that he won't have the "old crew" right around him (indeed that would be terribly cheesy) however there is ample room to have some appear if not alongside him then at least on one-off or semi-regular appearances.

My - one - worry is that they have new Data appearing alongside him. I only worry about that because the TV series did Data really well and then the TNG films got kind of hooked - 3 times - on making a big part of the film the relationship between Data and his desire to become human and Picard. Which was honestly a little boring in some ways as we'd already seen Data do all those trials (mostly) through the TV series. Once was fine, three times and it kind of felt like they were trying to side-step the rest of the cast and crew in the story.



As for plot I think Sir Patrick Stewert has a high standard in terms of scripts that he'll work with and enough clout/image to probably be in a position to choose jobs over being forced into them. So I would wager he'd only be coming back if he wants to which should hopefully mean a solid script.


Also don't forget that TNG was never heavy on action, so even though he's an older actor he can very easily get away without having to swing from poles or fight action sequences every week. In fact the Original series had more fist fights and action and Kirk was always one to leap into the telepad and into the fray.


*Personally I think his best more recent work was in Cowboys and Aliens - his gruff manner and voice and general physical display really fit that character in that film perfectly.

Q didn’t always teach a lesson, sometimes he learned one of his own. There’s always more to learn though. It’s be appropriate, though not required of course, to open the series with him visiting I think.

Q changed over time. He started out trying to teach lessons but often somewhat failed and in the end it was he who wound up learning more. Q is also a constant wildcard and I like to think a bit of a nod toward the original series where Kirk encountered a fair few "god like but child like" beings over time. However in general you don't want to make Q the focus of your primary story arc - cause you either have to strip him of his powers (at which point he's like a disobedient Data) or if he's got his powers its a kind of wild-ride where anything goes which works for an episode or two but not a whole season.

Q is such an integral part of TNG, I reckon we’re bound to see him sooner or later - and I do get why others would prefer ‘later’.

But he served as a heavy handed foil to Picard’s stuffiness. Where Picard was more hidebound than Kirk, Q skewered that by introducing mental ‘what if’ situations, such as The Borg.

As the video in the OP says, this won’t necessarily be the same Picard we saw in Nemesis. Whilst the same man, what’s happened in those 20 years? Is he an Admiral, or has he packed in Starfleet and gone off to indulge Archaeology? Has he started a family, or been left so jaded by his experiences? What happened to the rest of the crew? Are they still there somewhere, did some not survive the intervening 20 years?

If he has changed radically, what would Q make of that? I mean, consider his comment to Sisko ‘you’re far easier to provoke’. That tiny line says a lot about the regard Q holds Picard in. And if anything, I’d say Q’s later appearances in Voyager wasted him and undermined the character.

Without Picard and his crew to bounce off, he loses a lot of his impact.

To go abstract, consider your favourite comedy duo. They work, because they know and trust each other implicitly. Take one or the other and put them in a sitcom with new comedians, and it’s just not the same, and may even be surprisingly unfunny. That to me is Picard and Q. They’re a double act that can’t be easily replicated.

Picard needs Q to challenge his morals. Q needs Picard to help him find he does in fact have morals. And between that, we the audience learn a lot about Picard and his motivations. Especially in Tapestry, a wonderful way of dropping some major back story in for an already complex character.

Now, let’s consider where we left Picard. First, I want to see more of the man we got in First Contact, and his Ahab moment. Still one of my absolute favourite scenes in any film ever. He’s so consumed with hatred for The Borg - because of what they did to him. The stern but fair patrician element just disappears, and we’re left with a vengeful man.

By the end of Nemesis, we’ve seen a serious change to the power structure of the Alpha Quadrant (Romulan Senate knackered), and the loss of Data. Even the sort-of prodigal son in Shinzon.

There’s some really interesting stuff there to develop and add to him.

And massive bonus point if they manage to make The Borg scary again (assuming they’re actually featured at all)

I never really saw Q as essential to Picard, though he was a key element in the first season.

At least not the same as the rest of the crew that he had. I would say that TNG went a long way to break the "holy trio" approach that the original series had. As such there is a wealth of characters who get their own limelight and their own place and development. However it does also mean that many of them played of each other and I agree that whilst Picard was a very powerful actor he didn't stand alone.


If anything if Q is that critical then Guinan also has to make a return as she, if anything, is more important as she is closer tied directly to Picard (Q was more tied to humanity itself and Picard was just the one he picked - hence why he later goes on to torment Sisko and Janeway). Guinan also ties into the relationship with Q and we never fully gathered Guinan's true role or history (first scene we see Q and her meet there's a distinct hostility between them; but also a sense that whilst in that scene Q had the power to remove her, Guinan either had or once had some ability to challenge a Q)



My timeline memory is hazy but Voyager makes its return at some point and we know that when Janeway is old she goes back in time; returns to Voyager and kills off the Borg (then again the Borg have been killed off by a total borg ending power several times so that might not stand as full cannon or they might survive in pockets). So that story element might rear its head (its certainly a major event).



One thing that might be interesting is we could see more overlap of characters/actors. Since its a big change we might see some from the other series appear alongside Picard. Much as we saw O'Brian and Worf appear as main characters in DS9. However its been a long time since any of the casts were in their old roles so time and life might mean that they've moved on or are unable to commit to the recording schedule.

There are a couple that could return with new actors, eg Dr. Crushers son could make a reappearance with a new actor without much issue as he would be expected to be much older and matured. We might also see children of some of the others appear - eg here is the son/daughter of Riker with a letter of introduction etc... Providing a connection but not requiring the actor.

Guinan should totally return.

We need to find out more about her relationship to Picard. Always hinted at, never explained.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
In fact, just reading up on Guinan, seems Whoopi Goldberg is open to appearing as her in Discovery. And given her characters age, that does seem possible?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Guinan should totally return.

We need to find out more about her relationship to Picard. Always hinted at, never explained.

Yep the closest we get is the time-travel episode where we see her spending part of her youth on Earth and encounters Picard, Data and others. However whilst that establishes how she knew him before meeting, it doesn't explain the deeper connection the two appeared to have but which was never fully explored. It was one of the fewer almost magical mystery elements left in and something that I really hope Star Trek revisits. It's something I've missed from many of the films and following series which have focused on either time travel, alternate realities and combat; instead of on things like what we got in th first two big films - Things like Vger and the Probe (yes that one did involve time travel) which were mysteries which were never fully explained (and for all the CGI advance I still hold the first motion picture as being the best visually speaking in terms of its creative choices and visual direction).

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
In fact, just reading up on Guinan, seems Whoopi Goldberg is open to appearing as her in Discovery. And given her characters age, that does seem possible?

I'm not a big Trek fan, but wasn't Guinan in the Nexus until the Enterprise-B's maiden voyage?

 Frazzled wrote:
No good can come of this.

I hear you, but the zeitgeist right now -- especially among certain ages -- seems to be one of bottomless hunger for nostalgia. Recycling TNG seems tired as gak to me, but they could probably even recycle sets and stories from the old show and people would watch it.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
In fact, just reading up on Guinan, seems Whoopi Goldberg is open to appearing as her in Discovery. And given her characters age, that does seem possible?

I'm not a big Trek fan, but wasn't Guinan in the Nexus until the Enterprise-B's maiden voyage?

She only spent a few moments in the Nexus, though time has no meaning in there so even those few moments was like an age, so she was able, within it, to once more connect with Picard and then he with Kirk when they were within it. However it appears that the Nexus didn't have a long-lasting impact (that we can see) on her nor on Picard. However she's got so much mystery wrapped around her its hard to know what does and doesn't affect her.

Yep.

Though Guinan is explicit that she’s much like a recovering addict. Part of her will always want to go back to the Nexus, but she knows it’s not healthy.

As for Picard? Well, that’s an interesting thread they might be able to tug on for new stories. Did Guinan coach him through it, like some kind of Spacetime Smackhead Accountabillabuddy? Was it his keen sense of duty, and the previous loss of his beloved Nephew that helped him sort reality from fiction?

When you think about it, there’s are some really interesting plot hooks from the movies which might provide inspiration.

And for those worried or sceptical? Well, fair enough. But I would say remember this isn’t Kirk, the man that never learns. But Picard, a character that really did develop during his time in the chair.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, it’s continuing adventures of, with a highly competent actor, seemingly with real input to the stories.

That’s a different kettle of fish to Young Picard, which runs real continuity risks. Not just in terms of Trek background and canon, but taking him from Callow Young Buck to Massively Responsible and Respected Captain.

Wonder if they’ll finally set this in The Academy? I mean, Picard could settle into that quite nicely, and he’s been front and centre during some of the most serious crises faced by The Federation? To see an ageing Captain (or Admiral I guess. Did he make Admiral on screen?) in semi-retirement could be a fresh take?

I am really excited. He is pretty old though - maybe even too old to be the captain of a ship.

That’s why I suspect it may be set in The Academy.

After all, we’ve never followed a Captain much beyond that stage in their career.

Could also mean we see O’Brien now and again, as he accepted a teaching role in The Academy at the end of DS9. Wonder what new ways they’ll have him suffering :p

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
That’s why I suspect it may be set in The Academy.

After all, we’ve never followed a Captain much beyond that stage in their career.

Could also mean we see O’Brien now and again, as he accepted a teaching role in The Academy at the end of DS9. Wonder what new ways they’ll have him suffering :p

While that would be cool (a show about star-fleet academy) I don't suspect it would be a hit. Plus we have already seen Sir Patrick in that roll in X-Men as Xavier. I can see that leading to a lot of bad memes...