The upcoming third season of Star Trek: Picard will be the last one, but a new trailer reveals that they’re going out in spectacular fashion by bringing back the entire Star Trek: Next Generation crew for their first adventure since 2002’s massively disappointing Star Trek: Nemesis.
The trailer shows Jean-Luc Picard taking his old Starfleet uniform and communicator out of storage as we hear the voices of old comrades like Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Worf (Michael Dorn), Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). Frakes and Sirtis appeared briefly in the first season of Star Trek: Picard, but the others have played no role in the series up until this point.
“I remember watching the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation almost 34 years ago with my father like it was yesterday. It was the spark that ignited my love for science fiction,” Star Trek: Picard showrunner and executive producer Terry Matalas said in a statement. “So, it’s most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honoring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the U.S.S. Enterprise. It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honor. The entire Star Trek: Picard team and I can’t wait for fans to experience this final, high-stakes, starship-bound adventure in season three!”
Brent Spiner is also appearing in the new season. He briefly played Data in the first season, but he’s also portrayed two relatives of Data’s creator Noonien Soong. It’s unclear what role he’ll have in this new season.
The second season of Star Trek: Picard premiered on March 3 on Paramount Plus. Only five of the 10 episodes have been shown up until this point, but the pandemic forced them to film season three immediately after the conclusion of season two. When we spoke to Patrick Stewart in early March, he was about to film the final episode and was very drained after 13 straight months of work. “We wrapped season two at 7 p.m. one night and we started the next season the following morning,” he said. “It’s been, as you may be able to hear from my voice, an intense experience.”
Star Trek: Picard was always seen as a three-season show, but Stewart told us he isn’t 100% positive it’s over. “With something like this, I never say never,” he said. “I did for a long time, but my experience with filming Picard has shifted my prejudices a little. I don’t know. All I know right now is I need a break.”