SNAPSHOT
Picard features Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard, which he played for seven seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and follows this iconic character into the next chapter of his life. LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Jeri Ryan, and Michelle Hurd star alongside Patrick Stewart in the third and final season of the hit Paramount+ original series. (courtesy Trek Movie)
It’s always good to meet old friends again.
Especially when they have played a seminal role in your love of screen-based sci-fi- which got a big boost in 1977 when Star Wars: A New Hope reached cinemas, and an even bigger one when Star Trek: The Next Generation kicked off a seven-season run in 1987, bringing Gene Roddenberry’s revolutionary franchise back into public consciousness in a watercooler dominating way.
Nostalgia for these kinds of big moments in your TV-consuming life is not always a good thing since getting lost in the mists of the past precludes you from seeing how good many current televisual offerings are, but in this case, it appears like a good idea to make an exception on a regular basis because Picard, which has already offered two well-written and narratively robust seasons, is bringing back the Enterprise crew for one last Federation-saving adventure.
Happily, as the trailer which dropped at NYCC 2022 shows, we will see the return of Gates McFadden as Dr Beverly Crusher who issues the distress call that sets off the whole grand race to stop a villain named Vadic (Amanda Plummer) from doing her revengeful worst, along with LeVar Burton as Lt Commander Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn as a now pacifist Worf, Jonathan Frakes as a still spaceship bridge-dominating Commander William T Riker, Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi) and Brent Spiner, well, if not as Data then Lore?
Yes, in surprising end of trailer pop-ups, both Lore and Daniel Davis as hologrammic Professor Moriarty are back, leading AV Club to declare more than a little mischievously that “Now you’re just getting nerdy, Star Trek!”.
It’s a case of the old gang is back in town, or the galaxy as the case may be, and it looks like Picard and his old crewmates are going to have their work cut out for them saving the universe yet again which of course they’ll do in style and with more than a little wit and emotional intensity.
Just how much of a battle it will be however becomes obvious when Picard season 3 begins its ten-episode run on 16 February 2023, wrapping up on 20 April.