A new brief video interview was posted today that will cause some speculation about Sir Patrick Stewart and Star Trek: Discovery. At a theater event in London last month, Stewart was asked he had seen Discovery yet, and the actor gave an intriguing answer, saying:
You mean the series and not the movie, because there is a new movie due out very soon. No, I haven’t, but I may have good cause to look at it very soon.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation vet also ended that statement with a sly smile, only adding to the intrigue.
So, why would Stewart have good reason to look at Star Trek: Discovery soon? Red Carpet News titled their video “Patrick Stewart Hints At Star Trek: Discovery Role,” which is possible in theory. However, that may be a bit of a stretch. While the showrunners for Discovery have talked about cementing the series to the canon of Star Trek, bringing in Patrick Stewart to play Jean Luc Picard seems to be a bit of stunt casting overkill for a season that already kicks off with a storyline tied to the original USS Enterprise and hints of Spock being involved.
Patrick Stewart did say last year he would be willing to play Picard again for Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek film project. And while he did talk about movies in the above quote to Red Carpet news, he notably differentiated that from the TV series (Discovery). So, even if Stewart were involved with the Tarantino Trek project, it is hard to see what it would have to do with a new reason to watch Discovery.
Patrick Stewart was last seen as Picard in Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002
Is this all about Sirtis?
So, if Stewart isn’t acting in season two of Discovery, why the cryptic comment? One possibility could be Stewart being behind the camera. He did direct five episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but he hasn’t been active in directing for the last two decades, so helming an episode seems unlikely.
The simplest explanation for Stewart’s new interest in Discovery would be some other personal connection to the show for season two. We know that the second and tenth episodes of the season are being directed by Stewart’s TNG co-star Jonathan Frakes. While that could be of interest to Stewart, Frakes directed an episode in the first season, so that isn’t something new.
Jonathan Frakes directing Discoery’s 10th episode in the first season “Despite Yourself”
Another possibility is that Stewart is looking forward to seeing a fellow TNG co-star appear in Discovery. We do know that Marina Sirtis traveled to Toronto (to shoot on an unnamed project) while Frakes was filming season two’s second episode in May. Ten days before Stewart’s interview with Red Carpet News, Sirtis was spotted visiting the Discovery set, and Frakes shared the moment on Twitter (see below). This visit sent us speculating for possible roles Sirits could play, if she wasn’t just there to say “Hi” to an old friend. Patrick Stewart’s comment about having a special reason to check out Discovery will only add more fuel to that speculative fire.
Then again, maybe Discovery is just on Stewart’s list of things to binge.
Surprise visit on the set of @startrekcbs my #Imzadi @Marina_Sirtis pic.twitter.com/SqvDEZvMVP
— Jonathan Frakes (@jonathansfrakes) May 5, 2018
Watch the video of Stewart
Star Trek: Discovery is available exclusively in the USA on CBS All Access. It airs in Canada on Space and streams on CraveTV. It is available on Netflix everywhere else.
Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.
Slow news day.
And your’s is the first of over 100 comments on the article? Looks as though your snark missed the mark. ; )
Technically he’s still not wrong though. All Stewart said is he might watch the show, nothing has been proven beyond that. All the comments is just the usual ‘what if’ but because we are fans so of course we are going to make something about nothing. Its how message board works lol.
If Sirtis is appearing and they’re keeping it a secret, why did Frakes etc. tweet about it? (although they may have done it on their own and/or it’s a secret Speculatron marketing tactic)
Frakes isnt good at keeping things under wraps. After all, he did reveal that Discovery was going to go to the Mirror Universe.
I think Frakes does this on purpose, he doesn’t seem to like all those Hollywood keeping everything secret BS. He did the same thing last year for the Mirror Episodes. They way I see it, as a legend and veteran of Trek he has the right to do whatever he wants. This is why I also think the producers and CBS don’t go after him too much.
It’d be so fun if he worked on a JJ Abrams movie, BWAHAHAHA
Pro time traveling Picard! After all the TOS mumbojumbo since 2009, some TNG flair would be much appreciated. Make it so!
@Perplex — Please no.
I don’t even want to think about the shenanigans required to get a geriatric Picard back to the TOS era, much less what he would even do there, besides die, or how they would get him back to the future.
I don’t even want to see him play his great great, great, grandfather … keep the TOS/TNG cameos out of DISC.
I don’t think this is too likely but playing devil’s advocate, this wouldn’t be Picard’s first rodeo. During the course of TNG Picard has successfully travelled back in time and returned to the 24th century on more than one occasion. Likewise we’ve had standalone episodes throughout Trek’s history when the various crews have faced off against an opponent from further in the future. I don’t think it would need a great deal of set up.
@Corinthian7 — sure, they could just say the Nexus swept him up on whatever retirement planet he was living on, and he stepped out in the wrong era once he snapped himself out of his nostalgic Christmas reverie … either way, Picard would be a very old man. I don’t think we’ve really seen that in a consequential character, other than Prime Spock who had a very small role in ST09, to say nothing of STID — and who had a substantial reason for being there. So there’s the added question of why. Why would Picard himself need to go back, and what would he do? Provide some information to recruit Starfleet (because he sure wouldn’t be able to do it) to stop some temporal cold war terrorist? And why Picard alone? Why not the temporal agents? Or maybe he was just being a temporal archeologist (yawn), and got himself into trouble and needed rescuing by DISCO? Maybe they take a page from ST09 and Picard caused the temporal rift and got sucked back. Whatever the reason they manufacture, I’m personally not interested in seeing it.
They can say whatever they want @Curious Cadet. Time travel has been a staple of Trek since the very beginning, so too have and standalone episodes and not all of us are threatened or offended by old age. I personally would be very surprised if we get Patrick Stewart in Discovery but in the unlikely event that we do I’d be excited by the prospect. Also, who said that Picard would be alone? Last time I checked this was a hypothetical discussion based on some pretty wild conjecture.
@Corinthian7 — I certainly have no problem with Picard being old, just not sure what kind of pointless story they would concoct to explain it that I would find compelling. Your opinion is noted. I hope they don’t do it, because I can’t imagine it being anything more than a distracting, fan-pandering, train wreck from an otherwise fine series that doesn’t need it.
They made Burnham Spock’s sister. I don’t disagree with you too much but we are already at fan-pandering before it even started.
@Curious Cadet You’re right it would fan pandering but if it’s done right then there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that :-)
If anyone time travels, it should be the Discovery crew. The spore drive can take them to the 24th century and they can meet Admiral Picard before they go back home.
….or….OR, they could jump to the future via a failure in the spore drive, meet Admiral Picard (maybe he even dies in their interaction with him somehow, giving fans some Picard closure), and NOT be able go back home, spending the rest of the show’s run actually out there in the timeline’s future, where the sky is the limit for creativity and the showrunners can invent whatever they want (as they are anyway).
Likely too much to hope for, but I am nonetheless…
The designers recently spoke of how much they would love to redesign the Borg
Maybe a spore drive jump to the future is a way to bring in the Borg and Picard without much canon violation
I’m not sure about killing Picard off on Discovery, for all we know Tarantino might actually want him but I do agree that if the ship was to travel into the future and encounter TNG characters it would be better for them not to go back. If they were really going to the trouble of bringing Picard onto the show then it should be the character we’ve followed through TNG and the movies but if the Discovery was to return back to the 2250’s then they’d be overwriting the future that they’d visited. This would likely mean we’d be seeing a 24th century dramatically altered by the removal of the USS Discovery from the timeline or worse, a future barely changed from what has previously been established essentially rendering the impact of the Discovery on Federation history inconsequential.
That face/smile at the end…. cheeky Patrick!
It’s that creepy armless Sirtis photo again!
Holy shit! I didn’t notice that before! There’s not even a stump! Must be cold on the set so maybe it’s in her shirt?
Got to be one of those shirts with no material covering the shoulder…
Could be. I overanalyzed what kind of shirt it could be, I was so freaked out
That creeped me the first time I saw it too
I truly love Patrick Stewart! :)
But it just sounds like he’s saying he may check it out and maybe because he heard good things about it. Maybe it could be something more or because he knows someone in it (although it could be because Frakes is directing some episodes) but I really doubt it.
This is sounding like the actress who played Kirk’s mom and made a joke about George Kirk not being dead and suddenly people ran with it. I didn’t consider what she said was serious, it was just an off hand thought. I’m kind of thinking this is the same thing.
But hey love to be proven wrong. ;)
Yes, it could just be Stewart being “nice” about Discovery. He hasn’t seen it but he’s saying that he might watch it in the future.
Look at that, I might be proven wrong after all!!!! :)
Well if they’re going to jump the shark, may as well go full-tilt with it.
Lol!
Damn straight!
CONFIRMED: Henry Winkler to make cameo as Leather Jacketed Shuttle Pilot in episode where crew must come dangerously close to a singularity!
Is he going to jump the singularity?
Patrick Stewart in one story and the makeup artists saying they want to design the Borg in another?
Time-travelling Locutus.
#resistanceisfutile
Maybe he means because one of the cast members is going to be his 4th wife. He’s due for another mid-30’s actress right about now.
Was this REALLY necessary?
No. But when comedy calls…. someone must answer. IDIC, my friend. IDIC.
That was comedy? Ok then, carry on.
Some people have a weird sense of humor
His demeanor suggests he’s just being polite, in pretending to want to watch Découverte. But none would be surprised if All Abscess tried every gimmick to gain viewers for their flimflam.
Not your best. Try harder.
Agreed Mirror.
I’m going on a quest to find Patrick Stewart’s lips.
And Marina Sirtis’ arms.
Marina is playing a character entitled “Una”. EO of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701
While the above is mere speculation: When I heard she would be doing voiceover work as the Discovery’s computer voice, I dreamed she would reprise Majel Barrett’s role as number one.
Is that confirmed or just rumor? My guess is the latter lol. But if true that would be GREAT! I would love to see her on the old Enterprise as a new character.
She is to old to be playing Una. I’m sorry but true. Maybe 20 years ago she could have pulled that off.
@Allan Agreed, she must be about the same age that Majel was when she was playing Lwaxana Troi.
Sir Pat may have Discovery confused with The Orville, on which he may or may not have a cameo. Could be the Irumodic Syndrome talking.
The one that would make sense would be if Discovery gave us a Guinan cameo. She did a lot of traveling before relaxing in the Nexus.
Please let it be that Picard travels back in time and the character gets a great on-screen death in performing some essential act that underpins everything that comes in the future. It would be great to see Stewart give Picard a goodbye like he did with Professor X in “Logan.” Make it so!!!!
No, please. Kirk was enough.
Bridge to Captain Kirk.
Bridge on Captain Kirk.
Ouch bro 🤣
LOL
No, Picard can never die!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the only appropriate fate for Picard isn’t death but rather being made a member of the Q. ;-)
@Gonzo — Ha! Excellent fate for Picard. But I really hope we don’t see the Q in this era. It would be really hard to justify with canon, even as classified intel. It seems as though Q didn’t really notice Starfleet, or at least given permission to approach them by the collective, until Picard’s era. I’d rather keep it that way.
Unless the Discovery time jumps to the 25th century…
….and stays there, giving the writers freedom to create whatever they like, without altering what came before.
Yup. Should’ve done that from the beginning.
Someone’s directing an ep-I-sode……
I’ve long entertained the idea that Discovery could eventually become a 24th-century Star Trek series by way of timey wimey shenanigans, and that this would somehow tie into sealing off Spock’s association with Burnham. The Discovery is presumably lost on a top secret mission but in fact she reappears circa… I don’t know, 2399 or something.
I know it sounds ridiculous — there’s a reason I rarely mention it. On paper it’s pure fanwank plain and simple. But between this, Sirtis, the Borg comment and more, the likelihood of my favorite pet theory has veritably skyrocketed… from 1% to 3%. ;)
Hmmm, all of a sudden that is making some sense. Will also keep my eyes peeled for a Patrick Stewart sighting down in the Portlands near Pinewood Studios Toronto.
Actually that’s a pretty good idea. In the BSG reboot, they decide to stop on the algae planet and jump ahead 18 months. No spoilers here, but they don’t go back in time. It’s a good way to change the pieces on the chessboard.
I really thought that they were going to show up in the future when they exited the Mirror Universe. Would have explained whey they were never mentioned in any of the other shows and would have paved the way for the show to tell new stories set in the future of the Federation.
Obviously that didn’t happen haha.
They kind of did show up in the future … alas it was only 9 months.
Bryan Fuller indicated that he wanted to do something like this (i.e., visit different Trek time periods over seasons). With him gone it seems doubtful that will happen, but who knows.
I’m guessing that Sirtis was taking the place of Majel Barrett as the voice of the computer on the USS Enterprise. It makes sense. Maybe she was just visiting Frakes and the set.
Probably nothing.
Is there any reason Discovery couldn’t introduce us to a Picard ancestor, not necessarily played by Sir Patrick?
…or even just a bottle of Chateau Picard?
Georgiou had a bottle in her ready room.
I guess that’s what I get for missing staff meetings…
Captain Georgiou had a bottle of Chateau Picard on her ready room shelf.
Whaaaaat?
You guys must have ginormous TVs
Damn you, Discovery !! It would be a complete idiocy to bring a character like Picard to a pre-TOS series. For what? Discovery is a shit like a series, nor should they allow their writers to tamper with the canon as if it were a toy that can be broken just to experiment with people’s reaction.
Tell us how you really feel. You know many people disagree right? and you’re over reacting to a speculation story
Why are you and your ilk even here since Discovery appears to cause you so much stress and anxiety? Please take care of yourself, okay?
Lol get a grip. No one suggested he was in the show. Someone asked has he watched the show he said no but maybe in the future..
That’s now translated to Picard is coming to Discovery. The internet kills me sometime.
I honestly don’t know who’s worse – TREK fans or STAR WARS fans.
Sometimes they can go overboard but in general I would call them passionate.
@Spock Jenkins — It’s interesting you make that comparison. Regardless of how vocal Star Wars fans are, the franchise survives and prospers. If Trek fans abandon an effort, there aren’t enough other viewers seemingly to sustain it. I’d attribute that phenomenon largely during the Berman era to fan pandering and not doing enough to grow the base for what is a very different franchise than Star Wars. Which is why Trek has the mainstream reputation as a show for geeks, whereas Star Wars is more mainstream. I’d argue DISC is trying to change that perception and grow the base, just like Abrams was …
The Berman era kept Trek on for 18 seasons. I mean that’s pretty amazing and I don’t see Star Trek or MOST shows making that kind of run again. The only other TV franchises that has surpassed that is Law and Order.
And I don’t think Discovery has much of a pull outside of the same people whose been watching Star Trek for decades because the format its on. Thats how come shows like TNG became so big because it was syndicated and it was on a lot more that people could catch. Most of my friends who are Trek fans today became fans during that time because it was just always on somewhere.
Not the same for Discovery. At least not in America but I guess worldwide more people have Netflix so its possible more of those are becoming aware of it. But what’s funny is most people who come on Reddit and seem to be watching Star Trek for the first time seem to be watching the old shows like TNG or Voyager. I don’t see a lot of people coming where Discovery was their first show. Or here for that matter. Of course I’m not suggesting these places are the best barometer I’m just saying I don’t see any real evidence anywhere Discovery is attracting a lot of new viewers to Trek. I think the Abram films certainly did though.
As for Star Wars I don’t disagree obviously but Solo has finally proved that that fanbase isn’t infallible either. What’s crazy is Solo looks like it will just make a bit more money than Beyond did. The projections now is that it might make $400 million and thats not even a guarantee. I never thought in my life a Star Wars film could make so little.
Really? I think you just described ST:D in a nutshell.
Calm down dear, you’ll give yourself palpitations. There is NO suggestion anywhere in the video of Picard appearing in DSC.
You’ve added 2+2 and made 317.
Maybe it’s something a little more mundane like his son Daniel getting a guest spot or something.
I really doubt that Sir Patrick is going to waste his time on this unless he receives a large salary. In any case, do not touch Picard, he is the child hero of many of us, we grow with him and it is clear that the writers of Disco are not even at the level necessary to even mention him. Continue to ruin the 23rd century, keep the 24 and the TNG alone, maybe if they prove themselves in the 7th season (if they reach it), then perhaps mention Picard, but just mention him.
@Athus — I agree, the 24th Century producers did enough to damage it themselves. Picard would ruin the 23rd century.
Lets do this, you enjoy your 23th century as it is, with Disco and JJ Trek and all that crap. Leave TNG and DS9 with their “bad producers” in peace.
Do we have a deal?
@Athus — If you mean keep my opinions to myself, no we don’t, especially since you don’t seem to be adhering to your own proposal. You wrongly assume I like the JJ Abrams movies, but I’d still say the Berman era did more to damage Trek in the end with their “good intentions” than even Abrams did with the new films.
No did not ask you keep your opinions for your self. You dont want Picard in the 23th century coz you dont like Picard, I dont want Picard in the 23th Century coz I love Picard. What else can we said?
You stey with your caothic 23th century, I stay with Berman and the 24th.
Some of us do like both though! :)
But while I think the Abrams films were popular enough (at least the first two) I don’t know if long term if people will be talking about them. Of course its just three movies vs the huge library Trek has become before those were made. I think more long term Trek fans seem bitter about them but maybe the new fans who was exposed to Trek through them really do value them.
But I don’t think they ‘define’ Star Trek like the older shows do for most fans.
I am really curious how the fourth film will be received assuming it will happen.
I’ve loved TOS, but sadly the 23th century was ruined by Abrams and Disco. We are going to have 3 versions of Spock, 3 Pikes, 2 Kirks, etc. But there is only 1 Picard, keep it like that.
I get your point. And yes I love TOS too, its what originally got me into Trek as I imagine most people here.
I’m not really that bothered by different actors playing the same character but yes I think when you recast characters it only brings a lot of comparisons and not always for the better, ie British Khan. So it is sometimes better to just leave well enough alone. ;)
And also why I’m against any TNG reboot! Clearly the Kelvin films didn’t win over a lot of TOS fans so its best to move on and come with something new.
I’m a bigger fan of the 24th century shows by far though but because its just more of them I guess. Maybe Discovery will make me appreciate the time frame more but honestly after watching the entire first season I still don’t even see why it needed to be in the 23rd century. They could’ve put it in the 25th century and you lose nothing canon wise. The technology would’ve felt more at home there as well. Maybe next season will sway me more though.
You hit the nail on the head there Tiger, I can’t for the love of me understand why Trek in the past 10 years couldn’t move forward and keeps on going back. I know TOS is a popular era but if you end up using it too much I think it will have the Solo effect of where people will eventually get fed up with it. I really don’t understand why when you have a huge universe like Star Trek, you are only looking backwards, have modern writers and producers really don’t know how to create anything new or original? Have we became such a world of unoriginality and a lack of creativity? It seems to me like in the period that we are living in “creativity” and “imagination” are something people are afraid of.
We agree 100% there.
@Athus — nah, like many before you, you assume too much. I like Picard just fine. Still don’t want to see Stewart, or any Trek alum in DISC. If they bring Picard back without Stewart, I’d be down for that. Anything else is pure fan pandering IMHO.
fan pandering
Pfandering?
agreed
You’re all stuffed clean full of wild blueberry muffins. Stewart isn’t going to be on the same continent when this is filmed, if it is at all. Lookit: we all know the the TNG cast are friends. Stewart, Frakes, and Sirtis, especially. They talk amongst themselves as friends and colleagues. What you’re going to get is a few seconds – and maybe a line or two – from Sirtis, playing an entirely (if not totally ambiguous) different character, the same way they did with Clint Howard in the first season. They get a hoot out of it, and rightly so. I wouldn’t even speculate on the plot or the character, but she’ll appear in some form or fashion, and Stewart knows it. He’s good for chumming the waters with phantom bait like that.
That’s my opinion; you’re entitled to yours. Book it.
Stewart was in North America last June (2017), at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal. The race is this weekend. He may be there again this year.
Sirtis as Number One would be a no-brainer.
Uh yeah, No. They did a decent job replicating Pike by way of Anson Mount. I am hoping they can do similar with the rest of the Enterprise crew. All due respect to Marina Sirtis but someone else for Number One. Bridget Regan maybe? I still think John Glover would make a decent Bones Boyce. Jesse Plemons as Jose Tyler.
I vote for Nora Tschirner as Number One. Ulmen could play Cyrano Jones.
She can’t act, and she’s already Troi.
One name: Jeffrey Combs… it can be done. Not that I care about DISCO either way but reusing actors is like a ST tradition 😂
I think it’s just a reference to Frakes. Nothing More.
great example of speculative fiction.
Tempest, meet teapot.
If they had set Discovery in say 2390 rather than as a prequel, then a Picard (possibly Enterprise-E) crossover would have been more exciting than the Pike one.
Exactly, Alastair.
So agreed! Especially because you can still use the original actors. While I don’t mind a recast Spock, Pike, etc its not the same thing like seeing Leonard Nimoy on TNG or the 09 film or watching Sulu on Voyager. But because its a prequel basically everyone has to be recast and it rules out the 24th century characters completely outside of time travel of course. But it would just be fun to see some crossovers without any big gimmicks to get them there.
One thing’s for sure – CBS is pleased we’re talking about Discovery because no one else is. It’s garbage, and bringing TNG actors into the mix is an awful idea. Now, if Tarantino gets his Trek movie going with Picard, well then, life will be good. Even better when they cancel Discovery.
Sure kid……
I hate the kind of candy you eat! I think it sucks! I’m taking it away!
What a load of rubbish.
I’d much rather see a time traveling Shatner.
Oh, c’mon, hasn’t ANYONE figured this out yet?
Marina Sirtis has been cast as Pike’s First Officer, “Number One.”
The character was played by Majel Barrett in the first pilot. Majel Barret played Marina Sirtis’ mother in TNG.
It’s “stunt casting” but it’s not TERRIBLE “stunt casting.” It actually sort of makes sense.
@CLBrown — sure … Majel Barrett was 32 in 1964. Marina Sirtis is 63. Jeffery Hunter was 38 in 1964. Anson Mount is 45. That makes perfect sense that Capt. Pikes first officer would be almost 20 years older than he is — in a parallel universe where that might make sense.