Following their San Diego Comic-Con panel, the cast of Star Trek: Picard did a mini media tour at SDCC, doing video sit-downs with Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Tonight, TVLine, and IGN. We have rounded up the highlights of what they had to reveal about the new show.
Picard’s home is in space, but not Starfleet (except for a flashback)
All the publicity materials released before SDCC depicted the future Jean-Luc Picard home at his family vineyard; however, contrary to what the “First Duty” exhibition would have you believe, Sir Patrick Stewart made it clear Picard was ready to go (via IGN):
In the trailer, he does say he tried to make his home in the vineyard, in the winery of Chateau Picard, but never felt it was home. His home is somewhere else…space.
Stewart elaborated on this to TVLine:
His discontent and unsettled nature was present from the moment the camera rolled and I hope will be evident to the audience that all is not well with him. Despite living in a beautiful place and having a good job and making gorgeous wine and working with two beautiful Romulan people, it is not enough.
Speaking to ET, Sir Patrick gave some insight into Picard’s backstory:
Retirement is not what he was looking for, not what he wanted. It was an impulsive act that put him in this situation and he has regretted it and lived with a certain amount of guilt about it for many years. That is where we pick up the show.
And even though Picard was eager to return to space, he made it clear that it wasn’t a return to Starfleet (with an exception):
I did strongly make the point that I didn’t want to be in the uniform at all, and I spoke strongly about that. I have just made myself look slightly foolish by insisting that in the end of next week’s work, I will be in a uniform. It was my idea! It’s a flashback, and I said in order for this to have the right kind of context, I need to be in a uniform.
Picard is ready to leave the vineyard
Darker than TNG, reflecting the time passed
Patrick Stewart also contrasted how Picard differs from Star Trek: The Next Generation (via IGN):
The story has become more complicated, darker, and diverse than it was in the days of Next Generation. The world has changed. And you know what? The world has changed and is changing in terrifying ways right now. And that is one of the things that this new series touches on. I don’t want to make out that it is a political show now, but it always had that element of contemporary society being commented on and that’s what we are doing in this new show.
And even though Picard is set after TNG, don’t call it a sequel (via TVLine):
I don’t see it as a sequel to [Star Trek: The Next Generation], that word does not resonate with me. I see it as part of the growth of the whole franchise. We have not just set it in the future, but we have carefully set it 18-20 years actually in the future because of all of us who were here before…we have aged in the same way the show has aged. So, we are bringing to it all that process and the incidents and events and calamities of the last 18-20 years. So, it is not a struggle to project oneself.
A “motley” crew of “renegades”
The San Diego Comic-Con panel introduced the new cast for Picard. But Stewart was clear that his new crew is not like his old crew:
(via IGN): It’s only a crew in a sense. You must not think of it as a crew like the Enterprise. We are not Starfleet. We are in a sense renegades. We are acting independently…[Chris Rios] is the captain.
(via ET): On Monday [yesterday] we are shooting a scene in which Riker [Jonathan Frakes] he says to me “so your new crew, what are they like?” And I do describe them as “motley.”
Members of the cast also had a chance to give some brief descriptions of their characters, starting with Santiago Cabrera on Cristobal “Chris” Rios:
(via IGN): He is very right to say it is a band of misfits. We carry a lot of demons, each one in his own way.
(via EW): I play the pilot. Ex-Starfleet. Something happened in my past that has made me not want to help [Picard] when I meet him.
Michelle Hurd on Raffi Musiker
(via EW): I actually am part of unrelated past of Picard’s in the past, does that make sense? [Stewart interjects: “We know each other, but it was a purely working relationship.”]
(via ET): My character is a little broken. She has got some issues. She is part of – in an unrelated way – Picard’s past.
Isa Briones on Dahj:
(via EW): I play Dahj. She is a young woman who has lived her life as any normal young woman would and then suddenly a big event happens in her life and everything gets turned upside down and she looks for answers from Picard.
Alison Pill on Dr. Agnes Jurati:
(via EW): I play a researcher and I know some of the people around here. We have various relationships and get into some antics.
Evan Evagora on Elnor:
(via EW): I play a young long-haired Romulan who is fiercely loyal to Jean-Luc and expert in hand-to-hand combat.
Harry Treadaway on Narek:
(via EW): I also play a Romulan, who has things to do with people in this room.
Cristobal “Chris” Rios (Santiago Cabrera) and his crew in Picard
Data’s sacrifice is “central” to ‘Picard’…he returns in “other ways”
One of the big surprises in the Picard trailer from SDCC was the appearance of Brent Spiner’s Data, who was last seen sacrificing himself at the end of Star Trek Nemesis. Patrick Stewart talked to IGN about how that has impacted Picard and is woven into the show:
Jean-Luc carries a lot of guilt about how Data died, and he sacrificed himself for the captain. It was a sudden and urgent snap decision, but that has weighed heavily on Picard all the years since. And that becomes one of the central motivators of what Jean-Luc does in this new series.
Speaking to TVLine, Brent Spiner clarified his two appearances in the trailer, both in disassembled form and speaking at the end:
In that drawer [as seen in the trailer] I think is B-4…Data is indeed on the show…He isn’t in every episode. He makes some appearances. But he is in the show in other ways.
According to Spiner, this is B-4 in Picard
And speaking to IGN, Spiner offered a little more of a clue as to Data’s part in Picard:
I would say no [to Data’s evolution continuing]. I don’t think he evolves on this show…Data died. He is in the show, but I don’t want to give you the idea that he is every episode or in a lot of episodes. But he is in the show. What you think may be what happens, is not what happens.
Brent Spiner as Data in Picard
Hugh is a leader of free Borg
Another returning surprise at SDCC was Jonathan Del Arco who played Hugh, the Borg that Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D freed from the collective. While he didn’t appear in the pilot, there was a Borg cube. In the media interviews, Del Arco confirmed that Hugh’s story picks up where it left off in the TNG episode “Descent, Part 2,” leading a group of freed Borg drones:
(via TVLine): I can confirm I am still part Borg and that I am a developed human version from the last time I saw [Picard], in which we were stranded on a planet and Lore was killed…as they are leaving the planet and I say “what are we going to do now, we have no leader” and Picard says “I don’t think that’s true.” The implication being that in TNG I end up with this colony of Borg and all I can say is he has developed further in his leadership capacities.
(via IGN): He is still a Borg – part Borg – and he always will be. I think if you want to describe an individual as someone who is free-thinking, then yes, but he is still strangely collective-minded. He cares so much for those around him that has kind of become a big part of his life. [Stewart interjects “including Borg”] Yes, including Borg, yeah, without saying too much. So, I think he has evolved as a human being.
Jonathan Del Arco as last seen as Hugh in TNG: “Descent, Part 2”
Expect more returning characters, but not a reunion on the Enterprise
Unfortunately, Jeri Ryan who appeared at the panel did not take part in the post-panel media interviews, but she is returning as Seven of Nine, from Star Trek: Voyager. Also confirmed to be making appearances on Picard are TNG stars Jonathan Frakes (Riker) and Marina Sirtis (Troi). However, even with all these returning TNG stars, Patrick Stewart made it clear when speaking to TVLine that Picard will not become and reunion show:
I did not want to remake The Next Generation. There were hours of discussion as to who [to bring back from TNG] and for how long and what involvement they should be. I know that our lovely fanbase would like to see the crew of the Enterprise all back, but no, that is never going to happen. But there are encounters, some of which have been shot, some of which are only in the planning stage. Hopefully, we will have more than one season and there will be other opportunities. Apart from the principal cast of The Next Generation, there were other characters that we encountered at other times who also might show up again.
Watch the interviews
TV Line
IGN
ET
EW
Keep up with all the news on the Picard show here at TrekMovie.com.
Interesting stuff. The disassembled Soong-type android looks to be damaged, doesnt it? Blast marks or something on his back.
If its B4, could he still be damaged from when the Remans scattered him around that desert?
Agree with this. Nobody anywhere has mentioned the evidence of damage. Another thing nobody seems to have observed is how the android torso has the upper arm attached on just one side, which would be a remarkably odd way to leave it during a deliberate disassembly. Parts may be missing.
As with all our beloved TNG characters, I’m guessing something happened to B4 between Nemesis and Picard. Perhaps Data’s download was too much for B4 to handle.
Perhaps it is Data and Spiner was just trying not to give away a plot point. One way of bringing the character back might be that parts of his body somehow survived or were taken from the explosion site.
If the Nemesis writers had any idea that others would want to use Data again then I doubt they would have killed him off to begin with.
Lol Spiner was one of the writers!
I’m making a guess that the parts are bits of Data recovered after the blast, too damaged to reassembled, but they were able to transfer Data’s neural network over to a holodeck program, or perhaps into a holographic projection like the doctor from Voyager.
That is exactly what I was thinking. He could be Data in the holodeck and could be used as the voice/personality of the ships computer.
That way Data could take part, but not be in the scenes physically, until the people interacting with him see him in the holodeck.
Whatever they decide, I’m just happy Data will be part of the show in some way. He was always my favorite member of the crew.
I honestly don’t think there could possibly be any parks left to work with. He was at ground zero of the explosion. He was likely vaporized instantly.
When I watched it in the cinema originally I expected them to reveal that the other Romulan ship had beamed him away. I really did not see them taking such a bold move as killing him off.
I never thought it was a good one – this whole thing through the series of building him up as this almost immortal being with such potential, then abruptly killing him. Even without any new story it would have left something for the viewers’ imaginations.
I expected no such thing. (Data being saved last second) It was pretty obvious that Spiner was probably done with Data. They left him an “out” in the even another feature were to get made. But they killed Spock. No one is untouchable. And it deserves saying again. Data’s journey was about as complete as it was ever going to get.
ML31,
Well the Borg Queen definitely infested Data with her nanites when she installed her demo “upgrades.” It’s clear he deactivated them after her defeat, but if they were just lying around inside him inert and he was able to activate and deploy them in his defence before the big bang…well, those suckers ARE fairly resilient in such situations.
I mean, his brother was a Borg God and Data has demonstrated the ability to communicate with the Borg network.
Ahh… Fan fic at its finest!
I need a Gates McFadden guest appearance. Captain Crusher all the way!
It took Starfleet a few more years to figure out how to mass produce Data.
Admiral Janeway. Has to happen.
Time travelling Captain Archer.
Oh boy.
Grand Nagus Zek
Jar jar…. uhm… wait.
LOL!
Inconceivable!
Betting you’re right. She may be partly responsible for allowing Borg tech to be available to Romulans, etc. Therefore, at least a flashback, at some point.
So I guess that casting sheet was 100% on the mark lol. I remember the outrage it got on other boards but now no one seem all that bothered. I guess the trailer really convinced a lot of people it could work.
Of course everyone was outraged, c’mon you know this forum… they’d be outraged by free money.
Actually I don’t think it was too bad here. It was other sites that seem really upset by it.
Agreed Tiger2, folks here were talking about whether we’d see aliens and diversity in nationalities.
We do have 2 Romulans, and an international cast. However, it remains to be seen whether the characters will be mainly continental US in backstory.
I honestly don’t really care about where the characters are from. Only in how interesting they are.
I get the impression that Data tags along as part of the ships computer. Whatever his exact role is remains a mystery. Either way, it sounds fascinating, and I can hardly wait to learn all the details. January 2020 seems like forever. For just once I would like to see TPTB meet a deadline and actually air something when they originally said they would. As a general rule I tend to add 6 months to any Star Trek deadline.
I think Data is a dream of Picard’s, or a hallucination.
…or a hologram!
Or a holodeck simulation.
Yeah I’m guessing he’s a holodeck program that Picard is going to periodically converse with.
After Vaal, Landru, Control, Lore, and M-5, I expect Starfleet might have a strong anti-A.I. slant. No wonder Data was one-of-a-kind…there might have been brass throughout his entire career that regarded Data rather…anxiously.
I think the Data we see in the trailer is a holodeck simulation Picard cobbled together out of a tragic sense of guilt and a need for companionship.
“There were hours of discussion as to who [to bring back from TNG] and for how long and what involvement they should be.”
The cast of TNG is basically at the mercy of Patrick Stewart if they hope to reprise their roles. They worked as an ensemble but, in the end, TNG was always Patrick Stewart’s show and it was always about Picard’s journey.
Not always. In the early days he never really felt like the main character. I’d say that BoBW is when the show really became Picard’s story.
I’d love to see a companion reality series where Trek alumni have to pass all sorts of challenges, with Stewart as judge, to earn a guest spot on the show.
Yeah, Trek MMA.
You mean Parisi Squares?!
All Access needs more original content so you may be onto something.
Do it with Food Network…”Chopped! Starfleet”
John DeLancie as the judge in full Q Court costume.
See that’s more along the lines of what I was thinking. Various different challenges– from physical to mental, to cooking, to athletics. Challenges completely unrelated to Star Trek. Get 10 of them each episode, and they vote off someone each week, until 1 remains– and he gets a guest spot!
Now there’s a show worth watching!
Lol well it’s not TNG part 2. There’s no reason for any of them to think they’re automatically back. This is literally the Picard show, I think he’s earned the right to call the shots.
Too bad. He hates John de Lancie so we will never get to see Q.
The trailer was stunning and the TVLine interview on Youtube was absolutely engaging. I am hopeful.
But I am also fearful that the throwbacks to Picard’s past, the characters we love and desire to see again – at least to check-in, see how they have progressed over the last two decades – are merely dreams or visions. I don’t think they are “real”.
I hope that I am wrong. While it would be fascinating in a sense to see Picard with some psychological/mental disorder or some disfunction that draws him to his past… I lean more toward the Trekkie patronizing that we have grown accustomed to the last two years.
my list of 24th century characters I’d like to see on the show
-Beverly
-Guinan
-Q
-Worf
-Ro Laren
-Sela
-Janeway
-O’Brien
-Vash
-Martok
-Geordi
-Wesley
Funny how all the fans who supposedly want to see something NEW post-Nemesis just want to see a parade of old favorites we’ve already seen too much of.
But here’s the thing: Picard is so deeply engrained in Trek lore that if you’re new to all of this you may have no idea what the heck is going on. For the uninitiated to get up to speed you would have to watch a half dozen TNG eps, two TNG movies, Star Trek ’09 and at least a half dozen Voyager episodes. This is a new show but the entire foundation for this series falls apart without a lot of what preceded it. You can jump into Discovery without having ever watched an episode of Star Trek. The same really can’t be said for Picard.
Picard is for Star Trek fans so why not have a wish list?
I agree. Patrick Stewart said it himself in one of those interviews, the show is not really a sequel to TNG but actually a continuation of the ENTIRE franchise (but probably mostly 24th century mythology) and that opens the door to a LOT of past story lines and characters. Now that we have SOME idea of what this story is about, its clear its one of those big alpha quadrant wide plot lines happening so its natural you would expect to see SOME others involved in it too.
When I thought this might be a much smaller story or some personal quest for Picard I could kind of see where he may be isolated from others. But the story they are telling clearly involves a mish mash of previous plot lines from TNG to VOY so it only makes sense you would see others involved too. It would be weird to NOT see at least a few others.
I mean its a ‘new’ show but you’re right clearly the story its telling comes from past lore and canon that only long time fans whose been watching all or most of the 24th shows and films will probably appreciate. If you are coming into Star Trek for the first time, this show probably isn’t for you. And I have NO problem with that!
My guess is Lower Decks will be more for the uninitiated. This is a show for hardcore 24th century Trek fans.
I’m not sure.
We will have to see if the characterization and drama is enough to pull in viewers with less knowledge of the franchise.
The trailers are clearly designed to whet the appetites of fans, how the premiere will set the stage for non fans remains to be seen.
True. It may be more appealing to non fans. But so far everything we do know seems to suggest a story line that started decades ago. Data and Seven are a big part of the franchise so they can be part of whatever story they create. But when they said Hugh is showing up, a character whose been in two episodes from the early 90s, that kind of tells me this is mostly going to be a story for people who has been paying attention for a long time now.
Sure they will explain all the back story for people who don’t know about things about the Borg backstory, Romulus blowing up, Data dying, Seven’s journey etc, etc but its probably going to be confusing for a lot of newbies out there. And seeing how dense Discovery’s first two seasons were and the 12 plot lines they had going there, I don’t think this will be any different even its suppose to be about Piard.
I don’t think so. IMO
CBS is a business and that means bringing in everyone, not just ‘old fans’.
Picard is obviously going to be a bigger pull for old time trekkers, and that’s great.
But this series will very likely be accessible to more casual viewers as well.
Picard has a whole set of new characters and that’s will likely be the entry point for the newer fans.
Old fans will be looking more especially at our favourite old characters popping up.
Well they are obviously not helping themselves with that trailer lol. I mean its so inside baseball,. Notice they never even once used the Borg or Romulan’s name. Because they felt they didn’t have to. Just seeing the images is what going to drive most people (ie, fans) to watch.
Now don’t get me wrong, they probably want everyone to watch, but the story is clearly dealing with plots from the past shows and films. I do agree, I imagine the new characters will make it feel a little more open but to me its going to mostly drive old fans to watch. I mean I highly doubt Discovery has that many new fans and they made a bigger effort not to have that show feel like you had to know anything about the characters.
I still have my doubts about more casual viewers. It’s helpful to know the backstories of Picard, Data, Seven, the Borg, the fate of Romulus, Hugh and the list goes on – – and that was just in this one trailer.
New characters help with that. They represent the new audience. They have to get things explained to them, for the potential new viewers. Picard will notice Hugh and the new character will ask, “Who’s that?” And we get a quick explanation. For example…
You’re right, that’s why CBS is trying to bring in marginal revenue, by airing 4 shows at once. They want EVERY penny!
There is something to that. When they were talking about Hugh I had completely forgotten he even existed. They they spoke of the Descent episodes and all I really remember from that was it was a very weak season ending cliffhanger. I couldn’t even tell you what happened in it as I only saw it that one time back when it aired the first time. I really hope they throw in some dialog to bring casual or first time viewers up to speed. Even for fans who only saw each episode once 30 years ago. I do have plans to rewatch the show soon. But no way in hell will I catch up all episodes by the time this show comes out. I haven’t even started yet! It’s hard to find the time for that sort of thing. I mean, it took me three years to rewatch Voyager recently for the first time!
To be honest I thought that story had almost been deleted from the canon (as much as on-screen Star Trek stories ever are).
When they went back to the Borg in First Contact they were significantly different and it was more of a direct sequel to The Best of Both Worlds, ignoring the events in between. Picard’s hate for the Borg in that film doesn’t sit with the way he acts in the Hugh episodes of TNG.
I think that true. I’ve argued for some time that Picard in the features is a different man from the one on the show. For one thing, he has human weaknesses. Things we never really saw on TNG. In my mind, he was far more interesting in the movies than he ever was on the show.
I am cool with Hugh. He’s an interesting character we haven’t seen much of. What was his life like before he was assimilated– is he even human? After “Descent” where did he go and what did he do? Did he ever meet Seven of Nine, and form some kind of “Ex Borg Support Group” (it sounds like a joke, but it makes sense).
We’ve seen him in all of 2 episodes, so seeing him return is interesting, to learn more about him. I might even be okay with somene like Tasha Yar return.
But too many, and characters we’ve all seen way too much of, just prancing onto the show episode after episode? No thanks.
If they want to bring the TNG cast back, do a real TNG reuinion show, or say, a Worf show so we can see Worf, and a Titan show so we can see Riker and Troi, etc.
Weak? Data enjoying killing was weak? Really? Some of Brent Spiner’s BEST work!
Because it’s stoopid.
I wonder if Dr. Jurati is a cybernetics researcher perhaps studying B-4.
I thought I read somewhere a while back that she specializes in positronics
Yes that came from the cast list and it really confused everybody at the time lol. Now it makes perfect sense. She’s probably brought in to help bring Data back in some form.
Not sure how she can bring data back without a time machine (or suit as we now know was available over a century earlier). He’s been vaporized. Nothing to bring back. B-4, however, is a different story. ;)
But in Nemesis they put all of Data’s memories in B4 and since we don’t know zip about how a positronic brain works you can argue Data’s ‘consciousness’ was also in B-4 the same way Spock’s consciousness was in McCoy after he died, which Nemesis implied itself at the end when he started singing.
And of course Data has been brought back in both post-Nemesis novels and obviously the Countdown comic itself, this isn’t a brand new idea. And this is Star Trek lol. They bring people back in the most ludicrous ways all the time. They brought Hugh back without even having his body. We are suppose to believe Spock is alive because Vulcans ‘katras’ can exist in other people’s minds.
In other words if they decide they want to bring Data back, they will find a way to bring Data back.
True… There was the memory download that was quite obviously an “out” if another film was to be done. But as Data himself said, “he would still not be me.”
Well if Brent Spiner is playing him, close enough lol.
Tiger2,
While the movie pulled the word “katra” out of thin air, the precedent was set in the episode, RETURN TO TOMORROW, when Sargon hid Spock’s “katra” in Nurse Chapel.
Yes, you’re right I forgot about that episode.
I always wondered when Lore made himself the Borg God if he had taken advantage of his local network to back up his consciousness and maybe on a day when he was feeling particularly brotherly, Data too?
But, I seem to recall 2 episodes where it was revealed Data’s positronic brain was able to run thousands of his father’s colonists copied engrams as well as his own, and the other one some alien artifact revealed he could even do more from its stores?
So it seems likely a copy of him could possibly be retrieved from B4’s positronic brain even if said brain was an earlier version with smaller capacity?
Also, recall he downloaded his daughter Lall into his positronic memory so that he’d always have her with him after she finished dying.
Exactly!
All these examples prove we can’t think of androids and ‘death’ the way we think of our own. And it is a basic sci fi trope (also a real world theory) that our consciousness can or will be duplicated inside a computer some day, which opens up a huge can of worms.
In fact, there is another great example from the show you missed with The Schizoid Nan from season two where Dr. Gravas transferred his mind into Data and basically became himself. It wasn’t just his memories, he was living through Data. So if humans can theoretically transfer their minds into machines, then you would think Androids would be able to duplicate their consciousness over and over again as you suggested.
But of course its Star Trek, they bring these things up only to conveniently forget them later lol.
Tiger2,
Again, if you recall, the precedent for THE SCHIZOID MAN was RETURN TO TOMORROW as Sargon was using Kirk’s body to do just that, i.e. construct an android body for his consciousness to reside. Although, it didn’t seem to be a copy from Sargon’s explanation, it seemed his civilization not only figured out how to liberate “katras” from their physical bodies but how to get their katras to interface directly with various communication networks.
I wouldn’t say it confused a lot of people– in fact, if i recall, it lead to speculation that Data would appear, with many people counter-arguing that bringing back Data was not something they believed would happen.
That’s true and I was one of them lol. I never thought Data would be brought back. I guess that’s why so many are excited about the show now, it added a layer no one was really expecting but one everyone wants at the same time.
No doubt Spiner’s years of denial informed your scepticism :) These actors are always very good at strongly denying they will ever play the role again – until it happens. That said, if Avery Brooks appears, I will eat my hat! :)
What about our new Mystery girl in the Trailer that sought out Picard.
I wonder did Commander Donatra die in the destruction of Romulus
A lot of info. given away here. So a ‘motley crew’ of ‘renegades’ in space it is then. I’ll be interested to see how he ends up with this band of ‘misfits’, and if they’ll all respect his experience and authority along the journey. Hopefully, their objective in the show will prove a satisfying storyline, and I just hope the ship itself has a good look to it inside and out.
I’m not as invested as others here who wish to see certain Next Gen characters appear, and Picard could always just have another ‘flashback’ to his Enterprise bridge glory days to feature some of them I guess.
Like you Cervantes, I’m not as invested in seeing certain TNG, DS9 or Voyager characters appear in this series.
In many way, I would find the world richer and bigger if/when Picard crosses paths with characters we know from other series who were not his TNG bridge officers.
I think this is why the inclusion of Seven and Hugh is effective, beyond Picard’s personal history with the Borg.
I find the motley crew trope a bit old/overused, but putting an established character like Picard in charge of this kind of crew is novel. The trailer gives me confidence that they can pull it off.
Well thete are only so many options to ger picard into action… alone in a shuttle (10 episodes as bottle episodes XD) on a federation vessel, with Q, on a plesure cruise ship… and with a rag tag crew. The last one just makes the most sense regarding where they seem to go with the story.
At least they do not seem like real lawless criminals on the run.
Unfortunately “lawless criminals on the run” seems to be the trope of choice for the kids show being developed for Nickelodeon.
Juvenile delinquents on the run in point of fact, but that’s not really a plus for parents of elementary school aged kids.
“In many way, I would find the world richer and bigger if/when Picard crosses paths with characters we know from other series who were not his TNG bridge officers.”
Which I think we’re going to get if Seven is any indication and they did that in the movies of course. Everyone from Kirk to the Doctor showed up. I would love to see everyone from TNG make an appearance of some kind but I agree with you, its better if we see a mix of everyone from past shows, but not to the point where it makes the universe feel too small of course. But at least they didn’t go the Discovery route and make Picard a cousin of Janeway’s. ;D
And I was onboard with the ragtag crew story line when it was first rumored. It will be fun to see Picard out of his element and not doing everything by the Starfleet book!
I like this idea to bring in someone from Picard’s past that WE don’t know yet – as someone said, he served 22 years on the Stargazer, so why not bring in a former Startgazer crewmember? Maybe this Raffi is even that? Just restricting it to the main casts of the three 24th century shows would be too “small world” indeed.
Wow they are really doing the promo tour. I did my best to not read too many details above. Btw I noticed that Star Trek Picard has not yet been added to the STLV panel lineup. I assume they are very busy trying to finalize the production schedule, but hopefully Sir Patrick and the rest of the cast can make an appearance at the Rio. Of course I am sure they will get an amazing reception.
There aren’t a lot of details above. Beyond people saying they are Romulans or ex-Starfleet or other general descriptions, they are being good about not revealing plot.
I’m thinking that the focus of STLV will be Discovery and Pike’s Enterprise.
I’m hoping for an early Discovery S3 trailer.
If STLV is the venue for announcing the Pike show, that will be the big news item.
Pretty certain season 2 is a done deal.
If they already gave something like Lower Decks 2 seasons I have NO idea how this won’t get the same lol. It’s all but official IMO. I felt the same way about Discovery first season as well. These shows would have to NOSE DIVE tank not to somehow get a second season.
This was planned for 3 seasons I thought, and likely Stewart gets a big paycheck even if they don’t do seasons 2&3 – so that would be an incentive to move forward even if the results are iffy. But how could they be?
The story is planned for three seasons but that doesn’t mean the show itself will last that long if it doesn’t get the viewers. But I think unofficially the show probably will get two seasons minimum.
Or if Stewart has a stroke while filming.
Uh, OK.
Yes.
Huh?
It is quite common for streaming shows to get two season orders before they even become available. HBO does that too. However the networks often include a buyout if things work out too badly.
Weird idea: What if Data isn’t really there? As in, Picard talks to him but he’s really just a reflection of Picard’s conscience? Not that Picard is crazy or senile, just the idea that Data is a metaphor for that part of Picard that he feels like he lost when he left Starfleet?
Weren’t hallucinations a symptom of Irumodic Syndrome? Could a Data hallucination be an indication that, while not everything in Q’s future comes true, some things are inevitable.
I can’t see them making Picard senile while he is still the hero of a show.
Legate Damar,
Shatner’s Denny Crane in BOSTON LEGAL had dementia and the show didn’t seem worse for wear for it.
Denny Crane had MAD COW, dude!
IDICtator,
“Dementia” is a term which covers a wide spectrum of mental decline afflictions.
“Mad Cow” was Denny’s explanation in the show. he refused to believe that he had Alzheimer’s.
Picard lost his only family in a fire (brother and nephew), he endured torture at the hands of the cardassians, was taken by the borg and turned into a borg spokesperson, and then Data died. The man has issues! How it will all play into the new series is yet to be seen, but somehow I think Picard is not going to be standing knee deep in the StarFleet protocols and Federation principles that seemed to drive his decisions in TNG. Picard has scars, but he will no doubt be true to himself….okay that might mean he stands knee deep in Federation principals, but not up to his neck. He also has conversations and plays cards with an invisible to everyone on the show, but not invisible to the viewers Data.
I hope in that flashback we get to see the Enterprise E.
Really? Not the Enterprise D?
I’d rather see the E, too. Limited screen time over the years and (dare I say) I was never a fan of the D.
Forced to admit that the D was the ugliest ship in the Star Fleet. Of ANY era.
The E looked like a natural evolution of starship design from TOS. The D not-so-much and once First Contact hit screens that era of starship design was pretty much done.
Indeed. D was a weird blip in the evolution. But the E looked WAY better. OF course, my favorite Enterprise was the TMP refit that got used in the TOS features. Beauty from every angle.
I liked the E alright, but the D is a beautiful design, and perhaps the most graceful in all of Trek, beyond even the original. It’s the only ship I own more than 1 model of.
The D is still my favorite ship in the franchise. Its always been a very beautiful ship to me.
It also just happens to be the ship that all of pop culture remembers associated with Picard– not the Stargazer or the Ent-E. In fact, i’m kind of surprised they went with the movie-era combadge in the trailer, and not the circular one from the series.
I get that that’s what he wore upon retirement, but it would have been much cooler from a nostalgia perspective if he’d kept his old oval one as a keepsake.
AB, we agree on something! Eaves needs to retire from the franchise ASAP. He must be spectacular at interpersonal relations to be the only creative staff to serve in two completely different eras regardless of talent (ie, he’s not Ron Jones), but his design aesthetic is growing stale and was never a good fit for Trek and Roddenberry’s original starship design vision. I’m tired of Eaves’ blocky and busy designs, as evident again in the Romulan ships in the trailer. The original 24th century aesthetic was one of curved, elegant, spotless ships, and really, why is “nuts and bolts” and “industrial” more evolved and futuristic? If Eaves had designed the IPhone and not Ive, it would look like a 1990s Motorola and not a “single sheet of glass”.
I think another big surprise would be if we see Lt.Cmdr Maddox from “The Measure of a Man” somehow involved with Data’s “regeneration” here. Maybe he found a way to mass produce Data.
If B4 is in the drawer and Data was already dead in Nemesis, then he will likely appear as an illusion in Picard’s mind or hologram.
Why does this and literally everything else Hollywood puts out these day have to “reflect the times we live in” (which is just another way of saying we’re gonna inject our own political views into the show)? I am sick and tired of this dark and brooding crap, especially when it’s the very antithesis of what Star Trek is all about. I loved the trailer but it had the same darker aesthetic as Discovery and that really bothered me. When are we gonna get positive and optimistic Star Trek back? Has Hollywood seriously still not figured out that audiences want to see entertainment in order to escape reality not to be bashed over the head with it? You can do darker stories while still maintaining the optimism at the core of the franchise which they haven’t figured out. Star Trek much like Superman are all about optimism, doing darker takes on them don’t work well.
TOS, TNG, DS9… they all put a mirror up to society at the time the shows were airing. If you didn’t notice or realize it at the time, you missed out on some really great and poignant allegories for our world — and hope for a better future.
You are right that Star Trek is optimism, but that doesn’t mean it can’t do that while reflecting on humanity’s past and present. They’ve literally been doing that since the very beginning.
I didn’t watch aspirational and optimistic Trek to escape reality, but rather to support and reinforce my beliefs that humanity could reach for a better world.
These positive Trek values are one of the main reasons Star Trek was for a long time the only one of the major franchises that we exposed our kids to.
Now they are older, we’ve opened up their choices, but they can see that some of the other franchises are really about the conflict/war and not about striving for better.
And if all of this shows the faults of current human societies, that’s a good thing.
I totally understand the escapism aspect but television has changed so much from the days when it was purely entertainment. Everything was wrapped up nice and neat in 60 mins and they usually had a whimsical epilogue at the end no matter how many people died in the show. TOS tried to break that pattern a bit with a few thought-provoking episodes like COTEOF, Charlie X or Balance of Terror. TNG did the same with episodes like Chain of Command or Q Who. But they also had to listen to producers who wanted something familiar. DS9 really changed things when they went to serialized story telling over the last few years of the series, which freed them up from the shackles of episodic tv. IMO I think Discovery can do a better job of telling thought provoking serialized story arcs while also maintaining the long term optimism and a family like crew atmosphere. I hope Picard will also do the same.
Is it me or is trekmovie now at least 3 days behind other news sites for trek news? This is old news…I remember how quick they were to edit and breakdown a trailer screencap by screencap within a day or two of it being released..
Yes, a breakdown of the Picard trailer screencap by screencap would be nice!
TrekMovie had a first pass last Saturday.
They usually follow up with more detail after a Con…
In this case, only ET and TVLine had follow up interviews, not all the small independent boards like TrekMovie. So, TrekMovie had to wait to report on those.
I’m glad that these follow ups are happening to keep the conversation going.
And I’d really like to see an in-depth TrekMovie treatment of both trailers, but can wait.
Please! Bring back Tomalak!!!
…except that the actor who played him is dead.
If Data isn’t inhabiting B-4’s body, then paerhaps Picard is meeting and conversing with Data ( seeking Data’s counsel ) via Holodeck?
So far so good. Now if we can get Stewart to confirm that he, Riker and Troi will engage in a rendition of Row, Row, Row Your Boat in Picard’s winery I’m all in.
When you watch the beginning of Nemesis, the scene where they find B-4, you see that the parts in drawer are an exact match to the parts they find. Left upper arm still attached to the torso, right arm completely detached. So, it is a good bet they used the same parts for the new show.
alright, now we got a good look at the cast, all well and good, but i´m really anxious about the Ships. If the “must be 25% different” rule is actually in place, can we actually get proper TNG looking ships? The ones we´ve seen in Star Trek Online look sharp, for example. I hope they don´t muck it up.
That 25 percent rule you are talking about is absolute GARBAGE promulgated by those trolls Midnight’s Edge.
I can’t believe people are so stoopid to think that is a real thing, mostly because it was pretty obvious what the guy meant by it when he said it. Just goes to show every fandom has a segment that isn’t that smart (and I say that as someone who used to think Trek fans were smarter than the average fandom).
Midnight’s Edge and Trekyards who are have brought it up. It’s really ridiculous but people will believe anything I suppose.
Data – Dead but will appear as hologram to be Picards shoulder to lean on when he questions himself.
7 of 9 – appears once or twice in trying to get Picard to where he is going to by stepping over the line and breaking rules. Once she has done her bit she will not appear again in the series.
Riker,Troi – will come galloping in to save Picard and his crew when they are under attack (much like riker did in all good things)
Hugh – not quite sure yet where he fits into bigger plot.
Something I thought of, Data’s Body may have survived the explosion of the Simitar. His head did survive 500 years in a cave. who knows what he is made of and how dense the alloys were, just saying. Maybe he was found after the explosion before the destruction of Romulus. and it is actually Data?
Hmmm… Not sure what to make of this. There is good and bad in what Stewart says. The bad part is that he, yet again, rolls out that tired “we live in dark times” BS. That does not bode well for the show if he is thinking it will be making some sort of editorial on what he erroneously thinks are currently “dark times”.
But I do like the idea that this broken man has surrounded himself with other broken people. I feel like it’s possible those Romulans are loyal to Picard because he helped them when the planet blew up. But I’d wager that is where something went seriously wrong for him. Nice reveal that the disassembled android was in fact, B-4. I guess the memory upload didn’t quite take afterall. At any rate, there are still some interesting facets going on here and I’m going to hope whatever societal comment they opt to make is deeply hidden in what we hope will be a fascinating story.
Fingers crossed….
It doesn’t bode well for YOU, but many people are not happy in the times we currently live, and think this is a perfectly justifiable creative choice to mirror them on the show. This idea that fans don’t want actors and creators to get political in their material is such nonsense, particularly for Star Trek.
That’s true no matter WHEN you are talking about. Geez. Get over it. Now it has become overused cliche.
What the heck are you talking about? There’s nothing for ME to get over, it you who seems to always have your panties in a bunch over Picard and DSC.
Of course you’d think that.
Ah, classic gaslighting.
LOL! Yeah… Sure… That what that is. (eyeroll)
The late 1960s and early 70s were indeed dark and divided times but fortunately Apollo and TOS helped get people’s minds off the Vietnam War, multiple political assassinations, race riots and Watergate. I don’t think there is any question TNG was made at a good time in US history, highlighted by the end of the 40-year cold war and fall of the Warsaw Pact plus huge leaps in consumer technology with intro of cell phones and the adoption of the personal computer. As for now, well we all seem to have diverse political opinions and history will be the judge of whether that is good or bad.
As for Picard, I don’t think you have to beat people over the head with morality tales but it is always good for entertainment to be thought provoking and reflective of the current state of affairs – but do so in a way that is subtle and not preachy. As you said, finger’s crossed but I am cautiously optimistic that this will be a good show.
The thing is, and people often forget this, that there has never, repeat NEVER been a time when political animosity was docile. Opposite sides were always attacking each other starting from even before the first Continental Congress. So this is nothing new. It’s just happening now so people feel like it is as bad as ever because current situations resonate the strongest.
I actually like morality tales. When done to be thought provoking and that don’t shove it obviously in your face. Like some of the best Trek episodes did. They also had their share of “in your face” episodes. Those never worked as well. But I think Trek worked best when there was really no good choice to make as every option had downsides to it. So here’s hoping they can do this well. Based on what I have seen on Discovery I have severe doubts. But you never know… Fingers still crossed.
I’m very curious how old you are.
Off topic and irrelevant.
Of course you’d think that something that’s relevant isn’t.
When discussing the way we look at different generations politics, the age of the person speaking is very much relevant. I’m sorry you can’t follow a simple discussion.
Please… Rather than be smug and superior about it how about enlightening me to how my age is relevant to my above comment? Your closing sentence does not address this whatsoever because it has nothing to do with the topic in hand. I would recommend you review my comment, think about it, then get back to me. Hopefully you will realize how age is indeed off topic. But I’m open to reasonable conclusions if it isn’t.
I think the irony here is that with Afterburn’s habit to go after people rather than issues, it’s HIS age that is showing ;)
The TNG Crew had 15 good years together on the Enterprise. But starfleet crews change. Picard has been 22 years (!) captain of the Stargazer before he became captain of the Enterprise. So he should have strong relationships to other members of starfleet as well.
The NCC1701-D had more than a thousand crewmembers. Why should Picard only hold contact with Riker, Troi, Crusher, etc.? May be, Michelle Hurd’s character and other people Picard meets in “Picard” served on the Enterprise or the Stargazer, too.
Or even aboard a ship he served on as Admiral AFTER the Enterprise. I would love for them to show his career moved in different directions after Nemesis, and he served aboard different starships. He could have been an Admiral aboard Voyager, re-commissioned as a diplomatic vessel, for all we know, and that’s how he came to meet Seven of Nine.
This show looks like it has so much potential. But, unfortunately, since it’s produced under the Bad Robot “25% different” license, we know that it takes place in the Prime (and not the Original) timeline, and as such isn’t cannon. Also, I’ll never pay CBS any money to watch. /s
I remember on this article:
https://trekmovie.com/2018/08/04/breaking-new-star-trek-tv-series-starring-patrick-stewart-as-jean-luc-picard-announced/#comments
The admins were banning people who were spreading conspiratorial nonsense like the “25% different” thing. Wish they’d go back to doing that.
Btw, while perusing those early articles from fall of last year, I found my own very first comment on this series, which proved to be true (no surprise as I am always right, yes that’s sarcasm), and it’s been hilarious watching fans become increasingly frustrated by this series as it’s become more and more clear it isn’t what they thought it would be (for note: most people thought it would be Picard aboard a Federation Starship, on diplomatic missions, with the TNG cast mostly returning). People wanted Okudograms and the style of the 90s shows, they wanted it to be bright and optimistic and more like The Orville (and many claimed it was The Orville that got this green-lit).
—-
Afterburn
Any of the DSC whiners hoping for this to be anything like TNG are in for a rude awakening.
There is almost no chance of CBS ever trying to make “another 90s Trek.” This is going to be a lot more like DSC than TNG. Frankly, if it was just more Berman era Trek I doubt Patrick Stewart would ever have agreed to do it.
And I for one am excited about a new, more dramatic take on that era.
August 4, 2018 3:24 pm
Sorry, I completely missed the “/s”.
there is no such thing, that is all bs rumor. Don’t use this site to spread false information. Locked.
Well, if you didn’t realize my last comment above was nothing except pure, unadulterated sarcasm, I don’t know what to tell ya. It’s sad that we live in a world where we’re forced to police the type of nonsense spewed by the likes of Midnight’s Edge, Robert Meyer Burnett, etc.
As I commented before the lock, I missed the “/s” the first time I read it. I was actually already prepping a comment about that year-old article when I saw your post, and it just seemed relevant, and I responded with undue haste. My apologies.
In my defense though, it is becoming harder to spot that kind of sarcasm when there are people making those same exact comments in complete seriousness.
The question remains (as it does with Discovery): Why would I want to see that in a Star Trek series?
There’s always this notion that “Star Trek has always reflected the current sociopolitical climate” – well, it sure did. But it was always coming from a place of “future mankind is enlightened” or simply “we’re gonna make it!”. It didn’t leave room for the sort of cynicism that has plagued more recent incarnations of Star Trek – that sentiment of “yeah, enlightenment alone is worth buggerall – life is misery and you friggin know it!”… I still cannot quite put my finger on it and maybe it all boils down to my very own, highly subjective take on the franchise, but the future of TNG is one that I would like to live in, whereas the future of DISCO isn’t… so do I need to fear that the future of “Picard” will be “DISCOfied”? I hope not, but that quote sorta makes it sound that way.
Engage and LLAP Picard!
All very interesting. I’m a big novel reader and I wonder what, if anything may survive from the relaunch novels. Will the Borg be gone as a threat for instance (don’t forget, Hugh was separated from the Collective so his appearance does not necessarily mean the Borg are back). Data is back as well. Picard is currently facing the consequences of his actions regarding Section 31.
I don’t expect the novel storylines to survive, but it’s interesting to note the showrunners have noted that they were reviewing some tie in storylines. I wonder if anything from the novels makes it to the show in any form.
Based on this, it seems there are Romulans on both sides in this show.