‘Star Trek: Picard’ Renewed For Season 2 With Terry Matalas As Showrunner; Wil Wheaton To Host Aftershow

Today at the Television Critics Association Winter 2020 event, CBS talked all things Picard.

Second season renewal official

In a move that should surprise no one, CBS confirmed today it has renewed Picard for a second season ahead of the first season debut.

Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President, Original Content, CBS All Access, is quoted as saying:

The energy and excitement around the premiere of STAR TREK: PICARD has reached a magnitude greater than all of us at CBS All Access could have hoped for. We’re thrilled to announce plans for a second season before the series’ debut, and we are confident that ‘Star Trek’ fans and new viewers alike will be captured by the stellar cast and creative team’s meticulously crafted story when it premieres on Jan. 23.

Second season showrunner named

Terry Matalas, who most recently was the creator/showrunner of the TV adaptation of 12 Monkeys, has been named as the showrunner for the second season. Matalas isn’t a stranger to Star Trek either; he paid his dues working as a production assistant for both Voyager and Enterprise.

Terry Matalas joins Picard for the season season.

Producers and cast talk season one

Patrick Stewart hopes to include more TNG castmates

Wil Wheaton to host aftershow

Season 1 cast portraits

More images from season 1 of Picard


Star Trek: Picard will premiere on January 23, 2020. It will be available on CBS All Access in the USA and on the CTV Sci-Fi Channel and CraveTV in Canada. It will premiere on Amazon Prime Video for the rest of the world on January 24. Episodes will be released weekly.

Keep up with all the Star Trek: Picard news at TrekMovie.

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Hey, isn’t that a Colonial Emblem from the original BattleStar Galactica hanging as a wall ornament behind Patrick Stewart and Raffi (Michelle Herd) in the eighth from last photo, where they are both chatting on the Patio? It’s kind of a wrought iron wall decoration and is only partially visible, but it looks like the original 1979 Colonial symbol – maybe an Easter Egg?

At least the bottle of vino is from the Picard vineyards….

It’s actually the Sri Yantra, a sacred symbol in Hinduism.

TOLD YOU! FIRST!

We known this for literally months now. But yes nice its official.

I’m glad that they’ve landed a showrunner, and one with Trek experience at that.

I’m kind of avoiding looking closely at the production stills at this point. I don’t think that I need any further spoilers.

Hopefully a Berman era production assistent can instil some Berman era aesthetic into this show next season… It’s kind of hilarious how all modern shows go through the same growing pains (Enterprise and Discovery regarding TOS aesthetic).

No one wants that.

Oh right. A34 has spoken! Mods, lock this thread, no need for further discussion! ;)

I get it not all parts of Berman Trek aesthetics are liked, and I personally dislike the “elevator music” that replaced Ron Jones’ daring scores, but part of it like Okudagrams and smooth fluidly designed starships is part of the era’s signature and should be retained.

I can do without the color beige

One of my biggest non-writing related gripes is the production design/aesthetic of Discovery doesn’t fit the design language which was kept cohesive for nearly 2 decades so… maybe don’t go tossing “no one” around when stating what people want. I want that, some others want that, you don’t. This isn’t to say I want a rehash of the sets/designs of older Trek series… I just want the new stuff to look like it could realistically have evolved either from or into whatever came before or comes after it in the world as it was built.

Moreover, the color beige stopped being a thing after Generations so… perhaps the color on your TV is off?

I want that and I am sure there are others that do as well.

It’s almost like stuff gets dated and looks crappy for modern design sensibilities or something… huh, who’d a thunk it?

Nobody wants to watch 60 or 30 year old ideas of the future, why chain ourselves to the 80s and the Hilton floating through space look?

So let’s go the Discovery route and make everything – 23rd century, 24th century and 31st century – feel like the 2010s (now outdated), including daft party music?

I bet you had no problem with Picard listening to ancient classical music.

Do you realize that the design they’re using is very much rooted in edgy 90s, complete with excessively sharp edges and useless beveled paneling that give nightmares both to work safety inspectors AND cleaning personnel? ;)

Look at those cast photos. If it weren’t for that expensive cinematic lighting, it would look like a 1998 show. And do you know why? Because Eaves is an one-trick pony, that’s why: when he doesn’t know what to do, he keeps adding angular details.

@Boze: Eaves doesn’t design the interiors.

Have to disagree on this.

More Plexiglas!

I think we may get the odd nod to the TNG look but I wouldn’t count on it.
Mike and Denise Okuda were all but signed to do DSC but because of Canada employment law, CBS hired Canadian talent. The Okuda’s are working for the Apple + show For All Mankind.So, their input wasn’t used on Picard. I do know that Mike Okuda did send EVERYTHING he and Denise designed over the almost two decades when they were asked by the DSC people. So, if it’s not being used it’s not because CBS doesn’t have it. I also have a friend who designed certain elements for the Picard show (sorry, won’t say which ones until after airing!) and what he was able to show us didn’t have much if any TNG elements to it. He only showed us 2 or 3 elements so I don’t want to set off any design alarms.
In 1987, the editor of Starlog encouraged us to embrace the then new TNG show. It had been almost two decades since we’d had Trek on TV. There was a lot of push back because TNG wasn’t TOS. “Trek Classic!” Who Needs A Next Generation?” T-Shirts were at every convention in 1987.It was a take on the Coca Cola Classic debacle happening at the time. I walked around with a new AMT Enterprise D and the Galoob metal D at one con. I got accosted by several fans stunned that I could even like the new Trek. So, things haven’t changed much in 30+ years. One thing is certain: Star Trek, as a franchise is-in a way- repeating history. TOS limped off the air in 1969 only to triumphantly return on the big screen in 1979 with TMP. TNG limped off movie screens in 2002 only to return triumphantly to TV in 2020. Where Trek belongs I might add.

It’s going to look and feel different in places, folks. In my opinion, it has to to remain relevant and ground breaking in the 2020 TV universe. I also expect and hope for subtle nods for us long time Trek fans.
Again, Starlog encouraged us to embrace TNG in 1987. It was good advice then, it’s good advice today.

I very much enjoyed the first two seasons of Twelve Monkeys, but then it sort of ran out of steam.

It is comforting to know that zipper technology will remain unchanged in 380 years.

always bugs me how chairs nearly always look contemporary. TNG had those wheeled office chairs, and they could have at least covered the wheels up, which is what we zero-budget filmmakers did, after covering the garage floor with black garbage liner.

Although, why would human beings change from wheels though?

There’s a whole lot of things we can do now, if we wanted to, that would be high tech but cost prohibitive where low tech will achieve the same ends.

Why would a business or industry in the future move to “hover chairs” when most people will say I can just push one with wheels a few feet across the room?

Then again, who still uses a mechanical computer mouse these days?

From the construction point of view, it makes sense to replace moving parts with static parts whenever possible, because moving parts have most potential fault points. Wheels are the most often damaged part of a chair (and they ruin the carpet, too). We know that levitating cargo platforms and stretchers are a thing as early as 2270s (and I think I ever saw a levitating suitcase somewhere in the background), so the technology must be cheap and accessible. It’s only a matter of time before someone tries to put it on a chair; then everybody can simply download the schematic and print their own amazing contact-less office chair in the nearest industrial replicator. ;)

I’m talking about doing a simple hide like what was on the nx2000 chairs in TSFS (a cheapo job to be sure.) You just hide the ‘bought yesterday’ look to suspend disbelief, and that’s enough on a bg element to keep it from distracting.

There is no need to change the zipper. It works, no improvement required. Just because centuries pass it doesn’t mean everything needs to change. Kmart, again… Why hide the wheels of office chairs? So that we would think the chairs are gliding on some sort of anti-gravity ground-effect? Why, literally, re-invent the wheel? Let’s keep it simple, it works! Just my humble opinion. Yours may differ…

silvereyes,
If you’re going to use an antique design for the chairs, then go classic with Eames. More practically, the horizontal legs on office chairs are tripping hazards, and they can ROLL when on a slant, like when ship tips over. Bad, not credible. Do you really think we’re going to need sticks under the cushion to control the height of the chair in 50 years, let alone hundreds?

My opinion definitely differs from yours. Take a look at the chair designs in the book THE 2001 FILE, with tons of stuff that did and didn’t wind up in the Kubrick movie. In my review of the book from a few years back, I mentioned that the then-upcoming TV series for GQ, DSC and others would probably be smart to lift from these wonderfully evocative yet practical designs, and they are as far beyond 80s office chairs as you might expect from an actual designer (Harry Lange.)

To me those office chairs are worse giveaways of cheapness and lack of imagination than the TV in Pike’s quarters in CAGE or the undisguised microphone used as a sound masker in COURT MARTIAL — they’re even worse than the use of a contemporary remote control — masquerading as a ray gun — in THE FANTASTIC JOURNEY (the Space Command model which had 4 buttons and at least LOOKED cool, with mesh on the front.)

Picard is wearing a suit and tie in one of the stills.

Think it’s the first time I’ve seen a “Star Trek” character wear a tie in a 23/24th century setting.

And that suit design is right out of “Aliens”.

No more spandex.

Edward Samuela,

What? You never saw A PIECE OF THE ACTION or PATTERNS OF FORCE and have those episodes confirm for you that Kirk and Spocko knew how to tie a tie?

Buttons were a cutting-edge technology in 14th century Germany it seems.

6 centuries later, we still use them extensively.

I’m willing to give the zipper another few hundred years.

Yes I was going to point out in TOS there were still plenty of buttons, dials and analog clocks 300 years later even though we use less of those now, but I imagine those will still be used later. So I don’t think zippers are going to really die out with the way of the dinosaurs anytime soon.

Incidentally I just read that Lucas mandated on Star Wars that there not be any visible buttons or zippers on clothes, same as no glasses (which Mandalorian just broke). Strikes me as a smart choice. Nothing dates a show like grounding it in contemporary technologies YOU KNOW will be obsolete in the future. The issue is about perception more than anything (Eaves’ “garbage scow” starship design aesthetic, in direct violation of the Proberts “hidden technology” designs, is another example)

It seems someone pays attention to Screenrants articles ;)

You are correct of course, GT ;)

Yes, but unfortunately the haird-dos in the OT dates those movies more than anything lol.

Whats wrong with the Pretzel? I take it over the currently en vogue Discovery “Marge Simpson” any day of the week :P

Are you saying zippers, wheels and buttons are necessarily going to be obsolete at some point in the future, as in, we can take that for granted? Or were you talking (writing) in more general terms? I really don’t see how we can improve either (except buttons maybe). Why even bother to improve on the zipper? Make it electric? And wheels… I just don’t see how they can become obsolete.

I do think zippers are a major headache and have alot of room for improvement with their many weaknesses, hassles and lack of robustness. We already invented velcro before as a potential zipper-replacement (ok T’Pols grandmother did ;), so its not a stretch to see new inventions. The task is not so much in correctly forecasting rhe future but hiding the past and present, anything that screams “contemporary”. And I’m sorry, but 2010s style zippers on uniforms don’t look “more realistic” to me, they make it harder to suspend disbelief and accept this as 400 years on the future. Clearly both the sense of fashion and clothing technology was VERY different 400 years in the past! The Discovery costume designer using 3D printing was actually more forward thinking in this, although they overdid complexity as clutteredness.

Vulcan Soul,

Pretty sure Abrams had the keeper of the Skywalker lightsabber wearing goggly glasses.

Pardon the play on words, but I’ve no idea what any vision of the future requires everything to look synthetic. It’s impossible to imagine that hand crafted just completely disappears a couple hundred years into the future, be it food, clothes, furniture, or art.

I freaking hate Wil Wheaton. His acting is fine, loved him in Stand By Me. I just cannot stand his long, hateful political rants. Dang, just about as bad as listening to DiNero

Just to point out that many of us are very content with how well Wil was able to define himself as a blogger.

(And I still wonder how there are so many self-identified Trek fans out there who are so intolerant of the values deep-baked into the franchise.)

You have to check your premises then, TG47. Perhaps they are not intolerant of values or perhaps you don’t recognise some of the other values that have been promoted in previous versions of Trek (e.g. the promotion of freedom of thought and expression).

It needs to be said for alot of actors right now that they get paid for being brilliant ACTORS, not politicians or philosophers, and their personal political opinion is worth as much as just about any anonymous internet poster. Of course this becomes a problem when an entire show seems to be designed around that actors’ perception of so called “damaging influences”, that is widely NOT shared by the majority of the populace as determined in democratic elections and referendums … the line between entertainment and propaganda is a thin one.

Well, I won’t go in the details of specific political opinions, but the assertion that a certain opinion has more worth or less worth than another strikes me as off.

My take on that would be: actors have a built in audience, hence they at least potentially reach more people than “any anonymous poster“. “Any anonymous poster“ does not have to expect a shitstorm or backlash over a controversial comment. Many shitty rants just fly under the radar.

So, an actor has the same right to make political speeches as you and me, and a lot of actors of course use their reach to be heared. That is very understandable and nothing immoral per se.

Very well, GT, but don’t forget my second and more crucial point: I was looking forward to “a deeply psychological portrait of Picard in his emeritus years” that we can all enjoy (irrespective if if it is TNG 2.0 or not), not Stewart’s bitter rant on “why the British people are wrong on Brexit” (and isn’t it interesting how the West, and very often these very same people as Stewart, are quick to support or even stir independence and separatist movements in other countries, but once it concerns one of their own, it is ‘evil’ and must be opposed in all its forms?)

You have in my view a rather distorted view on Brexit. Cameron acted irresponsibly by pushing the brexit referendum only to get re-elected. In the wake of that, a campaign of lies and fake news was launched which resulted in a very close vote for Brexit. The fighting over Brexit is keeping the british parliament in chaos for more than 3 years now and put Boris Johnson on top. Boris Johnson!… Scotland may well leave the UK, and nobody knows what conflicts will rise (again) in Ireland.
I am not saying that the EU is perfect – far from it. But no democratic system is. That is not a reason to abandon the concept. Growing alliances in Europe kept peace and stability for over 70 years now. Countries potentially leaving the EU is objectively worrisome for of almost every person I know in my generation and younger (I am 35).

As for stirring up independence movements, I can only guess you think of countries like Taiwan, Tibet. Hongkong, and the Ukraine Crisis? If you can’t see how different these cases are from Brexit, I do not know how to discuss this with you. Differentiation is key…

As for Star Trek as political allegory: This was built into the Star Trek DNA from the get-go. In “The Cage” we see a race that wasted their home planet with nuclear war AND a rather intimate character study of Pike. In “TUC” we see a “Chernobyl” and “End of the cold war” allegory combined with a look on an aging Spock and Kirk contemplating their usefulness. The Suliban and the Xindi very much mirrored terrorist movement and terrorist attacks to thematise Post 9/11 (Suliban was even derived from Taliban) (ok, I don’t know where the character development was in Ent…)

So I really, really do not share your fear that we will get a condescending political theatre devoid of complex character development. I`ve rather got the feeling, if Sir Patrick Steward was pro Brexit, you would not mind his “rants” on the subject matter so much.

As a Brexiteer, there is much I disagree with on your post, but this isn’t the place to get into a debate on it. You’re probably right about some not getting triggered as much is Sir Patrick was on our side of the debate.

For me, I don’t mind Sir Patrick expressing his disagreements with world events; it’s always more insightful listening to an opponent to someone who shares your views. However, if Sir Patrick’s opinion on Brexit percolates into the show and you have Starfleet clumsily saying “we’ve got to take back control” (or a paraphrased Brexit slogan) as it becomes some pseudo-fascist and/or xenophobic organisation, I will be triggered as it would just be a brazen attack on the majority, many of whom are very decent people.

The same could be said about the Brexiteers who oppose the independence of Scotland and the reunification of Ireland.

So, how would you feel if a mailman tried to proselytize you for his church while bringing you your mail? What about a bus driver refusing to board you because your slogan t-shirt clashes with his personal political opinion? Or a butcher trying to talk you into donating money to hungry kids in Africa, even though all you wanted was to buy some bratwurst for the weekend?

As public figures, actors are at work whenever they are speaking publicly. That’s why they are paid so much money: because they’re essentially giving up their private life. That’s why it is inappropriate for actors to yap about politics: such talks have no place at work. At work, you are supposed to be polite, respectful, professional and neutral.

Yes, actors have a “reach”, just like a mailman has access to all the apartment buildings in his district. That’s because we give them our trust necessary to provide us with a service. By mixing their personal politics into that service, they are overstepping their boundaries and effectively betraying our trust. We grant actors the “reach” in order to entertain us, _not_ to politically influence us – just like mailmen are supposed to bring us mail, not the word of God.

And really… as a German, you above all should understand that when artists start dabbling in politics, it often ends in embarrassment. ;)

Very well put, Boze. We used to regard the Leni Riefenstahls of this world as unethical tools of propaganda, but somehow Isaacs and now Stewart receive a lot of goodwill for their missionary zeal just because they are on the same side as commenters. This should be a matter of principle and not of sides.

Wait, seriously? Patrick Stewart = Leni Riefenstahl. Absolutely not! And why? Because it is a matter of principals.

I think that actors should make their political views or opinions known in the appropriate forum or situation. The whole “shut up and sing/act” that some celebrities get from the public I feel is inappropriate. They are humans just like all of us. If a celebrity is being interviewed in a public forum and the topic ventures into politics? They should be able to respectfully voice their views. At work, on set? No, I don’t think the high profile celeb should be yelling “Vote for my candidate!”

Kinda like your rant now?

I think Wil Wheaton is a smart choice for this, and I’m glad he was there selection. I still groaned when I read his name though, and when I tried to remember why I found him so distasteful….it was for the same reason you mention. The problem isn’t that he has opinions or his specific opinions. The problem is the way he communicates his opinions: with arrogance and intolerance of those that might disagee. And he’s reeeeal off the cuff with some of his comments too. I thought After Trek was terrrrible, and didn’t watch whatever they replaced it with. I’ll hope this is better and maybe give it a try. I don’t care either way about it but I’m at least glad they made a choice that catered to the fans anyway.

I’m excited to see what he (Wil) does with the job. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sir Pat lobbied for him to get the gig. There was one con where Sir Pat was asked by a fan why Wil Wheaton was still on the show. Sir Patrick- let’s just say- vigorously defended the Wesley character AND Wil Wheaton. He deserves a seat at the table

ok boomer

I think this whole point of not wanting to hear actors’ political opinions was made moot when voters started electing William Henry Harrison and other actors/entertainers to office. Because of this, I, for one, find it useful to know their political thoughts BEFORE an election as opposed to AFTER they’ve been elected.

Re: Harrison

My mistake there. I meant the entertainer turned president of the US, Warren G. Harding.

Then dont watch the after trek show. Everything that everyone involved with the production says and usually any clips from the proceeding episodes end up online anyway.

Wil Wheaton is fantastic, really enjoyed him on the Star Trek Cruise. I thought the After Treks were beyond lame last season, I’m really looking forward to this.

I think it was a very smart move to use Wheaton because he sort of has become very popular not just with the Trek fanbase but the geek social media crowd in general. And its nice to get someone who was directly involved with Trek. And yes, obviously being part of TNG will make him feel more relevant to this show.

I don’t know why its so difficult to keep these After Trek hosts though. How hard is it to get someone to ask a bunch of questions and get a few laughs out of it. I thought the last host was really bad if I’m being honest so I understand why she is gone but then I don’t know if she even wrote her own questions and just had someone from CBS PR do it because that’s how it felt most of time.

I don’t know if it’s the hosts.

Laurie from TrekMovie’s ShuttlePod Crew was one of the hosts for AfterTrek. It doesn’t sound like she wanted to stop.

Perhaps the issue is that CBS has had too many different people in charge of this, similar to showrunners.

A likely (hypothesized) issue was that Netflix didn’t want to continue to pay for AfterTrek. So, CBSAA had to come up with something for global direct distribution.

Just wish they had chosen something other than Facebook.

Oh great another after show. How did anyone get by without these? (JK). After Shows are like hot towels at restaurants. No one asked for it, you never needed it before, you feel weird about using it and you don’t know what to do with it when it’s done.

But, hey, at least they can sell more advertising because they didn’t make enough on your subscription. Gotta cover those folks getting it free abroad lol

Well you don’t HAVE to watch it oO

Thank god we dont have to!

I really like the after shows if we get some real relevant information at least. It doesn’t have to be spoilers but they do need to be more than just extended PR puff pieces which the last one mostly felt like.

Stop being modest Sir Patrick you’re most certainly not in ”Shatner’s shadow”, quite the opposite if you ask me.

I was thinking the exact same.

He was being modest. Which IMHO is commendable. But while I consider Stewart to be the superior actor overall… When it comes to Trek I still consider him in Shatner’s shadow. And Nimoy’s if we are to be even more open about this.

I was just taking the comment as meaning that Stewart was the first to have to portray a new captain that wasn’t Kirk, and deal with all of the expectations that came with that.

That is not thinking ‘who is the better actor’ or ‘the better captain’, but rather that Stewart bore the burden of proving that there could be a ‘real Trek captain’ that wasn’t Kirk.

Which given the burden of fan expectations at this point on any new Trek series, was an important point to make.

Well, I was responding to Dvorak’s and BigMovieGeek’s comments.

Got that ML31.

And totally respect that while TNG was never your favourite Trek, you are yourself respectful to Sir Patrick as an actor.

I just wish that few of the other critical voices here would get on board with the strategy of having different series with different looks and tones to appeal to diverse audiences.

I notice that some are seeing this as ‘a fracturing of the Trek franchise’. They seem to only want one kind of Trek to exist : that being whichever Trek they prefer.

Rest assured, I am not one of the voices who can only accept “one” kind of Trek. I personally endorse the idea of having shows of different styles out there. Including ones aimed at different audiences. It does mean that there will be Trek that is NOT aimed at me. But I feel this has the potential to be good for the brand overall. I’ll still eat up all the Trek they throw at us, God help me. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to like all of it or all of the concepts. And I reserve the right to criticize what I feel doesn’t work. Even knowing it wasn’t aimed at me to begin with. Just because one of the new concepts doesn’t work for me doesn’t mean the franchise is dead.

Yes, for the record TNG was never really my cup of tea. I watched it back then and enjoyed the good episodes. Mainly because it was new Trek that I had been Jonsing for. It was merely OK but I feel like it never captured the element that made TOS the classic it is. I appreciate TNG mainly for bringing Trek back into popular culture. And without it there would have been no DS9!

Pretty excited the showrunner and creator of 12 Monkeys has been hired for the show. I LOVED that show and it was done so well. The first season was really amazing and especially how well they kept all the time travel stuff together and still not super convoluted after four seasons of it (take notes Discovery ;)).

I can’t believe season 1 hasn’t started yet and they are already starting on season 2! It could even start shooting while season 1 is still running and we don’t have to wait over a freakin year for another one like SO many of these shows do nowadays. It could be 18 months between season 2 and season 3 of Discovery (it will officially be one year when season 2 started airing in four days ;)) if they wait until Fall. But I’m hoping its summer the latest if they keep to their 2-3 month cushion between each show. Remember the good ole days when we had to wait MAYBE 4 months between seasons of all the old Star Trek shows? Man I miss those days.

And SO HAPPY more TNG characters may show up. I’m hoping we get more from VOY and at least one or two from DS9 as well! :)

I wonder how much the production journey of Picard will mirror that of Discovery, stylistically, narratively and also politically ;) Season 2 mellowed out alot but unfortunately was brought down by sheer writer’s inaptitude (helped by more showrunner upheaval)

Hi Tiger2. While season 2 is formally announced, another site that had someone at TCA reported comments by Kurtzman and Kadin on Picard and the larger go forward plan for Trek.

First, it sound as though they won’t start production on season 2 of Picard until they have audience and fan reactions to season 1. Kurtzman said the concept for season 2 will be surprising, but that they learn from fan feedback even if the concerns may be deeper issues than said on the surface by fans. They want to be able to respond to the deeper concerns flagged by fans. It sounds like this will be a general approach, so I suspect they’ll do the same for Discovery season 4.

Second, the other site reports that Kurtzman says that TWO additional LIVE ACTION series are in development, beyond Section 31. I, like many, hope that at least one of these will be a Pike show. The other site mused about the Academy show that seems to have gone off the radar, but it could be something else.

Last news out of TCA, Variety and Deadline are reporting that Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are developing yet another non-Trek series ‘Clarisse’ for CBS. I really hope that Kurtzman will feel able to step back from hands-on involvement with Discovery given all these other projects.

What secrets does Kurtzman have on the bosses of CBS to be given all these projects lol?

I’m just happy that there’s lots of Trek coming in the next few years.

Berman had charge of several Trek shows in the 90s, but folks didn’t think that was odd.

As far as the other projects go, Kurtzman made the case that Trek was an under used franchise and got it done. CBS executives said at TCA they found the positive anticipation about Picard was significantly higher than expected. So, he’s overdelivered on a strategic priority. People who do that are usually rewarded with another, harder job.

I think if they really hit out of the box with Picard, we can expect to see a lot of big ideas happening, like on MCU level. With so much going on they obviously have very big plans for the franchise that’s probably nothing no one really see coming. I mean if you told me when Discovery started that show would end up in the 32nd century and we were going back to the 24th century starring Picard himself and now FIVE other shows coming on top of those no one would’ve believed it. And yet here we are just 2 and a half years later.

I would guess that he is good at delivering projects that make CBS money.

Wow that is AMAZING news TG47!! LOL, TWO more shows??? I guess we may just get a Pike show after all! :)

Maybe one of the shows is a Pike show and possibly the other could be a Picard spin off show if Stewart really only wants to do three seasons. But yes it could be the Academy show too. I’m open to anything frankly BUT a Khan (ugh) show. That’s really the only one that I’m totally against and even then I’ll still watch it lol.

And it’s great they will listen to feedback first with the Picard show. That’s the right way to do it. They clearly did that with Discovery and we got a MUCH better show for it in season 2 even if it was still flawed. But it’s pretty obvious the only reason the show is going into the 32nd century because they knew how much fans hated how out of place it felt and was generally tired of prequels so course corrected.

That’s why while I understand people don’t like DIS or think Kurtzman is the devil, you have to give him credit, he’s trying! He wants fans to like what they are doing and taking their input seriously. No it doesn’t mean they should listen to everything people say on a message board obviously, but the stuff that clearly was bad decision from the start is being rectified and hopefully we are getting a better show out of it like all the others.

And that gives me more hope for Picard as well if it truly doesn’t hit the right chord in season one! Thanks for the info! It’s time to do some googling!

The Khan show is all but dead. I think Nick Meyer is on the record saying as such? Inglorious Treksperts?

Sounds good, and before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, I think this is a solid choice for a showrunner. 12 Monkeys was one of my favorite science-fiction shows of the last decade and I am sure Mr Matalas will do an excellent job with Picard too.

An aftershow with Will Wheaton? Sounds like fun! I hope Sir Patrick Steward takes the opportunity to say (in jest) “Shut up, Wesley!” at least once! :-D

I checked out Allison Pill recently and … wow. I after seing her filmography I am thrilled she is in the new show!

Is that a coincidence that she’s wearing a blue shirt AND a blue coat, like someone else who was a Doctor…?

Have you ever been to a hospital?
Blue is a pretty dotorish color…

It reminds me of Doctor Crusher’s dress and this is EXACTLY how they should honor the aesthetic of TNG without having to fall back to “those awful 80s”, as some here fear…

I found her dark grey jumpsuit in the photo on the ship looked very mid-70s.

So, a lot of styles being mixed there.

It deserves to be renewed. First season was awesome! Especially when that thing happened.

And that thing was what really made the show (and that other thing as well but to a somewhat lesser extent).

Upon second viewing, I agree with you Denny C. All shows go through growing pains. Here’s hoping that second season continues to explore those things while leaving out that other stuff.

But the scene they cut! I would love to see that!

I’m getting serious Legolas vibes from the Elnor character with the long hair pulled back, the sword on the back, and the pointed ears. That’s not a criticism, just an observation. I think it’s a cool look.

I think it’s cool too. Especially as Simon’s TOS Spock reportedly got early criticism for looking to deveil/demonlike.

Kurtzman reportedly made comments at TCA that the Romulans will have more than one look, including bumpy foreheads in the TNG style.

He sees this as consistent with the idea that with different subcultures and ethnicities, not everyone will be the same.

Genetically, I’m thinking that perhaps this means that the Romulans are hybridized with local humanoid populations that existed before their exodus from Vulcan.

This came up in response to a question about whether Michael Dorn might reprise his role as Worf in Picard season 2. Kurtzman says that Wolf’s look would not change to what we saw in Discovery Klingons.

Speaking of renewals and future seasons/shows, Alex Kurtzman said “There are two more live action shows that haven’t been announced yet.” Here’s hoping one of those is a series with Pike and company. He said this January 12 during the Picard press tour in Pasadana. You can read more about the interview over at the trekcore blog. I figure it’s only a matter of time before comments from that interview yesterday also find their way into an article here.

I’m excited about the Pike show. I hope the other new show is set in the Picard era, but with all. We characters

I’m wondering if they might go for another era (early 24th century) or another context contemporary with Picard. A station or a ship.

That said, I’m still keen for Secret Hideout to make use of the Trek-lit that’s out there. There are some series (e.g. Vanguard station in the TOS era) that could be adapted. Or some of the Relaunch novels could provide a foundation for further adventures.

I’m still wanting to see Captain Ezri Dax of the USS Aventine – definitely a character that developed into a force in the novels, and in a way that totally made sense given her history both as a Trill and a symbiont.

If they want to attract new viewers to Picard with a short like Children of Mars, housing it on the CBS pay access channel seems unlikely to accomplish that. I thought this short was very well done and very moving. They should put some of these out on YouTube (assuming they haven’t) shortly after release to drive new interest. Children of Mars certainly took me back to 9/11 and the Challenger disaster, capturing perfectly the moments in life when things come to a stand still.

Kurtzman mentioned Pixar shorts in discussing Short Treks at TCA.

I keep thinking that it would be cool for Paramount to package cinematic Short Treks in front of its features.

That could definitely be a way to build the franchise.

Terry Matalas seems like a huge SF fan, Check out the Star Trek TNG comic he wrote with Brannon Braga! Seems relevant:
https://www.digitalspy.com/comics/a387798/star-trek-the-next-generation-miniseries-announced-by-idw/

I hope they go back to the After Trek format now with Wheaton, who has the right combination of street cred, raw intelligence, critical eye, strong knowledge of the franchise, on-screen charisma. Yeah, he can be a bit prickly, but that would make it all the more authentic. Everyone knows the most successful model is Talking Dead and I think that Wheaton is the best chance for success. The first host of After Trek just didn’t cut it. They also needed the occasional super fan comedian to also be on. Wheaton, as a former cast member might be able to bridge the gap between geekdom and the cast and crew. I often found that the cast and producers of Discovery were overwhelmed by Trek geekdom on the show.

I really wish they would just stream this on YouTube to make it globally accessible without pressing fans to join Facebook. Surely CBS has its own channel.

We’re not on Facebook and don’t want to be given the lack of respect for privacy or legal jurisdictions outside the United States.

AfterTrek was only available on CBSAA so we didn’t get in Canada. Instead BellMedia had its own show that didn’t have access to the cast.

“AfterTrek was only available on CBSAA so we didn’t get in Canada.”

Yet another reason why it seems that it is better to be a Trek fan in Canada these days.

There’s lots of reasons at present ML31 why I’m happy that we’re situated in Canada rather than the US or the UK (both of which my spouse and I have experienced).

Missing out on After Trek just never occurred to me as one of them.

I was only referring to Trek related reasons. Let’s not get into the non-Trek related things because I don’t see too many of those from this side of the border.

I was able to watch the after show on Facebook without actually joining Facebook. If CBS released the show on their Youtube channel it would most likely be region-locked like all their other Star Trek videos. For season 1 of Discovery, Netflix had the after show in my country.

If both YouTube and Facebook are not fully accessible, then perhaps they could just stream it from the official Star Trek site.

It’s working well for the global trailers, and it would be a natural use for the site.

I’ve never seen one of those post show shows. I’ve always assumed they would be a stroke fest and I had no desire to watch them talk about how brilliant the show was even if it was brilliant.

Aftershows are a very cheesy concept, shame to see Trek lowering (?) itself to that. Oh well, here’s to hoping Picard itself will be good.

While it is disappointing that Chabon won’t be the show runner for season 2, 12 Monkeys was a fantastic series, so I’m really excited for Terry Matalas to be the new show runner.

While it makes sense that they’d be close to the actual sites of production, how many of these Trek “after” shows, TALKING TREK, AFTER TREK, READY ROOM, etc. were/are/will be filmed in the US?

After Trek and the Ready Room were/are from CBS and produced in the US, while Discovery (and future Trek series other than Picard) are planned to be produced in Toronto, Canada.

So, they aren’t being made where the shows are or contemporaneous with the shows.

BellMedia had its own show for Canada for Discovery season 1, but that was it.

There is SO much information coming out right now but since TM hasn’t added a new article yet I’m not sure where to put this. But I thought it was important for certain fans who thought the events from Picard was going to be a direct tie in to Discovery in season 3 to have this info. Producer Heather Kadin made it clear in an interview there is NO connection or overlapping between the two whatsoever.

In other words all the stuff we will see happening in Picard will only affect that show while the downfall of the Federation story line in the 32nd century in Discovery will come strictly from that show only, as I always thought. So people can breathe now.

Personally, I never felt the two shows storylines would intersect or be relevant to each other in anyway.

I think whatever happens in Discovery probably happens a lot more recent in that timeframe. We know the Federation is still intact up to the 29th century at least.

I like that Kadin started by saying that if there was a good story reason at some point to make the various series connect at some point they would do it, but unlike the Marvel universe, since Trek series are in different time periods, there is no expectation the storylines will directly connect.

And then she said, “just, no.”

Yeah I never believed a show 800 years into the future would be affected by any of the past shows. But you know the internet. And it made less sense because Picard is going multiple seasons so if something did happen from Picard it would need to happen first season of that show or DIS would spoil future season twists.

So didn’t make sense. And not surprised it’s not going to turn into MCU given all the time periods these shows will be in. But I suspect crossovers will still happen a lot with characters in the same period. And as said down the line who knows?