The first season of Star Trek: Picard premiered exactly one year ago today. Production on season two was supposed to start last summer, but got delayed due to the COVID pandemic. Shooting is now expected to start in early February, and star Sir Patrick Stewart—who has been talking about how much he wants to get back to work—is now even more ready.
Stewart gets the vaccine
On Friday Patrick Stewart shared a brief video on Twitter of him getting a COVID vaccine shot at one of the many drive-through locations in Los Angeles County. He used the opportunity to thank all the health care workers and scientists who have made the vaccine possible.
How do we say thank you to the health workers and scientists for their sacrifice and service? Receive the vaccine as soon as one can to lessen their load and keep wearing a mask to protect fellow citizens. In my 80th year, I am grateful and hopeful for better days ahead. pic.twitter.com/emGDlnYL2E
— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) January 22, 2021
In Los Angeles County, the COVID vaccine is currently available to healthcare workers, residents of long-term care facilities, and to persons over the age of 65. As noted by Stewart, he is now 80 years old, qualifying him for the vaccine.
Stewart hyped to get back to work
Even though production has already started with new COVID protocols on many film and television shows, including Star Trek: Discovery season 4, having Sir Patrick vaccinated will go a long way towards easing any concerns about the titular star of Picard. After first setting a January start date, the latest update (from Jeri Ryan) pegs February 1st as the beginning of shooting on Star Trek: Picard.
Earlier this month, Patrick Stewart talked about how excited he was when he was able to return to the set just for costume fittings. He has been studying the scripts for the first half of season two, and made it clear he is ready to get back to production:
I want to work! That is what I am here for, that is what I do. I want a script in my hand. I want actors in front of me. I want to hear somebody say, “Standby studio!” It’s going to happen and it’s within view now. I actually think the first couple of days might be a bit challenging because of how do we tune back into what we were doing back before. But we have such an extraordinary cast and these people will bring it and they’ll just hand it over to me.
Season two of Star Trek: Picard is expected to have ten episodes. With the exception of Harry Treadaway (Narek), the cast of season one is expected to return, including the aforementioned Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine. It has also been reported that Whoopi Goldberg will reprise her role as Guinan and John de Lancie recently hinted he may be returning as Q. Other Star Trek: The Next Generation vets who have been rumored to appear in season two include LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge, Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher, and Brent Spiner as Dr. Altan Inigo Soong.
Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard; Brent Spiner as Alton Soong and Alison Pill as Dr. Agnes Jurati in Star Trek: Picard
Keep up with all the Star Trek: Picard news at TrekMovie.
I’m glad Stewart got vaccinated. I got the pfizer vaccine, and its really not bad. My arm hurt for about a day after each dose, but otherwise there were no side effects.
I received this vaccine too. The second dose gave me some body aches for a day. Totally worth it to be protected from this virus!
Cool. I really want the vaccine but I can’t get it yet.
Sounds like typical side effects for many vaccinations (I’ve had a bunch of travel-related shots).
I’ll probably have to wait a few more months before it’s time for my age group to get the COVID vaccination. But I’m perfectly fine with people getting it first who have a higher risk of serious complications.
I got the first Pfizer vaccine yesterday. My arm is sore, but no other side effects. The Shingles vaccines I got last October and December were worse.
My 90-yo Dad (in great health) received the Pfizer vaccine a week ago. Since he has nearly been hospitalized twice and is so weak, he hasn’t left the bed in two days.
It takes two injections, 3 weeks apart, to get full immunity. Sounds like your Dad just had bad luck of not getting the vaccine in time. I have a friend who was hospitalized with COVID Pneumonia last month and it was not pretty. My 87 year old Mom hasn’t decided if she wants the vaccine or not. Her doctors won’t let her get the flu vaccine every year, so probably not.
Dad does not have COVID. He is only a week into his first vaccine dose. The side effects from the initial dose have been so severe that he refuses to take the second dose when scheduled next month.
Ouch. I hope he recovers quickly and completely. (I would be surprised if his doctor allows him to get the second shot since he’s reacted badly to the first.)
I tested positive on Dec 28, after having than a sore throat and nasal congestion which lasted a few days beginning on Dec 24 (Merry Christmas!). But my friend who was hospitalized (and we probably picked it from the same source) had far worse symptoms. COVID is weird, and vaccines can be too.
Thank you!
I tested positive on Dec 28, too, also having a sore throat for 3 days. The symptoms were thankfully very mild. I actually got so much rest that I feel better now than I did before I got COVID.
I’m glad that you recovered and I hope your friend recovers soon.
I had my first shot and other than a sore arm, no other side effects. Your Dad probably has a week immune system, was he taking any kind of supplements before he got the shot? I take a MVI, Zinc, Vit C, and Vit D everyday.
I know 3 people in the Uk who were severely ill after the jab it’s nothing about not getting it too soon! All tested negative for Covid it was purely a reaction. This is listed as some of the worse side effects ts
Oy, sorry to hear that. I’ve definitely read/heard of some severe reactions to both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, wherein people feel like they’ve actually caught Covid. It’s an overreaction of the immune system (which can happen with really any vaccine), but thus far I haven’t heard of any lasting effects, just a week or two of feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus.
This is all to say, I hope your Dad feels better soon, and based on the science he will be okay! And even if he doesn’t get the second dose, the first dose to lead to some immunity, so this wasn’t all for naught.
C’mon… No “Operation Warp Speed” dad jokes?
I’m disappointed.
Please, Mr. Stewart, remember that it takes TWO doses of the vaccine to be protected, plus it takes a couple of weeks after the second dose for your body to manufacture the necessary antibodies. You might want to change that filming date to MARCH 1st, instead of February.
Study results suggest that there is already some level of protection from just the first dose. In fact, there are serious discussions in several countries about delaying the second dose in order to be able to vaccinate more people faster, given the limited vaccine supply. The vaccine manufacturers seem to oppose it but, e.g. the UK seems to have delayed the second dose to 12 weeks instead of 3 weeks.
I’m sure the Star Trek Picard production will continue to impose strict health protocols even if Stewart has been vaccinated.
True, but precautions should still be taken and common sense and doctors’ advice heeded. A friend’s parents got their first dose of vaccine and then a few days later went to an outdoor wedding and got covid along with almost the entire guest list. The dad is now in the hospital. On the mend, but still – there’s no vaccine for bad judgment!
That’s why I said that I expect the production to follow strict health protocols even though Stewart has been vaccinated.
As far as I know there are still a lot of open questions surrounding the vaccine, for example whether you can still spread the disease to others even if you don’t get sick yourself. Also, no vaccine is 100% effective so there is still some risk for yourself. As long as infection rates stay as high as they are now there’s really no excuse for getting careless.
SOME protection is not as much protection as most of us would like for Mr. Stewart. And the delays are desperation moves, not something they’re doing because it’s good practice.
All my Trek friends, stay safe and healthy. Hope all our dear Trek Stars are doing well. (^_^)v
My wife works at a hospital. She got the first shot of the Moderna Vaccine, and thank God, she is doing fine. Her arm was sore for a day, her neck was tense for 1-2 days, but no other side effects. She is doing good, waiting for the second shot.
This is great to hear! Things are still (really) bad here in California but it’s good to hear some things are trying to get back to normal including the film and TV productions. I hope now that Stewart is immune they can still start in February.
The one good thing Trump managed to do out the door was to get a vaccine which is a major accomplishment. Now, they have to try and get it out to people as fast as possible, especially since America is in such dire straits over it.
Stewart getting the vaccine is certainly a good development, but there are hundreds of people working on the Picard production. You don’t want any of them getting sick.
Uh, of course. I was only stating I’m glad he got vaccinated. But productions have started up months ago in a lot of places. There ARE a lot of new shows running right now on TV, cable, etc, so many have figured it out.
Trump had nothing to do with the vaccine. Glad he’s gone and twitterless.
Thank goodness for the private sector and these vaccines, the public sector would have kept us all in lockdown forever (while refusing to treat with preapproved drugs outside letting you recover or not, maybe will hook you up to a ventilator)
Well, it’s not like anyone in the public sector actually enjoys mandating or enforcing lockdowns. And it’s a cooperative effort, surely? Parts of the private sector given cash and resources by the public sector, and institutions like the NHS now administering record numbers of daily vaccinations. Private sector profit-induced initiatives do work, but when tied to healthcare it’s always going to be dicey. Just take the uncomfortable irony of the US system of favoring private insurance tied to employment during a pandemic that created a huge spike in unemployment and loss of benefits.
Hope it doesn’t have any strong adverse effects. Elderly people seem to react badly to the vaccin and in certain cases die within several days after being vaccinated. For older people, especially those who are sick already, the mild side effects are enough to kill them. Makes you wonder why governments are in such are rush to vaccinate those who have no use for it.
I’m not taking the vaccin. I’m not an antivaxxer, but the risk for someone my age is virtually zero. I’m more likely to die in a car accident or win the state lotery. This vaccin has been rushed and politics and pharma have pressured EMA en the FDA to get it approved. This is a swine flu vaccin gate (GSK) all over again and probably even worse.
.. why did he get it? The WHO and the CDC raised their recovery percentage last Friday to 99.9%. At this point its like driving a prius, if it makes you feel better to take the vaccine and wear a mask, go ahead. “My body, my choice”..sound familiar? I’m not sick, I don’t need either and that’s straight from every (more qualified than dr falsey) medical professional I have talked to in my business. It’s time to reopen up. Heck cuomo and chicago have already started (ironically once uncle joe was sworn in)
Even though the recovery numbers have changed what they determine to be a more accurate recovery rate, the recovery rate for those below 70 before all that was still something like 99.95%. And for those over it only dipped down to something like 95-6%. It was obvious this virus was used as a political weapon for months. The obvious move to make back in June was to reopen everything…. Make recommendations (if it’s not an edict the vast majority will follow) and make efforts to protect the vulnerable population. But many states failed to do so. And here we are.
I work in a small senior living community. After a caregiver got sick and tested positive we tested all residents and staff. 4 residents tested positive (out of 40) so we were forced to shut everything down and have them quarantine to stop the spread. No activities, all meals delivered etc. I’d drop their mail and paper at the door, knock, and run away. Now here is the kicker. 3 of those 4 people, all over 65 years old, NEVER. FELT. ILL. Not a bit. The 4th had very minor symptoms. When you say “I’m not sick”, you really don’t know if you are or not. You could easily be asymptomatic and spread it to somebody high risk.
It’s a good thing the method was changed from the first idiotic priorities to people with high risk first. Normally I would scoff at actors (and politicians) getting the shot before more at risk folks but Patrick is 80 so…