The release of the Star Trek: Picard season two teaser trailer on First Contact Day got a lot of fans buzzing, mostly due to hearing a familiar voice. This trailer appears purely for promotional purposes, and it is likely not using any actual footage from season two. Instead, it is truly teasing out elements from season two, dropping some big hints. So, let’s take a dive to see what we can find.
Return to Chateau Picard… without Picard
The trailer starts off with an establishing shot featuring the Picard family vineyard in France, where we found the retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard in season one.
However, this time Jean-Luc is nowhere to be found as we enter his study, filled with moments of his past. [Side note: this is actually a different study (maybe a library?) than the one seen at Chateau Picard and recreated on La Sirena in season one]
It’s about time… and Picard’s past
The first thing we see as we enter Picard’s study is a clock, setting the theme of this teaser being all about time. We can hear Picard in voiceover saying…
The true final frontier is time…
The camera then begins to tour the room as he continues his voiceover…
… Time can turn even the most impulsive, our most ill-considered actions… into history…
The room is filled with objects of interest including many seen before on TNG or season one of Picard, but the trailer calls specific attention to a few, indicating they can be clues the upcoming season. The first familiar item to come into focus is the Reckoning Tablet, an ancient Bajoran artifact Benjamin Sisko discovered in the Deep Space Nine episode “The Reckoning.” In an “impulsive” moment, Sisko broke the tablet which released a trapped Prophet and Pah-Wraith, energy beings and sworn enemies, who also happened to exist outside of time. It’s not clear why Picard would have this tablet except for his interest in archeology.
The focus then moves to show a close-up of a painting of the USS Enterprise-D, Picard’s most familiar command from Star Trek: The Next Generation. A ship that was destroyed in the film Star Trek Generations. This appears to be the same painting from Picard’s ready room on the Enterprise-D.
The tour of the room continues, as does Picard’s voiceover…
… What we do in a crisis often weighs upon us less heavily than what we wish we had done… what could have been…
And with this we see more elements of Picard’s past, starting with his old Starfleet combadge, which he was seen using in season one.
We also pass two books. The one on top is Paradise Lost, John Milton’s epic poem about man’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden, which has been referenced before in Star Trek. Also, “Paradise Lost” happens to be the title of an episode of Deep Space Nine dealing with rogue elements in Starfleet attempting a coup. The other book is titled The Long Dark Tunnel, which is a fictional novel from the Dixon Hill series, a favorite of Picard’s. [Deep cut: the novel’s author is Tracy Tormé, writer of “The Big Goodbye,” the first Dixon Hill episode.]
And with the “what could have been” the camera lingers on a model of the USS Stargazer, Picard’s first starship command, which was severely damaged and abandoned after the Battle of Maxia, where he first used the Picard Maneuver. This could be the same model Picard had in his USS Enterprise-D ready room, which was also seen in season one of Picard in his in his Starfleet archive.
The final object of focus is an hourglass, with the sands going backward.
Picard’s time-themed voice-over ends with…
… Time offers so many opportunities, but never second chances.
And with this, the focus moves to a game table with a deck of cards and a single Queen of Hearts. This looks like the same deck of cards seen in the dream sequence that started season one of Star Trek: Picard, which featured him playing poker with Data. That game ended with Data playing a hand made up of five identical Queen of Hearts cards.
A familiar voice
The Queen of Hearts then begins to dissolve, leaving only the Q…
The teaser ends fading to black, except for that singular Q. And then we hear the voice of John de Lancie as Q saying the last thing we heard Q say to Captain Picard in the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation…
The trial never ends.
However, this new reading of the line adds a laugh at the end.
Let’s do the time warp again
Putting this all together, along with what was discussed between de Lancie and Patrick Stewart during their First Contact Day panel, indicates (or at least strongly hints) Q’s involvement in season two of Picard is going to involve time travel. Of course, Q and Picard took a few trips through time before during the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, including the aforementioned “All Good Things” series finale.
During the panel, Stewart talked about Q’s introduction into Star Trek: Picard saying it comes “at a shattering moment” adding there is “significant trauma.” This is reminiscent of the TNG episode “Tapestry,” which also dealt with issues of regret and the opportunity to do things over. That episode featured Q in traditional god-like iconography, which could tie into the inclusion of Milton’s biblical Paradise Lost seen in the trailer.
Whether Star Trek: Picard’s Q is closer to Milton’s God or Devil is something we will have to wait until 2022 to find out.
Find more Star Trek: Picard news and analysis.
Hmm I have a feeling we might see Sisko… Too many DS9 references…
Aaah … That would be GREAT.
Wondering if we might also go back to The Battle at Wolf 359 and the attack by Locutus that led to Jennifer Sisko’s death. There seemed to be some recent rumblings that Avery Brooks would be interested to come back to Star Trek so maybe he would appear in STP before some kind of Sisko/DS9 series.
Where did you hear those rumblings?
As far as I know Cirroc Lofton said something like Avery is still interested in acting in his 7th rule podcast, which for me doesnt equal at all he would be interested in playing Sisko also. But that is only what I heard. I did not listen to the podcast myself yet.
Maybe it’s just Neil’s theory. After having the DS9 links there, as Michael says, I think Sisko will return.
Lets face it, Q was only in one DS9 episode!
Hi. I posted another reply, but it looks like it hasn’t been approved – perhaps because it had a link to the website where I found the article. It was on the We Got This Covered website that claimed CBS want to bring the character of Sisko back for a future season of Picard or for a show focussing on that character. The article was from six months ago.
I’d prefer any DS9 revisit be it’s own thing. Picard had nothing to do with Bajor, the Prophets, or the Pah Wraiths. Let’s not tuck it into a TNG reunion.
Yeah, it would be somewhat of a tuck into a TNG reunion but….
“I’ve come to know the Bajorans. I’m one of the strongest proponents for their entry into the Federation.” – Picard (Emissary)
It’d be a reach but still – if we can get Sisko back it’d be great. With them including Seven last season I’ think of it more of a TNG-era reunion.
People who thought Q was never coming back were kidding themselves! The second the Picard show was announced, he was as good as in as everything else from TNG’s past. It was only a matter of, well, time. ;) The character is just too popular and iconic in the fanbase to ignore. Judging by all the attention it’s bringing, it was definitely a great move. He’s going to bring in a lot more subs to P+ as well.
I just hope they do a much better job of bringing him back than they did the Borg last season. Fingers crossed!
Q= Picard’s Joki
A much better analogy than that of Khan to the Joker, actually.
The only reason I thought Q might not return is from stories i’ve heard from friend who was on the Trek Cruise. This friend had dinner with De Lancie, who apparently spoke of his intense dislike of Stewart. Apparently, during TNG, he hated doing scenes with PS. He felt Stewart was an egomaniacal pompous… well you get the idea.
Wow I find that hard to believe . Now Q on the other hand I could see totally slagging off Picard to another entity over dinner
Yeah I do too. I mean I’m not saying the poster is just making it up, but when it’s stuff like ‘I know a guy who heard from another guy’ thing, it’s hard to take too seriously, especially on the internet. And it seems odd a Trek Cruise out of all places actors would say things to fans so personal about other actors they work with.
Maybe it could all be true though but they simply made up. It has been over 25 years since they last worked together
I am definitely not making this up. My friend goes on the cruise every year and I’m fairly certain this was 2019’s cruise. She DID attend 2020, just before the pandemic (why I told her was absolutely insane, considering), but I believe this was from the prior year, before I met her. I have no evidence other than her story, but I trust the source. Shrug emoji.
I’m not accusing you of anything. Like I said you could be right. But the only point is AFAIK anytime they made a Q episode, De Lancie was there. And if it was bad blood, it didn’t stop them from working together since not only was he in the last episode of TNG, Q’s last two appearances in that show were basically just around Stewart the entire time. He didn’t even interact with the other cast members in Tapestry or AGT. All the Q scenes in those episodes were with Picard only, right? So if there was bad blood, they clearly were very professional about it. And they acted like old friends on the Picard panel.
Actors gotta work, and he’s no Patrick Stewart, after all.
Yeah but after what 30+ years, this is the first anyone seems to have heard of it. But OK, it’s possible.
Here’s the thing though, they didn’t bring the BORG back last season. They never intended to. Fans just assumed. I thought the show made it very clear that they didn’t intend on bringing the BORG back.
This is hair splitting. They clearly brought the Borg back, hence 9 episodes being on a Borg cube. We just never saw them in action, but they were there. ;)
They did bring the Borg back but the drones that were focused on were essentially Seven’s and Picard’s equivilants; recovering from assimilation and being seperated from the hive.
Hugh provided the return to ‘I, Borg’ and the ‘Descent’ episodes while it showed to Seven that there were many other people assimilated that are on their way back to individuality.
Basically, to me, it sends out a message that there is always a chance and hope, no matter how bleak the situation seems.
It winds me up that people say that modern ‘Trek does not have the old meanings. Maybe they should read between the lines a bit.
I wasn’t expecting Q, because I took the numerous comments that this “wasn’t a reunion show” at face value. Now that it is clearly a reunion show, I’d expect to see any of the cast that are still active (or alive) in the TNG era to show up.
I do hope I’m wrong here….but with all the hints dropped so far, this is starting to smell like season one redux. Another galaxy wide crisis. More intospection. Q stirring the pot this time. Riker rides to the rescue with half of Starfleet in tow. Crisis vanquished. And because Q is about as threatening as a puppy that pees on the carpet these days, he’ll just say adios, amigos at the end of the season. He won’t be snapping the Federation, or Picard, out of existance, that much you can take to the bank.
I think they only meant was we weren’t going to see the entire cast together back on the Enterprise E basically. But I always knew we would see many familiar characters from this era back. Now I didn’t know if it was going to happen in season one, but it was going to happen on some level because they understand their fan base and know fans want to see other known characters; especially since it’s been nearly 20 years since we seen any of them. There is a reason why three out of the five shows now has known characters leading the shows. Once they saw the overwhelming response of having just bringing Picard back it made sense to think of bringing in other popular characters down the line.
Of course I didn’t know we would see Q this soon or even in Picard itself, but he was going to turn up eventually because they are making 12 Star Trek shows for next 10-20 years and you have an entire universe of popular characters (and actors still working) to fill some of these roles. Even in the old days with the other shows I give them credit for basically making new cast of main characters, but they still found ways to bring back familiar characters just the same in all the shows and obviously that included Q. The only reason why he didn’t show up on Enterprise was probably for canon reasons. And of course now, most of the shows are post-Nemesis so they have the freedom to bring in whoever they want again. Another reason why going forward is such a BETTER option IMO.
I am really looking forward to having him back though. But yes since he is back I hope it’s a worthwhile story. But yeah, knowing what we gotten in DIS and PIC in the past, it could lead to utter disappointment. I just trust the new show runner more since unlike Chabon, I’ve seen some of his previous work and was really impressed. Hopefully we’ll get a season out of it even if you’re not a big Q fan.
Quelle horreur.
The possibility of a DS9 connection is possibly even more exciting than Q’s return if I’m being honest. Also, the new showrunner Terry Matalas did some incredibly fun timey wimey stuff on 12 Monkeys so if we do have to go take the time travel angle (again), at least we’re in the hands of someone who’s had four seasons’ worth of experience with it.
Ah a fellow Monkey Lover :-) I was so excited when Matalas joined Picard as Showrunner, as 12 Monkeys IMO is still the best, most logical ( and that’s saying something ) time travel show ever. ( And i have seen them all, including the most obscure ones )
I am really looking forward to a storyline that ties together a lot of historical trek moments and we can see that behind the scenes someone else was “helping” along …
Or my personal idea: Picard prevents the creation of the Borg somehow, and finds out that the universe without them is way worse off … thus having to recreate them, being the one reponsible for all their nefarious deeds over time …
‘”And i have seen them all, including the most obscure ones ”
Have you seen Návštěvníci (The Visitors)? If so, how do you like it? I wonder how popular this little gem is still today.
Yep seen it, and still like it. Only the ending was a bit underwhelming in my opinion.
Any other tips ? ( maybe there is still some stuff out there i haven’t seen )
A series i would like to watch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_ministerio_del_tiempo is from spain though and so far no english or german translation available ( my spanish is a bit to bad for it )
Agree about the ending, I thought the same. The spanish series indeed looks very interesting.
I’ve not seen those yet, but there are currently some episodes of “Unterwegs nach Atlantis” on Youtube. You might check this out, if you not already know it.
Thanks ! Actually did not know that one, will give it a try.
Since you suggested it am I assume that you speak german too ?
I would love to see or at least hear what became of Ro Laren.
Let any DS9 revisit be its own thing. It was completely separate from TNG in tone, atmosphere, and narrative. It was more than a TNG baby.
In other words: If you didn’t like season one Picard, then don’t even try season two. There is no chance you will like that, eighther. Don’t say they didn’t warn you ;p
If s2 is going to be all about time.. Then perhaps the nexus/soran/kirk might figure in some way..
I mean if Nemesis can figure prominently in s1 all bets are off when it comes to picking up on previous disappointments that you’d think would be treated like TMP and TFF
Everything after the planet blowing up (Veridian 3) was all in the Nexus after all?
Those writers are brave if they dare do it (lol)
Doran would be a great throwback as Malcom McDowell has aged well too.
Gee, let’s revisit Star Trek: Generations…..said no one, ever.
I just watched the 23rd century part of it again two nights ago, then clicked off when I saw the boat. I’d say that half of my GENERATIONS viewings end that way (and it made sense, because my wife actually let me watch TMP-TUC in rapid succession the previous week.) Just cut the core before the century flips over.
Season one had to focus on Nemesis due to Data and the Romulans. I don’t really think this has anything to do with the Nexus, but with this brain trust maybe the entire season takes place there lol.
Oh don’t get me thinking that way Tiger2.
On the other hand if there exists a showrunner who could stitch together the Prophets, the Nexus, Q and any other time wimey stuff in the franchise, make it make sense and land a plot in the seasons or series finale, it’s Matalas.
Like most fans, the Nexus isn’t exactly my favorite element of Star Trek either, especially since it’s literally nothing but a plot device. But same time, you know I’m open to anything and I wouldn’t mind seeing how Matalas handles it, but it was handled very poorly in Generations. And maybe if we actually learned something about it and there is real mythology (and actual LOGIC) with it, then sure, it could be good.
Oh btw, I know this is off topic but nowhere else to talk about this but I will finally watch TAS soon! I found the thread a few weeks ago where I first said I was going to watch it and it was from May of last year lol. Where does the time go????
But yes, I will definitely watch it soon because you may have read I’m rewatching the entire franchise chronologically and I decided to include everything which also means TAS. I’m currently in the middle of season 3 of TOS and expect to finish it by next week! So yep, after that, TAS is next. Kind of excited since it’s my only ‘new’ show I’ll be watching. So I’ll let you know my thoughts when I get through them.
But with all the cool news dealing with all the new shows like Picard, Lower Decks and Prodigy, I’m inching to get back into the 24th century again. Especially since the new stuff is heading into heavy TNG/VOY canon territory and maybe even include DS9 now! Who knew we would be talking about the 24th century again in this kind of detail?? Exciting time to be a fan!
just spitballing… the trauma is finding out that Beverly has just either died or has gone missing (Picard’s “Queen of Hearts”)
I’m loving this.. Q was always Picard’s true nemesis. Someone who challenged him intellectually, not the ridiculous “Action Man” mold they tried to shove him in in the features.
I disagree. Q challenged Picard not intellectually but emotionally. There was Picard’s real weakness not in intellect.
disagree. “All good things” was not an emotional puzzle. but even emotionally is still better than the physical solutions to Soran, Borg Queen, his clone that looked nothing like him etc…
Mission Farpoint was about commpassion. Qpid was about love. Tapestry was about regret. All good things was about family.
I have deja vu taking me back to a time before Picard season 1 premiere. It appeared that we’re getting this intellectual, slow burning, fascinating story. And after episode 1 it went downhill, hurting and killing characters we came to like/love over decades and culminating with Picard becoming you-know-who in the finale… I guess I’m a sucker, but I again hope for a good season of Star Trek.
Interesting how DS9 hints have been dropped. The Bajoran relic doesn’t have any obvious connection with Picard, so it’s very promising. But again – we’ve been there before and IT didn’t end too well.
Rumor has it Brooks has been approached for a part in the story (almost similar to Shatner in Kelvin movies).
hes going to be a hologram singing happy birthday to Picard?
In a duet with Vic Fontaine ;)
Is there a source for this “rumor”, outside of idle internet chatter?
.
I would be surprised if Brooks agreed to return, but who knows?
It’d be kind of interesting if his becoming an Android sets off a multitude of traumatic events, and Q offers him the opprtunity to go back in time and die for real with no techno-resurrection in order to save those who suffer as a result of his ressurection. Let the Season 2 finale be the series finale. It would be a bold move in my opinion. I am sure fans who thought Picard’s death was cheapened by his new Android body (and this is not the real Picard anymore) would find that story satisfying.
Hmm, I was associating the five identical Queen of Hearts cards with the Borg Queen hinting that Picard’s obsession with Data has roots in the Borg Queen’s similar obsession.
But you know, Q. Sure.
I guess snap, Picard not an android anymore and all that AI stuff gone.
I sense a complete disconnect from season one coming on to be glossed over by DS9 coming into play.
I actually watched “The Reckoning” yesterday. So weird that there is a connection to this teaser with the tablet. Speaking of which, Sisko smashed it up pretty good and it looks almost complete in the teaser here. I wonder if Dax was able to pick up every particle of the tablet with some type of sci-fi thingie, and then put most of the pieces back together. OR maybe after Dax collected the pieces, Picard somehow attained them, probably from the Bajoran government, and put it back together in his spare time. Most likely due to his archaeology interest.
But why that tablet? It could be just a deep cut in to Star Trek lore: that they wanted to show him putting together some old relic so they chose one from one the old episodes. But if the tablet itself is connected to the story of the new season, then there will definitely be something to the prophets. Perhaps the prophets are also connected to the Q Continuum somehow? If that is the case, then it would not be a problem for Q to get SIsko back. Getting Sisko on the Picard show would be fantastic. I would also hope for a Bajoran or two to show up, perhaps Kira and Ro!
Personally I hope this isn’t too much of a nostalgia trip. I am more interested in seeing the 24th century story keep moving forward than in revisiting greatest hits. I also hope this doesn’t mean the show is done with the XBs, I was actually hoping they would feature more prominently this season.
But if it’s good it’s good.
The chair as well is one from the Enterprise-E :)
Can we actually see the Enterprise-E please? That’s my favorite ship. I want this show to chart its own course into whatever it wants to be, but my one fan wish is to see the E-E
I know. I really want to see the E-E again so bad! And Captain Worf now in charge of it.
In the fleet museum?
I don’t think that was the Enterprise-D model of the Stargazer… wasn’t that more of an orange-y color?
This teaser underscores Alex’s goal of giving us so many different flavors of Star Trek. And that is why Akiva Goldsman is co-showrunner of Picard and Strange New Worlds. And I don’t think for a second that time travel and Q and Whoopi and LeVar will be carried forth with a tenor of cheap nostalgia marketing. Going forward, anything from Star Trek’s past will only be mined by ViacomCBS for the most high-minded and virtuous of purposes.
I’m still waiting for a competent and coherent story flavour from Alex. So far, it’s been a variety of turd sandwiches and vomit soufflé. Utterly inept showrunner, whose success is only how many franchises he gets given the opportunity to destroy.
Maybe this will be the turning point…
If this room is not a recreation, I would assume the Painting of the Enterprise D is not the same one. Considering how much damage the bridge section took at Veridian III. I would conjecture the ready room was trashed. I noticed also the chair at the desk seems to resemble the one Picard used in his ready room on Enterprise E.
Wild guess: Picard will go back to the Stargazer days and get the opportunity to stop Jack Crusher from dying.
They say time is the fire in which we burn… They could bring the Nexus back as a threat and be able to do time travel and a major cross over event with ease and return of characters with ease…