‘Star Trek: Picard’ Showrunners Talk ‘Game-Changing’ Season 3… And What’s Next

Earlier this week we reported on an SFX Magazine cover feature all about Star Trek Picard, focusing on what the executive producers had to say about the second season due to arrive in just a few weeks. But they and star Sir Patrick Stewart also talked about season three and what may come next.

Season 3 is a game-changer… with cool new ships

Last fall production on Star Trek: Picard moved straight from season two into season three, which should wrap up in early 2022. Speaking to SFX, executive producer and co-showrunner Terry Matalas contrasted how much Star Trek canon pressure he felt on the upcoming seasons:

Not so much in season two. Definitely, in season three, there are some game-changing Star Trek Universe ideas. Season two, as epic in scope as it is, is an intimate story.

He didn’t provide much in terms of details but offered a hint about season three:

There are a few nods to the Kirk movies. I grew up with the original series and the Kirk movies. That’s my Star Trek. So you’ll see a few of those things kind of tie some Star Trek together. And I think Akiva has constructed a really fascinating and heartbreaking psychological exploration of Picard that no one is expecting.

In September shortly after filming started on season three, Matalas shared one of these nods to the Original Series era movies with a tweet showing off a Boatswain’s whistle, like the one seen used onboard the USS Enterprise-A in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Matalas also hinted about some new ships as he talked about how work on both seasons two and three have ignited his personal fandom:

My inner fanboy is kind of on fire with the stuff that I’ve been able to do. There’s a lot of things that I can’t talk about yet that I’m just bursting at the seams to talk about. There’s been a lot of absolutely legendary moments that have happened in the last year with no press yet. There are starship designs and things for the next two seasons that I’m really excited about.

Matalas has been sharing images of a new Starfleet ship since September that clearly plays a large role in season three. Just this week he shared a couple more from the bridge of this ship showing a console and a bridge chair.

Season 4 and spinoffs?

There is also an open question regarding more seasons of Picard. Speaking to TrekMovie in September executive producer and co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman confirmed “the plan was always three” seasons, but he also kept the door open for more. And speaking to SFX, Goldsman is still keeping that door open, telling the magazine, “God knows what the future will bring.”

Some media coverage of the SFX feature has ignored what Goldsman said, instead pointing solely to a comment from star Sir Patrick Stewart about filming being “weeks away from wrapping the series,” as confirmation the show will end with season three. SFX Magazine has pushed back on this coverage saying their feature does not “confirm” the show will end with season three. In addition to pointing to Goldsman’s comment about the future, the UK-based SFX notes that Stewart is from the UK, and the British often interchange “season” and “series.”

When asked if there could be spin-offs to Picard, Goldsman also saw possibilities, telling SFX:

Are there things in Picard that could be their own storytelling arc? Or their own storytelling spines? Yeah, for sure. Is that the direction of the expansion of the Star Trek Universe? That turns out to be above my pay grade.

Matalas also hinted he already has some ideas:

What more is coming in that story? It’s definitely my favorite time period. To me, Star Trek: Picard is the present day of Star Trek. And what’s going on in that particular world is very important to me. So stay tuned, that’s what I’ll say.

So season three may be the end of Picard, however, that is certainly not currently the official position of Paramount+, nor the producers of the show. And it sounds like the producers are already pondering what comes after season three. Hopefully, we will learn more as publicity for season two ramps up in the upcoming weeks with more interviews from the cast and producers.

Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard in season two of Star Trek: Picard

The second season of Star Trek: Picard season debuts on Paramount+ on March 3rd. Season three will likely arrive in 2023.

Much more in the new SFX

The February 2022 issue of SFX has a lot more from the showrunners, Stewart, and John de Lancie. The issue is showing up on newsstands this week in the UK and soon in the USA and around the world. You can also buy the issue directly online.

 


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So S3 is gonna be all about Wrath of Khan then. Calling it now.

The bone dry husk of a cow.

What are you calling? In the Picard time period Khan and his followers have been dead for 100 years. There is nothing to build a story on there,

Well there is the Genesis wave… We never got an explanation of what happened with that.

“There is nothing to build a story on there.”

That hasn’t stopped them before.

How have you reached this “conclusion”?

Well, that doesn’t make sense for a multitude of reasons.

First Khan is dead. The Genesis device could have brought his BODY back, but not his Katra. Without McCoy, Spock’s body would have remained an empty shell.

Second, there is absolutely no relation between Picard and Khan. He was Kirk’s nemesis…

Or are you saying SOMETHING like TWOK? Picard meeting his own arch nemesis? Who would that be? I can see no one around to take that spot. The Borg Queen? Tomalak? Sela?

Nah, he had his TWOK with NEM and that’s been dealt with. I rather seen ultimate invasion of the Borg on a galactic scale.

Predicting they find Spock’s kid. Saavik was preggers at the beginning of The Voyage Home from the pon farr on the Genesis planet.

Exiting news all around! I would love if we get some of the TOS movie vibes in season 3! It would be crazy if we got yet ANOTHER time travel story two seasons in a row but then it could just be a continuation of some kind from the events of season 2.

Either way, if you are going to tease new ships and we know Picard is now back in Starfleet, GIVE US ANOTHER ENTERPRISE!!! It could be the E again, or it could be the F. That’s what most fans want to see. Slap the name Enterprise on a ship, you just got a quarter more subscriptions lol. And yes I still want Worf commanding it!

As far as the show ending after season 3, the poster Blondie-Wan said it in the previous article and does seem to be conflicting reports if it’s the last season or not. But Goldsman made this clear a year ago and that Stewart was signed on for three seasons as a guarantee but if he decided to do more seasons, then they could. It did sound like Stewart decided 3 seasons was enough but Paramount really likes $$$$ (unlike in the futuristic Earth version of Star Trek, money still exist here ;)) and probably want to keep it going in some fashion. They can always spin off the show of course with one of the characters there like Rios, Seven, etc. I personally would love a Seven show and she’s probably the second most popular character in that cast after Picard.

And maybe they may figure out a way to bring Stewart back to guest star if he’s done full time. It’s Star Trek, the possibilities are endless if the interest is high enough.

What I hear also is that Matalas is personally keen to carry on the early 25th century continuity whether or not Stewart can continue as a series lead.

If the rest of the ensemble is able to carry on without Picard, I would be fine with that.

I still find it bizarre though that the show that’s most clearly a sequel to TNG is the one that run by hard-core TOS fanboys.

I have no negatives on Matalas in general, but it’s odd. He’s a late addition, but when the show was being developed, one has to wonder if Moonves insisted that no one who was a TNG fan was excluded, in addition to his refusal to permit any Berman era creatives or production staff to be involved.

Honestly I hope so!

Like many, I had assumed the show would just go three seasons and kind of thought it was why they filmed season 2 and 3 back to back because they knew exactly how it was going to end (and really planned ahead this time ;)). But now it sounds like it’s the opposite, at least from the producers POV and they are saying the show can go on several more years.

We don’t know how the next two seasons will shake out yet, but if they are good then I would love for Matalas to continue on through the 25th century as the show runner. He does sound like a TOS fanboy but also clearly loves this era as well. Every time he is quoted about the show, his excitement over it always comes through. I think we’ll get a continuation of some kind either way if Stewart is done though. I want more 25th century Star Trek! That was always the biggest appeal to me beyond just having Picard back when the show was announced. And you have a ton of other legacy characters to rely on in this period too.

But it’s funny, I clicked on the link in the article about SFX pushing back that their article confirmed the show was ending and they actually brought up the same point you did about Stewart and his use of the word ‘series’. They are suggesting he was only talking about it as a season. Either way, it’s pretty funny how one word has confused people. Of course it takes Stewart two minutes to tweet out what he really meant but maybe if he did mean the show itself was ending, they don’t want him to repeat that just yet. ;)

I image they have a plan (or at least an idea) for how they want to end Star Trek Picard, but are being very flexible for when that ending will come, and since it seems that each season will be its own story and not a long spanning narrative like other streaming shows like Breaking Bad or Game of Throne, they can fill the series with as many seasons as they want to until they want to stop.

I personally love this idea, as like with Star Trek Discovery each season can be its own thing, it keeps things fresh by tackling different ideas, and being flexible with its stories and characters in the long run, it’s like the episodic format on a season scale.

I agree of course. I think no matter how they end season 3, it won’t be some huge closure because they want to keep everything open enough just in case I imagine.

The last shot could just have Picard saying ‘engage’ to the next adventure like practically every episode and film he’s done. And if he decided not to return, then they will just spin something out with a different character going another direction in the story.

None of this is that hard and if they want to keep the show going in some fashion, it will be easy to do with out without Picard.

Isnt Data’s head inside a mineshaft? If Guinan is playing her contemporaneous character then an ANDROID head is a key to fixing timelines

As far as Moonves not wanting other talent from the Berman era involved in the new shows, I don’t really believe that. The person who created Discovery, Bryan Fuller, started his career on Voyager. And it’s sad how much Joe Menosky was left out the conversation who also was hired to work on Discovery and was really the most experienced Trek vet than any of them writing or producing 100 episodes from TNG to VOY.

Everyone was drooling over having Nic Meyer and Bryan Fuller back but he was really the one who had a deep involvement with the franchise for well over a decade straight. And they brought back others like production designer Doug Drexler who also been around since TNG.

I think what happened with Discovery is the same thing when TNG started and there were a few old guard from TOS like D.C. Fontana who joined the new show who understood the basics of what Star Trek was but also wanted younger and different writers new to the franchise to give a fresh perspective.

The irony is now no one in terms of writing from the old shows or films are involved with the new shows now. It’s great to see the Okudas back though. They are Star Trek to long time fans.

Tiger2, Fuller just wasn’t a significant writer in Voyager.

It’s not like bringing in TOS senior editor DC Fontana to write the TNG Pilot.

Joe Menosky was a more senior writer.

It will be interesting to find out the stories behind Discovery’s launch when the documents eventually come out.

Ok but nothing proves he was trying to keep anyone who worked with Berman from the new shows either. It just sounded like he had a an issue with Berman directly and not anyone who worked under him.

And Discovery didn’t show up until a decade after Enterprise ended and majority of the people who worked on the shows have been steadily busy on other projects by then. I never even heard of this suggestion until now.

I started spouting off about Moonves after watching The Center Seat episode which seemed to indicate that Moonves despised Berman and everything he had done with Enterprise as well as TNG, DS9 and Voyager.

After seeing the first half dozen episodes of Discovery which more or less completely tried to write off everything Berman had created, from the Klingon Empire to the idealistic and hopeful Starfleet, IMHO that seemed to demonstrate that was exactly what Moonves was trying to do and Fuller seemed perfectly willing to change the Klingons and make other huge changes in order to get the show off the ground.

Maybe it is just a coincidence, but all I can say is that once Moonves was removed (voluntarily or not) from the helm of CBS and Fuller left, everything in the Kurtzman Trek universe seemed to change for the positive leading to where we are now.

I don’t know how much I agree with this DeanH. For one thing, remember Picard was announced to return when Moonves was still running CBS. And they had made it very clear it was going to feel and look like an extension of TNG, at least canon wise.

As far as Discovery not looking like the previous Berman shows, true, but it didn’t look anything like TOS either lol. That was the real problem. Yeah they changed the Klingons from the TNG look, but they didn’t go back to the TOS look of them either. In fact the complete opposite way because they looked even more alien and in TOS they were basically just human looking with facial hair and darker skin.

It didn’t HAVE to look much like what came out of TNG, the fact it looked nothing like TOS being so close to that show’s period and what bothered people the most for good reason.

I don’t think it had anything to do with Moonves or his issues with Berman. You probably heard me say this a hundred times now, but I think it was mostly that Bryan Fuller wanted to reboot Star Trek completely in his image and everyone just went along with it. They obviously didn’t mind what his concept was and we are living in an age of reboots or revivals. I think the only condition was they still wanted to keep it in the prime universe because how attached fans are to that universe, which again kind of goes against your argument.

Because to me, if Moonves didn’t want anything to do with Berman shows which included Enterprise, the show he got cancelled, then this would’ve been the perfect opportunity to just reboot the entire franchise and to start from scratch; which they really should have. Instead, the show was still forced to deal with all the canon of all the previous shows starting with Enterprise obviously. So I don’t think that was a big factor at all. They tried to have their cake and eat it too and it just didn’t work.

I feel the thinking was they simply wanted to do something completely fresh and new with Star Trek in general being off the air for so long and Fuller basically wanted to do what Ron Moore did with BSG making it ‘edgier’, darker and a more modern look of the future instead of the TOS version of it; which is clearly outdated now like the 70s version of BSG was when Moore rebooted that. Fuller wanted to wipe away all of that for a new audience. But as we all know, UNLIKE the old BSG show where it was basically forgotten and dead, all the old Trek shows still had a very dedicated and loyal following. And trying to completely change the look of it was an absolutely bad idea they been trying to correct ever since.

It’s exactly why Picard, LDS and now Prodigy pretty much imitates the look of the old shows nearly precisely and they threw Discovery 900 years into the future. They corrected their mistakes as best they could. It will be interesting how they do SNW but clearly it will already look much closer to that period than Discovery ever did.

Well said on all accounts!

Nah, Moonvies saved DSC by forcing the disorganized Fuller and the substandard special effects company that Fuller had chosen out the door, and then brought in the “adult supervision” that was sorely needed. Furthermore, Moonvies deserves credit for putting the failed Enterprise series out of it’s misery, not any easy decision to make, but it had to be done. Additionally, Moonvies set up Picard, and arguably laid out the ability for the franchise to move forward with Lower Decks and SNW.

Moonvies saved the franchise in my book. It’s too bad that he had failings and did wrong things in other parts of his life, but I think he’s paying for all that now, as he should.

Oh and btw, speaking of BSG, I think you were the one to convince me to watch the first episode of the original show, right? I’m pretty sure it was you but I don’t have a clue where that exchange took place to check. I really wish these boards had a better messaging system.

But anyway, I watched the original a long time ago. Probably a week or two after we talked about it, but never brought it up until my post reminded me.

I actually liked it. It was certainly cheesy and the special effects are beyond dated, but honestly it had a really strong story at its core. I now understand why Moore wanted to remake it and he kept all the core ideas in his version including all the conflicts with both the humans and cylons. He gender swapped a few of the characters as well. I thought it would feel a bit campy like how TOS feels these days, but it played fine given the time. You told me not to watch beyond the one episode, but I did watch the second and you can tell the budget was already a bit smaller lol.

Also it was fun to see Ed Begley Jr and Jane Seymour in it when they were both very young. Had no idea either were on the show. Anyway wanted to let you know I did end up watching it and thanks for the suggestion!

Sorry for being off topic, but I think everyone is used to me doing that by now. ;)

I have fond memories of 70s BSG from when I was a kid, and I’ve occasionally watched tv reruns since then. Your observations are absolutely right. The story has a lot of “heart”. Something else that’s really struck me in recent years is the fact that the main Galactica characters come across as much warmer, more likeable and less neurotic compared to their reboot counterparts. If I was going to be stuck on a spacecraft travelling across the galaxy, potentially for decades, or even if I was just going to hang out with a bunch of people for a while, the 70s characters would definitely be the better option!

Having said that, I know that Ron Moore deliberately made the reboot characters more “troubled”. That stuff was depicted very well too. I think it would be great if any of the new Trek shows managed to cast some of the main actors or actresses from reboot BSG.

You’re right. That was definitely the biggest difference. The old show’s characters were more fun and mellow considering everything. At least based on the first two episodes. Moore’s show they were more unlikable at the beginning, especially Starbuck. It took me awhile to really like her. But as you said, both the outer and inner conflict of that show was turned up to 11 and everyone was on edge at the time. So it was more realistic in that vein but didn’t have characters that was always fun to watch.

It’s probably why I like Star Trek so much. I think all the characters, especially the old shows, were pretty likable from the start. DS9 was the only show that took a little longer to enjoy that crew for me, but it also had the same tone of BSG and everyone was pretty tense given the premise of the show. And by the third season I had fallen in love with all of them. Kind of the same issues with Discovery at the beginning too, but fine now.

Moonves probably thought he was getting the best of both worlds: Star Trek alum with an established record for critically acclaimed series. The pitch for Discovery was much different than what we eventually got after Fuller was released.

Picard season 3 is shaping up to be what we saw with season 4 of Enterprise in that it fully embraced the legacy of the franchise.

I find myself far more excited about season 3 than season 2 because I’m seeing the same level of excitement and enthusiasm from Matalas that we’ve seen from the showrunners of Lower Decks and Prodigy. They’re fans, they have a deep understanding of what makes Star Trek work and are as excited as anyone of us would be to be working on a Star Trek series.

Vibes are awesome. but I want more than that. I want direct references or even plots. For example, I’ve always wonder what ever happened to the Genesis wave after the destruction of the Mutara Nebula in WoK. Revisiting that as a major threat or something would be cool.

The vibes I got from the quotes in the article is that season 3 may take place on a new Enterprise. Matalas was hinting that something big and probably familiar was happening in season 3, and we know that there is a big Federation starship involved in it from the visual clues that they have been dropping.

I certainly feel that vibe as well but I have learned many times when I get ahead of myself it’s often proven wrong. ;)

But I was also 100% convinced the Enterprise was showing up in season one. How could it not?? And I even predicted BEFORE the show actually aired the last episode would show the Enterprise coming to Picard’s aid with either Worf or Riker in command. I mean I was pretty much on the nose except for that one single element. Bummer but fine.

But sure I think that’s where it’s going too, especially if everyone is under the impression the third season could be it’s last (at least with Picard), so this is the time to do it. It doesn’t even have to be the original ship since both Kirk and Picard were on different versions after their originals were destroyed in the films. People just want to see these guys on a ship named the Enterprise basically. It’s weird the name has become just as important as the ship itself.

I’m convinced if Archer ever does return in his own show, they’ll find a way to get him back on an Enterprise too, probably a refit of the NX-01.

There’s a season 3 set photo of a cast member’s chair with the S3 production logo on it that’s a pretty clear hint at what the ship will be (it isn’t the Enterprise), it was quickly removed from social media, but it’s still floating around.

I’m willing to bet that Strange New Worlds is the only show that is allowed to have the Enterprise on it. I seem to remember that once TNG ended Enterprise was reserved only for the movies and didn’t make its way back till Discovery.

They didn’t want the Enterprise E (or a ship looking like it) to show up on DS9 or VOY. However, Star Trek Enterprise clearly had an Enterprise after TNG ended.

True. I guess I meant 1701 movie Enterprises appearing on TV. Like the excelsior appeared all the time but the Enterprise never did.

Even without looking at that chair, I had guessed this would be a Stargazer refit given to Picard after being reinstated in Starfleet after saving the galaxy twice.

Yeah definitely looks more like the Stargazer. Maybe it’s the Stargazer A. ;)

That said, even if that’s the ship they are on third season it doesn’t mean another Enterprise can’t show up.

I hope the Enterprise-F would appear in season two of Picard, whether or not its the same one seen in Star Trek: Online. I hope to see a post-Nemesis Enterprise-E in “Prodigy” and/or season three of Lower Decks as well, whether under Picard’s captaincy or Worf’s and whether or not its deflector dish colors would be changed from yellow to blue.

I think they should leave post-Picard Enterprises alone until they decide to make Star Trek: The Third Generation, or whatever the inevitable next generation Enterprise-based series will be called. Maybe have it show up at the end of Picard’s finale, to bridge both series, but no more than that.

Agreed. I mean we don’t want them to run out of letters in the future with some ridiculous Enterprise-AA succeeding the Enterprise-Z in a new Star Trek series in 2050, right? LOL

I just think the Enterprise-F or whatever should be the star of its own show, not an afterthought for Picard Season 3.

I been reading on Reddit over this news and some fans are now predicting the third season could in fact be setting up another Enterprise based series. I think most fans would love that idea obviously but I don’t know if they want two full time Enterprise based shows on either, even if they take place two centuries away from each other with SNW in 23rd century and the post-Picard show 25th century.

After season Three, maybe Picard can pass the Baton to Janeway to lead this crew, either name the ship after him or call it ‘Star Trek Janeway’

I would certainly love a Janeway show!

If anyone can convince Mulgrew to do it, I think most fans would be all for it! It’s great she’s on Prodigy but I have a feeling only because she doesn’t have to put on a uniform and stand on a set all day. But the fact she’s even on the show is a sign she could be willing to play the character full time again.

Call backs to the Kirk movies? Yeasssssss! I hope Picard finally talks about how he knew Kirk and Kirk’s influence on him… “Don’t let them promote you…” Oops.

Whale Probe or bust

Well s1 was basically The Search For Data

“Akiva has constructed a really fascinating and heartbreaking psychological exploration of Picard that no one is expecting.”

That’s pretty much the exact opposite of how I want them to wrap up Picard’s story. Kirk died alone in a future which was unknown to him. Spock died alone in an alternate universe. How will Picard’s story end?

I have to agree, this isn’t sounding like the ending that I am hoping to see.

What is it about writers not wanting heroes to have good final years?

I guess it doesn’t make for good ratings or whatever.

I mean they already killed the guy off and then stuck him in a robot body at the end of season one. What could be more heartbreaking than that? ;)

That was really the dumbest thing they could’ve done. And would it make sense to kill him off so soon AGAIN??

A simple death for Picard really doesn’t sound like a “ heartbreaking psychological exploration” to me. It sounds more like the death of yet another cherished loved one. Like maybe Beverly or one of the Rikers.

This would suggest that Goldsman still hasn’t grown up from the lazy writers’ crutch of fridging other characters to provoke growth. I hope that’s not the case.

One would think that, no matter how completely puzzled Chabon and Goldsman were by the very negative fan backlash over Icheb’s (and to a lesser extent Hugh’s) death, they might have taken the lesson that fans expect better of them and the shows.

I hope your right. It’s just that I’m not a writer myself so I can’t really think outside the box that well in those terms myself.

So far they haven’t proven that they can either.

Personally, no matter what my opinion of Picard was that episode that had Icheb’s death I did not consider to be a terrible thing. It was a necessary motivating incident for 7. Having it happen to some new up character just wouldn’t have had the emotional sting needed to move her to where they wanted her to be.

Agreed. Kirk’s death was one of the worth death’s in all of hollywood. So much so they made a trope about it. Conversely Spock had one of the best. Then due to Nimoy’s tragic real life death, Spock was left with his own Kirk like death where he died alone out of place and time.

Data’s death was meaningless. Why exactly couldn’t he just set his phaser on a timed overload and then jumped away the same way he came or done… something?

All three characters deserved better. And so does Picard. Can’t one of these characters have the happy ending they deserve?

Kirk sacrificed his life to save millions of people. He was worried that he wasn’t making a difference anymore, but he died saving an entire civilization. I don’t see how his death could have been any more meaningful.

Data couldn’t possibly have gotten out of that situation alive. By the time he got to the thalaron generator, there were seconds left in the countdown. He didn’t have time to put the phaser on a delay, run all the way to the airlock, and get out of the Scimitar’s blast radius. Data spent his life trying to become more human, and in the end he gave up his immortal life to save his friend. That was possibly the most human decision he could have made.

You win post of the day. Well said, dude.

Personally considering we never actually saw the civilisation Kirk saved by sacrificing his life, there just are no stakes or emotional beats in his death. He died under a collapsed bridge. That’s it. IMO of course.

Well, he also saved the crew of the Enterprise D with his sacrifice.

Good points about Data.

But Kirk’s heroics sacrificing himself wasn’t the point. Picard didn’t need him in the first place. He could have gone anywhere, anytime in the galaxy to stop Soran. He could have gone on board the Enterprise before the battle with the Klingons and put Soran in the Brig. He could have blown up the missile with a photon torpedo. There are a million things he could have done. He could have left Kirk in peace.

And even when Kirk did go, how did he die? A bridge fell on him. The original death was even worse. They were literally going to shoot him in the back.

Today in hollywood, whenever a character unceremoniously dies, it’s called “dropping a bridge on him/her”

A bridge didn’t fall on him. He jumped onto a collapsing bridge to get the control device to decloak Soran’s missile. My head canon has always been that you can only exit the Nexus near to a place and time where the Nexus exists.

He jumped onto a collapsing bridge. And when he did that, said bridge fell on him.

Head canon or no head canon, Guinan’s exact words were, “if you leave, you can go anywhere, any time”. So according to canon, Picard could have gone back to witness the resurrection of Jesus if he wanted too. The truth is, this was BAD WRITING, plain and simple. Unworthy of a legend like James T Kirk.

Meaningful? Yes. Clumsily executed in a mediocre Star Trek film? Yes to that as well.

Happy Ending? What is a happy ending? Everyone eventually dies. Kirk and Data died a MEANINGFUL death. Kirk died the way he had lived, eventually losing one of those infamous fistfights he was famous for but still making a difference.
Data sacrificed his life on the Scimitar to save his friends and later got a chance for his ultimate goodbye. Spock died peacefully after already having died meaningfully the first time round. None of those characters died a pointless death at all. No Tasha or Jadzia…

Thats the thing, Kirk didn’t die the way he had lived, in an infamous fist fight. He died jumping across a bridge, pushing a button, falling, and then having said bridge drop on him. They dropped a bridge on him.

They weren’t pointless but they weren’t served well by the stories in which they met their ends.

In Star TreK V Kirk says, “I’ve always known I’ll die alone.” For all intents and purposes he did.

Was Kirk in the Generations the prototype for Jake Skywalker. His Nexus story is pathetic. Antonia, who the hell was that. Riding horses. Dying fighting The dude from A Clockwork Orange for no reason.

I have no idea. The entire thing was just bad.

I don’t think Kirk’s death was awful. He saved a world. Pretty meaningful if you ask me. And he was not happy at that stage of life. He was obviously happier doing something meaningful even if it meant risking his life to do so. And this time, he paid the price. And in the end, he said, “It was fun.” Great and appropriate final words for the best Capt. in Trek. I was not happy he was buried under a pile of rocks on some alien world. Picard should have brought him home. Kirk deserved better.

Data’s sacrifice was hardly meaningless. He saved the ship. He was also at a point where he realized he was at an impasse with how much more personal growth his programming would allow. He knew there was nowhere else from him to go and this was an opportunity to make one last “human” gesture if you will.

In order to get closure with Picard I think it makes sense that he perish at the end of the show’s run. And I would hope that Patrick would feel the same way.

The thing is, Kirk didn’t need to die at all. Picard could have left the Nexus and gone anywhere, anytime. He could have stopped Soran at any point. He chose the most dangerous, stupidest moment in time to go back too. He was an F’ing moron and cost the greatest captain in Starfleet history his life in doing so. IRL, if was the worst writing of any film I have ever seen in my entire life. Pathetic.

But lets put that aside. Lets say Kirk did need to be there. How did he die saving the world? He jumped on a rackety failing bridge, just to push a button on a remote control. Why exactly? Couldn’t Picard or Kirk have fired a phaser at the direction of the launchpad instead? but anyways, yay, the cloak is off. Now the bridge gives way, Kirk falls, and the bridge falls on top of him, crushing him.

A heroic death? Maybe. A meaningful one? NO. there was no purpose to his death. He didn’t need to die for a million different reasons.

They dropped a bridge on him.

If Season 3 could somehow reverse the “Bridge on the Captain” horrid brain-fart by Rick Berman, that would be fantastic! Could Shatner be in Season 3? Could they keep a secret lid on that?

Shatner coming back would be awesome. But, even if this is Star Trek, I have no clue how they are bringing him back. And no, NO NEXUS!!!

Bringing Kirk back to life would ruin the ending of Generations. Kirk is dead. If Shatner wants to come back, I’d rather it be in a story set before his death.

Can you really ruin something about 90% of the Trek community didn’t like? Seriously, anything would be an improvement.

Dude, the Generations ending is already ruined? What planet are you living on? ;-0

He could only play Tiberius, Kirk is dead. He only exists as an echo in the Nexus. His bones are under rocks on Viridian 3.

Well, to be fair, Picard season 3 takes place inn an alternate timeline. Kirk may never have died on Veridian 3.

Or old Kelvin Kirk. His fate could be different in the Kelvin timeline.

I thought a Borg/Romulan alliance found him….the alternative was already written in the Shatnerverse novels lol

Excellent and clarifying reporting,.as usual.

Star Trek preTNG / First Class / “Smallvi…!”
James McAvoy as JL, milk it so!

Not McAvoy… I want Nathaniel Bacon as Young Picard…

Now it’s a bit depressing to know that any development of the Federation and Starfleet in the 25th Century will eventually result in both the pause in technological development and the “Burn” from latter-day DSC.

Not sure how this is more depressing than knowing a century plus Temporal War will mess everything up: something that was already established in Enterprise.

Having a civilization rebuild after disaster is a testament to resilience. That’s an important and utopian concept in itself for the current generation.

Clearly Season 3 answers the question: what does God need with a Stargazer?

Sybok reborn!

So Geordi, and Worf, and Beverly then?

So possibly the ENTERPRISE-F in season 3 with the TNG Crew back? My wet dream 🤤

What happened to the Enterprise-E?

They can’t do an F bomb joke with the Ent E

quick question. Don’t think too much. What is sci-fi missing on TV theses days. What ingredients or elements or anything that comes to mind,

The revolutionary stories that writers of TOS S1 managed to consistently write. End of all life trope has been rampant, instead of stories that make us think. That’s what’s missing, even though good writing never goes out of style. Optimistic to regain some joy and optimism in SNW, but we’ll just have to see about the writing.

A sense of wonder. Something hopeful the opposite of Dark Dystopian future. What was once a breath of fresh air when New Galactica did it has become every single show. Now the optimism of something like TNG is seen as old fashioned and out of style. But i miss Sci Fi like that. Perhaps its just nostalgia. On one hand what one wants is thoughtful science fiction, and on the other escapism. Both seem in short supply.

You beat me too it. ever since 9/11 happened, the idea of an optimistic future seemed to become cliché and the only thing hollywood wanted to give us was Dark Dystopian futures. Even Star Trek, the cornerstone of optimistic SciFi television now only shows us dark futures.

“The Human Adventure is Just Beginning”

Intelligence. Realism. Nuance. Sense of thought-provoking mind-expanding awe. Lack of cliched tropes and storytelling themes. Massive sense of scale, both in terms of the sheer size of space and number of stars/planets “out there” and (if it involves aliens) the megastructure-creating capabilities they may have if they’re thousands, millions or billions of years more advanced than us. “Hard sci-fi” aspects that engage the audience entertainmentwise whilst still respecting the audience’s intelligence.

Honourable exceptions: For All Mankind and the sadly-cancelled Colony and Project Blue Book. I haven’t seen The Expanse, but I hear that’s very good too.

Something based on the recent AATIP revelations could have potential, but given that (according to Lue Elizondo) apparently only 5% of the facts have been released to the public so far and a lot of further information driven by international cooperation is on the near horizon, I suspect any sci-fi film or tv show about this subject would be overtaken by real-world events. Apart from that, the impending HALO show sounds very interesting (the first full trailer has just been released). It’s a shame plans for a tv show based on Iain M Banks’ “Culture” novels have now been cancelled, because that would have been fantastic and it would have involved most of the areas listed in my first paragraph above.

PS. “Don’t think too much” ? Come on, man. This is a Star Trek fansite. “Overthinking things” is what we do ;)

True Sci-Fi. Most Sci-Fi these days aren’t really Sci-Fi. They are fantasy. Think Game of Thrones.

Also, the idea of an optimistic future. After 9/11, the idea of sci-fi showing humanity giving us a bright future went out the window. Not even Star Trek does it anymore.

TOS aired in a time of Cold War, Social Turmoil, and Proxy Wars in Southeast Asia. We definitely need that hope for the future again.

Without a doubt. In fact, now more than ever. Star Trek was bold enough to put a Russian on the bridge during the cold war. Now we are so cowardly we just give into anything and just say wah wah everything is going to suck forever because we can’t stop it. Pathetic.

Optimism.

memorable characters who have interesting interactions with one another

Could it be that Stewart was using “series” in the British sense, i.e., “season”?

I’d say that, except, first, Stewart has been making American TV for decades and so probably knows full well what the American terms are, and, second, he’s said previously he only wanted three.

(By the way, in the UK, a three-season series is a mark of a huge success. It’s a different mindset.)

Now I’m really wondering if Kirk is coming back in Season 3. And wouldn’t it be funny if there was a Kirk spinoff, with Shatner, almost a decade older than Stewart, picking up the mantle from him? :-)

That is the going theory around the web. I’m hoping that is what is going on. But remember that when Picard was greenlit, it was done so for a 3 season run. So a 4th season was never guaranteed. And Stewart isn’t getting any younger.

Kirk (deepfake Generations era) emerges from the nexus like Dr Strange before Picard ‘you left me. on veridian 3. Why. would you do that..’

Interesting that they say game changing and then hesitate to say why, think if they use that term they could at least delve into it further.

“Heartbreaking” How they did Icheb and Hugh was heartbreaking as they are likable characters and their storylines were lazy tropes, they should stop trying to be edgy and just have Trek optimism and hopeful future.

Maybe they will find Kirk on an ice planet somewhere, still young, because Dr Corby actually made two Kirk robots and both had his consciousness. COME ON JIM! WE NEED YOU BACK!!!