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Get ready for an enthralling interstellar journey with the new season of "Star Trek: Picard"!
"Star Trek" aficionados eagerly anticipate the San Diego Comic-Con each year, and this time was just as thrilling. The "Star Trek: Picard" panel offered attendees an exclusive glimpse into the show's third season, with executive producer Alex Kurtzman, series lead Sir Patrick Stewart, and Gates McFadden from Next Generation taking center stage. Collectively, they provided teasers about the forthcoming season, highlighting the notable progression of one of the show's LGBTQ+ characters.
The big news for “Star Trek: Picard” season 3 is the return of the main cast of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” So we will find:
It made little sense to bring back the crew at first, according to Alex Kurtzman. But after two seasons, the show had “earned the return of the crew.” The team’s goal was “honor the legacy of these extraordinary characters.”
“The key thing for us was that we did not want to have the crew sort of come and have cameos. We actually wanted everybody to have really significant roles. And we wanted to whet appetites a little bit to see them come back together,” he said. “So at the beginning of the season, the crew is in different places around the galaxy… and slowly we see them come together, but we wanted to take the time, because these are obviously beloved characters, to get to see where they are now.”
“Crusher’s been all around the universe. You saw the universe from the Webb Telescope, I’ve been all over that place,” Gates McFadden, who is playing Dr. Beverly Crusher, said. “It’s been really amazing to have a chance to return to a character, and this incredible man next to me [Patrick], and plunge in again. Because we’re different. We’ve evolved as characters. And it was really a gift. And I wanted to also thank Terry Matalas, for the great story. He was our producer, and he did a fantastic job.”
McFadden noted that some characters haven’t seen each other in years, while others are in constant contact. She added that this gives the sense that life has moved forward. And that they’re engaged in trying to imagine a future that they all will have the courage enough to live and go forward to right now.
Patrick Stewart, who is playing Jean-Luc Picard, talked about the upcoming season of “Star Trek: Picard” and how it takes risks both in terms of storytelling and in its own performance.
“We carve out new territory in Picard… that is the most essential thing to remember,” he said. “We are breaking boundaries all the time and reflecting on life as it might possibly be. [...] As time has gone by, I have found that I have been able to take more risks [as an actor]. And this was a risk for all of us. But we embraced it boldly and passionately and with belief.”
Season 3 is set to be even more ambitious than the first two seasons, as this season will be about several ships.
“There’s more than one Enterprise and that makes it a little complicated,” Stewart said. “But we do return to the original Enterprise for a while and I had completely forgotten that in those days we had carpet on the floor, so that’s the kind of advancement that has been made.”
It’s unclear which Enterprise will be featured in the new season. It could be the Enterprise-D, which was last seen in the 1994 movie “Star Trek: Generations.” The Enterprise-D was apparently recovered after it crashed on Veridian III and is now on display in the Starfleet museum. Alternatively, it could be the Enterprise-E from “Star Trek: Nemesis.” Or, they may introduce a brand new version of the Enterprise, which is likely given that the story takes place over 20 years later.
Alex Kurtzman teased a new character who will be the main antagonist in season 3. Kurtzman said that The Wrath of Khan inspired the team to create the new villain. They wanted to create someone who could play mind games with the protagonists and keep them on their toes.
“Terry [Matalas] very taken with the idea of kind of doing the final Next Gen movie,” Kurtzman said. “And it was really exciting to approach this from a place of ‘Who would these characters be now, so many years later?’ The kinds of movies that we—obviously Wrath of Khan is a massive touchstone for anybody who loves Star Trek. But I think one of the things that we love most about Wrath of Khan is the mind games between Kirk and Khan and the one-upsmanship. That has been a real North Star for us this season. The villain that we created—we do have a singular villain this season. I won’t say too much other than that she is amazing.”
It’s great to work with strong women like Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd, Gates McFadden said in response to a question about strong female characters on the show.
“It is great to have other strong females,” she said. “It was great to have Jeri and Raffi and have the chance to work with them. I didn’t have that much, but when it happened, it was really great.”
Well, season 3 of “Star Trek: Picard” is just around the corner, but what can we expect from our female and queer characters this season?
Created by Trae Patton | Credit: CBS ©2022 ViacomCBS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
I don’t know too much about Raffi (Michelle Hurd) yet, but I do know that she’ll be appearing in the upcoming season. I’m not sure how her relationship with Seven of Nine will develop, but I’m excited to see what happens.
Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) was one of the most popular characters on “Star Trek: Picard,” so it’s no surprise that Jeri Ryan is reprising her role in the new series. What is surprising, however, is that she will be playing a much different role in the show.
In the second season, we finally learn why Seven of Nine never joined Starfleet despite her obvious skills and experience. As it turns out, Starfleet rejected her application from the start because of her membership in the Borg Collective. They were concerned that she might compromise Starfleet’s security. And Admiral Kathryn Janeway’s threat to resign in protest would not have changed anything. As a result, Seven had decided to withdraw her application to Starfleet before things went any further, perhaps because she was hurt by Starfleet’s lack of confidence in her.
On the other hand, Seven had the opportunity to experience life in an alternate timeline, and this allowed her to free herself from the prejudices she faced because of her Borg implants. As a result of this experience, Picard saw in her the ability to resolve the conflict with Jurati’s Borg faction and temporarily gave her command of the Stargazer. In the end, Seven decided to join the Fenris Rangers full time.
The first image of the characters of the new season was released at the San Diego Comic-Con, and we see Seven in a Starfleet commander uniform.
Her previous uniform is gone, replaced by a red Starfleet command outfit. And she’s not only got a new look but a new attitude as well. This change in appearance is significant, as it suggests that Seven is now looking to assume a leadership role within the Federation.
In season 3 of “Star Trek: Picard,” Seven of Nine will be exploring her identity and trying to find her place. This is according to series executive producer Alex Kurtzman.
“Seven has found herself a first officer on her ship, but as we know, Seven is a Fenris Ranger and has a very particular view on how things should go in the universe,” he said. “And so a lot of Seven’s exploration is about her identity versus the identity of Starfleet and where she fits in.”
The third and final season of “Star Trek: Picard” is slated for release in early 2023. There’s still a possibility we could see more of Picard down the line, though, perhaps in another film. Both Patrick Stewart and producer Alex Kurtzman have expressed interest in the idea, so it’s definitely something that could happen at some point.
“Yes is the answer to that, bluntly,” Patrick Stewart said. “I think that would be a very interesting and exciting and worthwhile thing to achieve.”
Kurtzman added, “I think that in some ways, season three is that, but of course… look if you guys love it, let’s see what happens.”
For now, though, you can look forward to enjoying the last season of “Star Trek: Picard” when it finally arrives.
While we wait for the trailer of this season 3, you can discover the very first teaser below, even if it only presents the characters and their uniforms.
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