We don’t have long to go until the premiere of Star Trek: Picard, which will see Patrick Stewart return to arguably his most famous role. Having already commented on the significant changes to the world of Star Trek that he wanted to see from the new series, Stewart expanded on these ideas when appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week, revealing that fans should expect there to be some surprises over where Picard and the Federation are in the new series.
Ostensibly there to discuss his role in the new Charlie’s Angels reboot, Stewart was keen to explain what’s going to make Star Trek: Picard special, saying:
“18 years have passed since The Next Generation crew were on camera, which was our last film, Nemesis. So the world has changed in 18 years. The world of the Federation and Starfleet has changed. Patrick Stewart has changed because he’s a lot older than he was when we were last at Paramount making the series and this means that what we have is something different, something new. And I hope there won’t be too much disappointment that there is an Enterprise or the crew. It’s a changed world and we find Picard… at home on the Château Picard vineyard with his pit bull.”
This information builds on previous comments from Stewart and the producers of the show, where they warned fans that they won’t be getting a traditional Star Trek experience. As Stewart alludes to, the events of Star Trek: Nemesis and Picard’s involvement in its aftermath have left him in a different mindset and, at least at first, resistant to leaving his home. Furthermore, Stewart has recently acknowledged that he wanted the series to be similar to the approach of Logan, where characters past their prime are brought back to the action.
However, it’s difficult to say at the moment whether Star Trek: Picard will wrap up the story of its lead character altogether, at least for the time being, as a second season is already planned, while Paramount are also reportedly considering a standalone movie. In addition, we know that several familiar faces from Star Trek: The Next Generation will be appearing in the series and potentially even more of the original cast.
For now, it’s clear that Star Trek: Picard will depart with many of the conventions established for the Trek universe. Although, we’ll still be getting villains like the Borg to tie things back to previous outings.