The other weekend brought about the news we’d all been waiting for – industry legend Patrick Stewart is all set to reprise as Jean-Luc Picard for the first time since 2002, when The Next Generation was nearing its end.
But a new era of Star Trek awaits, and Stewart’s on-screen captain has been thrust into the center of a new story from Alex Kurtzman, co-creator/executive producer of the ongoing Discovery series at CBS. Little is known about what he has planned for Picard’s next steps, but if one thing’s for certain, it’s that the network is showing no signs of slowing down and intends on bringing us as much Trek content as we can handle.
Or at least, it certainly seems that way, as in addition to everything else they’ve got on their plate, CBS is also working on a series called Star Trek: Short Treks, a collection of character-focused mini-episodes tied into Discovery. As we know, one of them will be centered on none other than Rainn Wilson’s Harry Mudd, and at STLV, the actor teased what fans can expect from it.
From what we understand, Wilson was a bit hesitant to accept the gig at first, but after reading the fantastic script, he was fully on board.
It is very funny and weird. You see some alien situations you have never seen before in the Star Trek canon, and I am thrilled.
When asked how it’ll connect to the timeline of Discovery, the actor explained:
I am assuming it is after [“Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad”], but it stands alone. It doesn’t really tie into the Discovery, so I am not sure.
Finally, he touched on how he’ll be directing the short, saying that he’s learning a ton from the experience.
I am learning a ton. I feel really privileged to be able to do it. I think the fans are just going to love this.
As for what we can expect from Mudd in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery, that remains to be seen. But with so much already going on – the introduction of Spock and Captain Pike, for one – we don’t imagine there’ll be much time to focus on him. Still, Wilson’s terrific in the role and with any luck, he’ll return for at least an episode or two.