Two Next Generation Characters Are Being Left Out Of Star Trek: Picard Season 1

After a rather lengthy wait, Star Trek: Picard finally premiered earlier this week, and we couldn’t be happier. Sure, there are a few Trekkies who have taken issue with the new series, but generally speaking, it’s struck a chord with critics and fans alike. At the time of writing, it boasts an impressive 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with an average audience score of 82, and over on Metacritic, it’s currently sitting at a comfortable 77.

There’s plenty to like with the new series then, but for longtime franchise fans, one of the biggest allures is the chance to see key characters from The Next Generation back on the small screen. Leading up to the show’s premiere, we already knew that Data, Riker, Troi, Hugh and Seven of Nine would be making appearances, but there were a couple of characters whose fate was left a mystery.

Now, a recent report from TV Line (via ComicBook.com) has shed some light on two fan favorites. Specifically, it looks like Michael Dorn and Levar Burton won’t be returning as Worf and Geordi La Forge, at least for the first season. Apparently, the show’s producers wanted to appeal both to fans who’ve seen every episode of The Next Generation as well as those who haven’t watched a single one.

“There were even times when we seriously discussed that we should not bring any of the Next Generation cast back,” executive producer Akiva Goldsman explains. “We want to be really, really gratifying to someone who’s seen every episode [of TNG], and to someone who has never seen a one.”

However, we shouldn’t lose all hope just yet. After all, Patrick Stewart himself has gone on record to say that he hopes that all the main characters from TNG will make an appearance at some point, so we might just have to remain patient. Thankfully, Stewart seems to be speaking genuinely on the matter, too, seeing as how he publicly invited Whoopi Goldberg to reprise her role as Guinan in the second season.

So, while Star Trek: Picard might not be the perfect nostalgia trip fans had hoped for, it might still fill that role in future seasons.