We’ve now had a few days to digest the finale of Star Trek: Picard, which provided several twists and a new stage in the life of Patrick Stewart’s character. Although the series has so far been a bit divisive among fans, notably for the ways it has diverted from some expectations for the franchise, a long-announced season 2 shows the confidence that ViacomCBS have in the material.
In fact, in a recent interview, executive producer Michael Chabon, who served as showrunner for season 1, discussed where Star Trek: Picard might go in its second year. Chabon, who will have a reduced role in season 2, had this to say in a chat about the series with Variety:
“It’s going to be different in some way. It’s definitely going to go in directions that we didn’t see in Season 1. I think we’ve been emboldened in many ways by the popularity of the show. I’ve only done this once, but I would imagine it’s probably true for a lot of television shows especially in this era: Season 1 was in many respects about learning how to make Star Trek: Picard. Both in a production sense, but also in terms of storytelling and who our cast is, how these characters end up forming surprising links and attachments to each other.”
These comments make sense in the context of the surprises that Picard has thrown our way, including the loss of some familiar conventions from the Star Trek universe, and a willingness to take the show into dark places. Chabon also talked up the confidence that the production team now has in the world they’re building, saying:
“It’s in a way that I think was probably true back with TNG and what I was talking about — everyone agrees, once Riker grew the beard, the show got better. It was because they learned what they had. Going forward, we’re only going to be doing more of what we did, with greater confidence and with a greater sense of what this show feels like when it’s firing on all engines.”
How exactly these stories will work is another question, especially now that Picard has a synthetic body and a new lease on life. We’d expect there to be more synthetic storylines in season 2, albeit at a reduced level to the major plot arc of the first season. It’d certainly be great to return to more characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation and to get more detail on what’s happening with the Borg. Rumors of a Seven of Nine spinoff aside, there’s arguably a lot of mileage left in how former Borg are reintegrating into the universe.
In terms of what else we might expect from season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, there’ve been rumors of a crossover with Star Trek: Discovery, which will almost certainly mean that time travel will come into play on the Patrick Stewart-led series. Meanwhile, ViacomCBS are also reportedly keen on a Picard-focused movie, and certainly seem willing to get as much out of the character as possible.
What direction do you think Star Trek: Picard should go in its second season, though? As always, share your thoughts in the comments section down below.