Star Trek: Picard is about to launch its second season in a few weeks, but the end is already nigh for the hit Paramount Plus series. 12 months ago, Sir Patrick Stewart returned to the Trek universe for the first time in 20 years, but Jean-Luc’s current adventures aren’t destined to last as long as The Next Generation. Stewart has confirmed that the show’s third season will be its last.
As per @TheTrekCentral, Stewart and EP Akiva Goldsman revealed the news in the latest issue of SFX Magazine. It’s long been known that seasons two and three were shot back-to-back, after S2 was initially delayed for the best part of a year due to the pandemic. After a recent COVID-related hold-up, completion of work on the third season is apparently “imminent.”
Picard‘s slim three-season run earns it an interesting record in Trek canon: it’ll be the first live-action entry in the franchise since The Original Series to conclude after just three years. Both The Animated Series and short-form anthology Short Treks only made it to two, but every other Trek series from TNG onward has managed to survive past its third year. Even Enterprise, although that was cancelled after four.
What makes Picard different from TOS, however, is that it’s likely its early ending is a decision made by the creative team themselves and not one forced on them by studio bosses. As an examination of the legendary character in his later years, Picard was never going to go on and on so a short, sweet run of 30 episodes should give the series enough room to tell its story.
While the contents of season three remain a mystery, there are plenty of treats to come for fans in season two, including more from both Q and Guinan. Don’t miss Star Trek: Picard when it returns to Paramount Plus for new episodes on Thursday, March 3.