We’re just a month away from the premiere of Star Trek: Picard new season. It’s third and sadly final season. But with comments from Alex Kurtzman and Patrick Stewart this week suggesting there could be more story to tell, where could the franchise’s equivalent of the present day go next?
Today, Neil taking a look at where characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation could take the near sixty year-old franchise in the future…
There’s no escaping that the final season of Picard is reuniting the main cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whilst the season was initially pitched as a way to give the TNG-era cast a fitting send off, something that fans felt was lacking after 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis. Talk has since turned to how these characters could continue to appear on screen.
Of course we don’t yet know if everyone will make it out of the upcoming season alive. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) is certainly in grave danger, acting as the impetus for much of the cast reunion. but given showrunner Terry Matalas’ reverence for TNG and the outpouring of love from fans, it’s unlikely that anyone high profile will bite the bullet.
The question remains as to whether any of the original crew of the USS Enterprise D (and E) could headline a series of their own after Picard signs off.
Captain Worf?
It’s no secret that Michael Dorn has pitched the idea of a show focussing on his Klingon ex-security chief, Worf. The character has enjoyed one of the longest tenures in Trek TV history, appearing in all seven seasons of TNG before going on to appear in four seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, all whilst pulling double duty appearing in every TNG-era movie.
In the trailers for the final season of Picard Worf is seen proclaiming that he has turned his back on violence. But says so with a rather large sword attached to his back. Something which Matalas recently commented on during the Picard panel at the Paramount+ Winter TCA presentation.
All we know is that Worf’s status in the final season is related to his time during the Dominion War which filled up much of DS9’s final years. I can see a couple of potential storytelling options for his character if he were to headline a series:
- Following his adventure with Admiral Picard, should he survive, Worf picks up command of a Starfleet vessel. It has been confirmed that he holds the rank of Captain so perhaps reuniting with his old crew could spark Worf’s interest to returning to active duty and exploring the galaxy.
- A Worf-centric series could also step back in time to explore what he’s been up to since the series finale of DS9. The series finale saw him leaving the station to take up a position as a liaison between Starfleet and the Klingon empire. There is surely plenty of story to tell from the intervening 25 years.
Whilst Worf could headline a cool action-adventure style series in the vein of classic Trek, perhaps there are some more enticing ideas out there on the fringes of the galaxy…
Federation’s Doctors Without Borders
Star Trek: Picard‘s final season will kick off with an attack on the SS Eleos, a medical ship which just happens to be carrying a certain former Chief Medical Officer from the USS Enterprise. The attack on Beverly Crusher’s (Gates McFadden) ship is strongly believed to be what motivates Admiral Picard to bring his old crew together for one more adventure. But could this storyline also open up the possibility for an intriguing new type of Star Trek series?
In recent interviews it has been discussed that Beverly is working on the outer reaches of our galaxy in a sort of Federation equivalent to Doctors Without Borders. Of course she is. Why wouldn’t one of the brightest minds in Starfleet go where she is most needed? But the idea of frontier medicine in an unknown corner of the galaxy also sounds like a pretty interesting show to me.
The settling alone would give the decades-old franchise the chance to explore new territory, introducing new alien races which could really challenge the already creatively energised production design teams. Also, we’ve seen plenty of Trek shows which have simply explored the galaxy, making first contact. Adding some extra narrative thrust of curing diseases and saving those in need could really make for a compelling series for Crusher.
Space Counsellors
Bare with us on this one. How about taking Star Trek in an entirely new direction and creating a Frasier-style show around Betazoid empath Deanna Troi (Marin Sirtis) and her husband Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes)?
We saw snippets of their life on Nepethe with daughter Kestra in the first season of Picard. We know they have somewhat of a tragic past with the loss of their some Thad. But could they have a brighter future after reuniting with their former Enterprise-family? Perhaps Troi is motivated to return to her role as a Counsellor in Starfleet but takes on more of an Earth-based role.
Picture it: Troi has an office at Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco. Here she looks after the mental health of cadets in the academy as well as heads of department, admirals and such like. At home she has a successful Starfleet captain for a husband and a teenage daughter who will no doubt have burgeoning empathic abilities.
The character made several guest appearances on Star Trek: Voyager where she was seen working with Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) on Earth as he fixated on trying to find the crew stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Whilst these scenes served a key purpose in helping Reg to cope with stress, they were also a highlight in showing a lighter side of Trek.
I’m sold…
The Next Next Generation
One of the most exciting aspects of Picard‘s final season is the idea of The Next Generation crew potentially passing the baton to their own children. LeVar Burton has spoken at length about his wish to see Geordie finally happy and raising a family, something we will finally see in the upcoming season.
Geordie will have two daughters in season 3, Alandra and Sidney. Alandra will be played by Burton’s real life daughter Mica whilst Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut will be taking on the role of Sidney (above).
We don’t know if other members of the former-Enterprise crew has had children aside from the aforementioned Kestra. But could there be an idea for a series out there which see’s Sidney (and perhaps Alandra?) and other children of legacy characters being thrown together on a ship – the Enterprise-F please – of their own?
From piecing together scenes in the trailers for Star Trek: Picard is certainly looks as though Sidney is the helms person on the USS Titan-A which of course is home to another fan-favourite legacy character…
The Continuing Adventures of Seven of Nine
Of course the USS Titan-A isn’t solely home to the young Ensign LaForge. A certain newly minted Starfleet commander, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), also now calls the former command of Will Riker home.
Just who is captaining the refit of the classic vessel is a closely guarded secret. Showrunner Terry Matalas has teased that whilst the character is new, the face will be recognisable leading many to believe it may be someone from the cast of his previous series, 12 Monkeys. Whether said captain will survive an encounter with Amanda Plummer’s villainous Vadic remains to be seen. Perhaps by the end of Star Trek: Picard the Titan-A will have a new captain in the former-Borg drone.
I’m 100% on board for any scenario which finds more Seven of Nine on my TV screen. Whether she is captain or commander, there is absolutely a show to be found in her further adventures in Starfleet.
For years fans have been clamouring for a show which would continue the timeline after the USS Voyager has returned home. Prior to Picard, our last glimpse at this time was in Star Trek: Nemesis. Though Lower Decks is set in the period between Nemesis and Picard, it’s comedy spin on the franchise means that we don’t fully explore this time period in the same way a live-action series would.
A Titan-based series could tick all the boxes for fans. Exploring where Starfleet is following the Dominion War, rebuilding and (hopefully) enjoying a new era of peace with the Borg also disabled in the Delta Quadrant. Seven’s presence could weave in the much sought after live-action return of Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) as well as other potential faces from Voyager. It can also continue the wonderful on-screen relationship between Seven and Raffi (Michelle Hurd) which formed a key part of Picard season 2.
A Big Screen Renuion
Back at New York Comic Con in Ocobter of last year, the reunited cast was asked about what could come next. They were all quick to jump on the idea of coming together for another TNG-era movie. At the time Paramount had just lost director Matt Shakman from their next Star Trek movie as he jumped ship to helm Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four movie.
The TNG cast was quick to point out that with a gap in their release schedule they were happy to fill the gap for another silver screen adventure and I have to admit, I would be there on day one if it were to happen.
Whilst we have no idea how Star Trek: Picard will end, if everyone were to make it out alive, the scene would be set for a potentially huge Star Trek big screen event. Looking back to the era when TNG, DS9 and Voyager were on our TV’s there was very little scope for crossover. Those the baton was often handed over in series premiere episodes, after this there were only brief glimpses to remind us that these characters all coexisted.
Seeing Seven of Nine and Jean-Luc Picard sharing the screen in Picard season one was a watershed moment. One which looks to continue in the final season as other legacy characters are rumoured to appear. So picture this… a Star Trek movie with the surviving TNG cast at its core but with appearances by other legacy characters who still survive in this current time period. A truly epic, all encompassing Star Trek event movie for the ages.
Sounds good doesn’t it? Whatever the future holds, I can’t wait to see the Trek heroes I grew up with reunited on screen for another adventure…
Stream seasons 1 and 2 of Star Trek: Picard now via Prime Video in the UK, season 3 will premiere on February 17, 2023 with new episodes streaming weekly.
