Star Trek: Picard ended earlier this year, and though the series could be messy at times, leading man Patrick Stewart always made it work. While the future of Jean-Luc and other Next Generation cast members is still up in the air after the show wrapped its three-season run, Stewart’s now reminiscing on how the show came to be, and what brought him back in the first place.
In a look back on the series, penned by Stewart in an excerpt from his upcoming memoir in Time Magazine, he reveals that he wasn’t interested in doing a Next Generation sequel at first, even as he agreed in 2018 to meet with Star Trek TV heads Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman. What he originally planned as a “polite” turning down of their proposal piqued his interest when they—along with Star Trek novelist Kirsten Beyer and The Closer co-creator James Duff—started to probe him on Picard’s emotional state post-Star Trek: Nemesis. “Had he retired?” Stewart recalled. “Did he still have his château in France? Did he have a wife or partner? […] He was an older man now—was aging changing him, as, perhaps, it was changing me?”
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The subsequent 10-page memo got Stewart on board, as did bringing on novelist Michael Chabon (writer of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which he “loved”). But he had his own set of rules for what would become of Star Trek: Picard. The Next Generation crew could return as guests, but it “would not be based on a reunion”; Picard himself wouldn’t still be in Starfleet or wear “any kind of uniform or badges”; and the show itself would only run three seasons specifically.
Stewart’s look back on Picard is illuminating as he reflects on how he approached playing the character at an older age, particularly in regards to his voice. At the same time, he admits that producers “wore him down” on rules he’d previously been firm on: the show eventually did become a Next Generation reunion throughout its time on the air. But by that point, he’d been more open to the idea and enjoyed working with his old friends—and as an executive producer on season three, he got to help dictate how the reunion could take place.
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“I told [showrunner] Terry Matalas… let’s trickle them back in,” Stewart continued. He wanted to ensure each of the returning Next Generation characters “came into the picture because [they] had a specific contribution to make and it wasn’t just sentimental window dressing. If Jean-Luc had changed so much over the years, so, too, surely, had the other members of the Enterprise crew. The writers, bless them, took this to heart.”
Getting back into the Star Trek swing of things was such a joy for Stewart that he’s “gently pushing” Paramount to get a Picard movie off the ground. “Not a Next Generation movie,” he clarified. “This would be an expansion and deepening of the universe as we’ve seen it in Star Trek: Picard. I’ve discussed this with Jonathan, Brent, and LeVar, and they are all game. Jonathan is my first choice to direct it.”
At time of writing, Paramount hasn’t provided a comment on Stewart’s claims. Until then, you can watch Star Trek: Picard’s three seasons over on Paramount+. Stewart’s memoir, Making It So, releases October 3.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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