Star Trek: Picard — Make It So!
The resounding roar heard at Comic-Con July 20 came from the ecstatic crowd who had just seen the trailer for CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Picard, starring Patrick Stewart (above) as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (1987–94’s Star Trek: The Next Generation and last seen in the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis).
“Nearly 20 years have passed for me as well as Jean-Luc, and they’ve been eventful, so there’s all that stuff to draw on and put into the show,” Stewart says.
The drama, due in early 2020, finds the retired hero returning to Starfleet and assembling a new crew after meeting the mysterious and powerful Dahj (Isa Briones). The cast also includes franchise favorites like Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Hugh/Third of Five (Jonathan Del Arco), Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes), and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis).
As has been the norm since the first Star Trek series, strong women and a diverse cast are front and center. “The original broke barriers and was the first time I saw someone [Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura] who looked like me on television,” says Michelle Hurd (former intelligence officer Raffi Musiker), adding that Picard “is full of humanity, of imperfect people.” Beam us up! — Jim Halterman