Highlights
- Patrick Stewart has laid out three conditions for returning as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: it wouldn't be a Next Generation revival, his co-stars wouldn't be central characters, and the show would explore Picard's relationship with Starfleet.
- Stewart also insisted that Picard would no longer be serving in Starfleet and wouldn't wear any kind of uniform or badges.
- The series would be limited to no more than three seasons, and Stewart stuck to his guns despite opposition from the writing team. Fans' wishes were fulfilled in Star Trek: Picard, which became a critically acclaimed series.
StarTrek veteran Patrick Stewart said it took convincing to bring him back to the franchise as Jean-Luc Picard. The actor laid out three conditions if the makers want him to star in another season of StarTrek: Picard.
Sir Patrick Stewart has been a force to be reckoned with while playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the StarTrek franchise. With four movies and a hit streaming series, Stewart has portrayed the iconic Starfleet commander on and off for nearly forty years. But the actor has finally revealed the ground rules he laid out when he was asked to return as Picard.
Star Trek: Patrick Stewart Shares His Idea To Continue Picard After Final Season
Star Trek: Picard season 3 was the final season, but Patrick Stewart pitched an argument about how the epic sci-fi story could continue.
In his memoir MakingItSo, the veteran actor noted that he was ready to return to the franchise only on three conditions. The three conditions: it wouldn't be a NextGeneration revival, his Star Trek: TNG co-stars would not be central characters, and the show would explore Picard's relationship with Starfleet. Additionally, the duration of the series was a key consideration. Stewart states, "[First] The series would not be based on a reunion of 'TheNextGeneration' characters. I wanted it to have little or nothing to do with them. This was not at all a mark of disrespect for my beloved fellow actors. Rather, I simply felt it was essential to place Picard in entirely new settings with entirely new characters. Perhaps Picard might encounter Riker or Dr. Crusher in the second season, but such encounters were not to be the series' raison d'être."
Meanwhile, the final two conditions see Stewart talking about what his character should look like and how long the new seasons should be. "[Second] Picard would no longer be serving in Starfleet, and he was not to wear any kind of uniform or badges. [Third] The series would run for no more than three seasons. It was clear to me that the writing team was not entirely thrilled with these conditions, but basically, they were all agreed to," he said. "The no-uniform rule was the toughest one for them to stomach, for some reason, and more than once, I was asked to reconsider my hard line. I stuck to my guns." Despite Stewart's initial opposition, fans' wishes were fulfilled in StarTrek: Picard. A distress signal from Beverly Crusher to Jean-Luc starts the story in season three, leading to a reunion of the entire Star Trek: Next Generation crew.
Even though Picard's journey might have ended with Picard season 3, rumors are swirling that Paramount might be bringing the character back one final time for a big-screen adaptation. It will be exciting to see if the production giant pushes ahead with the project.
StarTrek: Picard is available to stream on Paramount Plus
Source: MakingItSo (via ComicBook)