Patrick Stewart's Irresistible Demands to Revisit Star Trek: Picard
Patrick Stewart sets three conditions for reprising his role in Star Trek: Picard, leaving Paramount grappling with meeting his demands
Highlights
Patrick Stewart's conditions for reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek are as follows: there would not be a revival of Next Generation, his co-stars would have less prominent roles, and the show would primarily focus on exploring Picard's relationship with Starfleet.Stewart maintained that Picard's tenure in Starfleet was over, and he would not be adorned in any uniform or badges. Defying opposition from the writing team, he stood firm on limiting the series to a maximum of three seasons. Consequently, Star Trek: Picard emerged as a critically acclaimed series, fulfilling the desires of fans.
Star Trek icon Patrick Stewart has expressed that he required some persuasion to reprise his role as Jean-Luc Picard in the franchise. When approached about starring in another season of Star Trek: Picard, the actor outlined three specific conditions that needed to be met. Renowned for his portrayal of Captain Picard, Sir Patrick Stewart has made a significant impact on the Star Trek universe, having appeared in four films and headlining a successful streaming series. After nearly four decades of intermittently embodying the beloved Starfleet commander, Stewart has now disclosed the specific terms he requested before agreeing to return as Picard.
In his memoir, Making It So, the veteran actor expressed his readiness to return to the franchise on specific conditions. These conditions included: the exclusion of a Next Generation revival, minimizing the importance of his Star Trek: TNG co-stars, and focusing on Picard's relationship with Starfleet. Additionally, the duration of the series was a crucial factor for consideration. Stewart emphasizes, "[First] The series should not be centered around a reunion of 'The Next Generation' characters. I wished for it to have little or no connection to them. This decision does not reflect any disrespect towards my esteemed fellow actors. Rather, it was vital for Picard to be placed in entirely fresh environments with completely new characters. Potentially, Picard may encounter Riker or Dr. Crusher in the second season, but such meetings should not be the primary purpose of the series."
Meanwhile, Stewart discusses the appearance and duration of his character in the final two conditions. He mentioned that in the new seasons, Picard would no longer serve in Starfleet and would not wear any uniform or badges. Additionally, the series would have a maximum of three seasons. The writing team did not completely embrace these conditions, but they eventually agreed to them. The no-uniform rule seemed particularly challenging for them to accept, and they asked Stewart numerous times to reconsider. However, he remained steadfast in his decision. Despite Stewart's initial resistance, Star Trek: Picard fulfilled the desires of fans. Season three begins with a distress signal from Beverly Crusher to Jean-Luc, leading to a reunion of the entire crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Although Picard's journey may have concluded with season three, there are rumors that Paramount is considering bringing the character back one final time for a cinematic adaptation. It will be intriguing to see if the production company moves forward with this project.
Star Trek: Picard is available to stream on Paramount Plus
Source: Making It So (via ComicBook)
