Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Unveils an Even Stranger Secret: Picard Becomes Pike's Preferred Wine!

Summary

Captain Pike's favorite wine is confirmed to be Chateau Picard in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, showing a connection to Captain Jean-Luc Picard's family legacy.

Jörg Hillebrand, a research assistant on Star Trek: Picard season 3, discovered the Easter egg where Captain Pike served Chateau Picard. Furthermore, in the musical episode of Strange New Worlds titled "Subspace Rhapsody," Captain Pike and Captain Marie Batel can be seen enjoying Chateau Picard during a dinner scene.

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, it is revealed through Easter eggs that Captain Christopher Pike (played by Anson Mount) has a fondness for Chateau Picard wine. Pike, who captains the USS Enterprise in the mid-23rd century, enjoys this wine, which is tied to the Picard family legacy of winemaking. This legacy predates Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who later commands the USS Enterprise-D and E in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the TNG movies. In fact, Chateau Picard is even enjoyed on the Starship Enterprise long before Jean-Luc Picard is born.

A Twitter user named Jörg Hillebrand (@gaghyogi49), who was a research assistant on Star Trek: Picard season 3, discovered this Easter egg. He noticed Captain Pike serving Chateau Picard at the end of Strange New Worlds' musical and shared his findings in a post.

Pike On Strange New Worlds Breaks A Picard Season 3 In-Joke

In "Subspace Rhapsody," the musical episode of Strange New Worlds, Captain Pike and Captain Marie Batel (played by Melanie Scrofano) enjoy their second encounter with Chateau Picard during dinner. This echoes a previous moment in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 4, "Among the Lotus Eaters," where the couple indulged in Picard's family vintage.

The inclusion of Chateau Picard in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 serves as a fascinating connection between the two Star Trek series, highlighting the enduring legacy of the Picard family vineyard. Interestingly, Captain Pike and Captain Batel enjoying Chateau Picard during their dinner dates contradicts an inside joke from Star Trek: Picard season 3, which suggests that Picard's wine is not well-liked. In fact, Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) declined Admiral Jean-Luc Picard's gift of a bottle of Chateau Picard, and even Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) had less than flattering remarks about the wine produced by Picard's family.

However, there could be an explanation within the Star Trek universe. It is plausible that in the 23rd century of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Chateau Picard surpasses its quality in the early 25th century of Star Trek: Picard. During Jean-Luc Picard's time, he did not possess a passion for winemaking and only took on the family vineyard after leaving Starfleet. It is conceivable that previous generations of Picards excelled at winemaking, and the decline in quality at Chateau Picard may be attributed to Jean-Luc's management. Notably, Captain Pike never rejects Chateau Picard in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, in contrast to the occurrences in Star Trek: Picard's 25th century.

All seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds & Star Trek: Picard are streaming on Paramount+.