This weekend at New York Comic Con at a panel on the upcoming CBS show, ‘Star Trek: Picard,’ it was revealed that it was almost a non-starter. The panel consisted of much of the cast and crew of the new show. Alex Kurtzman, the overlord of all Star Trek projects, told the story of how ‘Picard’ was conceptualized:
“We were sitting in a room and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to do one of the ‘Short Treks’ about Picard?’ We said, ‘A ‘Short Trek’ would be great, but wouldn’t it be great to bring him back?’”
‘Start Trek: Short Treks‘ were announced as being three Enterprise-centered episodes of more hijinks in the Federation. Kurtzman explained that they approached Patrick Stewart (who played Jean Luc Picard in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and all the associated movies), but he declined to participate. (I can only imagine he did it with Picard’s utmost kindness and professionalism because I can’t see him as anyone else.) However, it seems that Kurtzman and his team persisted enough that Stewart relented and agreed to consider, and ultimately, take the part.
RELATED: Here’s How Sir Patrick Stewart Was Lured Back For ‘Star Trek: Picard’
We know that ‘Picard’ will take place 20 years after the time of the movie ‘Star Trek: Nemesis,’ and will be treating that storyline as canon. Specifically, you may recall that the planet Romulus, home to the Romulans, was destroyed during the movie. Producer Akiva Goldsman explained:
“We wanted to let the ensuing years that have happened for us also have happened for Jean-Luc. We spent a lot of time, collaboratively, filling in the intervening years. We know pretty much everything that happened in those 20 years. I include in ‘we,’ Patrick, who is the singular expert in Picard.”
‘Picard‘ stars Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, and Harry Treadaway. The series will premiere on January 23, 2020 on CBS.
SOURCE: CBR.com
