Picard begins its second season this week, with cast images in the new ‘Ten Forward’.
Patrick Stewart’s Star Trek: The Next Generation sequel series returns this week and there’s a promotional push underway.
Joining Stewart for Season 2 are returnees Alison Pill, Jeri Ryan, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Orla Brady, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera and Cristóbal Rios. Plus, of course, Whoopi Goldberg reprising her role as Picard’s time-sensitive ally/bartender Guinan.
Ten Forward
Paramount+ have released a host of new images, with Entertainment Today bagging a few exclusives. Each showcases a principal cast member on the set of the new ‘Ten Forward’ bar.
Onboard the Enterprise-D, the original Ten Forward was Guinan’s domain. Here, the location is re-imagined into a 21st century Californian bar befitting the time-traveling nature of the upcoming season.
Eagle-eyed fans have spotted a pile of visual references to other eras of Star Trek, including a promo shot of Patrick Stewart and Whoopi Goldberg from Generations, a poster for 2395 Freecloud Music Festival and an advert for Saurian Brandy. There’s even a framed photo featuring Dr Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) in there somewhere! You can check out all the photos over at the official Star Trek site.
The return of Q
Of course, Whoopi Goldberg isn’t the only old friend returning, the new season promises John de Lance back as Q. Having bedeviled Jean Luc Picard since the ST:TNG pilot Encounter at Farpoint, the trickster has popped up variously on Voyager, Deep Space Nine and, most recently, on Lower Decks too.
Collider‘s Steve Weintraub has a nice little interview with John de Lancie, talking about the character’s enduring popularity. The actor remains tight-lipped on whether Q might continue into Season 3. However, he does tease “… a journey of higher stakes by two characters who have more to lose than they have had in the past.”
Patrick Stewart
Weintraub also has a conversation with Patrick Stewart, where the actor talks about the differences between filming The Next Generation and Picard. He also teases where Picard will end up, saying:
“Followers of Picard will find that we get to the very end of Season 3, and the resolution is unexpected and questionable. And I’m thrilled about that because it leaves a question mark hanging over his head.”
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 launches on Paramount+ in the US on Thursday, March the 3rd.
UK viewers have to wait a day – it debuts on Friday, March the 4th via Prime Video in the UK.