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Picard says goodbye with a mysterious hint at Star Trek’s future

The finale has one of Star Trek’s only credits scenes

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Never let it be said that Paramount Plus hasn’t brought the Star Trek franchise into the modern era of interconnected television: Star Trek even has credits scenes now.

And while the award for “first credits scene in Star Trek” would go to Star Trek: Lower Decks , with its season 3 finale, “The Stars at Night,” the award for “first Star Trek credits scene to point at a mysterious future installment of the franchise” can go to Star Trek: Picard and its finale.

[ Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for the final episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3, “The Last Generation.”]

The denouement of “The Last Generation” makes sure we know exactly where our faves old and new have wound up. While the Next Generation crew largely wound up with promotions, renewed relationships, or just a return to their peaceful lives, Picard built a new future for some of its younger old characters.

Former borg drone Seven of Nine was promoted to captain of the Titan, which was renamed Enterprise. Thanks to some calculated intelligence leaks, her girlfriend Raffi’s record was cleared, freeing her up to act as Seven’s first officer, and Jack Crusher — son of Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher , interstellar adventurer, recently freed from Borg control — was fast-tracked to the rank of Starfleet ensign to serve as captain’s counselor.

The credits scene takes us right back to Jack, in his quarters on the newly christened Enterprise, as he’s visited by none other than the cosmic being known as Q (John de Lancie). Q was thought to have died at the end of Picard season 2, but when Jack points that out, Q admonishes him for thinking so linearly. The long and the short of it is: Q is eternal, and he has something in mind for the progeny of his longtime fixation, Jean-Luc Picard.

Does this mean Star Trek: Legacy is real?

About a month ago, Picard showrunner Terry Matalas tweeted that “#StarTrekLegacy is what I’d call a spin-off show from #StarTrekPicard. A 25th Century show that explores the Last Generation and the Next.” Since then, he’s been either teasing an upcoming show or just having a hearty good time retweeting coverage of his tweet and clips of veteran Star Trek actors agreeing that a nostalgic spinoff for 1990s Trek fans sounds like a good idea .

So it’s not entirely clear whether “Star Trek Legacy” is a real show or what. But it’s hard to imagine what else Picard ’s final moments could possibly be pointing to. The next Star Trek show on the Paramount Plus lineup is the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , then the fourth season of the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks , and then the second season of all-ages cartoon Star Trek: Prodigy . None of those seem like a good fit for Picard ’s hints, being set in completely different eras or produced in a completely different medium.

Paramount has also confirmed at least two more future Star Trek projects, but they also don’t seem likely as answers either — Starfleet Academy will take place the better part of a millennium after Picard , while the recently announced Section 31 film starring Michelle Yeoh just simply doesn’t seem particularly relevant.

It’s possible that Paramount is sitting on a Star Trek: Legacy show about Jack Crusher, Seven of Nine, Raffi, and Sidney La Forge (the Titan/Enterprise’s helmswoman and daughter of Geordi La Forge) going on some epic Q-uest. But we won’t know until it’s actually announced — and so far, Paramount is keeping quiet.

Update: Speaking to Entertainment Weekly , Matalas said “Jack’s got a lot to do, let me tell you.” The showrunner confirmed that Paramount does have a plan for Jack Crusher’s character moving forward, but declined to elaborate or confirm the existence of another new Star Trek show.

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Star Trek: Picard finale post-credits scene explained: Showrunner confirms big things to come

Showrunner Terry Matalas says Ed Speleers is gonna be a busy man after Picard.

Warning: Spoilers from Star Trek: Picard 's series finale are discussed in this article.

There might be another Star Trek series coming our way — or at the very least, another home for Ed Speleers ' Jack Crusher.

The series finale of Star Trek: Picard , which dropped on Paramount+ Thursday, came with a post-credits scene that teases big things ahead for the character. Showrunner Terry Matalas confirms in an interview with EW, "Jack's got a lot to do, let me tell you."

He wouldn't tell us exactly what, of course, but the producer — who has guided the Patrick Stewart -led spin-off to break into the Nielsen Top 10 ratings for the first time with season 3 — confirms his story isn't over.

After Jean-Luc Picard (Stewart) and Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ) save their son from the Borg Queen with help from their longtime comrades, the finale episode jumps forward a year to see where these characters ended up. Among the reveals is the U.S.S. Titan, which has been rechristened as the Enterprise-G in recognition of Picard and his crew's efforts.

Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan ) has been promoted to captain, with Raffi (Michelle Hurd) as her No. 1. A few members of the Titan join them, including Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut). Jack is now Ensign Jack Crusher, as he was placed on an accelerated track by Starfleet.

The post-credits scene cuts to Jack in his quarters on the Enterprise-G. He settles into his room when Q (John de Lancie) makes a surprise appearance.

"Young mortal, you have much ahead of you," he tells Jack.

"You told my father that humanity's trial was over," the young Crusher replies.

"It is... for him," he clarifies. "But I'm here today because of you. You see, yours, Jack, has just begun."

Matalas had the idea for this moment deep into season 2 when he was mapping out the trajectory of season 3. "Once I had the genesis of this idea and I knew it would be about Picard's son, I had envisioned a post-credit sequence in which you passed the torch to [him]."

He points to "Encounter at Farpoint," the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1. "The first major interaction is Q and Picard," he says. "Where better to end than at the beginning?"

A Star Trek: Legacy series has been rumored for some time, with a few of the Picard actors teasing how season 3 leaves the door open to continue that story with the next generation of characters. Alex Kurtzman , who's been shepherding the new golden age of Trek, had even teased during San Diego Comic-Con last year that fans should expect more shows with female leads. So, perhaps, we're getting a Seven of Nine series for Ryan, with Jack as part of her crew.

The only new Trek titles that have been formally announced so far are Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , which Matalas says is part of a different timeline than Picard ; and Star Trek: Section 31 , the event movie starring Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery .

Matalas won't disclose what the plans are for Speleers as Jack moving forward, only that he knows what they are. "Oh yes. I do [know]," he says. "Oh yes."

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly 's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek: Discovery spin-off is now a Section 31 movie event
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series will beam up a new generation of cadets
• Star Trek: Picard 's latest Next Generation cameo was all about 'doing a paranoia thriller'

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Star Trek: Picard Finale Post-Credits Scene Explained

Contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Picard," Season 3, Episode 10, "The Last Generation" 

Now that "Star Trek: Picard" is over, the series has bid farewell to 36 years of Patrick Stewart as the iconic Captain Jean-Luc Picard, while setting the stage for his legacy to continue through Jack Crusher. Played by a delightfully energetic Ed Speleers , Jack is the son Jean-Luc never knew he had, born of Picard's romantic involvement with Beverly Crusher  (Gates McFadden). Furthermore, he's revealed over the course of "Picard" Season 3 to be carrying the burden of some strange and dark abilities.

In a post-credits scene at the very end of the "Picard" finale, Jack is settling into his quarters aboard the USS Enterprise (formerly the USS Titan) when a visitor arrives. This turns out to be none other than the immortal, powerful trickster known as Q (John de Lancie). "Picard" fans will remember that Q was behind the events of Season 2, and was presumed dead after using the last of his powers to send Picard and his crew back to their own time. Here, he urges Jack not to think so linearly, telling the young ensign, "Young mortal, you have much ahead of you." Jack points out that Q promised Picard that humanity's trials were over, to which the demigod replies, "It is, for him. But I'm here today because of you. You see, yours, Jack, has just begun."

It seems clear that this post-credits scene is setting the stage for a TV show or movie focused on Jack, and who better to give him his first challenge than his father's old frenemy?

Q has big plans for Jack Crusher in the Picard post-credits scene

Ed Speleers has already hinted at a Jack Crusher spin-off, but this "Star Trek: Picard" post-credits scene appears to confirm that such a project is in the works. In an interview with Cinema Blend in February, Speleers revealed that he's spoken to showrunner Terry Matalas about Jack's future, saying, "He's got a lot of ideas about it. I'm not gonna lie because I'm proud of the fact that Terry and I discussed this almost every day for the last eighteen months, what could happen." The actor also noted, "There are definitely more stories to be told if we're given the opportunity to tell them. And I know that Terry has bucketloads of ideas."

It appears Jack's first challenge as the heir to Jean-Luc Picard's legacy will be facing off against the dastardly Q. This is a fitting rite of passage for Crusher since the inaugural episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" introduces Captain Picard to viewers by pitting him against Q in its "Encounter at Farpoint" storyline. Therein, Q acts as judge and jury for the human race, reminding Picard of humanity's crimes and history of violence. The final episode of "The Next Generation," titled "All Good Things," bookends the series with Q's involvement once again.

Will Jack face similar judgment, or will his trial by Q be of a different nature entirely? That's the mystery posed by the "Picard" finale's post-credits scene, and one to which fans likely won't have an answer until we see Jack again.

The Picard post-credits scene contradicts recent news about a Picard spin-off

Showrunner Terry Matalas first revealed that he has a concept for a "Star Trek: Picard" spinoff titled "Star Trek: Legacy" in a March 23, 2023 Tweet . However, he told Screen Rant a few weeks later — days prior to the "Picard" finale's premiere — that Paramount had yet to greenlight this project. Rather, he was merely sharing that he has ideas, should the company express interest.

Of course, the "Picard" finale's post-credits scene seems to contradict this claim. After all, would Paramount allow such a blatant cliffhanger without at least some sort of plan in place to pay it off?

Matalas, in fact, further contradicted this supposed lack of plans for "Star Trek: Legacy" in a brief Entertainment Weekly interview about how "Picard" ends. "Jack's got a lot to do, let me tell you," he told EW, reinforcing the idea floated in the "Picard" post-credits scene that Jack Crusher's conflict with Q will soon become the focus of a brand new "Star Trek" project. For now, fans will simply have to wait for more news about the continuation of Jack's story.

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Published May 2, 2023

WARP FIVE: Ed Speleers Reflects on Q, the Borg, Family, and More

The Star Trek: Picard actor walks us through all the big beats from the final season!

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for the finale of Star Trek: Picard "The Last Generation."

Getty Images / StarTrek.com - Rob DeHart

Welcome to Warp Five, StarTrek.com's five question post-mortem with your favorite featured talent from the latest Star Trek episodes.

With the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard all out for the world to enjoy, all the mysteries of who, and what, is Jack Crusher has been laid bare. The course of his life changed dramatically once he boarded the U.S.S. Titan ; and as Captain Liam Shaw noted, “It’s been a weird week.”

StarTrek.com had the opportunity for a long discussion touching upon all the big beats of the season with actor Ed Speleers about Jack Crusher’s journey throughout the season, from developing new abilities, keeping his father at arm's length, being Borg, but as Geordi La Forge put it, "that is not all he is," meeting Q, and much more!

On Picard’s Betrayal and Jack’s Brokenness

StarTrek.com

At the start of the season, Jean-Luc Picard learns of his adult son with Beverly Crusher . The retired admiral struggled with the truth that Beverly kept this from him, and that Jack Crusher wants absolutely nothing to do with him. However, it’s more complicated than that.

We see in a flashback that Jack did seek him out, witnessing his interactions with a group of young Starfleet cadets. After regaling them with stories about his best friend at the Academy, Jack Crusher’s namesake , and adventures with his crew, Picard reveals that he never sought out a life outside, stating, “Starfleet has been the only family I ever needed,” rejecting and wounding his son far deeper than he ever realized.

“Right at the base of all of this is it’s coming from a place of miscommunication,” reflects Speleers. “If you look at it from Picard’s point of view, he doesn’t know what he’s saying at that point. That’s an accidental slip of the tongue. He’s trying to inspire these young Starfleet cadets. However, Jack has taken it on himself to try and track down his old man and maybe it’s an olive branch. There’s obviously curiosity, how could you not? Your dad’s the most famous person in the world. It’s huge and he wants to know him. And it’s completely gut-wrenching. That’s why it’s important that he’s got this thick-skin and he’s got this aggressiveness towards Picard because he’s hurt.”

Probing deeper, Speleers says, “The anger, the frustration, and the flippant nature of his, it’s all masks for something else that’s deep-rooted. That’s what I love about the story — it’s this longing for connecting, which is seen through his dad, his old man, which is incredibly emotional. I was so drawn to it because it’s something that, whatever your relationship with your parents, we all have that relationship with a parent in some way. Even if it’s a bad relationship, there is something so universal. As a dad myself, as a son, I wanted to explore it. It was tough at times to try and comprehend because that’s really driving him, in some space. He doesn’t want to admit it to himself [how much that moment hurt him]. What happened in that scene is awful, and now, it’s a catalyst for how Jack lives his life.”

On Jack’s Guilt, Need for Connections, and Evolution as Borg

Throughout the season, Jack Crusher has maintained the air that he’s a rogue explorer traversing the galaxy, keeping everyone at a distance. However, we come to learn that he’s deeply lonely, pushing everyone away as he tries to come to grips with the complicated feelings within him. Despite what he says, one can spot his sincerity and earnestness in connecting with Captain William Riker, Commander Seven, Ensign Sidney La Forge, and even his father, Jean-Luc Picard.

Like Sidney La Forge’s connection with Seven , Jack ends up sharing screen-time with the ex-Borg on a number of instances, from hiding him from the Intrepid ’s officers, sharing their love of the starships housed at the Fleet Museum, and taking on Vadic on the Bridge of the Titan . It’s no wonder why Seven would value his presence as special counselor.

Speleers sees both Jack and Seven as “kindred spirits,” believing, “There’s a recognition of being an outsider and living on the edge and then trying to find their way into confirming with society, in this case Starfleet. They understand one another; there’s a rogue streak to them. I love that scene when they’re looking at the starships. It’s a love sort of, quite a tender moment, but it’s full of humor and it’s in the middle of everything’s that going on in Jack’s head at the point where he’s in complete shambles. To have this moment of levity with Seven, it just inflates it. It comes down to the wonderful writing. You look at the team of writers they had on board, and they nail it in terms of moments of levity, then driving back into humor, then driving back into serious tension.”

Offering more insight to the internal conflict Jack feels, Speleers explains, “There’s something that he feels is deeply wrong with him. It’s something that has been running along in him all his life, and he hasn’t been able to put his finger on it.”

“Once we are aware that it’s to do with the Borg, it’s the worst news possible,” he elaborates. “Before we get ready for that moment, it’s trying to understand what in his world would make him feel this broken. He feels like there’s an illness; something’s not right about him and he can’t work out if it’s mental or physical. He’s had these voices, these visions. He’s always felt like he got these strange abilities that creep him out, put him on edge. They completely mess with his mind, and anyone who’s hearing voices in their head, it’s a dangerous place to be.”

Every time he puts others in the line of fire, whether it’s family man Will Riker or the crew of the Titan , Jack wants to rush headfirst to fix it despite the protests of his parents. He doesn’t want to put others out for him, nor does he want to owe anyone anything, adding, “It’s such a high stakes moment, and it’s a lot for this guy to process. Even if there’s no one to help him, he still wants to tackle it. And if it means that’s the end of him, then he’ll take that because he believes that’s the best thing for everybody else. It must be gut-wrenching for him, knowing that he’s had to live with this all his life and never felt like he belonged. This ties into it; it’s two-fold, between the deep-rooted longing for connection with his dad, but also he’s longing to understand what this thing is within him and how that connects him to the world.”

As such, it makes sense he couldn’t resist the lure of the Borg Queen and why he ultimately gave up fighting. “It drives the loneliness, that idea of being assimilated,” Speleers remarks. “You have something so tragically wrong with you that you cannot let anybody in. You cannot because you don’t know how you are going to respond. You don’t know if you are really dangerous to other people. It ramps up so quickly because everything is just becoming overbearing for him.”

It's here where Jack is very much like the man his father is, a man who didn’t have the connection he longed for at home and went out and found what he was looking for in Starfleet. Once aboard the Borg Cube, with the rest of losing his son imminent, Jean-Luc realizes losing Jack would be as universe-shattering as losing the entire galaxy to the Borg, possibly more so. It was his own guilt and embarrassment of inadequacies and time as Locutus that clouded him for seeing his son for who he was. When he accepts this, and how Jack’s presence has forever changed him, and acting now as a father as opposed to a Starfleet officer, they were both able to relinquish the Queen’s control over them and mend the void they’ve both felt deep down.

On Speleers’ Immersion in the Star Trek Universe

As Jack Crusher’s story unfolded throughout the season, his resistance to what was happening internally within was weakening, magnifying the brokenness he deeply felt.

With the stress of being hunted by the Changelings , his idiosyncrasies began manifesting outwardly. What he first thought were side effects of inheriting his father’s Irumodic Syndrome, the truth was much worse. From Jean-Luc’s time assimilated as Locutus, the Borg found a way to change his biology, rewriting his genetic code, which he passed on to Jack. Where the rogue adventurer first experienced eerie visions and was able to hear the internal thoughts of others, he was soon able to converse with them telepathically, as seen in “ The Dominion ,” when Vadic and her soldiers boarded and took control of the Titan . It didn’t stop there as he was able to see what was happening to Starfleet officers biologically when they stood on the transporter pads, almost disassociate while brawling, and even control the movements of others in a puppet-like fashion.

Speleers couldn’t get enough of all the stunts, exclaiming, “It’s as cool as it gets,” before noting, “That’s the first time my son and my daughter looked at me like I’m really somebody cool.”

“Those [action sequences] are some of the best to do,” he describes. “This is the whole thing where I was given the keys to the castle. If I wasn’t doing the big dramatic scenes with Patrick Stewart as my dad, the next day I’m fighting people, shooting them with phasers, doing cool stunts. Also not just doing that on an amazing sit, but to have it shot so brilliantly. You’re having an out-of-body experience; the whole thing was so surreal.”

Phasers on Stunt: Inside Star Trek: Picard Season 3's Action

Speleers lavishes tons of praise on stunt coordinator Guy Fernandez and fight coordinator Matt Mullins, both of whom he spent hours getting on brilliantly with, stating, “They were both just great humans who took the time to make those things look as cool as possible. It’s just great fun, and I want to go back and do it now!”

As for the narrative surrounding these new abilities, Speleers delights in it, “From a storytelling and an attitude point of view, it was great. It was like being given these superpowers, and I’ve never been in a position as an actor to have that sort of thing going on. It was a next-level experience. It was like I opened a big toy chest.” Speleers still found a way to ground what Jack was enduring, “There are all these big great ideas where you’re getting to control and mind-meld, but still, running right through the middle of that is great narrative and great understanding of why this character is going through that the ramifications of that. It’s not as simple as being, ‘Well, he’s got all these great powers and things he can do.’ There’s a reason why and we need to tackle it because it’s not necessarily a good thing. That’s great storytelling in itself.”

Speleers’ Jack Crusher transformation would be complete without an epic set piece and a costume to match.

After feeling abandoned and alienated again following Deanna Troi’s Betazoid mind probe and Jean-Luc defaulting to Starfleet protocol, Jack leaves the Titan in search for answers from the voice haunting him in his head. For the final two episodes of the season, Jack finds himself on the Borg Cube, and not just any ordinary cube, it’s a vessel stitched together by multiple cubes with the Queen feeding on the last generation of her kind, clinging on to the last threads of survival. Speleers finds the set piece “jaw-dropping,” comparing it to something straight out of the first Alien film.

“It was just so expansive,” comments Speleers on the prestige television of it all. “I walked around with my kids and my girlfriend, and we were allowed to get a quick sneaky look around when no one was there. The details are so well thought out. It was almost like being in a theme park; it blew my mind to be honest. Against, it was one of those pinch yourself moments of being, ‘Oh I’m really on a proper film set now.’ But that’s the thing, we’re doing all this for television. Everything, every step of the way, felt so much bigger and grander.”

Once he relinquishes control to the Borg Queen, Jack is assimilated as Võx, the voice of the Collective itself. Speleers has nothing but praise for costume designer Michael Crow and his department when talking about his “heavy, but detailed” Võx Borg costume. “Michael Crow is, A, the calmest man in the world and, B, is such an exceptional talent. His team is incredible, and Deborah Ambrosino, who made the costume. She’s done a lot of Marvel suits, and I think they wanted a Marvel quality to this Võx suit. It was heavy, but it also wasn’t. I felt like I could move in it. I felt pretty cool, to be honest. It felt like the Terminator or something. It really lent to the character well, and that’s the meat of it. That is also why I love Michael Crow and his team so much. Everything they made me costume-wise really was in keeping with who the character is and allowed me to move and feel that in a way just added to the process.”

On Joining Starfleet

In “ The Last Generation ,” similar to parents dropping off their kids on the first day of school, we catch up with Admirals Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher and their son arriving at the young Crusher’s first posting within Starfleet as he nervously paces behind them on the shuttle. We learn that he was on an accelerated track, which Jack partially credits to nepotism. Jean-Luc softly reassures him that this was all his doing and how proud he is of him.

Believing his son’s first posting is the U.S.S. Titan -A, both Beverly and Jack surprise Jean-Luc that the starship had been rechristened in honor of him and his crew, with its new designation as the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-G. Aboard the Enterprise -G, Ensign Jack Crusher joins Captain Seven and First Officer Raffi at the ship’s command, serving as special counselor to the captain. Raffi aptly remarks, “Still can’t believe Starfleet saw fit to give a thief, a pirate, and a spy their own ship,” with Jack calling them a “buncha ne’er-do-wells and rule-breakers.”

Commenting on this next chapter for Jack, Speleers praises, “It’s a poignant moment for Jack. It’s that full circle [moment] and why I suppose Terry [Matalas] is right about this being an origin story for Jack because we see him actually embracing what could be his future.”

“He’s nervous about it,” he continues. “He’s still got bridges to build, and you’re not going to be going from being an outsider to part of the gang straight away. It takes time so he’s apprehensive. But filming all of that, it was such a wonderful way to round it all off. Getting to go straight into the ship and be with Raffi and Seven, having that rapport and patter in that closing scene, straight away there you see a connection between these rogues.”

On Star Trek ’s Post Credit Scene

Star Trek rarely offers up a post credit scene, but this year, fans were treated to two. There was one following the third season finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks , and now another at the conclusion of the Star Trek: Picard series.

While unpacking his belongings and settling into his quarters, aboard his new home on the Enterprise -G, Jack suddenly hears the voice of an unfamiliar guest, “Well, look at you, a chip off the old block.” Turning around, the new ensign comes face-to-face with his father’s long-time frenemy, who first chides him for thinking of time so linearly, brushing off his second season’s demise. Q then informs him that while Jean-Luc Picard and humanity’s trials were over, “I’m here today because of you. You see, yours, Jack, has just begun…”

With “The Last Generation” serving as the finale for Picard , as well as the epic conclusion for the Star Trek: The Next Generation saga, it’s fitting that the finale scene harkens back to the very first episode of the latter series, “ Encounter at Farpoint ,” where the crew of the Enterprise -D first met the complicated being known as Q.

The post-credit scene came together quickly, filming during the series’ penultimate episode “ Võx ,” as the episode’s director and writer Terry Matalas, shared with a group of journalists during a roundtable interview, “We only had 20 minutes to shoot the scene. We literally got [John de Lancie] in, got him in that amazing outfit…. He’s phenomenal on his worst day, and we just banged it out. And so, I still get chills. I love that scene so much. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the finale.”

Speleers experienced excitement and trepidation sharing the scene with John de Lancie, who reprises the role of Q, sharing, “He’s royalty in Star Trek canon. He is absolute royalty and a very lovely, astute man. Obviously, we just had that one scene; it was a great scene to be had because he’s quite catlike in a scene. I don’t know if that’s him as a character or that’s him as him.”

“He kind of put me on edge when I was doing the scenes with him,” Speleers reveals, “because we’d be talking very nicely about family, and everything would be cool and it’d be like we felt like a connection. Then, suddenly, he’d just turn it on its head and just poke, which I love. I love it when an actor wants to go for it, and he’s the same.”

Referring to the quick production time and brief interaction between the characters, Speleers adds, “It seems very important, but we didn’t have much within it. It’s only three, four lines each, something like that, but we both pushed each other to try and do it as many different ways as possible. That’s great when you got an actor that you get the chance to do that. Just keeps it fresh and it also keeps you on your toes.”

Want to know more about Ed Speleers and his character Jack Crusher? Don't miss his first interview at the start of the season , the Picard-La Forge "LaCrush" budding romance , and Speleers' Star Trek University crash course .

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Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Picard ending explained —what's next for the series?

The Star Trek: Picard series finale was a goodbye... for now.

NOTE: this post contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 10, "The Last Generation"

Though Star Trek: Picard came to an end with the April 20 series finale, it actually looks like this is just the beginning for the newly christened U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-G (formerly the U.S.S. Titan). 

There's a lot to unpack from the series finale, so let's jump into it. 

How does the Enterprise-D crew save the galaxy?

At the end of episode 9, the Borg Queen's ultimate plan of revenge was revealed. The Changelings and the Borg had been working together to add a hidden pattern in transporters that could connect all young people to the Collective. 

Using a signal to all of the ships in the fleet, the Queen could use Starfleet's new ship-link technology to put the entire fleet at her disposal. No more Borg assimilation, this was about evolution. Her goal was to destroy the space station that protected earth and then launch an attack. Once that was done, the Borg could control the galaxy. Jack (Ed Speleers) was the "voice" of the signal, so the only way to disconnect the signal was to disconnect Jack and destroy the ship. 

Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the original Star Trek: The Next Generation crew — Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Geordi LaForge (LeVar Burton), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Worf (Michael Dorn), Data (Brent Spiner) and Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) — are on the Enterprise-D, the only ship not connected with the rest of the fleet because of its antiquated technology. 

Picard, Riker and Worf beam aboard the Borg cube to find Jack and the source of the signal, but soon it looks like once the signal is disconnected, the ship will explode and they'll all die. Picard plugs into the Borg hive to get a message to Jack. Meanwhile, the young crew members aboard the rest of the ships in the fleet are killing anyone who hasn't been assimilated, and the space station eventually falls.

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Just when it looks like the end is nigh, the Enterprise-D team manages to blow up the source of the signal thanks to Data's fancy flying. Troi locates the away team and off they fly, escaping the Borg ship just in time. As soon as the signal stops, the young crew members return to normal and the fleet stands down. 

How does the Star Trek: Picard finale tease a spinoff?

After Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the Enterprise-D save the galaxy once again, all is well in the universe. The crew meet at Ten Forward and play a game of poker, the way they did back in the good old days. 

Raffi (Michelle Hurd) has been promoted to First Officer on board the Enterprise-G, with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) as the new captain and Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) as an ensign and the captain's special counselor. Sidney LaForge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) is still at the helm, too. 

It would have been possible to bring the show to an end after revealing that everyone has a happy ending, but that would have been too easy. Instead, the show leaves the door open — and by "open" we mean the finale blew the door off the hinges so there’s no closing it now — for more.

Every Star Trek captain has a catchphrase. From "engage" and "make it so" to "punch it," it has become a tradition among captains, especially new captains. Toward the end of the episode, Raffi reminds Seven that there's a very long history of every captain's first official act of command. "Writing the opening line to your legacy," Jack adds, adding pressure. The bridge eagerly awaits Seven's catchphrase, but the scene cuts away before she can say it. 

But that's not all. In a mid-credits scene, Q (John de Lancie) shows up. Evidently Q didn't die in Picard season 2; the powerful being decries the inability of humans to think beyond the confines of linear time. Q informs Jack that while his father’s trial has ended, Jack’s trial has just begun.

All this signals a grand new adventure. After all, Star Trek: The Next Generation began and ended with Q, so it's only fitting that he is there at the end of Picard to kick off something wholly new that features the "new" ship and the "new" crew.  

It's even more promising knowing that the Enterprise-D is intact and waiting for an adventure, and so too are the members of the crew. After reuniting in Picard season 3, the TNG cast seems all too willing to return to the fold and a potential new show featuring the Enterprise-G crew battling Q is the perfect way to integrate them into the story. 

With his many powers, it's entirely possible for Q to snap his immortal fingers and manifest any member of the TNG crew anywhere he pleases, which is a fantastically brilliant tool when it comes to telling stories. Q can send anyone backwards or forwards in time, and he can also summon anyone from anywhere — alive or dead.

Furthermore, we'll go out on a limb here and mention the one key absence from season 3: Jack's half brother, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), who made a brief cameo in season 2. Wesley became a mystical Traveler and hasn't been seen or heard from since he left three decades prior, so it would be very fitting to have Wesley arrive to help his brother combat Q’s merry mayhem.

We don't know what the future holds for the crew of the Enterprise-G, but it's safe to say that  Paramount Plus and showrunner Terry Matalas have something planned. Matalas told Entertainment Weekly after the finale aired that "Jack’s got a lot to do, let me tell you." So it looks like the continuing mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise will continue.

You can watch the entire Star Trek: Picard series right now on Paramount Plus .

Sarabeth joined the What to Watch team in May 2022. An avid TV and movie fan, her perennial favorites are The Walking Dead, American Horror Story , true crime documentaries on Netflix and anything from Passionflix. You’ve Got Mail , Ocean's Eleven and Signs are movies that she can watch all day long. She's also a huge baseball fan, and hockey is a new favorite.  

When she's not working, Sarabeth hosts the My Nights Are Booked Podcast and a blog dedicated to books and interviews with authors and actors. She also published her first novel, Once Upon an Interview , in 2022. 

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'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Finale Post-Credits Scene Explained: Ending at the Beginning

"A simple name for a complicated being."

Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for the series finale of Star Trek: Picard.

After ten thrilling weeks, Star Trek: Picard has, at long last, aired its final episode bringing the final story for The Next Generation crew to an end. The long-awaited final season delivered the even longer-awaited reunion of the TNG cast for one last ride, giving them a more fitting send-off than the one fans had been left with after the last (poorly received) Next Gen movie, Star Trek: Nemesis .

Season 3 kicked off with a distress call from Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ) leading Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) into the greatest adventure of his life. When Picard and Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) arrive aboard her ship — finding her in dire straits — they're greeted by a son they never knew she had and it quickly becomes clear that Picard is his father. The mystery that unfolds from there brings in some of Star Trek 's greatest foes and most legendary heroes. From a harrowing showdown with one of the most formidable changelings we've ever seen on screen, to the return of Picard's most personal enemy, the Borg , Season 3 is jam-packed with action, Easter eggs, and emotional performances.

The final two episodes of the series play together like a movie, bringing the crew of the Enterprise-D home to the bridge where they spent their lives learning to trust each other and defend the galaxy. In the Picard finale, Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ) finally discovers the mystery that has been plaguing him his entire life — Picard's fateful run-in with the Borg has made his son into a sort of human-borg hybrid. As the crew sets out to rescue Jack and save Earth and all of Starfleet from one of the most dangerous attacks they've ever faced, every member of this found family is in fine form. Picard is forced to face his darkest fears to rescue the people that mean the most to him—Beverly, Riker, and Worf ( Michael Dorn ) are action heroes, Geordi ( LeVar Burton ) takes the captain's chair, Data ( Brent Spiner ) is able to rely on his instincts, and Deanna ( Marina Sirtis ) flies the D into the heart of the Borg cube to bring them all home.

Elsewhere, Seven ( Jeri Ryan ) and Raffi ( Michelle Hurd ) serve as Starfleet's last line of defense. And when all is said and done we're left with a profound sense of hope. Flash forward to a year later, and Jack has fully embraced his father's chosen family and is now an ensign assigned to one of Starfleet's most notable ships—the Titan turned Enterprise-G. Woven into the merriment of these final moments is the sense that the game never ends, there will always be new adventures for these heroes even if we never see them again. As we close out the series with a shot that beautifully mirrors the series finale of The Next Generation , we linger with the crew playing one last round of poker. We stay here through the end of the main credits, and we're greeted with a lovely little post-credits scene of Jack unpacking his things in his crew quarters. In this final moment, Picard squeezes in one last infamous Easter egg with the appearance of John de Lancie 's Q . Though humanity's trial has long ended for Picard, Q informs Jack that it has only just begun for him. RELATED: 'Star Trek: Picard's Gates McFadden Talks 'InvestiGates' Season 2, Dream Guests, and What She Loves About Beverly Crusher

The Q Continuum is an omnipotent alien race of godlike beings that can travel anywhere in time and space and do almost anything you can imagine with the snap of their fingers. This particular Q hs appeared to Picard in both the premiere and finale of The Next Generation — as well as several times in between, and he also appeared on both Voyager and Deep Space Nine .

While Q is not exactly an outright villain, he's somewhat of an antagonist, especially for Picard who often found him to be the very bane of his existence. De Lancie has always played the character as a roguish foil to Stewart's more formal Picard, and their chemistry throughout the years created a fascinating sort of love-hate relationship that was a genuine pleasure to watch whenever the two shared the small screen.

Bringing Q Back From the Dead

In the final episodes of Season 2 of Picard , Q assumed that he was dying and fans expected to never see him again. However, it's so extremely like this trickster to rise from the dead upon learning that the son of Jean-Luc Picard has joined Starfleet. Collider's own Maggie Lovitt recently sat down with Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas to discuss the series finale, including this special moment. During their conversation, Matalas spoke about bringing the series back to where it all began. "Where better to end than at the beginning, right," he told Lovitt. "It was an honor." Q's appearance in this post-credits scene echoes his first appearance to Picard, down to his regal red and black costuming. Getting de Lancie to come back for this special moment was as easy as asking according to Matalas, who told the actor about his plans on his final day on set for Season 2 — "I told John [de Lancie] about it on his last day, and he was like, 'Absolutely, I'll come back. It would be amazing.'"

Matalas also explained that the moment serves as a sort of callback to a moment from the Next Generation finale. "That moment at the end of “All Good Things…” when Q goes to whisper about, 'There's a thing you should know, Jean-Luc,' and then he's like, 'Ah, you'll see.' Maybe that was about Jack," the writer/director told Lovitt. This moment acts as a hopeful cherry on top of the final season of Picard . With the introduction of the next Next Generation alongside so many iconic legacy characters, fans have been calling for a spin-off series . While nothing has been greenlit yet at Paramount, the inclusion of this moment certainly proves that the possibility is there. Whether we see these characters again on our screens, in comics, or in novelizations, Q's return is a happy reminder that these adventures could continue for eternity.

Don't miss Lovitt's full conversation with Matalas on the series finale. All 10 episodes of Picard Season 3 are now available on Paramount+.

‘Star Trek’: John de Lancie Returning as Q in ‘Picard,’ ‘Discovery’ Season 4 Trailer Released

By Antonio Ferme

Antonio Ferme

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Paramount Plus revealed a teaser trailer for the upcoming second season of “ Star Trek : Picard ,” which will premiere in 2022.

The teaser trailer was introduced by Sir Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard for seven seasons on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” at the top of Paramount Plus’ slew of First Contact Day virtual panels. Additionally, it was revealed that production on the second season has already begun. 

John de Lancie, who first portrayed the iconic character Q on “The Next Generation,” confirmed that he will appear in the second season alongside Stewart. Q shared comedic chemistry with Picard on the “Star Trek” series, often getting on the captain’s nerves. Picard initially deemed Q’s services unnecessary, but as the series progresses, Q morphed into a mentor role to Picard. In the episode “Deja Q,” he said Picard is “the closest thing in this universe that I have to a friend.”

“Star Trek: Picard” follows Stewart’s iconic character into the next chapter of his life. Joining Stewart in the second season are  Alison Pill, Isa Briones, Evan Evagora, Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera, Jeri Ryan, Orla Brady and Brent Spiner.  

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Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, Terry Matalas, Michael Chabon, Doug Aarniokoski, Dylan Massin, Patrick Stewart, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth will serve as executive producers on the second season. Aaron Baiers and Kirsten Beyer will serve as co-executive producers, while Akiva Goldsman and Terry Matalas will serve as co-showrunners. The series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.

Watch the teaser trailer below:

Paramount Plus revealed a teaser trailer for the fourth season of “ Star Trek: Discovery ,” which will premiere later this year.

The teaser trailer was introduced by series star Sonequa Martin-Green following the “Women In Motion” panel during today’s virtual global First Contact Day celebration. The fourth season finds  Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered.  With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all.

Starring alongside Martin-Green are  Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and Ian Alexander (Gray).

Watch the teaser below:

Paramount Plus also announced that the second season of the animated comedy series “Star Trek: Lower Decks” will premiere on August 12 .

The premiere date and teaser trailer were introduced by series creator Mike McMahan during Paramount Plus’ First Contact Day celebration.  The series follows the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos , in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi have to keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.

The Starfleet crew is voiced by Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell and Gillian Vigman.

Paramount Plus also announced that the feature-length documentary “Woman in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA” will begin streaming on  June 3 .

The news was revealed by Mica Burton, moderator of the “Women In Motion” panel. Directed by Todd Thompson, the documentary features the remarkable and inspiring true story of how the “Star Trek” actress transformed her sci-fi television stardom into a real-life science career.

In 1977, Nichols embarked on a campaign to bring diversity to NASA. She formed the company Women In Motion, Inc. and recruited more than 8,000 African American, Asian and Latino women and men for the agency. Nichols and her program continue to influence the younger generation of astronauts as well, including Mae Jemison, the first female African American astronaut in space.

In addition to Nichols, “Woman in Motion” features notable celebrities, activists, scientists and astronauts including Neil deGrasse Tyson, George Takei, Pharrell Williams, Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton, Vivica A. Fox, Water Koenig, Rod Roddenberry, Michael Dorn, Guy Bluford, Charles Bolden, Ivor Dawson, Frederik Gregory and Benjamin Crump.

Watch the trailer below:

Paramount Plus released a first look image of Captain Kathryn Janeway from the upcoming animated kids’ series “Star Trek: Prodigy,” which is set to premiere later this year.

“Star Trek: Voyager” actor Kate Mulgrew reprises her role as Janeway, who will serve as the starship’s built in emergency training hologram. The news was revealed by executive producers Kevin and Dan Hageman during Paramount Plus’ final First Contact Day panel. 

Set after the events of “Star Trek: Voyager,” the series takes place in the Delta Quadrant and follows a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy. While searching for a better future, these six young outcasts know nothing about the ship they have taken over, but over the course of their adventures together, they will each be introduced to Starfleet and the ideals it represents.

See the first look below:

To finish off the series of panels, ReedPop announced that they are joining forces with ViacomCBS Consumer Products as the official convention partner for the “Star Trek” franchise. The partnership will kick off in 2022 with “Star Trek: Mission Chicago,” a three-day immersive event that will serve as the ultimate destination for fans of the iconic franchise. It will take place at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center from April 8-10, 2022.

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What's the deal with Jack Crusher in 'Star Trek: Picard'?

Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher's son had always known he was "different". Here's everything you need to know about Jack Crusher.

• Connection to the Borg
• Joining the Borg
• Picard's body
• Changelings interest in Jack
• Rescuing Jack
• What's next?

Warning: Spoilers ahead if you haven't watched "Star Trek: Picard" episode 9, 'Võx' and episode 10, 'The Last Generation' .

As soon as Jack Crusher turned up in "Star Trek: Picard season 3", his place in franchise history was assured – after all, as the son of Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher, he's effectively Starfleet royalty.

But there's more to Jack than the compassionate but morally flexible doctor we first encounter on board the SS Eleos XII. Over the course of the season we've seen visions and inner voices evolve into full-on superpowers, but the cause of his "gifts" remained a tantalizing mystery… until Deanna Troi took a peek behind the locked red door in his mind. 

In episode 9, 'Võx', we finally learned why there was "something very wrong" with Jack – and why Vadic and the Changelings were so obsessed with tracking him down. It turned out his powers are the direct result of his father's assimilation by the Borg 35 years earlier, and he became the cornerstone of the Collective's latest assault on the Federation. 

"I always thought if people could only see each other, hear each other, speak in one voice, act in one mind together…" the altruistic Jack explained in the episode. "Who knew a little cybernetic authoritarianism was the answer?"

Here's everything you need to know about Jack Crusher and his Borg heritage in "Star Trek: Picard season 3".

Watch Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+: $4.99/mo (Essential) or $9.99/mo (Premium)

Watch all three seasons of Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+, along with almost every other Star Trek show and movie.

What are Jack Crusher's abilities?

We saw Jack Crusher's (Ed Speleers) superhuman abilities evolve throughout the course of "Star Trek: Picard" season 3. Early on, these traits manifested themselves as voices, visions and unexplained fighting skills. We've since seen him listen to crewmates' thoughts and take control of their minds and bodies, remote-controlling them in hand-to-hand combat against the Changelings.

When Counselor Deanna Troi arrived on the USS Titan, however, she realized that Jack's gifts were not necessarily a good thing. "There's a darkness with that boy," she pointed out. "Not in him but around him, passing through him. And a voice inside him, ancient and weak, but a voice that isn't his own." 

Jack eventually admitted that his recurring visions of spooky red vines represent connection, something he saw as "right, true, purposeful… perfect." And when he allowed Troi to open the imposing red door lurking in his mind's eye, the shock prompted her to run away from their consultation. Understandable, perhaps, seeing as it was a Borg Cube. 

What was Jack's connection with the Borg?

It's something Jack inherited from his dad.

When Jean-Luc Picard was assimilated by the Borg in classic "Star Trek: The Next Generation" two-parter 'The Best of Both Worlds', he briefly became part of the Collective as Locutus. He was subsequently rescued by the Enterprise crew and, after his cybernetic implants were removed, cleared by Starfleet to return to active duty. 

But Starfleet's doctors didn't realize that the Borg had also made some biological adaptations to Picard's DNA. "I survived without scars," he explained, "but not, it seems, unchanged." These modifications would come to manifest themselves in symptoms misdiagnosed as Irumodic Syndrome, the degenerative neurological condition that wound up killing Jean-Luc's human body in the first season of "Picard". These genetic alterations were also the reason Picard could still "hear" the Borg in "Star Trek: First Contact".

In 'Võx', set some 35 years after Picard's close encounter with the Collective, it emerged that he inadvertently passed his Borg DNA onto his long-lost son – and that the traits Jack inherited were no longer dormant. It was also apparent that the Collective no longer required electronic components to operate as a hive mind.

Did Jack willfully join forces with the Collective?

Yes and no. 

It's undeniable that the lure of the Borg Queen's voice (which, for most of Jack's life, has sounded like his mother's) was strong, and that he used his aforementioned powers to escape custody, steal a shuttlecraft and jump into one of the Borg's transwarp conduits for a journey "home". But this course of action initially owed more to Jack's desire to find some answers – and avoid a lifetime of mind melds and lobotomies in a Vulcan institution – than embracing an opportunity to betray his shipmates 

When Jack found the Borg Queen (voiced by Alice Krige, who originated the role in "First Contact") on a derelict Borg space station, she explained that in contrast with his father – who, as Locutus, was the "one who speaks" – he was "the voice itself". She also persisted with her Latin naming convention, telling Jack his Borg self would be known as Võx.

Jack wasn't on board with the plan, however, and tried to shoot her – an act he described as "mercy" – but his in-built programming prevented him from doing so. He was quickly hooked up to some prehensile Borg cables to connect with the Collective – though it's unlikely that was his intent when he left the Titan.

Why was Jean-Luc Picard's human body so important?

When Picard's (misdiagnosed) Irumodic Syndrome became terminal in "Picard" season 1, Data 's human "brother" Dr Altan Soong gifted him an advanced cybernetic "golem" body. After Picard had died, however, Soong realized there was an "anomalous form" inside his body and ordered his remains be preserved at Daystrom Station for further study. 

This "anomalous form" was, of course, the result of the Borg's genetic tinkering – and the central pillar of their plan to assimilate Starfleet. The Borg's plan was to spread Picard's Borg-altered DNA throughout Starfleet using the transporters.

Why did the Changelings want to get their hands on Jack?

The entire season was an unexpected team-up between "The Next Generation" era's most iconic villains.

The late Vadic and her new-and-improved Changeling forces were the perfect allies for the Borg. As well as sharing the Collective's hatred for the Federation, their shapeshifting abilities ensured they could infiltrate all levels of Starfleet. 

Changeling operatives deployed throughout the fleet then incorporated the Borg DNA recovered from Picard's deceased body into starship transporter systems. As crew members beamed on and off their ships, the computers recognized this new genetic code as "common biology" and integrated it into the DNA of every officer in the fleet. 

The Changelings wanted Jack because of they needed his Borg-altered DNA, though they later ended up acquiring this from Picard's body.

What was the Borg's plan?

They wanted to assimilate Starfleet by stealth – and Starfleet unwittingly made it easy for them. Not only were numerous starships gathered in one place to celebrate Federation Day – the 250th anniversary of Starfleet – but they also showcased the new "Fleet Formation Mode", in which their computer systems were integrated as one. 

More importantly, with Jack hooked up to the Collective, the Borg Queen was in prime position to implement her masterplan. When the assimilation signal was activated, it allowed her to activate the dormant Borg DNA lurking inside unsuspecting crewmembers. In an instant, hundreds of officers – including Geordi La Forge's daughters, Sidney and Alandra – were transformed into drones. They subsequently assimilated every ship in Starfleet.

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There was a flaw in the Borg Queen's evil scheme, however. Thanks to a classic (and arguably over convenient) piece of "Star Trek" pseudo-science, Data explained that the "Borg genetic material doesn't propagate in a species past a certain point in the development cycle", meaning it affected younger members of the crew, but not their more senior counterparts. In other words, if ever there was a time for the veteran "TNG" crew to come into their own, this was it. 

Picard and the crew subsequently returned to the Fleet Museum where Geordi La Forge revealed he'd rebuilt their old ship, the USS Enterprise-D, last seen crash-landing on Viridian III in "Star Trek: Generations". Because it's systems were too old to connect to Starfleet's networked computers, they were able to infiltrate the Borg Queen's vessel and destroy the signal beacon assimilating Starfleet's kids.

Rescuing Jack from the Borg

Jack was given Borg implants much like his father's and became the central processing unit of the hive mind. He wasn't overly eager to leave, either, as he found peace in the Collective, a place where there was no loneliness, no fear and no suffering. 

When Picard plugged himself into the hive mind, however, he managed to convince Jack of the importance of family, and remind him that he didn't have to feel alone. Jack then disconnected himself from the Borg voluntarily, and was beamed onto the Enterprise (along with Picard, Riker and Worf) before the Cube exploded.

What's next for Jack Crusher?

Jack was fast-tracked through Starfleet Academy and posted to the USS Titan, now renamed the USS Enterprise-G in honor of Picard and co's efforts saving Earth and the Federation from the Borg and the Dominion. Newly promoted captain Seven of Nine appointed him as special counselor to the captain, giving him a spot on the bridge. 

That's not the end of Jack's story, however. In the end credits of the season finale, Jack received a visit from everyone's favorite omnipotent super-being, Q, who's not quite as dead as season 2 led us to believe. When Jack pointed out the ongoing trial of humanity (which had begun in "TNG" pilot 'Encounter at Farpoint') was supposed to be over, Q confirmed it was for Picard – but that Jack's "has just begun". 

It feels like the set-up for a spin-off featuring Seven, Raffi, Sidney and Jack, but don't get your hopes up just yet – showrunner Terry Matalas has stated "there is nothing in development at Paramount."

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Richard's love affair with outer space started when he saw the original "Star Wars" on TV aged four, and he spent much of the ’90s watching "Star Trek”, "Babylon 5” and “The X-Files" with his mum. After studying physics at university, he became a journalist, swapped science fact for science fiction, and hit the jackpot when he joined the team at SFX, the UK's biggest sci-fi and fantasy magazine. He liked it so much he stayed there for 12 years, four of them as editor. 

He's since gone freelance and passes his time writing about "Star Wars", "Star Trek" and superheroes for the likes of SFX, Total Film, TechRadar and GamesRadar+. He has met five Doctors, two Starfleet captains and one Luke Skywalker, and once sat in the cockpit of "Red Dwarf"'s Starbug.  

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‘Star Trek: Picard’ Finale End Credits Scene Teases Possible Spinoff

Where to stream:.

• Star Trek: Picard

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Renewed For Season 4 At Paramount+

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If you expected the series finale of Star Trek: Picard to wrap things up neatly with a bow? Well, you were sort of right. The story of the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew came to a satisfying close, as well as the story being told over the course of this third season of Picard on Paramount+. But in a surprise end credits scene, it turns out there might be more tales to tell.

Specifically, the end credits scene seems to set up a potential spinoff of Star Trek: Picard , continuing the adventures of some of the characters we followed throughout Season 3 (and some we followed through seasons 1 and 2 as well). However, a representative for Paramount+ confirmed to Decider that the post-credits tease is just that: a tease, and no Picard spinoff news is coming this week.

But if you missed the episode, you might be wondering exactly how that Picard end credits scene went down, as well as what it means for the heavily fan (and showrunner Terry Matalas) supported Star Trek: Legacy spinoff idea. Let’s get into it!

Spoilers past this point for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 10 “The Last Generation”.

In the episode, after beating the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) once and for all, a year later the Federation is rebuilding in order to continue protecting the galaxy. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) are taking their son Jack (Ed Speleers) to his first day as an official member of Starfleet, when they surprise Picard with the reveal of the refurbished USS Titan , now called… USS Enterprise , naturally.

Though Picard and Crusher are just dropping their son off at work, we do get a glimpse of this new crew, including Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Number One Raffi (Michelle Hurd), Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut), and a few other members of the former crew of the Titan , now Enterprise . Jack gets his own spot on board as Special Counsel to the Captain, taking his place in the third seat on the bridge to Seven of Nine’s left.

The episode ends not with this crew, though, but with the former Next Generation crew reminiscing, drinking, and playing cards. That’s a wrap — for now — on Picard, Crusher, Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Data (Brent Spiner), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Worf (Michael Dorn) and Geordi La Forge (Levar Burton), bringing the story of Next Generation officially to a close after more than 30 years.

But wait, there’s more! In case you didn’t stick around through the long, spiraling shot of the crew’s poker game as the credits played, you might have missed the Star Trek: Picard end credits sequence, something that teases there’s a whole lot more to come.

In it, we cut to the Enterprise circling an enormous, red sun. Then we’re in Jack’s quarters, where he’s approached by a mysterious figure. That man? None other than the all-powerful, extradimensional being known as Q (John De Lancie). Jack is surprised, not least of which because Q is supposed to be dead (he died in Picard Season 2), though you can’t keep a god-like being down. Jack is also surprised because Q was supposed to be done with testing humanity, again after Picard Season 2. But Q clarifies that he was just done testing Picard… Jack’s test has only just begun. The final shot is of Jack, who smiles slightly, clearly excited by the prospect of his own big adventures down the road.

Beyond retconning the main events of Star Trek: Picard Season 2 — the Borg introduced there weren’t the real Borg, and Q dying was clearly a trick of some sort — this end credits scene neatly sets up a potential spinoff of Star Trek: Picard that would position the show as a true continuation of Star Trek: The Next Generation . To be clear, there have been multiple spinoffs in the universe, including Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , both of which took place in the same time period as Next Generation . And Nickelodeon’s Star Trek: Prodigy , which is canonical despite being animated, takes place in a similar time period to Star Trek: Picard , which picks up three decades later. But one character, and narrative thrust that defined Next Generation was Q.

As mentioned above, Q was always testing Picard. In fact, the first episode and the finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation were both concerned with Q’s ongoing test of humanity through the character of Jean-Luc Picard. It seems pretty clear that Terry Matalas, who wrote and directed the Picard finale and has been the main proponent of a spinoff he calls Star Trek: Legacy (a ball the fanbase has been more than happy to run with) is setting up a potential sequel series with the same Q-based story kick-off, except with Picard’s son.

Will Matalas get a chance to follow up on this? Possibly. Paramount+ has been careful to announce spinoffs in the Star Trek Universe, though with both Picard and Star Trek: Discovery ending, there’s more room to play in the galaxy. And other than Prodigy and Star Trek: Lower Decks , which is also animated and takes place in the post- Next Gen era, the live action shows are in other places entirely. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set pre- The Original Series , meaning several hundred years earlier. Based on some plot details it’s fair to speculate the recently announced Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series is set in the same era as Discovery , meaning several hundred years after Next Gen . And the Star Trek: Section 31 movie announced earlier this week is set in a time period TBA. Short version? This era is wide open to play in, if Paramount+ wants to pursue the series.

When Decider spoke to Speleers about joining a possible spinoff , he said, “100%. Like, genuinely, I would. This role, it meant so much to me at the time, both going into work physically every day, but also just emotionally. I would love to play Jack Crusher for a very long time.”

Other cast members have expressed the same enthusiasm, and it’s already clear Matalas is on board if Paramount will have him. Given the critical acclaim Picard ‘s third season has had? Make it so.

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• View history

Q was a highly powerful individual from a race of godlike aliens known as the Q .

• 1.1.1 Trial
• 1.1.3 Guide
• 1.1.4 Being Human
• 1.1.5 Meeting Vash and acting as benefactor
• 1.1.6 Never-ending trial
• 1.2.1 Quinn
• 1.2.3 Junior
• 1.3 The Cerritos
• 1.4 The Road Not Taken
• 1.5 Visiting Jack Crusher
• 2 Q's disguises
• 3 Locations "created" by Q
• 4.1 Appearances
• 4.2 Background information
• 4.3 Apocrypha
• 4.4 External links

History [ ]

Q appeared to the crews of several Starfleet vessels and outposts during the 2360s and 2370s . As a consequence, all command level officers in Starfleet were briefed on his existence thereafter. One such briefing was attended by Benjamin Sisko in 2367 . ( DS9 : " Q-Less ") Q typically appeared as a humanoid male , though he could take on other forms if he wished, and was almost always dressed in the uniform of a Starfleet captain . ( VOY : " Death Wish ")

In every appearance, he demonstrates superior capabilities, but also a mindset that seemed quite unlike what Federation scientists expected for such a powerful being. He had been described, in turn, as "obnoxious," "interfering," and a "pest." However, underneath his acerbic attitude, there seemed to be a hidden agenda to Q's visits that often had the best interests of Humanity at their core.

On Brax , he was known as "The God of Lies ." ( DS9 : " Q-Less ")

In the 22nd century , Q had "some dealings" with the El-Aurian Guinan . These encounters resulted in strong antipathy between them. ( TNG : " Q Who ")

When temporarily rendered Human by the Q Continuum , Q claimed to possess an IQ of "two thousand and five". ( TNG : " Deja Q ")

Q occasionally used verbal contractions in regular speech, but not often, as part of his chaotic god title. ( citation needed • edit )

By 2401 , Q was, for an unknown reason, dying, something that he had not believed to be possible. ( PIC : " Mercy ") Not wanting Picard to die alone as Q was about to, he endeavored to unshackle Picard from his past guilt so that he could move forward with his life simply because Q genuinely cared about Picard and wished to help his friend rather than for a grander design of some kind. To this end, Q intervened to save Picard and his friends from the destruction of the USS Stargazer and created an alternate timeline by altering the history of the Europa Mission in 2024 . After Picard and his friends restored the original timeline, Q revealed his true intentions and used the last of his power to send them home and to resurrect Elnor . Q's death saddened Picard who had come to see the being as a true friend and who ensured that Q was not alone when he finally met his end. ( PIC : " Farewell ")

In 2402 , despite his apparent death, Q appeared to Picard's son Jack Crusher , simply chiding him for thinking too linearly when asked about his death. Q told Jack that while the trial of humanity had ended for Picard, it had only just begun for Jack. Q's response to Jack's question about his death suggests that either Q never died or Jack was not meeting him in linear order to Picard's last encounter with Q, meaning that this Q may have been a version from before his supposed death. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Picard and the Enterprise -D [ ]

Q was first encountered by the Federation when he appeared aboard the USS Enterprise -D in early 2364 . He warned the crew of the Enterprise that Humanity should return to their home star system or be destroyed.

Q appearing as a soldier of the Third World War

When he encountered resistance, Q placed Humanity on trial, with Jean-Luc Picard and his command crew as representatives. Q accused Humanity of being a "dangerous, savage child-race". Picard managed to strike a deal with Q, however, and submitted to a test of conduct to prove that Humanity had evolved beyond its previously savage state.

The Enterprise 's mission to Farpoint Station served as this test. The Starfleet crew sufficiently proved their evolved state of being by discovering and assisting a space vessel lifeform that had been coerced by the Bandi to take the form of a starbase . Q disappeared, but promised the crew they had not seen the last of him. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ")

Q explaining to Picard that how Humans respond to a game tells more about them than a direct confrontation

The next time Q appeared on the Enterprise later that year, he created a bizarre and deadly "game" for the ship's crew, in order to demonstrate that he had given Commander William T. Riker Q-like abilities. His motives for this were that Humans had a desire to grow and explore, which the Q did not have or understand. Q wanted Riker to join the Continuum so they could understand and possess this desire because if they did not, Humanity could one day surpass the Q.

Q and Picard settled on a bet that, if Riker rejected his offer, the Q would leave Humanity alone forever. Ultimately, Riker rejected these new powers, and Q was forced back into the Continuum. ( TNG : " Hide And Q ")

Because of those actions, Q was asked to leave the Q Continuum. ( TNG : " Q Who ")

" Do we stay out here years? Decades? "

Q's third appearance on the Enterprise was in 2365 . He presented himself as homeless and expressed an interest in joining Picard's crew, his reason being that Humanity would eventually push into uncharted territory and would need a guide as they were ill-prepared to face what they would find. He even offered to renounce his powers to prove that his offer was genuine. However, when Picard vehemently declined (inspired by thinking that Humanity could handle any threat), Q hurled the Enterprise into the path of a Borg cube . Ultimately, Picard had to beg for Q's help in escaping from the pursuit of the Borg ship. ( TNG : " Q Who ")

In that encounter, Q alluded to a past association with Enterprise bartender Guinan. She declined to elaborate on the nature of their relationship, other than to express an extreme dislike for Q. Based on Q's reactions, the sentiment seemed mutual. ( TNG : " Q Who ")

Being Human [ ]

Powerless, Q meets Guinan in Ten Forward

In 2366 , Q was stripped of his power and immortality and transformed into a Human by the Q Continuum, as punishment for his irresponsibility. He sought refuge on the Enterprise , and requested asylum and protection from the beings in the universe whom he had tormented. Though Captain Picard and the rest of the crew were unconvinced of the sincerity of Q's plea and indeed suspected the entire situation was merely an elaborate prank, Picard agreed to provide Q temporary asylum. During a visit to Ten Forward (almost humorously), Guinan took advantage of the situation and stabbed Q in the hand with a fork. Though not a scientist, Q provided theoretical guidance for Geordi La Forge 's analysis of Bre'el IV 's moon , which was in danger of colliding with its planet of orbit . During that time, Data was assigned to watch Q and Q gained an unusual perspective on Humanity and its condition from observing Data, in turn. However, after a Calamarain attack nearly destroyed Data (who risked his life to protect Q), Q became ashamed of his newly-discovered lack of empathy for other beings, and resolved to leave on a shuttle, allow the Calamarain to kill him, and prevent further risk to the Enterprise crew. Another Q intervened at that point, acknowledged Q's selfless act and restored his powers as a reward. In gratitude, Q corrected the orbit of the moon and also gave a special gift to Data, his "professor of the Humanities", a brief moment of genuine laughter. ( TNG : " Deja Q ")

Meeting Vash and acting as benefactor [ ]

In 2367 , the Enterprise crew encountered a woman claiming to be the mythical Ardra of Ventax II . Her demonstrations of omnipotent power resembled those of Q, to the extent that the Enterprise crew speculated that she might be of the Q Continuum or perhaps Q himself. Picard pointed out that the woman's obsession with the Contract of Ardra was atypical of Q and her powers were later proved to be the product of sophisticated technology rather than any innate ability. ( TNG : " Devil's Due ")

Q and Vash visiting Deep Space 9 in 2369

Later, in 2367 , Q returned to the Enterprise to "properly" thank Captain Picard for his role in helping him regain his standing in the Continuum. At the time, Picard was meeting a past lover named Vash (whom he had met on Risa ) the year before. ( TNG : " Captain's Holiday ") Q resolved to teach Picard a lesson about love, and cast Picard, Vash, and the Enterprise command crew into an elaborate scenario styled by the ancient legend of Robin Hood . Q himself assumed the role of the High Sheriff of Nottingham . Ultimately, Picard learned and everyone was returned to the Enterprise . However, intrigued by Vash, Q offered to take her on a journey of exploration to various archaeological ruins of the galaxy and she accepted. To pay his debt to Picard, he promised no harm would come to Vash. ( TNG : " Qpid ")

Q encouraging Amanda Rogers to use her Q powers

In 2369 , he once again appeared aboard the Enterprise -D, this time to instruct Amanda Rogers , a seemingly Human female who developed Q powers during an internship with Doctor Beverly Crusher . Shortly after Rogers' birth, the Continuum used a tornado to execute Rogers' parents, two Q who had assumed life as Humans on Earth, for being unable to resist using their powers while in Human guise. Although Q's petulant and acerbic attitude did little to ingratiate himself to Amanda, he eventually convinced her to go with him to the Continuum to learn to use her new-found abilities. ( TNG : " True Q ")

A few months later, Q followed Vash back to the Alpha Quadrant , after the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole created a new avenue of travel between there and the Gamma Quadrant . Having had so much fun with Vash, Q wanted to continue exploring the galaxy , but Vash wanted nothing to do with him. While the two were at Deep Space 9 , mysterious power drains were thought to be Q's doing, but they were, in fact, due to an embryonic lifeform that Vash had unknowingly returned from the Gamma Quadrant. Q had a brief confrontation with Commander Benjamin Sisko during his visit and disrupted an auction that Quark and Vash staged in Quark's . Though he was intrigued by Sisko hitting him as Picard never did, Q eventually became bored because "Sisko was so different than Picard," being so much easier to provoke. One might speculate that Q's actions were intended to ensure Vash's safety in regards to the promise that he had made to Picard two years earlier. In the end, Q and Vash went their separate ways, though both eventually admitted to retaining a certain fondness for each other. ( DS9 : " Q-Less ")

Q appearing to Picard as "God" in the afterlife

Later that same year, Q appeared to Picard when the latter was critically injured in a Lenarian ambush. Appearing as "God", Q told Picard he died because of his artificial heart and offered him the chance to return to the incident in his youth, which allowed him to relive the events leading up to his near-fatal injury and change history. Though Picard was successful in changing history, he eventually realized the event – and his previous nature as an arrogant, brash young man – was a part of his identity, and had helped mold him into the successful Starfleet officer he became. Even though he was uncertain as to whether the experience had been real or simply a vision, Picard was grateful for Q's revelation. ( TNG : " Tapestry ")

Never-ending trial [ ]

Q congratulating Picard for his method of collapsing the anomaly

In 2370 , Q returned to the Enterprise to continue the trial against Humanity. Claiming the seven-year-old trial never actually ended, Q proclaimed Humanity guilty of "being inferior" and informed Picard that his race was to be destroyed. He sent him traveling through time to his own past and present, as well as to a potential future. In all three time periods, Picard was presented with a temporal paradox in the form of an eruption of anti-time in the Devron system . In that paradox, Picard himself was responsible for the creation of the anomaly, which propagated backward in normal time, anti-time having the opposite properties of normal time, thus destroying Humanity in the past.

In addition to sending Picard jumping through time, Q provided him with hints to understanding the nature of the paradox. Ultimately, Picard determined the solution and devised a way to close the anti-time anomaly in all three time periods. Following the success, Q revealed that the entire experience had been a test devised by the Continuum and had been aimed at determining whether Humanity was capable of expanding its horizons to understand some of the advanced concepts of the universe, including the potential of Humanity's own evolution – but helping Picard had been his idea. Q promised to continue watching Humanity and proclaimed that " the trial never ends. " ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

Janeway and Voyager [ ]

Q debuting on Voyager

In 2372 , Q was sent by the Continuum to board the USS Voyager , whose crew had unintentionally released a renegade Q from confinement in a rogue comet . When the other Q (later known as "Quinn") asked for asylum on Voyager in order to fulfill his wish to commit suicide , an act considered illegal in the Continuum, Q was permitted to represent the Continuum at a hearing to determine whether the requested asylum would be granted. Q argued that permitting a Q to commit suicide would cause unspeakable chaos and disorder – a profound irony, considering Q's own history as a prankster and renegade. When confronted with his past deeds, Q commented that [his] record has been expunged.

Ultimately, Quinn's arguments prevailed and he was made into a mortal being. Q himself was touched by Quinn's dedication and beliefs – Quinn had previously been an admirer of Q's because of Q's propensity to stir controversy and spread chaos – and actually provided Quinn with the means with which to commit suicide. Q resolved to return to some of his old habits and to encourage the Continuum to allow more chaos into their own order. ( VOY : " Death Wish ")

Following the death of Quinn, a massive Q Civil War broke out as the forces of the status quo resisted the calls for change in the Continuum, by a faction led by Q himself. Seeking to end the conflict, Q devised a plan to mate with Kathryn Janeway , the captain of Voyager , in order to create a new Q / Human hybrid – a new breed of Q that would help bring an end to the civil war. However, Janeway flatly refused.

Q kidnapped Janeway and took her to the Continuum, where he again tried to persuade her by explaining the nature of the conflict. However, Janeway again declined, though she openly sympathized with Q for his inability to understand love and tried to negotiate a truce between the two sides. However, those negotiations failed because the status quo faction refused to accept any terms other than surrender. They tried to execute both Q and Janeway, but they were stopped by personnel from Voyager , with the assistance of Q female , an old flame of Q's. Q and the female Q were able to equip Janeway and the rest of Voyager 's crew with Q weapons , which they were able to use to battle the opposing status quo faction.

Q proposed mating with his old girlfriend instead of with Janeway and she agreed. The new child, nicknamed " Q junior ," became the first child born in the Continuum for millennia and his presence brought an end to the civil war. ( VOY : " The Q and the Grey ")

Q giving Janeway a PADD

Regardless, Q's child did not prove to become the perfect "savior" child he was meant to be; he grew into a spoiled brat and caused chaos and disorder. Q tried to briefly leave his son with "Aunt Kathy" aboard Voyager and hoped that Janeway's "vaunted Starfleet ideals" would rub off on him. Q himself began to learn more about the role of being a parent, revealing that much of Junior's actions were not punished properly by Q. However, after spending years with the child, Junior only began to behave worse. As a result, the Continuum stripped his son of his powers, left him aboard Voyager (again under the care of Janeway), and told him to change his ways within a week or he would be sentenced to spend eternity as an Oprelian amoeba .

Though Q was initially unimpressed by his son's progress, he devised a test of "Q-ness" to determine whether his son had improved his attitude. He masqueraded as a Chokuzan captain and threatened Junior and his friend Icheb after they took the Delta Flyer from Voyager . Junior passed with flying colors and offered to sacrifice himself to face the consequence of his actions, which had endangered Icheb.

However, the Continuum was not impressed by Junior's progress and sentenced him to remain a Human. Outraged, Q proclaimed he would leave the Continuum if his son was not allowed to rejoin – the pair was a "package deal". "Begging for [Q's] return" as a deterrent to instability, Q earlier stated that he "holds them all together", the Continuum acquiesced, on one condition – that Q retain eternal custody of the boy. Grateful for her assistance, Q provided Janeway with a map to a shortcut that would shave three years off Voyager 's journey home. Janeway asked Q why he did not send them all the way back to Earth and his response was that it would be setting a bad example for his son if he did all the work for them. ( VOY : " Q2 ")

The Cerritos [ ]

Q aboard the Cerritos

Q's reputation preceded him aboard the USS Cerritos , when in 2380 , he was referenced by Ensign Brad Boimler in a simile explaining the existence of his girlfriend , Lieutenant Barbara Brinson , whom he described as being "as real as a hopped-up Q on Captain Picard Day ." ( LD : " Cupid's Errant Arrow ")

That same year, he made multiple appearances aboard Cerritos . At one point, while wearing a variation of his judge's garb, he abducted four members of the bridge crew to participate in one of his challenges. He dressed the crew up as chess pieces , and put them on a large chessboard, but had anthropomorphic playing cards holding hockey sticks as the opposing pieces, football goal posts at either end of the game board , and a singing , dancing soccer ball .

After the Cerritos left K'Tuevon Prime , Q appeared before Ensigns Beckett Mariner , Brad Boimler, Sam Rutherford , and D'Vana Tendi to challenge them. Mariner told him they were not in the mood and walked away, even as Q followed them and urged them – in vain – to continue, and lamented that he found Picard to be boring. ( LD : " Veritas ")

The Road Not Taken [ ]

Q appears before Picard following the destruction of the Stargazer

At some point prior to 2401 , Q began to experience a change he believed was impossible: despite everything he believed about the Q as a species, Q was not truly immortal, and he realised that he was going to die. Symptoms of this phenomenon were that Q had begun to lose his powers. Q thought of it as being on "the threshold of the unknowable" and believed that he was about to be "enveloped in the warm glow of meaning" now that his life had a definite end in sight. ( PIC : " Mercy ")

In 2401, three decades after their last encounter, Q visited Picard at his home on Earth . After having ordered USS Stargazer to self-destruct in order to stop the Borg from seizing control of the Starfleet armada, Q had intervened to stop Picard's death. ( PIC : " Penance ") Picard had awoken in his home to find that not only was he alive, but several things had changed. Picard turned to face Q, and Q remarked that Picard was older than he imagined. Snapping his fingers, Q updated his appearance to more closely match the aged Picard and reminded Picard about the words that he imparted to him when they last parted ways, " the trial never ends. " Q reminded Picard about how he had talked about second chances and told him that he was now at the " very end of the road not taken. " ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ")

Following Picard's question as to where they were, Q explained to Picard that he had brought him "home". After Picard inquired about the whereabouts of the Stargazer crew, Q admitted that there was no Stargazer . Picard demanded to know what Q had done, to which Q responded that he had merely shown Picard a world of his own making and stated that it was "Human" of Picard to instead blame him. Picard angrily asked if Q had had enough of playing games with other peoples' lives and exclaimed that he was no longer Q's pawn, to which Q answered that Picard was much more than a pawn – he was instead the " very board upon which this game is played ". When Picard told him that he was too old for Q's "bullshit", Q angrily affirmed that Picard was old, and lamented that time was unfair and had presented Picard with " so many wrinkles... so many disappointments. " Picard demanded that Q get to the point, to " cut to the chase ". Q rambled to Picard about the chase bleeding out and how he was a suture on the wound. Noticing Q's odd behavior, Picard asked Q if he was unwell. Q responded by transporting them both to the vineyard.

At the vineyard, Picard asked again what had happened to the crew of the Stargazer , and Q acknowledged that he had intervened because he had wanted to see him. Picard demanded that Q tell him what he wanted, and Q told him that while he could tell him, Picard was too clever to listen. Picard told Q that he had enough of Q's patronizing, and Q struck Picard, angrily telling Picard that he had had enough of Picard's stubbornness, obstinance, and " insistence on changing in all ways but the one that matters ". Q declared the situation was not a lesson but instead a penance. Q explained that in Picard's original history, Humanity had found a way to spare the planet they were "murdering", but in this timeline, Humanity " keeps the corpse on life support ". Q once again transported Picard back inside the château, where he revealed several alien slaves working for Picard. Despite Picard's insistence that he would never do this, Q stated that " such moral convictions are the luxury of the victors ".

Q offers Picard a choice between remaining as he is, or a chance at "atonement"

Q brought Picard inside the trophy room , explaining the life that Picard had led in this new timeline. Q talked through several of Picard's trophies – including the skulls of Dukat , Martok , and Sarek , all of whom this timeline's Picard had executed in brutal fashion. Q called Picard " the most bloodthirsty, merciless, ruthless Human to ever set out to conquer the galaxy " and asked if Picard wished to see what else had been lost thanks to Picard's fear. He offered Picard a choice: he could remain as he was in this world, trapped inside " the body of a madman, in the world of a madman ", and try to " wash the blood " from his hands for the brutal murders committed by his counterpart – though Q deemed that to be "unwashable". Q offered an alternative: Picard could show atonement, possibly forgiveness. When Picard asked what he would be forgiving, Q answered cryptically that Picard already knew. Q stated that he would not let Picard take this on alone. Picard refused Q's choice and Q left him alone.

Picard would later inform Seven of Nine and Raffaela Musiker of his encounter with Q, and explained that Q would in the past put him to the test using "games" such as the situation they found themselves in. He told them that he felt that there was something wrong with Q, as he was acting stranger than usual.

A Borg Queen held captive in Agnes Jurati 's laboratory was able to perceive the fracture in the timeline and calculated that Q had implemented a single change in the year 2024 to create the current timeline. ( PIC : " Penance ") Q briefly appeared again to Picard aboard CSS La Sirena to repeat his words about this being the only life Picard understood. ( PIC : " Assimilation ")

Q observing Renée Picard, about to attempt to interfere with her mission

Q later observed Renée Picard reading a book before she undertook the Europa Mission . Q attempted to amplify Renée's fear about the upcoming mission, but his powers failed. ( PIC : " Watcher ")

He next attempted to get assistance from Adam Soong , whom he promised to give a cure for his daughter 's genetic disorder . ( PIC : " Fly Me to the Moon ")

During a gala celebrating the Europa Mission, Q, posing as Renée's therapist, encouraged her not to go on the mission and nearly succeeded. However, Picard successfully foiled Q's plan. In response, a desperate Soong tried to run down Renée, only to have Picard take the hit himself in order to save her life. ( PIC : " Two of One ")

Jean-Luc survived and met with Guinan, who performed an El-Aurian ritual in an effort to summon Q. The ritual appeared to fail, and shortly after, Guinan and Jean-Luc were arrested by a team of FBI agents led by Martin Wells . ( PIC : " Monsters ") Q had heard the summons, however, and visited Guinan in prison, where she realized that Q was dying. Q imparted to her that he was trying to find meaning in his remaining time, and that he was using Jean-Luc as a means to that end. He also demonstrated his loss of power by attempting unsuccessfully to vaporize Guinan. Q left with a parting statement that Humans were " all trapped in the past ", which gave Guinan the clue she needed in order for Jean-Luc to pry into Agent Wells' past in order to secure their release. ( PIC : " Mercy ")

Q later hacked himself into a virtual reality program operated by Kore Soong, to reveal to her the truth and offer himself as an ally, in spite of Adam Soong not keeping his end of their bargain. Kore removed the VR headset to end the conversation, but Q had left the permanent cure – labeled "freedom" – in the airlock for her. ( PIC : " Mercy ")

Q before his "death"

After the success of the Europa Mission and the restoration of the original timeline, Picard encountered Q in his home after leaving the skeleton key for his younger self to find in the future. Q noted that although Picard had the chance to potentially save his mother and change his own future, he instead accepted himself as he was and absolved himself. Because Picard had chosen himself, he may now be worthy for someone else to choose and he may even give himself the chance to be loved. Q reminded Picard that he'd told Picard that this was about forgiveness: Picard's own forgiveness of himself. Q stated that Picard had fixed all of the deaths that Q had caused by altering the timeline aside from Tallinn and Elnor . However, Tallinn was always destined to die in every timeline, but thanks to Picard's intervention, Tallinn had met Renée in this one. Picard asked why Q had taken such an interest in him for over thirty years and Q explained that he was dying alone and he didn't want that for Picard. Q had elaborated: " Even gods have favorites and you've always been one of mine. " As such, he had set it up so that Picard would travel back in time and in a round about way come to terms with his mother's death and absolve himself of his perceived responsibility for the event. " As I leave, I leave you free. " For once, Q was not acting as part of some grander design but simply because he cared about Picard and genuinely wanted to help his friend.

Gathering outside, Q prepared to use the last of his power to send Picard and his friends back to their own time, something that would kill Q in his weakened state. With Rios choosing to stay in 2024, Q told Picard that he had an unexpected surplus of energy that he would use to give Picard one last surprise gift. Stating that Q didn't have to die alone, Picard hugged him and an emotional Q promised to " see you out there " and snapped his fingers, sending Picard, Musiker, and Seven back to 2401 moments before the Stargazer 's destruction, allowing Picard the chance to change his future. Shortly thereafter, the group discovered Q's final gift: Q had resurrected Elnor and returned him to the Excelsior . ( PIC : " Farewell ")

Visiting Jack Crusher [ ]

Q in Jack Crusher's quarters aboard the USS Enterprise -G

In 2402 , Q appeared to Jack aboard the USS Enterprise -G . Jack immediately recognized the being, having heard about Q from his father Jean-Luc Picard . Jack was surprised as Q was supposed to be dead, but Q simply stated that he was hoping that "the next generation wouldn't think [time] so linearly", and told him that Jack had much ahead of him. While humanity's trial was over for Picard, Q was here to inform Jack that his trial had only just begun. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Q's disguises [ ]

Locations "created" by Q [ ]

• A post-atomic horror courtroom of 2079 ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " All Good Things... ")
• The planet of the animal things ( TNG : " Hide And Q ")
• Sherwood Forest ( TNG : " Qpid ")
• The afterlife ( TNG : " Tapestry ")
• The puzzle planetoid ( LD : " Veritas ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Encounter at Farpoint " ( Season 1 )
• " Hide And Q "
• " Q Who " ( Season 2 )
• " Deja Q " ( Season 3 )
• " Qpid " ( Season 4 )
• " True Q " ( Season 6 )
• " Tapestry "
• " All Good Things... " ( Season 7 )
• DS9 : " Q-Less " ( Season 1 )
• " Death Wish " ( Season 2 )
• " The Q and the Grey " ( Season 3 )
• " Q2 " ( Season 7 )
• LD : " Veritas "
• " The Star Gazer " ( Season 2 )
• " Penance "
• " Assimilation "
• " Watcher "
• " Fly Me to the Moon "
• " Two of One " ( flashback ; archive footage)
• " Farewell "
• " The Last Generation " ( Season 3 )

Background information [ ]

Filming Q's scene in The Next Generation series finale " All Good Things... "

Q was played by John de Lancie ; Q as the Chozukan commander was played by Michael Kagan .

The idea of Q was conceived by Gene Roddenberry as a way to help fill out the events of "Encounter at Farpoint" from a one-hour to two-hour running time. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 12 , p. 28) The name "Q" was chosen by Roddenberry in honor of an English Star Trek fan named Janet Quarton. She was the first president of the UK Star Trek fan club, and Roddenberry and many others spent time at her home, in the Scottish highlands. ( Star Trek Encyclopedia  (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 191); [1] )

Immediately after Roddenberry invented the character of Q, the other members of the TNG preproduction staff realized it was very reminiscent of the character Trelane from the Star Trek: The Original Series episode " The Squire of Gothos ". " We're all looking at each other, saying, 'It's Trelane [from the original series] all over again,' " remembered David Gerrold . " We all hated it and very gently suggested to Gene that it wasn't very good. Of course, this fell on deaf ears. He said, 'Trust me, the way I'll do it, the fans will love it.' " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 67)

In an interview, de Lancie likewise drew parallels between Q and Trelane, feeling Gene Roddenberry had explored his storehouse of effective creations in writing The Next Generation and had found one that would turn out to be highly successful again in The Next Generation . [2] In another interview, de Lancie stated that, upon thinking of ways to describe Q's character, he had remembered a famous quote made about Lord Byron : That he was "mad, bad, and dangerous to know." ( Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special )

Minimal makeup was used for the character of Q. " We always defined Q with a little eye makeup and a little lip color, just to make him stand out, " recalled Makeup Supervisor Michael Westmore . ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 12 , p. 26)

Production designer Herman Zimmerman was influential in the depiction of Q as a judge presiding over a courtroom . In the script of "Encounter at Farpoint," Q seemed to be floating in that area, though none of the production crew could figure out precisely how to show Q floating without resorting to visual effects for every one of those shots. Ultimately, Zimmerman suggested putting de Lancie on a camera crane and bringing him into the courtroom out of a black hole, which was exactly how Q's arrival in that scene was shot. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 12 , p. 30)

The depiction of Q in "Encounter at Farpoint" turned out to be extremely popular. Yar actress Denise Crosby commented, " The character of Q, and the way John de Lancie was playing it, was really interesting. " Rick Berman noted, " I think [Q] was certainly the most memorable element of that opening episode. " "Encounter at Farpoint" Director Corey Allen remarked, " Q was so clearly a wonderful idea of Gene's, about the questions we all ask ourselves; he was the interrogator that each of us carries on our shoulder. " Herman Zimmerman observed that his idea of having Q arrive in the courtroom on a camera crane "worked very well." ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 12 , pp. 19, 28, & 30)

Though a first draft script of TNG Season 1 episode " Hide And Q " that Maurice Hurley penned was substantially rewritten by Gene Roddenberry, the character of Q still intrigued Hurley thereafter. He thought of Q as an unreliable god and subsequently intended for him to feature in a story arc through the second season . Due to a writers' strike though, he was only returned in the Season 2 episode " Q Who " before Hurley left the series. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 12 , pp. 52 & 53)

Rob Bowman , who got an opportunity to direct de Lancie as Q in "Q Who," enjoyed the experience, finding that de Lancie was easy to direct in the role. " He really had a grasp of the peculiarities of that character, " Bowman remarked. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 12 , p. 95)

Though Q was a recurring character over a relatively long time, he was used sparingly by the Star Trek producers in case fans got tired of him. Gowron actor Robert O'Reilly once likened these circumstances to his own situation, regarding his portrayal of Gowron. ( The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine  issue 16 , p. 22) Writing staffer Ronald D. Moore commented, " Q was a fascinating character, but I thought that he should be carefully rationed through the series. I thought if you played him about once a season, that was the most you wanted to use him. " ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 90, p. 17)

Devising Q stories challenged the writing staff of Star Trek: The Next Generation due to the character's omnipotence. Q could not be made completely into an adversary as he could simply wipe all the characters out of existence. The fact he was intended to be all-powerful also raised the question of why he even bothered with Humans and their allies. Both Ronald D. Moore and Jeri Taylor found it difficult to write for the character, though Moore also regarded doing so as "fun" because Q's extreme powers allowed the writers a wide variety of stories they could feature him in. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 113 , p. 68)

Patrick Stewart and John de Lancie during the filming of " Tapestry "

Following Q's appearance in " Q-Less ", the possibility of him making another visit to DS9 was dismissed by Ira Steven Behr , when he remarked, " I don't foresee Q being back on the show. To me, his relationship with Picard was gold. And I don't think we can top it. " ( AOL chat , 1997 ) Ron Moore agreed, " The secret to Q was the Q and Picard relationship. Q was in love with Picard, for some reason. That was the underpinning of the relationship, which was why, when he came to Deep Space Nine , he wasn't as effective a character. The weird love affair that he had going with Jean-Luc made that whole thing work, and it made ' Tapestry ' work, and ultimately it made ' All Good Things... ' work. " ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 90, p. 17)

Q was originally rumored to make an appearance in Star Trek: Insurrection ; however, Michael Piller ultimately put those rumors to rest. ( AOL chat , 1997 )

In 2002 , Q placed eleventh in TV Zone 's list of the top twenty science fiction television villains, along with several other Star Trek characters; the Borg Queen was second, Dukat was fourth, Weyoun was eighth, and Seska was nineteenth. However, despite his listing, Q is not necessarily a villain, but more of an anti-hero.

Along with Quark, Morn , and Evek , Q is one of only four characters to appear in all of the first three Star Trek series based in the 24th century : Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and Star Trek: Voyager . Of these four, Q is the only one who did not appear in " Caretaker ".

Of the thirteen Star Trek episodes featuring Q prior to Star Trek: Picard Season 2 , eight of them use the letter "Q" in the title, often forming a pun.

In " Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad ", having Harcourt Fenton Mudd say " Adieu, mon capitaine " to Captain Gabriel Lorca was intended as an homage to Q. [3]

Q was the first character to ever use the word "trek" in a Star Trek film or episode, which he does in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series finale "All Good Things...". However, Zefram Cochrane is the only character to utter the phrase "star trek," doing so in Star Trek: First Contact .

Apocrypha [ ]

According to Q in the String Theory books, omnipotent beings were actually rather fond of games of choice and chance as it was only under those conditions that beings such as Q could feel the thrill of not being in total control.

Besides the character of Trelane having been an inspiration on the conception of Q in reality, they were both featured in Q-Squared , in which Trelane was actually described as a "child" member of the Q Continuum, even implied to be Q's own illegitimate son.

The reason for Q's original interest in Picard in particular was explained in the novel The Buried Age , which also revealed he chose to call himself "Q" as he felt that his original choice of 'The Inquisitor' would be too complicated for Humans to say regularly, speculating that, if ever asked why he called himself 'Q', he would reply, "Because U will always be behind me."

The audio play " Spock Vs. Q: The Sequel " suggested there was at least one individual "above" Q, naming herself "Petunia", who, in the play, seemed to have taken Q's powers and placed him, together with Spock, on an asteroid.

In the novel Q-in-Law , Q meets Lwaxana Troi who developed romantic feelings toward him when the two came to the Enterprise during a significant wedding in 2366. Q used this to his advantage to perform a cruel experiment on the nature of the Human emotion of love and Q briefly shared his vast power with Lwaxana. When Q was finished with his experiment to prove that love made others blind to faults in their chosen partner and fixated on their own desires, citing as proof how Lwaxana had ignored all the warnings that he would do exactly this, he tried to take the power back without success. Lwaxana used her power to thoroughly humiliate Q as he had humiliated her. It was later revealed that Q2 was responsible for preventing Q from removing Lwaxana's powers as a way to teach Q another lesson about interfering in the lives of mortals.

Q returned in the Star Trek: Ongoing story arc The Q Gambit . Beginning shortly after the events of Star Trek: Countdown , Q visits Picard on board the USS Enterprise -E , informing Picard that Spock was still alive and that the black hole he was pulled into actually sent him into an alternate reality . When Q tries to discuss this timeline, Picard cuts him off, believing that the various timelines should remain separate from one another. Annoyed, Q reveals he had come for Picard's counsel as Spock had set off a chain of events that would doom that timeline. But since the former captain was uninterested, Q took his leave for the other timeline despite Picard's attempt to call him back. Materializing aboard the USS Enterprise on Stardate 2261.34 , Q introduces himself to James T. Kirk by way of masquerading as a security officer (and complimenting the shiny aesthetic of the ship).

To test Kirk's established lack of belief in a " no-win scenario ", Q replicates the Kobayashi Maru scenario in an attempt to teach Kirk that no-win scenarios are a reality. Kirk is undaunted and reveals that no matter what, he does not believe in a no-win scenario. Q takes them both back in time to when Kirk died saving the Enterprise . As the two watch the event, Q asks Kirk if this constitutes Kirk beating the ultimate no-win scenario before revealing he will show Kirk a scenario where failure is a certainty. He then sends the Enterprise and its crew over a hundred years into the future where the Federation no longer exists and the Dominion established an alliance with the Cardassian Union and took over the Alpha Quadrant while existing in a state of cold war against the Klingon Empire .

Q sporadically appears to Kirk throughout the adventure, offering vague advice as well as assuring that he and his crew would not be confined to these dire circumstances forever. After Gul Dukat had merged with a Pah-wraith and intended to ascend to godhood, Q finally appears to Kirk and reveals to him the true magnitude of the stakes: The higher species are at war and the Q Continuum is on the verge of defeat. Galvanized by their victory over the Prophets , the Pah-wraiths have turned on their other neighbors. Not even the Q can stop their onslaught because in spite of all the power they wield in the three-dimensional universe , they are as powerless and clueless as Humans in their own realm. Unable to find a path to victory, Q left to seek the counsel of Picard on what action to take. But when he could not get an answer, Q intended to instead seek the counsel of Kirk for his experience in triumphing over no-win scenarios.

When Q, Kirk, Spock , and Sisko are brought aboard the Enterprise as prisoners, Dukat kills Sisko, who transfers the last Prophet to Spock, and Spock then transfers the Prophet into Q through a mind meld . This causes the two to merge into an even more powerful entity, one readily capable of quelling the Pah-wraith threat. After returning the Enterprise and its crew back to their proper places in time and making it so that only Kirk and Spock remember what happened throughout their ordeal, Q returns to Picard to inform him of his latest adventure. Flatly, Picard said he did not want to know.

In " Connection, Part 1 ", Q is mentioned when Kirk switches minds with his prime timeline counterpart and Kirk initially assumes Q was messing with him again, with a confused Chekov asking who Q is.

John de Lancie shared his own origin story for the Q in an interview following the conclusion of his arc in Star Trek: Picard : " I gave myself a story, which was, Plato’s Cave. “There’s a cave with an entrance [that] the sunlight goes through, there are humans who are chained inside the cave and can only see the wall of the cave. Therefore, everything that goes in front of the cave becomes a projection on the wall. So they are only seeing shadows. Continuing the story, one of them breaks his chains, goes out to the entrance, goes outside, and goes ‘Oh, my God, that is reality – that is truth out there.’ Comes back, [and] tells the humans, ‘These are just shadows, I’m a philosopher now, I’m giving you the truth.’ And of course, they kill him. So I had in my head, what are the Q? The Q are in fact the [people] who are chained, who watch the wall. We are the witnesses, but we are only seeing the shadows. So what have I done? I’m the one who has broken out. And I’m traipsing through the universe trying to actually get the real deal. That was my backstory. " [4]

Q and the Q Continuum appeared in the following non- canon works:

• Spock Vs. Q
• Spock Vs. Q: The Sequel
• Star Trek: Borg - Experience the Collective
• #9: Requiem
• #13: Gods Above
• The Buried Age
• The Eternal Tide
• Encounter at Farpoint
• All Good Things...
• Q's Guide to the Continuum
• " All Good Things... "
• #3: " Q Factor "
• #4: " Q's Day "
• #5: " Q Affects! "
• #33: " The Way of the Warrior "
• #34: " Devil's Brew! "
• #35: " The Dogs of War "
• #79: " Artificiality "
• #80: " The Abandoned "
• Annual #1: " The Gift "
• Star Trek Unlimited #7: " An Infinite Jest "
• " The Q Gambit, Part 1 "
• " The Q Gambit, Part 2 "
• " The Q Gambit, Part 3 "
• " The Q Gambit, Part 4 "
• " The Q Gambit, Part 5 "
• " The Q Gambit, Part 6 "
• Star Trek: Borg
• Star Trek: The Game Show
• Star Trek: ConQuest Online
• Star Trek Online
• Star Trek Timelines

External links [ ]

• Q at StarTrek.com
• Q at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Q at Wikipedia

Star Trek Tried To Put Jennifer Hetrick In A Love Triangle With Q And Picard

In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Captain's Holiday" (April 2, 1990), Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) was forced to take a vacation on the sexed-up beach resort planet of Risa where his impishly playful crew hoped he would have a drink, get laid, and return to the job less stern and more relaxed. Picard, a studious and intellectual fellow, would have been more content drinking tea and reading James Joyce's "Ulysses" in a dark room. 

Luckily, Risa proves to be more exciting than Picard realized. He had no interest in beach shenanigans, but he did fall into the company of the utterly dazzling Indiana-Jone-type adventurer Vash (Jennifer Hetrick), a roguish tomb raider. Picard and Vash end up having to protect a rare, powerful artifact from time-traveling Vorgons, and fall in lust as a result. Picard returns to the Enterprise more relaxed and with a new romantic interest in the back of his mind. 

Vash would return in "Qpid" (April 27, 1991), an episode wherein the trickster god Q (John de Lancie) magically transports Picard and Vash, along with the rest of the Enterprise Q, into Sherwood Forest, dressing them as "Robin Hood" characters. Picard is Robin Hood, Vash is Maid Marian, and Q is the Sheriff of Nottingham. At the end of "Qpid," Q becomes enamored of Vash, and he offers to take her on unlimited cosmic adventures. She couldn't possibly say no.

In the oral history book "Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages" edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, executive producer Michael Piller said that he wanted a love triangle between Picard, Vash, and Q before he and his staff ever conceived of the Robin Hood angle. The Robin Hood story was based only on rising trends.

Show of the week

Piller recalls a time when "Star Trek: The Next Generation" reruns were common and TV Guide was still widely read by millions, used for handy TV listings. TV Guide would often look over the week in television and write highlights of new and old shows that might be worth watching. They called their highlights Close-Ups. It seems that every time "Qpid" was rerun, TV Guide would point to it. Michael Piller liked that the episode was often singled out, but admitted that the whole Robin Hood thing was an afterthought. Piller said: 

"Every time it's in TV Guide this episode gets a Close-Up. [...] I'm not sure why. I just think we came up with the idea of a love triangle between Q, Picard, and Vash, and to bring her and Q together, which I thought was a great premise. But we couldn't lick it. It came together in a meeting with Ira Behr, who had created Vash [...]"

Ira Stephen Behr was a producer and writer on "Next Generation," having written "Captain's Holiday," the notable episode "Yesterday's Enterprise." Behr left "Next Generation" after a year because he felt there were too many guardrails in place that prevented him from being as creative as he wanted. There clearly was no bad blood, however, as Behr would go on to be the head showrunner of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," for which he wrote 53 episodes. He may have butted heads with Piller and Trek's other head honcho Rick Berman, but they worked well together regardless. 

Behr was one of two credited writers on "Qpid," although a lot of the concepts came from throughout the "Star Trek" offices. Piller recalls that it was longtime staff writer Brannon Braga who came up with the Sherwood angle. 

Everyone was doing Robin Hood

Piller said: 

"While we were trying to break it, someone said if we want to do a love triangle, let's throw these characters into one of the classic love stories. King Arthur was discussed with Guenivere, and then Robin Hood. Brannon said something about wanting to do Robin Hood, and 'Robin Hood' was about to be released by about 15 motion picture companies. We said why don't we steal all their thunder? It just seemed to be that Robin Hood and his band of merry men was a very nice group to put 'our guys' into, and then we just played it for fun." 

Piller's comment about "15 motion picture companies" is referring to the two Robin Hood feature films that were slated for release in 1991, the same year as "Qpid." There was John Irvin's "Robin Hood," starring Partick Bergin and Robin and Uma Thurman as Marian, and there was Kevin Reynolds' amazingly popular "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," starring Kevin Costner as Robin and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Marian. 

"Qpid" aired on April 22, 1991, "Robin Hood" was released on May 13, and "Prince of Thieves" came out on June 14. It seems that there was just something in the air in regards to Robin Hood, and "Star Trek" wasn't above chasing the trend. Because of a swift production schedule, though, Trek beat the two big feature films to the screen. 

To briefly editorialize, "Qpid" is a supremely silly episode . "Star Trek" has never been above dabbling with fantasy, of course — recall the White Rabbit — but "Qpid" was clearly a mere "let your hair down" episode wherein the cast got to dress up and engage in stage combat with rapiers. But we did get Vash back, and that was great.

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Mattel recruits three top-level TV execs and reports a static Q1

Heading up animation, live action and production respectively, sidney clifton , amy suh and cory bennett lewis have joined the toyco's studio operations..

Mattel Television Studios has bolstered its leadership ranks with three new executive hires that will oversee a pipeline of more than 14 series and specials in production. 

As previously reported by Kidscreen earlier this month, executive producer Sidney Clifton ( Slumberkins , Marvel’s animated Black Panther ) has been named head of creative for animation. Her counterpart in the same role for live action is Amy Suh ( Paper Girls , Night Sky ), covering both scripted and unscripted content. And veteran film editor Cory Bennett Lewis ( Star Trek Into Darkness , Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ) has been brought in to lead the company’s production team. All three execs joined earlier this month and report to head of Mattel Television Studios Michelle Mendelovitz. 

Suh hails from Amazon MGM Studios, where she recently worked with Sony on the platform’s Spidey-inspired live-action series Silk and Noir as a senior co-production development executive until she was laid off in January. Prior to joining Amazon, she contributed to scripted dramas Party of Five and Them at Sony Pictures Television, and oversaw international programming at Fox Networks Group. 

Lewis previously served as head of production at J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot studio for nine years, overseeing all aspects of its pipeline, from visual effects to post-production. She has worked on franchises such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Jack Ryan and Cloverfield over the course of her career. 

Mattel also reported steady Q1 results yesterday, with just a 1% dip in net sales (US$810 million) compared to the same period last year. CEO Ynon Kreiz says Babrie and Hot Wheels were the number-one properties in their respective categories, and the company is making meaningful progress towards expanding its entertainment offerings, with 15 new films currently in development.

Pictured left to right: Cory Bennett Lewis, Amy Suh and Sidney Clifton

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Screen Rant

Star trek has to keep jack quaid after lower decks ends.

Star Trek: Lower Decks ending with season 5 can't be the end of Jack Quaid in the franchise, as he's one of the biggest names in Star Trek today.

• Star Trek: Lower Decks ending with season 5 is a major blow to fans who appreciate its humor and brilliance.
• Jack Quaid's portrayal of Lieutenant Boimler has become a crucial part of the Star Trek franchise.
• Finding creative ways to keep Jack Quaid in the Star Trek universe post-Lower Decks is essential for fans and for Star Trek.

Star Trek: Lower Decks may be coming to an end, but Star Trek has to keep Jack Quaid in the franchise. Disappointingly, Paramount+ has opted to conclude Star Trek: Lower Decks with season 5 , which premieres in fall 2024 on the streamer. This is a terrible blow to fans of Star Trek: Lower Decks , who have supported the first Star Trek animated comedy and recognized its crucial place within the franchise. Star Trek: Lower Decks has continued the late-24th century era of Star Trek: The Next Generation and touched upon the breadth of Star Trek with humor and brilliance, while creating a cast of beloved characters aboard the USS Cerritos.

Jack Quaid plays Lieutenant Bradward Boimler on Star Trek: Lower Decks, and he is one of the series leads, alongside Tawny Newsome's Lt. Beckett Mariner. Boimler is the audience's surrogate as someone who is a die-hard fan of all things Starfleet. Gradually overcoming his confidence issues and neuroses, Bradward's sheer excellence and attention to detail as a Starfleet Officer have been rewarded with a promotion from Ensign to Lieutenant (junior grade) in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 . Boimler shows signs of becoming a great Captain one day, though it likely won't happen during Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5. But Boimler, and Jack Quaid, are of tremendous value to Star Trek.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 - Cast, Story & Everything We Know

Jack quaid is one of star trek’s biggest stars, quaid stars in hit tv series and movies, including the academy award-winning oppenheimer..

When Jack Quaid debuted as Ensign Brad Boimler on Star Trek: Lower Decks season 1 in 2020, his star was just beginning to rise. Quaid had just broken through as Hughie Campbell in The Boys season 1 in 2019. Before The Boys, Jack's biggest role was as Marvel in The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire , which were massive box office blockbusters in 2012 and 2013. But as Star Trek: Lower Decks continued alongside The Boys, Quaid's star quickly rose in magnitude. In 2022, Jack starred as the villainous Richie Kirsch in Scream (AKA Scream 5 ), and he cameoed again as Richie in Scream VI a year later. Given his mainstream stature, it was stunning that Star Trek had an actor as recognizable as Jack Quaid whose face was never seen and whose voice was only heard.

In 2023, the real-life Jack Quaid finally appeared in Star Trek . Quaid portrayed Ensign Brad Boimler in live-action, alongside Tawny Newsome's Ensign Beckett Mariner, in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' phenomenal comedic crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks . (The idea of a crossover was one Quaid helped hatch and make a reality). Also in 2023, Quaid appeared as Dr. Richard Feynman in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer , as well as taking on a new voice role as the Man of Steel in My Adventures With Superman. Oppenheimer was the Academy Award-winner for Best Picture in 2023, which made Quaid a Star Trek series lead who is now part of an Oscar-winning film .

Michelle Yeoh, who starred in Star Trek: Discovery and headlines Star Trek: Section 31 , won the 2022 Best Actress Academy Award for Everything Everywhere All At Once .

How Jack Quaid Can Stay In Star Trek After Lower Decks Ends

Boimler has options to reappear in star trek..

With his rising star in Hollywood and his mainstream popularity across film, TV, and animation, Star Trek needs to keep Jack Quaid in the franchise even after Star Trek: Lower Decks ends with season 5. Hearteningly, Jack loves Star Trek. Quaid became genuinely enamored with Star Trek , learned its history, and even cosplayed in uniform as Ensign Boimler at a Star Trek convention in Chicago. Jack Quaid is one of the finest ambassadors Star Trek currently has , and even as he takes on bigger roles in TV and films, Jack is proud to be associated with Star Trek. Indeed, Jack Quaid wished in a recent Instagram post that he could play Boimler for "17 more seasons".

Thankfully, Tawny Newsome will remain in the Star Trek franchise after Lower Decks ends as a writer on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy .

Even though Jack Quaid's voyages as Lt. Brad Boimler on the USS Cerritos are wrapping up, a possible Star Trek: Lower Decks movie on Paramount+ would allow him to reprise Bradward. But Star Trek must also get creative and find ways for Jack Quaid to play Boimler in live-action again. For instance, Jack could return as (now) Lt. Boimler in another crossover with Star Trek: Strange New World s season 4. Quaid could also play Boimler as an archival holographic instructor in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy . And if Star Trek: Picard' s proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy , happens, find a way for Captain Boimler to meet Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Or create a new Star Trek show starring Jack Quaid as Boimler. Jack Quaid wants to continue in Star Trek , fans want him as well, and Star Trek should utilize every means possible to keep Jack in the franchise.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is available to stream on Paramount+

Your Daily Astrology: April 24 for 04/24/24

B IRTHDAY STAR: Actor Jack Quaid was born in Los Angeles, California, on this date in 1992. This birthday star voiced the role of Ensign Brad Boimler on “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” a role he plays across the “Star Trek” TV universe. He also played Hughie Campbell on “The Boys.” Quaid’s film resume includes roles in “Oppenheimer,” “Scream,” and “The Hunger Games.” Jack is the son of actors Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): There can be many reasons to be cheerful, and you might begin to see the results of your hard work and efforts reflected in your earnings. Stay true to the promises you’ve made even if there might seem to be an advantage in wiggling out of them.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You may be trying different things out for size; if one feels right for you, consider moving forward. You might experience a compelling urge to begin a creative project or a pressing need to act after being infused with breathtaking inspiration.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Even though you may be open and honest about your thoughts and beliefs, it does not mean that others have the same intent. Immerse yourself in your routine, being careful not to allow anything or anyone to distract you from your tasks.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Consider collaborating with others as a way of presenting a united front. Your routines and financial plans may need to be adjusted while still honoring guarantees and promises. Lean into the beauty of situations that benefit all involved.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Use your imagination to build something spectacular and watch it grow. You might find that your daydreams intertwine with your current reality and have the potential of being the basis for the future you have dreamt of creating for yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Anticipation may bring you more joy in the imagination phase than in actuality. Then again, things may go in favor of your deepest desires, leaving your fantasies fulfilled. Trust your inner calling or you may never know if your dreams could come true.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The possibility of acting on a whim may be highly likely. Stay aware of possible distractions that could cause you to make a choice that becomes more complicated than you expected. View any uncovered ulterior motives as valuable insight.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Give yourself the grace to revisit and reflect upon an issue to achieve clarity. Making an apology or accepting one may set things right. Your consistency and dedication might be relied upon when others may shift direction without notice.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Some people may prefer the facts while others might like a more philosophical approach. If someone has been treated unfairly due to differing opinions, you could take steps to find common ground and bring them together.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You may find lots of joy when you are inspired. Find stimulating reading materials or someone with some expertise and a refreshing approach to advise you. Tap into creative solutions for your most puzzling challenges.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Despite things not going the way you would’ve hoped, you may find something good in the situation. Be mindful of family disputes to ensure they don’t escalate. Focus on making the best use of your friends in your creative ventures.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take some time to relax and unwind. Start to express gratitude when someone extends kindness or offers a helping hand. You might be worried that if you don’t fit into a mold that someone may not recognize your strengths and value.

IF APRIL 24 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: If you have imagined yourself being singled out for your leadership skills or creative genius, your dreams could come true. Apply a little determination and show your enthusiasm for your projects and you might receive some applause during the next two to three weeks. Your popularity can grow in June, but too many calls from friends or social events could interfere with your routines or long-term plans. Nevertheless, you could enjoy increased status and favorable publicity in late June and early July. Late July might be a good time to ask for favors, put plans into motion, embrace opportunities or receive the answer to your wishes. Your life might be filled with bliss in September when an impulsive decision or an exciting opportunity may change your future for the better.

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