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Star Trek: Picard Season 3 - The Ready Room Premiere Special

Patrick Stewart and Gates McFadden join host Wil Wheaton for a deep dive!

Get ready for the final season of Star Trek: Picard , featuring the return of the Enterprise crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Wil Wheaton hosts this deep dive with the cast and creatives as they boldly go one last time on a premiere special segment of The Ready Room .

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.

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Interview: Wil Wheaton On ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 And Outrageous ‘Lower Decks’ Wesley Pitches

| February 23, 2023 | By: Anthony Pascale 22 comments so far

Our final purple carpet interview from the Hollywood premiere of Star Trek: Picard is with Wil Wheaton, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Wesley Crusher and host of the official Star Trek aftershow, The Ready Room . We talked about his views on the new season, Dr. Crusher’s story, and how he and Mike McMahan trade crazy pitches about Wesley for Lower Decks .

You have seen season 3 for The Ready Room , but pretend you are just a fan, or “ Just a Geek ” in your case, what did you think?

This is everything I ever wanted out of Star Trek: The Next Generation . This is everything I ever wanted out of every Star Trek movie. This is the most satisfying season of any Star Trek series I have ever watched, and I’ve watched them all.

Even with all the returning characters, it is still very different than The Next Generation in many ways. Would you say that it is doing thing that you wish were done on TNG, or is it just a different thing?

When we started the Next Generation in the late ‘80s, we were very aspirational. We were clearing a lot of trees out of a forest. And a lot of people have come and built a beautiful village behind the route that we cleared out. And we were trying a lot of new things back then. And one of our edicts was, “Listen, by the 24th century, things are cool, we’ve got it all worked out.” Which is a wonderful, idealized vision, but it doesn’t make for the most compelling drama in the world. Star Trek: Picard season 3, as envisioned by [showrunner] Terry Matalas, represents everything we want out of Star Trek, while reflecting the reality that we live in, and that humans are flawed and that humans do engage in conflict. And that conflict is interesting. And out of conflict can come growth. And I feel like this season really, really just embodies all of that.

Obviously, Dr. Crusher is a big part of this season. What was it like for you watching that as sort of a member of that family?

I was super excited for Gates to do everything that she does this season. She’s a legit badass. Like, Beverly is not a person that you want on your enemies list at all. And watching Gates bring that version of her to life was really fun and really satisfying. And look, I mean, family pride, right?

Wil Wheaton hosting The Ready Room with Gates McFadden and Patrick Stewart

Mike McMahan once told me he struggled with coming up with a way to put Wesley into Lower Decks , but at Mission: Chicago last year you said you had a pitch for Mike. So how did the pitch go?

Mike, and I joke about it all the time. Part of our friendship is riffing on outrageous Wesley Crusher storylines. It’s just a thing that we do. None of them will ever happen. They will only exist in our heads. Maybe someday we’ll be at a con together and we’ll just have a panel where we pitch Wesley stories at each other and see what happens. It would probably be entertaining.

But you genuinely want to be on Lower Decks , right?

If I were given the opportunity to be in Lower Decks in any capacity, I would absolutely say yes. Are you kidding me? Look, I am a professional. I am an actor. I’m a member of legacy Star Trek. But before any of that existed in my life, I was a fan. And this fan, given any opportunity to be part of any Star Trek, just says “Tell me when to show up, thank you.”

Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher in season 2 of Picard

You were a frequent guest on @midnight and news just broke it is being rebooted , do you imagine you might have any involvement?

I don’t know anything about it except that story in Deadline. So until it’s developed and thought out a little more clearly, I don’t have anything to say about it.

More exclusive Picard coverage

This is the final interview from the Hollywood premiere event coming. Check out previously released Picard purple carpet interviews plus a post-premiere chat with Terry Matalas:

• Michele Hurd 
• Gates McFadden
• Terry Matalas
• Jonathan Frakes
• Todd Stashwick
• Patrick Stewart
• Titan bridge crew cast
• Terry Matalas post-season premiere breakdown 

The third and final season of  Picard premieres on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, exclusively on  Paramount+ in the U.S. and Latin America, and on February 17 Paramount+ in Europe and elsewhere, with new episodes of the 10-episode-long season available to stream weekly. It also debuted on Friday, Feb. 17 internationally on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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Jonathan Frakes Sees Opportunities With Streaming Star Trek Movies, Weighs In On “Filler Episodes”

Mike M, if you are reading this. We need a ep with Garrett Wang involved, called, “The promotion of Harry Kim,” where he’s still an Ensign, but is finally getting promoted, then LDS hijinks occur, and at the end of the ep he is still an Ensign.

Hahahahaha!

I want Kim to return as either C in C of Starfleet or President of the Federation, without any explanation of how he got from point A to B.

LOL, OK, on Prodigy, have Janeway check with the C in C of Starfleet, and it’s Kim…her freaking boss! Make it so! LOL

Damn you beat me to it!

That’s pretty funny!

We need an EP of Lower Decks where Harry Kim is the CnC of Starfleet.

Now that we know Wes has a brother, and given Wes’s involvement at the end of season two, I’m positive he’ll show up this season in some capacity. There’s no way they’d be stupid enough not to.

Wes is an Traveler. He knows that for sure. But as he said here in the Interview. Perhaps he is happy for his Mom. Since he was gone, but i do not know if Wes will save someones Day in the end. “See and this is how my Brother become an Bad ass Doctor!”

Sorry, I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say here.

Oh sorry, 2nd try:

i bet Wes already knows about his Brother, because he can travel wherever he wants. And i bet he do not mind that his Mom not tell him that while they where together. And perhaps in the Future Timeline here, if Wes makes an appearances, perhaps just as Easter Egg for the fans. he could say this line: “See and this is how my Brother become an Bad Ass Doctor!”. the Turning point of his Brother Timeline that turn him into the Light Side or at last in the Light Gray area, if he become an regular cast of some Spinoff of course. Perhaps with Soji still on his Side as pupil or something

Wesley does not even consider himself Wesley anymore. He said in a former life he was Wesley. And he didn’t bother to even take the time to say Hi to Picard and co.

One of the big missed opportunities on TNG for me was their not doing something after Wesley left for the Academy, where the ship stops by the planet he is doing his summer school/internship and finds him unshaven and drunk in some backwoods space tavern. That’s the end of the teaser. From there you do HENRY IV pt 2, with two father figures warring over his fate, one being the straight arrow King (stewart), the other a bawdy Falstaff type played by Brian Blessed.

Shut up Wesley!!

Not funny. Not then and just cruel now.

The guy went through a quiet hell with abusive parents who literally stole his residuals when he was an adult.

Seriously, they were intercepting six figure residuals while shaming him for not getting work. At times they were making him borrow his own money from them to help support himself and his family.

That he can do great work as an interviewer and blogger is frankly astonishing.

Jeez… I’d read about his parents being abusive, but not this part. I hope he was able to take action against them.

The guy has a backstory where he could have just as easily ended up as another anonymous guy living in a tent on Wilshire Blvd. somewhere. That he didn’t is a testimony in and of itself. Further, the guy has a genuine enthusiasm for the franchise that makes him a natural for “Ready Room” type of projects. While I know appearances can be deceiving, he seems like a nice guy, all be it one who doesn’t suffer fools.

So, stop being a fool.

Yeah, my perspective on Wheaton changed when I started reading his blog kinda regularly in the 2000s. He’s a very entertaining writer. I find his enthusiasm a bit too fake or over-the-top when he does Ready Room interviews, but he’s a good guy who seems to genuinely like Star Trek. Obviously, he got a bad wrap for Wesley.

It always came off to be as weird how much of a jerk Wil Wheaton was in the first few seasons of Big Bang given what a nice guy he is IRL

I do NOT intend to be unkind about the young lady from whom he took over Ready Room. His work as a young actor really comes through. He does a great job. Some might consider him Over the Top. This doesn’t matter. He keeps the show moving, and keeps it entertaining. I, personally, hope he gets to be the hero in the finale of Picard’s story arc. It would strike a great blow for math & science geekdom.

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How ‘star trek picard’ showrunner terry matalas captured the series finale’s most important scenes.

The writer-director talks the high stakes of the finale, the emotions that flowed on set, and his dreams of continuing the story with a new series.

By Phil Pirrello

Phil Pirrello

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[This story contains spoilers for Picard season three’s final episode.]

Star Trek Picard ’s third season finale takes the Next Generation crew back to where it all began — though showrunner Terry Matalas was too busy capturing its key scenes to take in the wonder of being on the bridge of the Enterprise-D nearly 30 years after TNG went off the air.

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During the heartstring-tugging climax, the Enterprise literally swoops in above Picard and Jack to save the day, and it was during post-production on the making of this cinematic moment where all the creative intentions and goals Matalas had hoped to achieve for season three coalesced into one frame. 

“I didn’t think we would pull it off,” Matalas tells The Hollywood Reporter. “But when the visual effects came in, and once Stephen Barton’s incredible score was added, seeing the Enterprise appear above the characters like that, that’s when I let myself consider the possibility that, ‘Hey, I think maybe we did it.’”

But getting to see the crew where they began, back on their Next Gen flagship – on a very expensive set for a brief amount of time – involved some logistic pressure. 

“The studio was all for it,” Matalas explains, “but it just came down to time and money. They were like: ‘You have to find a way to pay for it.’ But it was one of the first ideas I had; it was part of my initial pitch to Patrick. The appearance of the ship was part of the pitch to LeVar and to the rest of the cast, in that during the last two hours we would be on the Enterprise-D. So right from the moment that the season started, we were figuring out how to build that in time for the finale.”

Helping production designer Dave Blass and his crew ensure that the set would be completed on time were TNG veterans Michael and Denise Okuda. They and Blass’ team consulted the original TNG bridge’s blueprints to physically re-create the set. Once it was completed, there was very little time for anyone – including lifelong Trek fan Matalas – to bask in the glow of what would become a fan-favorite accomplishment. 

Also on Matalas’ mind was finding the best way to start the episode after episode nine, “Vox,” ended with the Enterprise warping off to once again save Earth. (Picard’s order in that scene – “Set a course for Earth, maximum warp” – is Matalas’ homage to the exact same line Stewart says in the 1996 feature Star Trek: First Contact ). “Last Generation” starts with the first few seconds of The Next Generation ’s famous opening title sequence: A brief flight through space, toward a bruise-colored streak of nebula, before a blinding star fills the frame with white. But the script originally had a different scene.

“What was scripted, actually, was to reprise the first shot of Picard from the TNG series premiere [‘Encounter at Farpoint’],” Matalas remembers. “It was going to be Picard walking up to the D’s observation lounge windows, stepping forward into the shot, and then we were going to transition from that to modern day Picard. But the cost of using that footage and up-resing it proved prohibitive. But I still wanted, by the time we were changing it all, to honor Next Gen . So we thought: ‘Well, what if we use that famous space shot from the titles, only we continue on with it and reveal the Enterprise?’ And it worked.”

“Initially, I wanted to have Walter on camera for that scene. We were going to see President Chekov on the viewscreen deliver that message,” Matalas says. Sadly, the production ran out of time for that. “But, later on, when we were in post, we agreed it would still be amazing and powerful to hear him.” 

Also powerful was seeing the Enterprise get its own “hero moment” on par with those of her crew: In order to rescue Picard and his son, Data pilots the Enterprise on a Death Star-esque trench run through the Borg cube’s vast, jagged interior. 

“That’s all CG. The ship looks like the model in some shots, especially like the smaller, more-detailed model [ TNG ] used after season three, but that’s a testament to our brilliant visual effects team led by Jason Zimmerman and Brian Tatosky.” 

The VFX team could not use ILM’s previous CG version of the Enterprise-D created for brief shots in 1994’s Star Trek: Generations feature film, so the production had to build a new one from scratch. While no models were used, the team did, however, get a chance to reference a physical piece of the Enterprise for their digital recreation: The saucer section model that famously crashes on the planet Veridian III in Generations. (Ironically, Geordi La Forge salvages that crashed saucer section for his friends’ “Last Generation” mission.)

“That was actually the most fun I had [shooting] on the bridge,” Matalas says. “Shooting Beverly at tactical, firing phasers, and seeing Geordi in the Captain’s chair, and Marina and Brent back at their usual stations – all of that was very exciting.”

It was another moment that proved stressful.

“Shooting the initial reunion, when they first walk on to the bridge, that I felt stressed. Because I knew if I had messed that up, it would have risked ruining it for fans,” says Matalas. “But that great emotional moment Marina has as Troi, when she can sense her husband is in danger, or Brent’s great performance asking the crew to trust his ‘gut’ for the first time – those were the moments that were most exciting for me.”

As exciting as the aforementioned action is, Matalas and his writing staff made sure the emotional drama was always fueling such scenes – never superseded by them. Especially a short but compelling beat aboard the soon-to-be-destroyed Borg cube, where Riker has a very “this is it” moment in the form of saying his goodbyes to his wife, Troi. It’s another powerful dramatic turn from Frakes this season, but according to Matalas, it was also a scene that the production raced the clock to get. 

Time and family – what we leave behind and how it shapes what lies ahead – are at the forefront of both “Last Generation” and season threeas a whole, with those thematic auspices culminating in one more final showdown between Picard and his nemesis, the Borg Queen. 

“It was always going to be the Borg Queen,” Matalas explains. “From the initial pitch, to the story break in the writers room, we had to have her because if the show is going to be about what you pass on, this idea of one’s legacy, then a key piece of Picard’s is the role she has had in it. And if we’re going to do a story about Picard as a father in that way, then it had to lead to the Borg Queen in another way, as in: ‘Hey, I’m a parent, a mother, too, aren’t I? I have a maternal stake in this as well.’ Only it’s one with an evil motivation to it. It’s also a generational story in that Jack is the key to the evolution of the Borg. Sort of an unintended consequence of what happened to Picard as Locutus.’”

As for what will happen to Picard, Jack, and the rest of the Enterprise crew in terms of more adventures featuring them on Paramount+ , that remains surprisingly ambiguous – especially given the critical and ratings success of Star Trek Picard season three. (Recently, Picard entered the Nielsen Top 10 Streaming Shows for the first time – a Trek first.)

“I am very, very grateful that the fans want to see more of this very special and talented cast – so do I. At the moment, Star Trek Legacy is just a pie-in-the-sky wish of mine. There is nothing like that in development, currently. But one day, I hope. It would be an amazing thing to do.”

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The Ready Room is a discussion show following each new episode of various Star Trek series on Paramount Plus. First Hosted by Naomi Kyle for a single season, then Hosted by Wil Wheaton for a... Read all The Ready Room is a discussion show following each new episode of various Star Trek series on Paramount Plus. First Hosted by Naomi Kyle for a single season, then Hosted by Wil Wheaton for all other seasons, it offers behind the scenes insight into all aspects of production and f... Read all The Ready Room is a discussion show following each new episode of various Star Trek series on Paramount Plus. First Hosted by Naomi Kyle for a single season, then Hosted by Wil Wheaton for all other seasons, it offers behind the scenes insight into all aspects of production and features different guests each week.

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Star Trek: Picard season 3 — next episode, trailer, cast and everything we know about the final season

The Next Generation cast reunites as Star Trek: Picard heads into the Final Frontier in its final season.

The final season of Star Trek: Picard promises to boldly go where no other Trek franchise has gone before as members of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast join Patrick Stewart on one last adventure to the Final Frontier. 

Details about Star Trek: Picard season 3 were revealed during Star Trek Day. The Paramount Plus celebration of all things Star Trek on September 8 commemorated the anniversary of the original series’ premiere in 1966.

Here’s what we know about Star Trek: Picard season 3.  

Prepare for a once in a generation adventure. #StarTrekPicard pic.twitter.com/iLgspzUNqP January 9, 2023

Next episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3

The series finale of Star Trek: Picard airs Thursday, April 20. The title is "The Last Generation" and here's the episode description: "In a desperate last stand, Jean-Luc Picard and generations of crews, both old and new, fight together to save the galaxy from the greatest threat they've ever faced."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode guide

Keep track of all the episodes of Star Trek: Picard season 3 right here:

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 1: "The Next Generation" "After receiving a cryptic, urgent distress call from Dr. Beverly Crusher, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard enlists help from generations old and new to embark on one final adventure: a daring mission that will change Starfleet, and his old crew forever."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 2: "Disengage" "Aided by Seven of Nine and the crew of the USS Titan, Picard makes a shocking discovery that will alter his life forever, and puts him on a collision course with the most cunning enemy he's ever encountered. Meanwhile, Raffi races to track a catastrophic weapon, and collides with a familiar ally."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 3: "Seventeen Seconds" "Picard grapples with a life-altering revelation, while the Titan and her crew try to outmaneuver a Vadic in a lethal game of nautical cat and mouse; Raffi and Worf uncover a nefarious plot from an enemy Starfleet has long since forgotten."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 4: "No Win Scenario" "Picard, Riker and crew must confront the sins of their past as the Titan drifts helplessly in a mysterious space anomaly."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 5: "Imposters" "Caught by Starfleet and facing court martial, paranoia grows as Picard struggles to uncover whether a prodigal crewman from his past has returned as an ally or an enemy hellbent on destroying them all."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 6: "The Bounty" "Now on the run, Picard and the skeleton crew of the USS Titan must break into Starfleet's most top-secret facility to expose a plot that could destroy the Federation. Picard must turn to the only soul in the galaxy who can help: an old friend."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 7: "Dominion" "Crippled, cornered, and out of options, Picard stages a gambit to trap Vadic and reveal her true motive, a gamble that puts the Titan in the crosshairs and forces Picard and Beverly to question every moral code they've ever held."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 8: "Surrender" "Vadic forces Picard to make an impossible choice: deliver what he can never give or watch his crew perish."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 9: "Vox" "A devastating revelation about Jack alters the course of Picard's life forever - and uncovers a truth that threatens every soul in the Federation; the final battle begins as Picard and his crew race to save the galaxy from annihilation."

Star Trek: Picard season 3 release date

During the Star Trek Day event, Patrick Stewart revealed that Star Trek: Picard season 3 would be beaming onto Paramount Plus on February 16, 2023. 

Great news for UK Trekkies: you can watch the new season on Paramount Plus.

Who is in the Star Trek: Picard season 3 cast?

As soon as Picard was initially announced, Star Trek fans wondered whether it would present an opportunity for the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast to reunite. Brent Spiner returned as Altan Soong and Adam Soong, along with reprising his role as Data. 

In season 3, the entire Star Trek: The Next Generation cast is back together again in a reunion for the ages.

There was a bit of controversy when Wil Wheaton wasn’t announced as part of the TNG reunion. Wheaton, who played Dr. Crusher’s son Wesley Crusher, was a big part of the series in its early seasons. Wheaton currently hosts the Ready Room aftershow and remained mum about being left out until the Picard season 2 finale revealed that Wesley was back in his role as the Traveler, picking up where his character left off in his final TNG appearance.

Here is the Picard season 3 cast so far:

• Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard 
• Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine 
• Michelle Hurd as Raffi 
• Jonathan Frakes as William T. Riker 
• Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher 
• Michael Dorn as Worf 
• LeVar Burton as Geordi LaForge 
• Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi 
• Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher 

What is Star Trek: Picard season 3 about?

There’s no official synopsis for Star Trek: Picard season 3 just yet, but it’s safe to say that the events of Star Trek: Picard season 2 will trickle down into the final season. In season 2, Star Trek villain Q (John De Lancie) returned to wreak havoc with the timeline. 

Based on what’s revealed in the sneak peek teaser, Beverly Crusher sends a message to Picard asking for help. Picard goes to Riker and they devise a plan to find a ship and go on their new mission to help their friends.

It's possible we'll learn more about the new season when several members of the cast, including Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis and Brent Spiner travel to NYCC to celebrate the final season. Deadline reports that the entire TNG cast, minus Wil Wheaton, will be together for this special occasion. 

Is there a Star Trek: Picard season 3 trailer?

The latest look at Star Trek: Picard season 3 aired during the AFC Championship game. Give it a look below.

The first official sneak peek for Star Trek: Picard season 3 was introduced by Patrick Stewart during the Picard panel at Star Trek Day. Seeing the entire TNG cast makes us emotional. Not only that, but newly minted Starfleet officer Seven of Nine utters Picard’s iconic "engage" command to the delight of fans everywhere.  

How to watch Star Trek: Picard season 3

Star Trek: Picard season 3 is available exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US and UK. You can choose one of the following subscription options below if you’re not a subscriber already, and there's a free trial of Paramount Plus if you want to see what the service is all about.

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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, Episode 3 Recap: Family Secrets

This week’s episode had plenty of action, but that action wasn’t half as meaningful as a single conversation between Jean-Luc and Beverly.

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By Sopan Deb

Season 3, Episode 3: ‘Seventeen Seconds’

The best episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” often included very little action. They featured strong dialogue to develop relationships between crew members. (Guinan and Jean-Luc’s conversations in Ten Forward matched the best scenes any Trek franchise had to offer — and all the characters did was sit there and chat.)

So it’s no surprise that the meatiest moments of this season of “Picard” feature simple conversations between key characters. None is more meaningful — and devastating — that Jean-Luc and Beverly’s conversation about their past, with a close runner-up being the flashback at the bar with Jean-Luc and Riker that opened the episode. Both scenes matched up old friends, though it’s the relationship between Jean-Luc and Beverly we learn more about.

Gates McFadden and Patrick Stewart put together a wonderful performance in sick bay. We learn that Jack does indeed know his father is Jean-Luc, but chose not to reach out to him. That Beverly purposely kept knowledge of Jean-Luc’s son from him, choosing instead to isolate herself from all her close friends, and in fact, from Starfleet altogether. We learn that Beverly got pregnant while still on the Enterprise — which strikes me as a bit of a human resources violation, but let’s ignore that for the moment. Jean-Luc says their last breakup was their fifth one. (In a “Star Trek: Nemesis” deleted scene, Beverly is shown to be at Starfleet Medical at the end of the film, though it doesn’t count if it was deleted.)

Jean-Luc is justifiably angry at Beverly for choosing to keep Jack a secret — especially at a time when he seems ready to accept a life outside of Starfleet.

“We both knew we were at the end,” Beverly says.

“I didn’t,” Jean-Luc tartly replies.

Beverly makes — on its face — an uncompelling case that Jean-Luc was ill-equipped to be a father: He was too obsessed with saving the galaxy, she says, to be present. This seems harsh. He wasn’t given the chance to find out. As Jean-Luc notes, who’s to say he wouldn’t have shifted his priorities?

But if one looks at it from Beverly’s perspective, as we noted last week , Jean-Luc has spent a lifetime being grumpy around children and putting his career first, above everything. It’s understandable that Beverly wouldn’t want to rely on someone like that to be a co-parent, particularly with someone she had repeatedly broken up with. McFadden plays this with a mixture that is both unapologetic and regretful. Beverly is certain she did the right thing, but is sad it had to be this way. Jean-Luc, meanwhile, is clearly feeling betrayed.

Then there is the matter of whether Beverly did the right thing by Jack.

“As a mother, your whole being is about protecting your child,” she says.

It’s a little unclear when Beverly left Starfleet and began her new life as a rogue doctor helping out races the Federation had abandoned — and skirting the law to make it happen. So the very thing that Beverly was concerned about with Jean-Luc when she decided to keep Jack a secret — that he might care more about saving other people than about taking care of his own family — is exactly what she ends up doing. In a paradoxical twist, the life that the Crushers now lead — dangerous, skirting the law — puts Jack more at risk than Jean-Luc would have on his vineyard.

While scenes that focus quietly on relationships bring out the best in “Trek,” the action — particularly featuring “The Next Generation” cast — is often clumsy. The movies are serial offenders at making characters seem contradictory and unintentionally incompetent, and this week’s “Picard” falls right into that tradition.

It’s not that things need to be realistic in a television show. It’s that they need to make sense in the universe the show has created .

Shaw is established as a character who is deeply antagonistic toward Riker and Picard, and very concerned with the safety of his crew. He is furious at the legendary duo for luring his ship, the Titan, to a dangerous situation under false pretenses and is now facing a superior enemy ship. Why in the world would Shaw transfer command of the Titan over to Riker? That’s not how it works! That’s not how any of it works! Presumably, the Titan has a senior command. Why wouldn’t it go to Seven of Nine? Oh, right. She’s confined to quarters, because of rules she violated for Riker .

Not that she should be trusted either. I cringed when Jack sucker punched a Starfleet security guard in the face to get Seven out of her room. Seven goes along with it, and, hence, with seeing her own crew member rendered unconscious on the ground because of her support for someone she met only hours before. Multiple crew members show their disdain for Jack but accept Riker as their captain without a moment of hesitation.

A side note on Seven: The model of Voyager in her quarters emphasizes how fondly she thinks of her time there.

Then there’s the problem of Riker. You might remember that Riker literally drove the Enterprise D into a ditch in the first “Next Generation” movie, and then he was almost outmaneuvered by a Son’a battleship in “Insurrection.” (OK, he did also rescue Jean-Luc from the Borg.)

On the Titan, Riker is indecisive and incompetent, sitting in a captain’s chair he is not supposed to have on a ship he doesn’t know. He and Jean-Luc openly argue in front of the crew. And then — inexplicably — Riker takes Jean-Luc’s advice to take the fight to Vadic’s Shrike ship, even though the Shrike clearly is superior and the Titan is damaged. When that goes predicably terribly, Riker kicks Jean-Luc off the bridge, even though Riker is the one who agreed to give the order. (Picard’s insistence that the Titan fire back at the Shrike is reminiscent of his demand that the Enterprise E not self-destruct to destroy the Borg in “First Contact,” when he was clearly emotionally compromised .)

Riker and Picard are shown to have decades’ worth of mutual respect and friendship, and suddenly it disappears in a matter of minutes over their mutual poor decision making. They are decorated Starfleet officers who know how to operate under stress. Here, they are painted as impulsive, unprofessional children. The writing seemed to serve the action rather than the characters.

It doesn’t get any better in sick bay either, when Beverly starts inserting herself into treating injured officers, despite not being a member of Starfleet anymore and without the permission of the Titan’s chief medical officer. How would Beverly have reacted if a stranger had come on board the Enterprise and started using sick bay equipment and talking down to her about treatment?

None of the original “Next Generation” crew members come off well in this episode.

That is, except for Worf.

Worf, acting on a tip from Odo in the Great Link, has been — secretly, apparently — working for Starfleet to expose an incoming changeling attack. Changelings are a fun callback for “Trek,” a sleek way to bridge the universes of “Deep Space Nine” — where Michael Dorn did much of his best work as Worf — and “The Next Generation.” (Odo was played wonderfully on “Deep Space Nine” by René Auberjonois, who died in 2019. Worf and Odo were ideal friends on the station — both outsiders who preferred structure above all else. It’s no surprise they remained close even after Odo returned to the Great Link.)

“I have learned of late to access calm as much as fire,” Worf tells Raffi. (Later in the episode, Worf murders a captured changeling, and in a previous episode, he beheaded someone, so maybe he’s accessing the wrong internal channels.)

It’s unclear how Raffi got wrapped up in this, or why she is the right person to be an intelligence agent. She frequently shows herself to be hasty, much as Worf used to be. During the interrogation, Raffi repeatedly threatens violence — again, much as Worf used to do — and perhaps that’s the aim of the writers in pairing the two of them.

The reintroduction of the changelings and seeing Beverly and Picard reunite made the episode worth watching for me — but the Titan is now sinking in space, and I’m concerned the story line will sink with it.

Sopan Deb is a basketball writer and a contributor to the Culture section. Before joining The Times, he covered Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for CBS News. More about Sopan Deb

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Star Trek: Picard season 3: everything you need to know about the show's Big Bad

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Spoilers for Picard season 3's third episode follow. If you haven't seen the latest episode or caught up on the season so far, look away now!

Following on from the bombshell that Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher have a kid together , the big revelations keep on coming in Star Trek: Picard season 3 . Third episode ‘Seventeen Seconds’ has just confirmed the identity of the villains who used a stolen portal weapon to destroy a Starfleet recruitment facility on M’talas Prime, and it turns out we’ve met them before.

The shapeshifting Changelings were the principal aggressors in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and now they’ve returned to the Alpha Quadrant with new-and-improved CG morphing techniques. Aside from stealing top-secret Starfleet hardware, their ultimate goal remains unknown, though whatever they have planned is unlikely to be good news for Jean-Luc and the Federation.

So, as one Changeling spy gets busy creating havoc on the USS Titan, and another winds up interrogated (and vaporised) by Worf and Raffi Musiker, we travel back in time to explore the Dominion’s Star Trek origins.

Where have we seen the Changelings before in Star Trek?

The shapeshifting Changelings became the main antagonists of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which ran for seven seasons from 1993-99. DS9 security chief Odo was a member of the same species, though he didn’t learn about his heritage until season 3.

The Changelings originated on the other side of the galaxy, but the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole next to DS9 allowed easy access between the Alpha Quadrant (our bit) and the Gamma Quadrant (theirs). Suddenly, two factions who may otherwise never have met had each other in phaser lock.

The Changelings primarily exist in liquid form but can assume the form of multiple humanoid races. Despite possessing similar shapeshifting abilities to the Chameloid Martia in Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country, the species are apparently not related.

What is the Dominion?

The Dominion was the empire ruled over by the Changelings – known as the “Founders” to their adoring subjects.

Although the Founders were undoubtedly the brains of the operation, they were never particularly keen on getting their hands dirty. Instead, many administrative roles were fulfilled by the humanoid Vorta (easily cloned in the event of an individual’s demise). The Dominion’s military might, meanwhile, supplied by the ruthless Jem’Hadar. The Founders ensured the loyalty of their footsoldiers by genetically engineering them to be dependent on a drug known as ketracel-white.

What are the Changelings’ strengths and weaknesses?

Thanks to their morphogenic matrix, Changelings can shapeshift to impersonate a vast array of inanimate objects, animals and humanoids. As well having no need for food, they can survive in the vacuum of space.

On their homeworld they all join together to form a big lake of liquid beings known as the Great Link. Here they can exchange thoughts in one big hive mind – it’s like the Borg but gooier.

As predominantly liquid beings, however, they can’t hold solid form indefinitely. They subsequently experience intense pain and a rapidly deteriorating body if they leave it too long before returning to their liquid state. During Odo’s early days on Deep Space Nine, he had to revert to his gloopier self every 16-18 hours, spending his R&R periods in a bucket before relocating to larger quarters.

How do you spot a Changeling?

While Odo would struggle to pass for human, older, more experienced Changelings have the ability to create a seamless imitation of detailed facial features and voices. This has traditionally made them incredibly difficult to spot, with even the extensive blood screening adopted by the Federation proving frustratingly hit-and-miss. In fact, their best efforts weren’t enough to prevent copies of DS9’s resident doctor Julian Bashir and Klingon bigwig General Martok slipping through the net.

What was the Dominion War?

The Dominion’s initial slow-burn efforts to infiltrate the Alpha Quadrant eventually escalated into all-out war. The resulting two-year conflict brought all of Star Trek’s significant powers into battle, and led to in massive casualties on both sides.

Dominion tactics were varied enough to incorporate the brute force of the Jem’Hadar armada, and Changeling operatives shapeshifting their way into the upper echelons of Starfleet or the Klingon Empire – they even engineered a war between the Klingons and the Cardassians to further their aspirations in the region,

The threat became so great that the Federation, the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire were forced to enter into an unlikely alliance, though the Cardassian Union went the other way and teamed up with the Dominion. This decision ultimately backfired when the Founders decided an alliance with the secretive Breen was actually more beneficial to their cause. Hundreds of millions of Cardassians were slaughtered in the subsequent invasion.

What happened to the Dominion at the end of Deep Space Nine?

The Federation/Klingon/Romulan alliance ultimately reclaimed Cardassian territory and gained the upper hand over the Dominion in battle. But arguably the most important (and most morally questionable) development of the war’s endgame was the morphogenic virus Starfleet Intelligence’s perennially shady Section 31 developed to kill off the Changelings.

With the Founders unable to develop a treatment of their own, they were facing extinction when the Federation Council vetoed the use of the cure Dr Bashir had developed.

Odo ultimately convinced the Founders to surrender, on the condition that he join them in the Great Link to share the cure. The war officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Bajor.

Has Picard ever faced the Dominion before?

Neither of Picard’s Enterprises ever encountered the Dominion on screen, though the long-running war is referenced in both Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis. Seeing as the crew would have been in service throughout the conflict, however, it seems unlikely they’d have avoided the Changelings completely.

And, seeing as Worf spent four seasons as a regular on Deep Space Nine, there is at least one member of the classic Next Generation line-up with extensive experience of the Founders. When the Klingon makes a reference to “a close friend within the Link” in Picard season three’s third episode, he’s almost definitely referring to his former colleague, Odo.

How do the Changelings fit into Star Trek: Picard?

Episode 3 (‘Seventeen Seconds’) sets them up as season 3’s Big Bad, responsible for stealing both the troublesome portal weapon Vadic uses to torment the USS Titan, and another top-secret threat housed at Daystrom Station. There’s also a Changeling hidden aboard the Titan, and he's done his best to kill Jack Crusher in between ongoing efforts to sabotage the ship.

It’s important to note, however, that these Changelings are not the Dominion. Worf explains that, “When the Dominion War ended, there was a schism. A terrorist faction broke away, unwilling to accept defeat.” It appears that the Changelings we’ve seen so far in Star Trek: Picard are part of this “rogue group”, though Worf is treading softly because Starfleet realise that acknowledging their existence might risk reigniting the Dominion War.

New episodes of Star Trek: Picard stream on Paramount Plus in the US every Thursday, and on Fridays in the UK courtesy of Prime Video.

Screen Rant

2-hour star trek is “on the table”, says jonathan frakes & what this means for picard’s legacy spinoff.

Star Trek: Section 31 will be the first Star Trek movie made for Paramount+, and Jonathan Frakes thinks it could usher in more streaming movies.

• Star Trek is considering a 2-hour movie format for future projects, potentially exploring canceled series like Star Trek: Legacy.
• Jonathan Frakes suggests positive energy around the Section 31 movie opens up possibilities for more 2-hour Star Trek projects.
• Fans hope for a Star Trek: Legacy spinoff, but a potential streaming movie may have limitations in fully exploring its potential.

Jonathan Frakes suggests that the 2-hour format for Star Trek on Paramount+ is now "on the table", but could this mean Star Trek: Picard ' s proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy, might become a 2-hour streaming movie? Star Trek: Picard season 3 was a huge success both critically and with audiences for reuniting and wrapping up the stories of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast while setting up an exciting future for the USS Enterprise-G led by Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), However, despite passionate fan demand, there is no greenlight for Star Trek: Legacy from Paramount+.

Star Trek is in another transition period following its 2022 apex of five Star Trek shows streaming on Paramount+ . Star Trek: Picard ended with season 3 in 2023, and 2024 will mark the final seasons of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Star Trek: Prodigy moved to Netflix after a groundswell of fan support saved the beloved CGI animated series. The good news is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds received an early season 4 renewal, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is scheduled to start filming in late 2024. In the midst of all of this is an X-factor: Star Trek: Section 31 , the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+ that recently finished filming.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

Jonathan frakes says section 31 put 2-hour star trek on the table, there's a lot of positive buzz around star trek: section 31.

Jonathan Frakes appeared on TrekMovie 's All Access Star Trek podcast to promote Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer's fundraiser and walk at PanCAN PurpleStride on April 27th, along with Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, and Juan Carlos Coto. When talk turned to Star Trek: Lower Decks ending with season 5 and whether it could be revived the way Star Trek: Prodigy got a new lease on life on Netflix, Frakes suggested that the potential success of Star Trek: Section 31 could lead to more Star Trek projects with a 2-hour format. Read Frakes quote below:

I do know that there’s a lot of positive energy around the Michelle Yeoh Section 31 movie. So that 2-hour format is now on the table for Star Trek going forward.

Star Trek is no stranger to a 2-hour format after 13 theatrical Star Trek movies since 1979, and many 2-hour episodes of the various Star Trek series. Star Trek: Section 31 , which is headlined by Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, already has talk of a sequel. Hopefully, Section 31 will be the first of a series of Star Trek movies or event mini-series made for streaming on Paramount+. Potentially, this means canceled Star Trek on Paramount+ series and characters can be explored further in 2-hour streaming movies, which can be relatively less expensive to produce than a full-blown 10-episode-per-season Star Trek series.

You can listen to and download the excellent episode of TrekMovie 's All Access Star Trek Podcast here .

Will Picard’s Legacy Spinoff Become A Star Trek Streaming Movie?

Better a star trek: legacy movie than no spinoff at all.

Variety 's recent cover story about the future of the Star Trek franchise indicated that Star Trek: Legacy is being considered as a 2-hour streaming movie rather than a 10-episode series, and Jonathan Frakes agreed this was a possibility during TrekMovie 's All Access Star Trek podcast. Frakes confirmed that "of course" Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas has spoken with him about Star Trek: Legacy , although Jonathan doesn't think he would be asked to direct it if it happens. Frakes predicted Matalas would simply "hire himself," as Terry wrote and directed Star Trek: Picard season 3's acclaimed finale episodes "Vox" and "The Last Generation."

Jonathan Frakes would like to play Admiral Will Riker in Star Trek: Legacy and be the "Charlie" of Charlie's Angels who gives Captain Seven of Nine and the USS Enterprise-G their marching orders.

Fans hope Star Trek: Legacy will still happen, although a 2-hour movie instead of a multi-season TV series would be a disappointment for many . A Star Trek: Legacy s treaming movie would mean there wouldn't be time to fully explore the vast potential of 25th-century Star Trek . However, with multiple factors such as the possible sale of Paramount+ and the reduction of Star Trek content creating uncertainty towards the future, a Star Trek: Legacy streaming movie is better than Star Trek: Picard' s spinoff not happening at all,

Source: TrekMovie.com All Access Star Trek podcast

Star Trek TV shows and movies are streaming on Paramount+

Star Trek: Prodigy is streaming on Netflix.

The first 10 Star Trek movies are streaming on Max.

Star Trek: Section 31

'Star Trek: Picard's Michelle Hurd Says Raffi "Will Love Seven [Until] the End of Time"

Hurd also told the story of how Seven and Raffi's relationship became part of the series during a panel at Calgary Expo.

The Big Picture

• At Calgary Expo, Michelle Hurd spoke in depth about the relationship between Seven and Raffi.
• Hurd confirms Raffi's enduring love for Seven, hinting at a potential future in Star Trek: Legacy if Paramount+ greenlights the series.
• The unexpected Seven and Raffi romance in Picard was sparked by the chemistry between the Hurd and Jeri Ryan at Comic-Con.

While many Star Trek: The Next Generation fans watched their dreams come true in the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard , Saffi fans were left wanting more. Having gotten together in the Season 1 finale and sharing a rocky, but ultimately happy relationship in Season 2, Saffi — or Seven and Raffi to those who may not know their 'ship moniker — went through an off-screen break-up ahead of the final season. While the split was never really directly addressed in the jam-packed season, it set both characters up to serve as the captain and first officer of the newly commissioned Enterprise-G in the series finale.

Speaking during a panel at Calgary Expo hosted by Collider's Maggie Lovitt , a fan asked Michelle Hurd about the break-up and the relationship's potential future in Star Trek: Legacy . Laughing, Hurd said, "[You say] break up and I've got my U-Haul." She went on to say that she and her co-star Jeri Ryan have discussed the relationship at length. "Jeri and I have also talked about this and I’ve said it to her many times. And I’m like, ‘You do understand that Raffi loves Seven, period. End of discussion.’ She will love Seven [until] the end of time. "

While that answer is about as straightforward as they come, Hurd went on to say, "The one thing that we also have to acknowledge is that Raffi loves Seven, that Fenris Ranger, that incredible creature, that amazing individual that stands in front of her. Raffi would never want to limit her or extinguish any of her beautiful flames . So, Raffi will always be happy with Seven in her vision." Even if the pair technically shouldn't be in a relationship while in command, "She wants Seven to be happy with Raffi in her eyesight, but she's perfectly happy to be in her space."

'Star Trek': Why the Captain/First Officer Ship Is So Irresistible

Hurd went on to say, "One of the things that we really wanted to tell [was] that story of two women of a certain age, who are stubborn, who are set in their patterns, who are living their lives as authentically as they can, who can't help but find each other. So with that, it's a beautiful thing, but it's a complicated thing. And so, I think that there's always going to be love there. " While we don't know if Legacy will get the green light yet at Paramount+ , if the spin-off does happen Hurd said:

"It would be an amazing thing to see that kind of dynamic, to see the respect that each other has to have for each other's space as well as, [some] jealousy[...] I think it would be a phenomenal story. So I can't say for sure whether there's going to be, you know, a white picket fence. But if you're asking Raffi, there’s a white picket fence"

How Saffi Became Part of the 'Star Trek: Picard' Season 1 Finale

During the panel, another fan spoke about being surprised by the handhold between Seven and Raffi in the Picard Season 1 finale and asked Hurd if the relationship was planned from the beginning or if it was added in later. While their romance wasn't always planned, Hurd explained that when she looked back at the first season there was an "appreciation" between Seven and Raffi from their first scenes together. She said: "I think that in that season, that episode where they're getting ready to go down to the planet, and I'm helping Seven and Raffi’s giving her [the handcuffs], you could tell that she respects her. So there was already some kind of appreciation between the two of them that moment ."

Hurd went on to tell the story of how at SDCC ahead of the first season, co-star Jonathan Del Arco happened to snap a picture of Hurd and Ryan dressed to the nines and immediately showed it to their producers. She told the Calgary Expo crowd:

"I believe it was at the San Diego Comic-Con, that same event, which was huge and fantastic. And they had a green room, a space where all the actors and everybody goes to get ready for whatever. And Jeri was in this fantastic red dress. She was absolutely gorgeous, and I was wearing a white Helston jumpsuit, so I didn't look too bad myself. And we’re friends, I adore her, and we were standing together and I kind of put my arm around her waist and I kind of gave her a squeeze. And Jonathan Del Arco, Hugh, [and] Jeri's manager is Jonathan's husband. So we're all friends, with Kyle [Fritz]. So Jonathan was standing over there, and he was like, ‘Oh my God, look at me.’ And so we both just looked at him and he took a picture. And then I swear to God, he took that camera, walked right over to our producers, Akiva Goldsman , Alex Kurtzman , [and] Michael Chabon . We’re all sitting right there, and he said, ‘You guys look at how big these two look together.’"

The rest was history as the producers immediately turned around and told Hurd and Ryan, "'Ladies, we have an idea,' and that’s how it started." While we wait to see if Hurd and Ryan will return on Star Trek: Legacy you can stream all three seasons of Picard on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Picard

Follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) that centers on Jean-Luc Picard in the next chapter of his life.

Watch on Paramount+