Patrick Stewart Agreed To Join Star Trek: Picard Under Two Conditions
This post contains spoilers for the series finale of "Star Trek: Picard."
"Star Trek: Picard" concluded its third and final season on April 20, 2023. The show ended with most of the main cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" — reunited after decades — on board a reconstructed Enterprise-D rescuing Earth from an insidious Borg attack. The plot was so-so, but the nostalgia was expertly weaponized. The makers of "Picard" even went so far as to immaculately recreate the original Enterprise-D set as it looked in 1987, and many Trekkies were deeply moved by seeing Patrick Stewart back in his old captain's chair next to Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, and Brent Spiner. It might be the most prominent "back in the saddle" moment in "Star Trek."
This was a very odd way to close out the show, however, when one considers that Stewart once expressly forbade those things from happening as a stipulation for his return. When "Star Trek: Picard" launched in 2020, the showrunners wanted to communicate very clearly that it would not be a show about a still-working Admiral Picard back in his old uniform. He would also — most definitely — not be commanding a starship. "Picard" was said to be a more character-driven series, focusing on where Jean-Luc is in his life at around age 95. And indeed, the first two seasons of "Picard" did keep the Admiral off a starship bridge, and dressed him in civilian clothes. He wore no Starfleet communicator on his chest.
For the third season, however, Stewart clearly changed his mind on what he wanted out of the show. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, the actor talked about what he originally wanted for "Picard," and how those things changed over time.
Two conditions ...
When "Star Trek" head honcho Alex Kurtzman approached Patrick Stewart about appearing in a new series all about Jean-Luc Picard, the actor balked. While "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was a boon for the actor's career back in 1987, he seemingly felt that it was something that he had long ago finished with. After all, TV is hard work, and Stewart was a famous enough actor that he could do whatever he wanted rather than fall back on old TV roles. After some contemplation, however, he would agree to do it ... with a few stipulations. He said:
"I thought about the offer and decided I would do it, but I made two conditions. I didn't want to wear a uniform, and it must not be a series that is fundamentally a sentimental reunion of 'The Next Generation.' And they agreed to that."
Those stipulations would be easy to adhere to, given the age of the character and the way careers tend to advance in the world of "Star Trek." Seeing Picard as a retired Admiral working in his family's vineyard was a logical place for Jean-Luc to end up. Stewart, it seems, didn't want to merely reunite with his old co-workers and do a rehash of a show he had completed almost 30 years prior. The first two seasons of "Picard" kept the title character far away from Federation starships, and the stories were elaborate mystery boxes that only occasionally incorporated Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, or Brent Spiner.
It seems, however, that when he finally got to work with some of his old co-workers again, his heart began to warm.
We're older now
In the first season of "Picard," Jean-Luc took a side trip to briefly visit Will Riker (Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Sirtis) at their remote cottage. Riker still held a Starfleet rank and would come charging to the rescue in the season's finale, but the bulk of his screentime was the character in an apron, preparing pizza for his guests. While Stewart didn't want "Picard" to be a "Next Generation" reunion, he found that working with some of his fellow cast mates was nice. He was weirdly exhilarated to see how old everyone had gotten, and how much they were still on their game. Stewart said:
"I think the first 'Next Generation' character who came on the show was Jonathan Frakes and then [...] Marina Sirtis, who played Counselor Troi, was also in it. And to my great pleasure, I enjoyed having them back on the soundstage. We've all aged, all of us. I mean, Michael Dorn! Whose hair is white! And Jonathan with his grizzled gray beard. And me, of course, with my hollowed cheeks and exhausted appearance."
Stewart noted all these things as positives.
The actor didn't note the exact moment or event that changed his mind from being strictly anti-reunion to becoming an enthusiastic supporter of getting the gang back together, but he certainly was happy to take part by the show's third season. It may have swayed Stewart that the first two seasons of "Picard" were notoriously clunky, with byzantine stories, weird settings, and frustrating mystery box plots. It seems that retreating to the comfort of the familiar was exactly what "Picard" needed.
The series ended with the Enterprise-D in action, and a final poker game between the characters. It was a fine farewell.