Patrick Stewart Had Three Rules For Star Trek: Picard – And They Broke One Of Them

Patrick Stewart was finished playing Captain Picard. The acclaimed actor had already played the character in 176 episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," in one episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," and in four feature films, all between 1987 and 2002. Stewart hung up his uniform and was eager to take on other acting challenges. Indeed, the 2002 film "Star Trek: Nemesis" was a notorious bomb, and the last remaining series, "Star Trek: Enterprise" struggled through its final years before being canceled in 2005. For all intents and purposes, "Star Trek" was at an end, and Stewart could, if he so desired, merely reminisce at "Trek" conventions and stay in contact with the old castmates in his contacts folder. 

When CBS All Access launched in 2017, however, Paramount became intensely keen on putting multiple new "Star Trek" shows into production. The streaming service, now called Paramount+, launched with "Star Trek: Discovery," a show set about a decade before the events of the original "Star Trek." The time came, it seems, to tap into some "Next Generation" nostalgia as well, and the new "Trek" honchos Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman approached Stewart about a new series called "Star Trek: Picard," a show to be set several decades after "Nemesis" that would catch up with the character in his old age. 

Stewart's initial reaction? Hard pass. He had no interest. In his new autobiography "Making It So: A Memoir," Stewart recalls his need to explain his refusal to the Paramount executives and the hard sell they still gave him, even after his refusal. After being worn down, Stewart agreed to make another "Trek" series under three conditions. 

The execs abided by two of them. 

Patrick Stewart said that he would return to Jean-Luc Picard under three conditions:

"1. The series would not be based on a reunion of 'The Next Generation' characters. I wanted it to have little or nothing to do with them. This was not at all a mark of disrespect for my beloved fellow actors. Rather, I simply felt it was essential to place Picard in entirely new settings with entirely new characters. Perhaps Picard might encounter Riker or Dr. Crusher in the second season, but such encounters were not to be the series' raison d'être." 

Nostalgia is out, no legacy, no notable reunions. Got it. What else? 

"2. Picard would no longer be serving in Starfleet, and he was not to wear any kind of uniform or badges. 3. The series would run for no more than three seasons. It was clear to me that the writing team was not entirely thrilled with these conditions, but basically, they were all agreed to. The no-uniform rule was the toughest one for them to stomach, for some reason, and more than once, I was asked to reconsider my hard line. I stuck to my guns." 

The writers were largely accommodating. In "Picard," Jean-Luc is a retired admiral who lives as a civilian on his vineyard in the French countryside. When the first season's adventures began, it was with outsiders and rogue Starfleet personnel who were not assigned to sanctioned starships. They became a ragtag group of friends solving a riddle outside of Starfleet's purview. Picard wears a visitor's badge but is never in uniform. Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Troi (Marina Sirtis), and Data (Brent Spiner) have cameo roles, but the story isn't about them. 

By season 3, the first rule would be spectacularly violated.