Watch Sir Patrick Stewart Announce His Return To Star Trek

Earlier today it was announced that Patrick Stewart is officially returning to Star Trek as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a brand new Star Trek series on CBS All Access and now you can watch the actor make the announcement to fans at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention himself.

In the short video, which you can watch above, Star Trek: Discovery co-creator Alex Kurtzman makes an unexpected appearance at the convention to announce the new Star Trek television series but decides to have a "good friend" help him share the news.

"I figured that this was probably the day to announce to you what our next Star Trek series is going to be if that's okay with you guys," Kurtzman said. "Okay, good. But I don't actually feel entirely qualified to be the one to do so what I'd like to do is bring out a good friend to talk about the next one."

That good friend turned out to be Stewart, who walked out on stage to fan delight and applause before reflecting on Star Trek: The Next Generation, what it has meant to him and fans, as well as how it's time Captain Picard returns.

"I have spent a lot of time recently watching Star Trek: The Next Generation including episodes I'd never see before which was fun and exciting, and gradually it became clearer and clearer to me that the power of that show, the success of that show, the benefits that it gave," Stewart said. "I have never ever grown tired of hearing from people who've stopped me in the street or in a restaurant -- well, no, I don't like being interrupted while I'm eating -- but who say to me 'your show changed my life. without Star Trek: The Next Generation I might not be here.' And that lies at the very center of what I have to tell you now. Jean-Luc Picard is back."

Stewart initially played the role of Picard through seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and four films with his final appearance as the character to date being Star Trek: Nemesis.

In addition to the initial announcement as seen in the video, Stewart did provide a little hint about what Picard might be up to now that it's been two decades since fans last saw the character.

"[Picard] may not be a Captain anymore," Stewart said. "He may be someone who has been changed by his experiences. We have no scripts as yet. We're just talking storylines. It will be something very different, but it will come to you with the same passion."

The series is being developed by Alex Kurtzman, James Duff, Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, and Kirsten Beyer. Kurtzman is the co-creator and current showrunner of Star Trek: Discovery and the man in charge of expanding the Star Trek franchise. Goldsman is also a producer and director on Discovery. Duff is a Discovery executive producer.

Are you excited about Patrick Stewart returning to Star Trek? Let us know in the comments below.