Star Trek: Picard Series Will Be "Very Grounded" Says Writer

Patrick Stewart is returning to his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation in a new CBS All Access show that one writer says will be "very grounded."

Michael Chabon is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. He's also a lifelong Star Trek fan who made his debut working on the franchise with this week's Star Trek: Short Treks episode "Calypso."

Chabon's next mission for Star Trek is as a writer on the still-untitled Picard series. When IGN asked if there were any specific episodes or moments from Picard's past that would inspire the new series, Chabon was evasive.

"I can't think of a way to answer that question that somebody wouldn't be able to interpret as me having given away hints or secrets!" he said. "And, you know, anything I say, they're like, 'Oh! So it's that!' I guess what I would say is that the people who are working on the series are fans. And we started developing it initially with a core group of me and [Discovery writer] Kirsten Beyer and [Discovery executive producers] Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman. And, that four, that got the ball rolling initially…We all have our beloved episodes, and we all had important moments. We knew the material, we knew the character, and we talked a lot about a lot of different episodes that were…the kind of storytelling type things that might be possible ways, that might be clues for us going forward. It's very grounded."

In addition to those writers, Patrick Stewart himself has been integral to the development of the new show.

"We brought in Sir Patrick himself, and he has the kind of master grasp of the character," Chabon said. "He has been really influential in both helping us understand the character, and also pushing us and challenging us. And I think more than anything -- and I don't think it's revealing anything for me to say this -- he's really pushing us to try to do something new and different with the character. And that's why he wants to play it, so that he can play something that honors the character, that's true to the character. And like I said, he's a very fierce protector of the character, but at the same time, he wants to see Jean-Luc Picard having experiences, having adventures, and be put in situations we haven't seen before."

Are you excited about the new Picard series? Let us know in the comments!

The Picard series currently has no release date but is expected to begin filming in early 2019.