Star Trek: Picard Showrunner Confirms Full Next Generation Cast Reunion
Yes, the entire senior staff of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Enterprise-D will reunite on screen in Star Trek: Picard's third season. Paramount+ announced that the primary Star Trek: The Next Generation cast -- LeVar Burton, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, and Gates McFadden -- would join Patrick Stewart for Picard's final season. Star Trek television producer Alex Kurzman later confirmed that these returns are more than cameos. Now showrunner Terry Matalas has confirmed that the entire The Next Generation cast will come together during Picard's farewell season instead of appearing separately throughout the season. He responded to a fan's question on Twitter about this with a GIF in the affirmative (via Trek Movie).
"I remember watching the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation almost 34 years ago with my father like it was yesterday. It was the spark that ignited my love for science fiction," Matalas said in the press release announcing the Next Generation cast's return. "So, it's most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honoring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the U.S.S. Enterprise. It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honor. The entire Star Trek: Picard team and I can't wait for fans to experience this final, high-stakes, starship-bound adventure in season three!"
— Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) May 26, 2022
Most of the new cast introduced in Star Trek: Picard's first two seasons are exiting ahead of the final season. However, Jeri Ryan will return as Seven of Nine and Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker. Hurd has teased that Picard's third season has some twists and turns in store for the returning cast members.
"First of all, I think our Star Trek family is going to be really excited about this third season," Hurd said during a Twitter Space conversation with Ryan. "It's really delicious. And there are more twists and turns… Maybe fans are anticipating some twists and turns, but there's a bunch of them there… The players who are coming to play with us–each time somebody walked on set it was like a historic moment. Everybody would come onto the soundstage and we were just so excited to welcome back these individuals. And the stories that Jeri and I get to explore are incredibly exciting and action-packed and emotional. I think it's just going to give you guys a lot–it's not even like easter eggs. We're just gonna be putting some stuff straight out. It's in your face. I think you guys will be as giddy as we were shooting it."
Star Trek: Picard's first two seasons are streaming now on Paramount+. Its third season doesn't have a release date.