Star Trek: Picard Season 2 Was Inspired by a Classic Star Trek Movie

It seems the upcoming second season of Star Trek: Picard was inspired by the classic Star Trek movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Paramount+ released the new trailer for Star Trek: Picard Season Two on Star Trek Day, revealing its February premiere date. It also confirmed the show would return for a third season. Micheal Chabon, who ran the first season of Picard, departed the series to helm the adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. For its second season, Terry Matalas, who previously was showrunner on Syfy's 12 Monkeys TV show, became co-showrunner of Picard, alongside series co-creator Akiva Goldsman.

Given Matalas' history with time travel fiction, it was no surprise when the first look at Picard's second season hinted at a similar plot device. Speaking to TrekMovie, Goldsman confirmed that Matalas suggested the time travel plot, specifically citing jStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

"It was Terry first," Goldsman says. "And Terry brought time travel with him. Terry sort of said, 'Hey, let's do The Voyage Home.' And we kind of dug it."

Star Trek: Picard is seemingly taking a more extreme, darker tone with its time travel. Instead of simply rescuing some whales, Picard finds himself in an alternate universe where something has gone very wrong, and he needs to go back in time to fix things. Goldsman suggested the problem may specifically stem from Picard's history.

"I think that the Borg Queen's utility here is probably not what you expect it to be," he said, referencing the recently cast antagonist. "And I think that what Picard is wrestling with in this season—and this should come as no surprise in a season about time travel—is his own history."

As for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the film is now available on 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray for the first time as part of the Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection. Ahed of the release, ComicBook.com spoke to Roddenberry Entertainment CEO Rod Roddenberry, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's son, about what makes The Voyage Home a perennial favorite.

"My favorite, I really got to say, is The Voyage Home because I think that was also quintessential Star Trek because you had the messaging of the environment," he said. "You had the arrogance of humans, thinking that this truly benevolent probe came back to speak to humans. But no, it was trying to talk to the intelligent life that was here before humans. And I really sort of appreciated that thought-provoking idea and storyline.

"Of course, humor and camaraderie. That's always wonderful. Everyone loves the scene of Bones, DeForest Kelley, coming into a hospital and seeing that we're living in the dark ages of medicine. And I think every one of us would agree with that too."

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