Star Trek: Picard Confirms SPOILER Is Jack Crusher’s Father

Last week, Star Trek: Picard introduced a new character into the Star Trek canon by revealing Dr. Beverly Crusher’s (Gates McFadden) son, Jack Crusher, played by Ed Speleers, seemingly named after Dr. Crusher’s dead husband, Jack, the father of Wesley Crusher. However, the Star Trek: Picard did not reveal the identity of the younger Jack’s father, though one character, in particular, seemed to be the most likely candidate. The second episode of the season, “Disengage,” provides viewers with the answer to that question. SPOILERS for the second episode of Star Trek: Picard Season 3, “Disengage,” follow.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3’s second episode confirms what fans most likely suspected after seeing the season premiere: Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is Jack Crusher’s father. Crusher has been out of Picard’s life for decades, which explains why this news surprises Picard. He seems in denial about it despite William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) figuring it out almost instantly. It takes Riker reviving Beverly Crusher to get Picard to accept it. Beverly only needs to look at Picard without speaking to let Jean-Luc know the truth in a way he can no longer deny.

Who is Jack Crusher?

As Jack Crusher, Speleers is now an integral part of the Star Trek franchise, paying off the romantic tension between Picard and Crusher that lasted throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s seven seasons, which many fans felt went frustratingly unaddressed by the four films that followed the show’s finale. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Speleers said he had some idea of what he was getting into when he signed up to play Jack.

“I think I’d of have to have been very remiss to have not been aware of The Next Generation and Picard, and Jean-Luc Picard, specifically,” Speleers says. “I cannot say that, originally, I was an aficionado, but I have nostalgic memories of growing up in the U.K. and coming home and one of the four channels was showing Star Trek: The Next Generation at about 6:30, BBC Two, and I have very warm, fuzzy memories of that. And so yeah, to be brought into the fold on this, to be able to work with such iconic characters, is a huge honor, and it’s been a wonderful process from start to finish.

“In terms of knowing what I was going to be getting up to and the character, I knew some elements, but of course then when I met Terry Matals, our amazing showrunner, in person, he painted the picture. He painted a picture for now and for… He painted a very big picture of me of what he wanted for this character.”

Star Trek: Picard debuts new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.