How Star Trek: TNG’s Returning Cast Revitalized an “Exhausted” Patrick Stewart for Picard Season 3

The Star Trek series, Picard, was a mixed bag, and many critics and fans were not as happy with the story as Paramount might have hoped. Regardless, having Patrick Stewart back for a new series as Jean-Luc Picard was still a treat, and the series lasted three seasons and told a self-contained story. That said, it wasn’t an easy ride for Stewart himself since the second and third seasons were shot back-to-back. With Stewart at 81 years old at the time, this began to wear him down by the end. However, the fan favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation reunion episode seemed to rejuvenate the actor.

In the first episode of the new podcast Dropping Names with Brent and Jonny, actors Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner invited their fellow The Next Generation co-star LeVar Burton onto the show to discuss their time together and what they have done since. During this discussion, they talked about the episode of Star Trek: Picard where they all showed up for a reunion in the third season.

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“One of the things I loved about working on that set was the impact that set and us being together on that set had on Patrick,” Burton said. Because he had been working, and this was the second series he’d done in a row of this show. He was exhausted… There was no two buts about it. He was dead dog tired.”

Jonathan Frakes then said that Patrick Stewart was glad to have them with him in the episode, also saying it was nice to get Jean-Luc Picard back into his captain’s chair. “He was glad to have us with him,” Burton agreed. “I saw him rejuvenate.” The three men also went on to praise the recreation of The Next Generation set. “Nothing was different about the set,” Frakes said. “I mean, the color of the carpet, and the chair, and the angle of the ramp up to [Michael] Dorn’s space. I mean, everything about it.”

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“The Last Generation” Remains the Best Picard Episode

While Patrick Stewart played Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of USS Enterprise-D on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Jonathan Frakes played Commander Riker, the ship’s first officer, LeVar Burton played Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge, and Brent Spiner played Lt. Commander Data. Also appearing in “The Last Generation” were Michael Dorn as Worf, Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, and Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher. Their reunion in “The Last Generation” was the best episode of Star Trek: Picard.

However, the reunion was something that Patrick Stewart didn’t want to do, though. He would only return for Star Trek: Picard if it had his character at a different place in his life, and he didn’t want to re-do something he had already done. However, he has since said that he was happy he was outvoted and they got this moment to bring the old crew back together. In the end, it was the perfect end for Picard, as a TV show, and for TNG, as a crew reunion.

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