Scott D. Pierce: The cast of ‘Next Generation’ reunites on ‘Star Trek: Picard,’ and it’s magic

PASADENA, California • More than 3½ decades after we first saw Jean-Luc Picard in command of the U.S.S. Enterprise, there’s still something that thrills the hearts of Trekkers when he takes a seat in the command chair of a starship and says, “Engage.”

In Season 3 of “Star Trek: Picard,” that ship is the U.S.S. Titan and Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) and his former first officer, Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), are battling the latest deadly threat to the Federation. And they’re reassembling the crew from of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

And, yes, it’s magic.

From 1987-94, the show was appointment television on Sundays at 5 p.m. on KSTU-Channel 13, and tens of thousands of Utahns tuned in. Those fans and their children are going to want to stream Season 3 of “Picard.” (It’s a bit intense for the grandchildren.)

“Next Gen” ended on a high mark in 1994 — the two-part episode “All Good Things …” was a fine and fitting sendoff. But the cast immediately transitioned to movies, with varying degrees of success.

“Star Trek: Generations” (1994) was a decent film. “First Contact” (1996) was great, and remains one of the best “Trek” films to date. “Insurrection” (1998) was OK. But “Nemesis” (2002) was widely reviled, and it remained the “Next Generation” farewell for two decades.

One more final story

According to showrunner Terry Matalas, one of his “north stars” for this season was that the “Next Gen” cast “really never got a final sendoff” and deserved “one more final story.” The mission begins when Picard receives a distress call and warning from Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), the former chief medical officer on the Enterprise-D and the Enterprise-E.

Other returning crew members are Worf (Michael Dorn), Geordi LaForge (Levar Burton), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), along with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), who first appeared midway through the run of “Voyager” and was also a part of the first two seasons of “Picard.” Brent Spiner (Data in “Next Gen”) is also back as … well, that would be a spoiler. No spoilers here.

Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) isn’t in the narrative. at least not in the first six episodes, but he did make a surprise appearance in Season 2.

Riker and Troi are still struggling with the death of a child. Worf is now extolling pacifism. Geordi is the father of two adult daughters who are Starfleet officers, one of whom is played by Burton’s real-life daughter, Mica. And Crusher is kicking butt.

“It was really a lot of fun,” McFadden said. “I had a fantastic time working on the show.” It reveals an aspect of her character she tried, unsuccessfully, to incorporate in the TV series and movies for years. “I wish, watching it,” Stewart said, “that more of those elements in Beverly could have been touched on earlier as well, because they are absolutely wonderful.”

Other than Seven and, of course, Picard, the only regular character from the first two seasons of the show who returns is Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd).

Stewart admits he was wrong

The “Next Generation” reunion is a near-complete turnaround from Season 1 of “Picard,” which Stewart insisted would not be simply a continuation of the earlier series. He even refused to wear a Starfleet uniform.

Rather remarkably, Stewart, who will be 83 in July, said, “I was wrong” about that. And, according to executive producer Alex Kurtzman, it was Stewart’s idea to reassemble the “Next Gen” cast on “Picard.”

“I wanted the series to show the impact of those years that had passed,” Stewart said, “and how much one might change.”

Season 3 of “Picard” doesn’t just reach back to “Next Generation,” it pulls from “Deep Space Nine,” “Voyager” and even to the previous generation of “Star Trek.” At least one plot point is directly tied to one of the missions of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew.

The showrunner is a ‘nerdball’

Season 3 of “Picard” is made by fans for fans. Matalas said he and his team of writers were “thrilled to explore ... and sort of unite some of the ‘Voyager,’ ‘Next Gen’ [and] ‘Deep Space Nine’ cast together and really immerse ourself in that canon. So it was actually a blast.”

And Ryan was quick to confirm Matalas’ enthusiasm. His credits include showrunning Syfy’s “12 Monkeys” and CBS’ “MacGyver” reboot, but when she joined the cast of “Voyager” in 1997, Matalas was her 21-year-old production assistant — and a confirmed Trekkie.

“He’s the biggest nerdball,” Ryan said. “He has loved, loved ‘Star Trek,’ and followed it religiously. So it’s not hard for him to know all the canon details.”

Other familiar characters pop up this season on “Picard,” but, again, no spoilers. And the shocking reveal in promo trailers of the holographic Dr. Moriarty (from the 1988 episode “Elementary, Dear Data”) actually makes perfect sense.

Six of the 10 episodes have been screened for critics, and — after a bit of a slow start — viewers will find themselves on a rollicking adventure chock full of callbacks and easter eggs.

“Picard” is also stunning to look at. The effects are nothing short of fantastic, including the most amazing space battles in “Trek” history.

Is it really the end?

For all the talk about this being both the final season of “Picard” and the last hurrah for the “Next Gen” crew, neither Stewart nor Kurtzman — who oversees all things “Star Trek” at Paramount — is slamming the door shut on the idea of more.

“Anything is possible,” Kurtzman said. “So if the show blows the doors off the place … who knows?”

Stewart said he’d be up for it if there’s a good idea for more because “there is still enormous potential for narrative in what we’ve been doing. And there are doors left open still. We didn’t close all of them, I think.”

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