Star Trek: Picard Season 3 will be the final season of the Paramount+ series, and a farewell to one of the franchise’s greatest characters. Fans are no doubt excited to see Patrick Stewart’s curtain call in his series, and while we’re still in the dark on some details about this final season, there are some details we have learned ahead of its release.
Below are a lot of key things Star Trek fans will be interested in if they’re hoping to check out Picard Season 3. The below will likely convince many to hang onto those Paramount+ subscriptions for its premiere, assuming they weren’t planning to already.
Season 3 Premieres In February And Will Be Ten Episodes Long
Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard will arrive on Paramount+ on Thursday, February 16, 2023.
Star Trek: Picard Season 1 and 2 were both ten episodes in length, and the series will continue that trend for the final season, with episodes arriving weekly (on Thursday) following the Season 3 premiere. This isn’t anything unusual really, as all modern Trek shows have resorted to the “less is more” strategy when it comes to modern seasons. While this will likely mean the odds of a modern Trek series exceeding one-hundred episodes are slim, more money is spent on visual effects, and serialized stories stay on task when telling their tales.
Many Cast Members Of The Next Generation Are Returning
One of the most exciting things about Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is that Patrick Stewart will finally deliver on his promise of reuniting with most of the cast of The Next Generation. Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, and Michael Dorn are back together again for an adventure that should be a send-off for the iconic cast. Obviously, this also presents an opportunity for the series to answer some major questions that TNG never did, but it remains to be seen how much of that will be happening.
Previous Characters From Seasons 1 And 2 Won’t Return
While Star Trek: Picard will add a lot of stars from The Next Generation to its final season, it’s coming at the cost of much of the cast who appeared in Seasons 1 and 2. Allison Pill, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, and Orla Brady won’t be around in this new adventure. Even Wil Wheaton, who had a surprise cameo as Wesley Crusher, won’t be around in the final season. It’s a bit of a bummer, but with only so much time to tell the story, it’s understandable why the series cleared the way for the TNG cast.
The First Trailer Revealed Amanda Plummer Is Playing The Main Villain
Star Trek: Picard has tapped Amanda Plummer for its main villain for Season 3 and there’s an interesting history there. Before we get into that, check out Plummer below, in a trailer that shows she'll be a formidable foe for Picard and friends:
For those unaware Amanda Plummer’s father, Christopher Plummer played a villain in the final Star Trek movie with the original series cast, The Undiscovered Country. Now, his daughter will play the villain in what’s believed to be the final adventure for The Next Generation crew. Not much is known about her character, Captain Vadic, but the brief footage we’ve seen of her seems to indicate she’s a worthy adversary to Picard and his crew. Hopefully, she’s not too formidable, though, as I’d hate to see this final get-together end on a sour note.
Worf Is A Pacifist
During Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf always sought to honor his Klingon heritage and even instill those values in his son. So then, it was quite a surprise to learn in the above trailer for Picard Season 3 that Worf prefers pacifism to combat. One may use many adjectives to describe Klingons, but pacifist is about the furthest from what anyone would say about them. Hell, even those Klingon monks tried to have Captain Pike killed, so I’m definitely invested in this storyline and what led to Worf’s big decision.
Seven Of Nine Is Officially In Starfleet, And Could Possibly Link Up With Janeway
Star Trek: Picard has long established that Seven of Nine joined up with the Fenris Rangers, but what we didn’t learn until Season 2 was that she was rejected entry into Starfleet. Despite her years of service on the Voyager with Captain Janeway, Starfleet didn’t accept the Borg into its ranks, but we’ve since learned that Admiral Picard changed that in Season 3. It’s confirmed that Seven of Nine will be an official Starfleet officer, though not quite a captain, unfortunately. Maybe that’s something that will happen by the end of the season?
Another interesting tidbit is that there's a possibility we might see Kate Mulgrew reprise her role as Janeway in live-action, considering her ties to Seven. While nothing is confirmed, Alex Kurtzman did reveal there were discussions about bringing Mulgrew back as Janeway to live-action, and a recent Picard tie-in comic showed Seven talking with her mentor. We can't say we know for certain whether or not Mulgrew will appear, but there appears to be some compelling evidence suggesting she could cameo.
Fans Will Get “Emotionally Naked” Scenes Between Jean-Luc And Beverly
Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher are the biggest “what if” couple of Star Trek. The Next Generation flirted with the idea of them getting together throughout its run, but the complicated dynamics of their relationship always got in the way of things. Picard Season 3 presents an opportunity for the two to revisit their relationship. Patrick Stewart mentioned in an interview with Den of Geek that he felt he and co-star Gates McFadden’s characters had some of their most “emotionally naked” scenes to date, which seems to indicate there will be some talk about a romance that will be, or even once was.
Geordi Received A Promotion, And We’ll Meet His Daughters
Geordi LaForge is finally getting his due in Star Trek: Picard Season 3, as we learned in a character reveal trailer ahead of the season that he’ll have the rank of Commodore in Starfleet. Geordi noted in one trailer that his time in Starfleet made him a better father, a better friend, and a better man. Fans will get to see the product of LaForge being a better father as his daughters will appear in Season 3 as well. I, for one, am absolutely thrilled to see the “next generation” of the LaForge family in action, especially since LeVar Burton’s actual daughter Mica will portray his daughter Alandra.
Classic TNG Villains Will Appear
Star Trek: Picard’s Season 3 trailer shocked fans with the re-emergence of two very popular villains who will appear in the final adventure with Picard and crew. Actor Daniel Davis will reprise his role as Moriarty who first appeared during The Next Generation. As for Brent Spiner, with Data dead, he’ll don the role of his evil brother Lore, who was also believed to be dead. Personally, I’ve wondered if Lore might find redemption in Picard Season 3, but we’ll just have to wait and watch the season to see if that ends up happening.
Star Trek: Picard will premiere on Paramount+ on Thursday, February 16th. Tune in then and on the following Thursdays for what should be a great adventure, and hopefully, a proper farewell to the crew of The Next Generation.
