Star Trek: Picard Season 2 has ended, and with its conclusion came the exits of a few key stars. Perhaps the most heartbreaking exit was that of John de Lancie’s Q, whose character delighted audiences across shows for decades. On the heels of the Season 2 finale, co-showrunner Terry Matalas posted an emotional video of John de Lancie wrapping filming, complete with a hug from Patrick Stewart.
Terry Matalas shared a video on Twitter of John de Lancie briefly speaking to the production crew following the scene of his emotional sit-down with Picard in the Season 2 finale. Check out the video below, and that warm embrace between the two veteran actors.
Curtain call for a god. @johndelancie #StarTrekPicard pic.twitter.com/nRtqcRzWBxMay 7, 2022
It’s a brief speech, but one that feels like John de Lancie just shot his final scene for Star Trek. We do know, at least, that despite previous teases from the actor that he was involved in Picard Season 3, that isn’t the case (via TrekMovie). With de Lancie out of Picard, it’s very possible that this is the last we’ve seen of Q in the franchise.
It’s not a surprise to see John de Lancie and Patrick Stewart embrace at the conclusion of his scene, given their working relationship going back to The Next Generation. Q was a part of some of Picard’s greatest episodes as a character, so it only made sense for the two to share one final adventure together when Stewart returned to do a new chapter in Jean-Luc’s story.
There was once a point when it seemed improbable that we’d see a lot of Trek actors return, and here they are. John de Lancie’s Q certainly has an avenue to return, considering he’s already had a guest role on Star Trek: Lower Decks and could theoretically appear in any other series since his existence seemingly occurs outside of time and space. Then again, bringing back de Lancie so soon after his exit in Picard would diminish his character's eventual death, so maybe this will be the last we’ve seen of the character.
John de Lancie got a fitting sendoff in the series and time to speak to the cast, but Star Trek: Picard has faced criticism from fans all the same. The actor is just one of multiple exits in Season 2, and others were formerly members of the main cast. Some fans aren't pleased that characters who they got to know in the first two seasons won't be around for the third and final. With the TNG cast coming in and Season 3 already wrapped on production, it doesn’t seem like the showrunners can do anything about that. At least Picard did right by Q, and gave longtime actor John de Lancie his much-deserved spotlight, which Paramount+ subscribers will be able to enjoy anytime they want.
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 is over, but Season 3 will arrive on Paramount+. More Trek shows are on the way in 2022, so now is as good a time as ever to sign up for the service and catch up on this golden era of the franchise.
