Rumors have been circling the internet about the next Star Trek series ever since CBS signaled its interest by renewing its contract with Star Trek: Discovery executive producer and showrunner Alex Kurtzman. Now its been confirmed one of the most buzzed-about potential ideas for a new show is now happening on CBS All Access, and Trek fans everywhere should be excited. Patrick Stewart took to Twitter to confirm that he is headed back to the Star Trek universe as well as reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard:
Patrick Stewart's statement didn't go into explicit detail about the plot of the new Star Trek series, but it did explain why he's decided to return to Picard after all these years. Stewart said he's been touched by fans' continued response to his work on the show, and added at a surprise appearance at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention he's been watching quite a bit of Star Trek: The Next Generation lately. Stewart's tweet and video makes it known it was a combination of these two things that convinced him to return to the role, despite thinking he'd never reprise the role on the big or small screen after completing Star Trek: Nemesis.
There are scant details on what Patrick Stewart's next chapter in the Star Trek universe will entail, although it has been established this will not be a reboot of Star Trek: The Next Generation. That said, there's still plenty of the show's former cast floating around Hollywood, so plans for last some cameos--at least-- could definitely be in works for this new series. Jonathan Frakes, for instance, has been on board with Star Trek: Discovery for both seasons as a director, so it wouldn't be all that surprising to learn he's already been in conversations with Stewart and Alex Kurtzman to make a return as Riker.
Non-canon Star Trek works have written a fair bit about Jean-Luc Picard's life post-Starfleet, which included events such as marriage to Dr. Beverly Crusher, a job as a Federation ambassador to Vulcan, and a son named Rene. This new series will presumably tell the official story of Jean-Luc's journey and where he is almost twenty-five years after the ending of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Many fans are undoubtedly excited about the prospect of new adventures involving Picard, although surely there are some who worry a new adventure may introduce changes to the canon that have turned some loyal fans off to Star Trek: Discovery.
There is no word on when Patrick Stewart's new Star Trek series will arrive, but interested parties should expect to see it show up on the streaming service CBS All Access. Star Trek fans can binge Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix to prepare, or jump on over to our summer and fall premiere guides and search for a new show to get into while they wait.
