Some familiar faces are being beamed up to the set of the hit sci-fi series, Star Trek: Picard. Taking to social media, Paramount has shared that six Star Trek: The Next Generation actors, including the likes of LeVar Burton, and Michael Dorn, are joining the cast for the third and final season of Picard.
Taking to Twitter on April 5, 2022 – also known as ‘First Contact Day’ in the Star Trek fandom- the studio shared a brief teaser about the Paramount Plus TV series. Picard, which first premiered in 2020, sees Patrick Stewart reprise his role as Jean-Luc Picard, a character he played for seven seasons during the 1987 series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The video revealed that LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner would all be joining Stewart in his next outing as the captain.
Spiner, Sirtis, and Frakes have all appeared in Picard’s previous seasons before. However, scoring Burton and Dorn onto the show is a monumental moment. It is the first time that The Next Generation’s main cast has appeared on screen together since the 2002 science fiction movie, Star Trek: Nemesis.
You can see Paramount’s Tweet below:
The mission continues. See who is joining the cast of #StarTrekPicard Season 3! pic.twitter.com/HMBc9wyAFa
— Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) April 5, 2022
Picard showrunner, Terry Matalas, issued a statement via Variety regarding the decision to bring back legacy actors such as Dorn and Burton for Picard’s final season.
“I remember watching the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation almost 34 years ago with my father like it was yesterday,” he said. “It was the spark that ignited my love for science fiction. So, it’s most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honouring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the USS. Enterprise. It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honour.”
Picard season 3 is set to stream exclusively on the streaming service Paramount Plus in early 2023. In the meantime, US fans can head over to the platform to watch the first two seasons.