The latest episode of Star Trek Picard season 3 was notable for a lot of reasons. Firstly, we saw the return of the Borg, and learned how Jack Crusher was connected to them through Jean-Luc’s time as Locutus of Borg. Then, there was all the chaos at Frontier Day, where poor Admiral Shelby (and Captain Shaw) were killed by their assimilated crew.
All pretty glum, so far then. Thankfully, Star Trek Picard season 3 episode 9 ended on a more positive note, with the original TNG cast returning to their former Star Trek starship: the Enterprise-D. The Star Trek characters returned to their old stations on the bridge, and prepared to save the day once again.
The moment was genuinely stunning, not least because the classic set has been recreated with such precision and care. The recreation was a huge technical achievement, and has had fans excited since the episode dropped. However, the act of bringing the Enterprise-D back to life wasn’t all fun and games.
Speaking with Variety, showrunner Terry Matalas and production designer Dave Blass reflected on the effort it took to resurrect the old ship. Matalas explained, “Everyone tried to talk us out of doing this, because financially it’s a nightmare, and the timing was tight. To the moment we started filming, we were still gluing pieces together. But you can’t have a ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ reunion without one of its major characters, which is the Enterprise.”
Blass elaborated on the difficulty, saying, “There’s the ongoing rumor that there’s a warehouse somewhere that has all this ‘Star Trek’ stuff, but what exists is not a lot. We went into the deep dive of looking at every photo ever taken and every screencap, and we had a giant wall of inspiration at the back of the soundstage with photos of every single detail, so that everyone could see that we had thought this through.”
He continued, highlighting that the most difficult challenges were elements that you wouldn’t necessarily expect and the wooden arch in particular was an obstacle. “It’s a complex curve that arches and changes thickness. You can only get so much information off a blueprint. The construction team printed out a full-size paper plan to lay it out and then used a number of templates to shape the final piece.”
Then, there was the chairs. “We had to sculpt the right shape based on the basic form, then do a deep dive on the right materials that have the right color and texture. Each chair has four different materials.”
The comments from Matalas and Blass are a keen reminder of the work that goes into shows like this, and that this Star Trek series had just as many challenges as those from the ’90s.
For more on Star Trek, take a look at what we know about the Star Trek Picard season 3 episode 10 release date. Or, check out how to watch every TNG Borg episode and learn more about characters like Tuvok, Ro Laren, and Moriarty, before preparing yourself for the Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 release date.