Star Trek: Picard season 3 will be the final outing for ex-Star Trek captain Jean-Luc Picard, and now the showrunner has also revealed that the sci-fi series will satisfy fans of the other Star Trek series too. With its first two seasons, Star Trek: Picard was a mixed bag.
Audiences were delighted to see Patrick Stewart return as the Starfleet veteran, however controversial choices and a huge break from the typical Star Trek formula left fans uncertain about how to feel about the TV series. In both seasons there were some strong ideas – as well as some excellent new Star Trek characters – but there was a sense that the series was less than the sum of its parts.
So, when the news broke that Star Trek: Picard season 3 would be bringing back the entire main cast of The Next Generation to conclude the story of Jean-Luc Picard, it was a big shock. Now, the series has set even higher expectations for itself as Terry Matalas, the showrunner, has said that it will tie into Voyager and Deep Space Nine as well.
Speaking to Den of Geek, Matalas said that it was important to offer closure for fans of each of the biggest Star Trek series. He said “I think that it’s important to Deep Space Nine fans to feel seen. It’s a continuation of Voyager too, of course, with Seven of Nine in our show. If you’re going to be in this time period, there’s such a rich opportunity to honor what came before.”
Reflecting on how Star Trek: Picard season 3 will tie into Deep Space Nine, Matalas is likely referring to the storyline of Worf and the aftermath of the Dominion War. Both of these things have largely been ignored by Star Trek series after the end of Deep Space Nine, despite the Dominion War offering enormous storytelling potential. With season 3, audiences could see that the change in Worf’s personality was brought about by the Dominion War, therefore tying back into DS9.
Of course, the continuation of Voyager will link back to Seven of Nine and how her story progresses into the future now that she’s officially in Starfleet. We could even see the appearance of Kate Mulgrew’s Janeway to tie a neat bow on it – or maybe not.
Matalas also reflected on the name of the show, hinting that a different name would have better suited to broader scope of Star Trek: Picard season 3. He said “In my mind, I would’ve called it Star Trek: Legacy, I mean, it is truly a Picard story. He is the focus. But the spirit of it is different than seasons one and two, just because of what it is.”
Star Trek: Legacy has a nice ring to it, but for now fans will just have to stick with the simple: Star Trek: Picard, season 3. For more on Star Trek, take a look at our guide to the USS Titan, or the Star Trek movies.