Trekkies the world over were delighted when the main cast of the best Star Trek series – The Next Generation – reunited in Picard season 3. And Marina Sirtis, who plays Deanna Troi, says that there’s a secret behind the success of Star Trek: TNG.
Sirtis, along with her former TNG co-stars Michael Dorn (Worf), Jonathan Frakes (Riker), Brent Spiner (Data), LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), and Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher) joined Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard for an emotional reunion in Picard’s final season.
Speaking to TrekMovie.com, Sirtis said; “Gene [Roddenberry] always used to say, despite the fact that we were doing an action adventure show, really – he would always say ‘it’s a people show.’ What is the core of any successful series or movie is the relationship between the characters, and we had that from Day One. Jonathan [Frakes] describes it as ‘lightning in a bottle’ and I think that’s exactly what it was. I do honestly believe it was a once in a lifetime experience for us and it will never be repeated.”
It’s definitely true that even in the best sci-fi series and the best fantasy series, it doesn’t matter how impressive the world-building is if the emotional core isn’t there, provided by the characters having satisfying arcs and their relationships with one another.
The Next Generation ended in 1994, meaning it’s been almost thirty years since we saw the first chapter of the characters’ story ended. Picard has now ended too, but Star Trek Legacy is an unconfirmed (but highly likely) spin-off that would position Seven of Nine (now a captain of the latest version of the Enterprise) as the main character, with some other characters from Picard also returning.
While it’s not yet officially confirmed, Picard season 3 was a big success and there’s huge fan support for it. Picard season 3 directly sets up the potential spin-off at the end, and Legacy could even see some of the TNG crew returning in guest appearances.
Find out what we know so far about the Star Trek Legacy release date, as well as five things we loved about Star Trek Picard season 3, and the Star Trek Picard season 3 ending explained. Check out our guides to the Star Trek series, ranked and the Star Trek movies, ranked.