Who will be in Star Trek: Picard?
Transcript
What characters from Star Trek The Next Generation might we be seeing in the upcoming show Star Trek Picard?
It’s the question on a lot of fan’s minds.
It’s quite possible that the answer will be none. And honestly, I think this is the likeliest scenario. But let’s talk about which characters could be most likely to make an appearance, and which characters we’d most like.
In terms of likelihood, I think the most likely character we might see is William Riker. We know that Jonathan Frakes, who played Riker in The Next Generation has directed two episodes of the show, the second and third episodes. So he’s already involved in the production. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to sneak off, get into costume and shoot a cameo without raising any suspicion. Based on the episode All Good Things, it seems likely that Riker is currently serving as a Starfleet Admiral at this time. IT would be a logical addition. Riker could have a conversation with Picard over a viewscreen or perhaps meet him at Starfleet headquarters. I would find this quite a satisfying moment.
But one character I’d really like to see is Beverly Crusher. Again, All Good things tells us that in an alternate future, Picard had married and then divorced Crusher. Their relationship was one that hung over the character for all of the seven seasons of the show and received very little development, but we know fro the seventh season episode Attached, that their affection is mutual. Personally, I’d like to see the writers do something with this. Whether they married or not, whether that marriage survived or not, Crusher is clearly a very important person in Picard’s life. Someone he’d confide in. Someone whose opinion would matter to him.
One fan favourite option is Data. While Data died in the last TNG film, Nemesis, they left a little loophole in the form of B4, the prototype android that they found, into whom, Data transferred his memories and thoughts.
While it would be awesome to see this beloved character one last time, I’m not sure that Data is the best choice. Bringing him back would require an explanation of why he is still alive, which would make little sense to new viewers of Star Trek. It would all get a bit convoluted. IT feels like Data’s story is finished, so personally, I’d let leave him be.
However, the Star Trek Countdown comic book, which was co-written by Alex Kurtzman, did revive data and make him Captain of the Enterprise. So, who knows?
La Forge could be an option. Another alternative future, from Voyager, tells us that La Forge went on to captain the USS Challenger.
And Worf? Well, it’s hard to know what he’s up to. He left Starfleet to be the Federation ambassador to Qonos, but then he was mysteriously back on the bridge of the Enterprise in uniform in Nemesis. Just visiting for Riker and Troi’s wedding? Maybe, but why was he serving?
Michael Dorn has been campaigning for a while to get a Captain Worf show on the air, so I’d say the actor would be keen to return.
But if we do see Worf? I’d like to hope they’ll keep his makeup close to what we saw during the Berman era. If they’re gonna make him look like a discovery Klingon, I’m not sure I need to see that. Probably best to leave that one alone as well. It would just be too jarring. In fact, if I were them, I’d probably steer away from the Klingons all together in this show.
What about Troi? We know she married Riker in Nemesis, and let’s hope they’re still happily married. They served on the Titan together, but I doubt they’re still there after all this time. Marina Sirtis was always happy to reprise her role in Voyager and Enterprise, so I’m sure she’d be willing to jump in if they asked her.
There are some other options. Wesley Crusher, Reg Barclay.
Guinan would be a good one. She has a very close and special relationship with Picard. But she also lives for hundreds of years without ageing. And Whoopi Goldberg understandably doesn’t look the same as she did almost 30 years ago.
Ultimately, it would be nice to see a familiar face or two, but they don’t want to overdo it. I’d say that anything more than a brief cameo would be best left for season 2, to allow the show to establish itself as its own entity, apart from the Next Generation. But I would welcome a camera. Something like Picard’s appearance in the pilot of Deep Space Nine, or Quark’s appearance in the pilot of Voyager.
So what about you? What next generation character would you most like to see make an appearance in Star Trek Picard? And do you think it’ll happen? Let me know in the comments below.
Don’t forget to subscribe and click the bell. I’ll be doing more Star Trek videos in the leadup to Picard, and once it goes live, I’ll be doing episode reviews of the show.
And if you’d like a free space opera story, sign up to my email list at AdamDavidCollings.com/free and you’ll get Fall of the HMAS Adelaide. It’s a story of sacrifice and hope and features some cool space battles. I’m very proud of it.
Anyway, I’ll catch you next time.
Live long and prosper.
Watch the video version on youTube
If you like this, share the love
by 
