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(written from a production point of view)

Picard redirects here; for various characters of the same name, please see Picard family.

Star Trek: Picard is the eighth main series set in the Star Trek universe, the ninth including the companion series Star Trek: Short Treks, and the eleventh Star Trek series overall. Picard is produced by CBS Studios and stars Patrick Stewart, reprising the role of Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. [1] The new series is set twenty years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis, [2] dealing with "the new chapter in Picard's life."

The series forms part of Alex Kurtzman's five-year deal with CBS to expand the Star Trek franchise. The first season debuted on CBS All Access, which subsequently became Paramount+. [3] Kurtzman serves as executive producer on the series along with Stewart, as well as James Duff, Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Trevor Roth, Heather Kadin, and Rod Roddenberry. In addition, Aaron Baiers serves as co-executive producer. [4] Writer Kirsten Beyer devised the concept for the series, [5] and she features as part of the writing staff alongside Kurtzman, Duff, Goldsman, and Chabon. Chabon served as the first season's showrunner. [6]

Production history

The series was announced at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention on 4 August 2018, where Stewart appeared alongside Kurtzman to reveal his involvement. At the time of the announcement, the series was still early in pre-production, with no scripts written yet. [7] According to the actor, the possibility of Picard's return had been suggested to him about a year before, but he originally planned to reject the idea. However, upon revisiting episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and realizing the power and influence of the series, he changed his mind. [8] On making the announcement, Stewart referred to the news as "unexpected, but delightful". [9]

It was reported that, on the day before the announcement, CBS applied for a number of trademarks in classes relating to entertainment, which could be connected with the new series. Marks applied for included "Star Trek: Reliant", and "Star Trek: Destiny", a title that shares its name with a post-TNG Star Trek novel trilogy. [10]

Work in the writers' room began in September 2018, and an image of the staff with Stewart was shared by the actor at the end of that month. [11] This image featured Stewart, Duff, Goldsman, Beyer, Chabon and also Diandra Pendleton-Thompson, who had not been previously announced as one of the series' writers. Production was expected to begin in April 2019, according to Kurtzman, [12] and the series is filmed in California. [13] In December 2018, CBS Corporation Chief Creative Officer David Nevins stated that CBS expected the series to launch late in 2019. [14]

In January 2019, Kurtzman announced that the series would acknowledge the prime universe elements of Star Trek, stating that "Picard's life was radically altered by the dissolution of the Romulan Empire." [15]

On 1 March 2019, it was announced that Hanelle M. Culpepper would be directing the first two episodes of the series. [16] This marks the first time that a black woman was directing the series premiere of a Star Trek series.

On 4 March 2019, the first two series regulars besides Stewart were announced, Santiago Cabrera and Michelle Hurd. [17] Later in March, Evan Evagora was added to the cast as a series regular. [18]

On 17 April 2019, it was announced that Alison Pill, Harry Treadaway, and Isa Briones were joining the cast. [19]

On 22 April 2019, production on the show began. [20] The Star Trek: Picard production is based out of Santa Clarita Studios (SCS). SCS is an independent studio production facility based in Santa Clarita, California, 35 miles north of Hollywood. Although Star Trek was returning to Hollywood, like all of the previous series save Star Trek: Discovery, it is not being shot at Star Trek's previous home of Paramount Studios. [21] Paramount lost not only its television division, but the entire franchise as well, when the former Viacom was split in late 2005 into the new Viacom (Paramount's holding company at the time Picard began filming) and the CBS Corporation, with Star Trek ownership passing over to the latter. (The two corporations re-merged to form ViacomCBS in December 2019; ViacomCBS was rebranded as Paramount Global in February 2022.)

Shortly before filming began, Michael Chabon was appointed as showrunner. [22] However, CBS did not announce Chabon's position until 27 June 2019. [23]

On 13 May 2019, the announcement was made that Amazon Prime had acquired the international streaming rights for the new series, each episode to be aired 24 hours after its American premiere on CBS All Access. [24] [25] Stewart confirmed the news the same day on his Twitter account. [26]

On 15 May 2019, the first seven-second teaser, revealing the new show's title and logo, was released. [27] This was followed on 23 May by the first live-action teaser trailer in both the CBS All Access and Amazon Prime Video variants. [28] [29] The voice of the teaser trailer's female narrator was not from any of the then-known contracted actresses, but rather from voice actress Merrin Dungey. [30] It was after the series had premiered, that it became apparent that Dungey was also given the guest-starring part of Richter.

On 20 July 2019 the first official Season 1 trailer, coming in at 130 seconds, was unveiled at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con. The trailer featured footage of former Next Generation co-star Brent Spiner, and Star Trek: Voyager star Jeri Ryan reprising her role as Seven of Nine. It was also announced that Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis would each be reprising their roles as William T. Riker and Deanna Troi, respectively.

Robert Picardo revealed on 29 July 2019 that he has been approached about a possible appearance in a second season of the show. [31]

On 31 August 2019, Michael Chabon posted on Instagram that filming for the first season had been completed. [32]

On 17 September 2019, Patrick Stewart told The Huddersfield Daily Examiner in his native Yorkshire that "there is ... the possibility of a second Picard series filming in March next year." [33]

On 5 October 2019, a second trailer debuted at New York Comic-Con, and it was announced that the first season would air on CBS All Access beginning on 23 January 2020.

On 7 October 2019, Kurtzman confirmed that a second season of Picard was "already in the works". [34]

An interview released on 29 November 2019 mentioned Ayelet Waldman as a member of the writing staff for Picard. [35]

On 10 December 2019, it was announced that Michael Chabon would step down from his role as showrunner, but would remain involved in the show. [36]

On 20 December 2019, a third teaser trailer debuted almost exactly one month ahead of the CBS All Access series premier online. The teaser revealed new pieces of footage with Jean-Luc Picard in what appears to be Ten Forward, the bar on the USS Enterprise-D, among other quick new moments with William T. Riker, Dr. Agnes Jurati, and what appears to be a Borg flashback. [37]

The renewal of Star Trek: Picard for a second season was informally revealed on 16 December 2019, and formally announced on 12 January 2020. [38] [39] The same day, it was announced that Terry Matalas had joined the staff of Picard, and was likely to take over as showrunner from Chabon. [40] Also joining the writing team was Marc Bernardin.

The series premiered in North America on 23 January 2020 on CBS All Access with its first episode "Remembrance", with the rest of the world following suit the next day through Amazon Prime Video.

In August 2020, Alex Kurtzman said that the Picard writers' room had continued to meet via Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. [41]

Opening credits

The opening title sequence for Star Trek: Picard was meant to connect viewers to Picard's journey in a way that was "more intimate" and "more emotional", containing imagery of Château Picard, a Borg cube, chips and pieces that would culminate into Picard himself. [42]

Main cast

Picard in PIC

Teaser image of Picard in Picard

With
And

Special guest stars

Recurring guest stars

Episode list

Season 1

PIC Season 1, 10 episodes:

Title Episode Production number Date US release date
"Remembrance" 1x01 101 2399 2020-01-23
"Maps and Legends" 1x02 102a 2399 / 2385 2020-01-30
"The End is the Beginning" 1x03 102b 2399 / 2385 2020-02-06
"Absolute Candor" 1x04 103 2399 / 2385 2020-02-13
"Stardust City Rag" 1x05 104 2399 / 2386 2020-02-20
"The Impossible Box" 1x06 105 2399 2020-02-27
"Nepenthe" 1x07 106 2399 2020-03-05
"Broken Pieces" 1x08 107 2399 / 2385 2020-03-12
"Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1" 1x09 108 2399 2020-03-19
"Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2" 1x10 109 2399 2020-03-26

Season 2

PIC Season 2, 10 episodes: [43] [44] [45]

Title Episode Production number Date US release date
"The Star Gazer" 2x01 201 2401 2022-03-03
"Penance" 2x02 202 2401 2022-03-10
"Assimilation" 2x03 203 2401 / 12 April 2024 2022-03-17
"Watcher" 2x04 204 12 April 2024 2022-03-24
"Fly Me to the Moon" 2x05 205 12 April 2024 2022-03-31
"Two of One" 2x06 206 12 April 2024 2022-04-07
"Monsters" 2x07 207 13 April 2024 2022-04-14
"Mercy" 2x08 208 13–14 April 2024 2022-04-21
"Hide and Seek" 2x09 209 14 April 2024 2022-04-28
"Farewell" 2x10 210 2024 / 2401 2022-05-05

Season 3

PIC Season 3, 10 episodes: [46]

Title Episode Production number Date US release date
"The Next Generation" 3x01 301 2401 2023-02-16
"Disengage" 3x02 302 2401 2023-02-23
"Seventeen Seconds" 3x03 303 2401 / 2381 2023-03-02
"No Win Scenario" 3x04 304 2401 (78183.10) / 2396 2023-03-09
"Imposters" 3x05 305 2401 (78186.03) 2023-03-16
"The Bounty" 3x06 306 2401 2023-03-23
"Dominion" 3x07 307 2401 / 2370s 2023-03-30
"Surrender" 3x08 308 2401 2023-04-06
"Võx" 3x09 309 April 2401 2023-04-13
"The Last Generation" 3x10 310 April 2401 / 2402 2023-04-20

Development

Production

Picard lead Patrick Stewart initially had no intention whatsoever to reprise his role, feeling that the role had run its course, but decided to accept the invitation for a talk with the producers, as he felt it was only courteous to explain his reasons for declining the part in person. However, during the meeting and its follow-ups, Producer Michael Chabon was able to change Stewart's mind as he was fully willing to take Stewart's vision of an older Picard into account. In the process, Chabon entirely discarded the original story treatment he had written for the opening episode, and started a new, heeding Stewart's concerns. (TRR: "Remembrance") Stewart himself has confirmed this (including his initial disinclination to take on the role again) during his appearance on the British talk show The Graham Norton Show (Season 26, Episode 16, 17 January 2020), shortly before the series premiered. [47]

Marina Sirtis appeared with the same wig and contact lenses that she wore in Star Trek Nemesis. She held on to them after that production finished, and informed Picard producers of this, likely saving them time and the US$10,000 it would have cost to make a new wig. [48]

Jonathan Del Arco revealed that if Stewart had not returned, the show would have been a Borg spin-off. ([49]

Promotion

In the months leading up to the premiere of the new series, a monthly prequel three-volume comic book mini-series, Star Trek: Picard - Countdown, was released by IDW Publishing, starting in November 2019. The comic book series introduced several characters, later featured in the live-action production, as well as dealing with events that led up to the ones featured on the show.

Additionally, the Star Trek: Picard Movie & TV Collection Blu-ray Disc set (which incidentally, included the exclusive sixteen-page Star Trek: Sky's the Limit comic book, likewise from IDW [50]) saw an October/November release as an appetizer. [51] The majority of the titles included in the collection contained events referenced to in the series, which held especially true for TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds", Star Trek: First Contact, and Star Trek Nemesis.

Picardilly Circus

The London, UK, "Picardilly Circus" subway station

Aside for Patrick Stewart's own remarks on the new show, it was also revealed in the above-mentioned The Graham Norton Show episode, that the London Underground station Piccadilly Circus was temporarily dubbed "Picardilly Circus" in anticipation of the new series, whereas Stewart himself had related how he came across a New York City subway line map into which an imaginary subway line was incorporated, outlining the Starfleet arrowhead logo. [52] Both of these occasions had been part of the official franchise overall marketing strategy. London public transportation Head of Customer Information, Design and Partnerships at Transport for London, Julie Dixon, clarified, "We're thrilled to partner with Amazon Prime Video to create this exciting takeover of one of London's most well-known Underground stations to celebrate the launch of Star Trek: Picard. The Star Trek franchise is a global sensation and we're excited to mark this next chapter in a creative and engaging way that connects with tens of thousands of people. We hope that the out of this world activity has brought a bit of unexpected fun to our customers and that they boldly go on their commute, young or old." [53] The New York City MTA metro company Stewart had come across, additionally dispensed Star Trek: Picard-themed cards/tickets at six pre-selected metro stations, aside from displaying the series billboards and having adjusted its subway line map where the six stations were linked to form the Starfleet arrowhead. [54] [55]

Season 1
Season 2
Season 3

Reception

In its first season, Star Trek: Picard was nominated for five Emmy Awards, all in "technical" categories such as makeup and sound editing. It won one, "Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special".

Products

FanSets debuted its first Star Trek: Picard pins in 2019.

CherryTree previewed a prototype of its Borg Cube ATX Limited Collector's Edition computer in July 2019, [56] and the final version reached retail in January 2020. [57] Smaller ITX builds of this cube debuted in June 2020. In 2021, the company displayed a prototype for its forthcoming computerized Star Trek: Picard Borg Cube Record Player. [58]

In June 2019, Eaglemoss/Hero Collector's project manager Ben Robinson reconfirmed that the company would manufacture starship miniatures from the series, and later indicated that they would be about 150 to 250 mm in length, similar to ships from its DIS starships partwork. The first four sets of CG starship assets were received from the production in March 2020, and the first products, models of La Sirena, the USS Zheng He, Fenris Ranger vessel, and the Romulan Bird-of-Prey were scheduled. [59] In October 2020, the company announced that its forthcoming PIC starship line would be combined with ships from Star Trek: Discovery (after the release of issue 33 of the DIS collection) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds into a new partwork, which was subsequently named the Star Trek Universe: The Official Starships Collection and debuted in March 2021. [60] Robinson added, "We've got 9 or 10 Picard ships followed by the Disco season 3 fleet." [61]

In June 2021, Eaglemoss released its first, larger XL Edition model of a "hero ship" from PIC within its Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection. Three starship classes from the series are also covered in the second edition of the company's Star Trek: Shipyards - Starfleet Ships 2294 to the Future reference book. [62]

Hallmark has scheduled the release of its La Sirena Christmas ornament for October 2021. [63]

On 13 July 2021, ViacomCBS Consumer Products and Playmates Toys jointly announced that the latter had acquired new licensing for "action figures, vehicles and ships, role play and other toy categories", and slated the first of these products for retail release in 2022. Among other Star Trek series and films, this licensing encompasses Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Prodigy. [64]

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