Today, April 5, is First Contact Day to fans of Star Trek. It stems from a pivotal event in the film Star Trek: First Contact, which was one of four feature films to utilize the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. That’s why it’s fitting that Paramount+ used today as the occasion to announce that the entire TNG cast will return for the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard.
Picard launched in 2020 as a showcase for Patrick Stewart’s beloved Jean-Luc Picard, two decades after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. In the first season of Picard, Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis reprised their roles as Will Riker and Deanna Troi in guest appearances. Brent Spiner also appeared as the android Data and Dr. Altan Inigo Soong. But in the video below, Paramount+ confirmed that Michael Dorn’s Worf, LeVar Burton’s Geordi La Forge, and Gates McFadden’s Dr. Beverly Crusher will also take part in this onscreen reunion in the upcoming season.
Terry Matalas is the showrunner for Picard season 3, and he acknowledged the Next Generation reunion with a statement of his own.
“I remember watching the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation almost 34 years ago with my father like it was yesterday. It was the spark that ignited my love for science fiction. So, it’s most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honoring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the U.S.S. Enterprise. It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honor. The entire Star Trek: Picard team and I can’t wait for fans to experience this final, high-stakes, starship-bound adventure in season three!”
The third season of Star Trek: Picard is filming now, and it will likely premiere in 2023 on Paramount+.
