Patrick Stewart has explained how a sequel to The Next Generation may want to readjust their expectations a bit. Yes, Picard will feature appearances by a handful of TNG fan-favorites and embrace a similarly aspirational tone, but it's also a series that aims to reflect the troubling state of the world today.
Season 1 will find its namesake living on his family's old vineyard in , having become disillusioned with Starfleet's shifting moral priorities and still haunted by not only the death of his android friend Data (who was killed during Nemesis), but alsoinspired him to return to Star Trek at long last.
During an in-depth interview with who was also showrunner on season 1) and Akiva Goldsman in 2017, before agreeing to make the show.
As Stewart pointed out, the strongest Next Generation releases before it, having little to say about the state of the world in the early 2000s. By comparison, Stewart told Variety Picard is his way of "responding to the world of Brexit and Trump and feeling, ‘Why hasn’t the Federation changed? Why hasn’t Starfleet changed?’ Maybe they’re not as reliable and trustworthy as we all thought."
This isn't the first time Stewart (or anyone for that matter) has noted already been renewed for season 2, based on the sheer amount of excitement for the series ahead of its launch.
Star Trek: Picard streams on CBS All Access this month beginning Thursday, January 23.
Source: Variety