star trek picard season 3 q

Yep, The Picard Finale Has A Credits Scene, And We Need To Talk About It

This post contains  spoilers for the series finale of "Star Trek: Picard."

The third season of "Star Trek: Picard" was long ago declared to be its last . Lead actor Patrick Stewart is hanging up his communicator and the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" will finally split up for good. The final season of "Picard" largely served as their encore, a late-in-life reunion that allowed the character to have a few conversations — and to be in utter peril — one last time. It seems the Next Generation is no longer their generation. 

Indeed, "Picard" ends with a Next Generation of its own. Flashing forward to a year after the season's climactic Borg battle, a new crew has been assembled. Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharp Chestnut), the daughter of Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), is already sitting at the helm of the U.S.S. Titan-A. Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden), has passed through Starfleet (in only one year!) and will sit as the special counselor to the captain of the Titan. The captain, incidentally, is Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and her first officer will be Raffi (Michelle Hurd), her one-time girlfriend. This is "Star Trek: The Next, Next Generation."

Also, to assure that legacy is on everyone's mind, the U.S.S. Titan is, at the last minute, rechristened the U.S.S. Enterprise-G (it seems that the Enterprise-F was wiped out quickly). Jack will begin his career on the namesake ship of his father's two most famous commands. 

With the circumstances so arranged, naturally, the showrunners decided to fold in one last notable guest star to link everything back to NextGen. In a mid-credits scene, the presumed-dead trickster god Q ( John de Lancie ), alive again, appears to Jack.

The trial never ended

Q died during the finale of the second season of "Star Trek: Picard." So how can he be back to wreak inconvenience on Jack Crusher? Seeing as he is an omnipotent being that lives beyond the normal laws of time and space, there's no reason why he couldn't have lived another several billion years, only to return to the time when Jean-Luc Picard was alive to bid him farewell. He explains to Jack that humans think in linear terms and that his death was not to be taken as permanent. 

Jack tells Q that he knows all about his appearances to Jean-Luc, and how Q infamously put humanity on trial for their aggression and brutality. Q first appeared in the "Next Generation" pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint" (September 28, 1987) dressed as a post-apocalyptic judge in control of his own kangaroo court. In the show's final episode, "All Good Things..." (May 23, 1994), Q declared that the trial never ended and that Picard, through his own witlessness, will accidentally destroy humanity. It wasn't until Picard could understand the real existence of paradoxes that humanity began to show a glimmer of promise. Q withdrew, having proven his point.

Q would return a few times on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager," and would close out his story in "Picard," hugging Jean-Luc in a bizarrely sentimental farewell. It seemed that his infinite lifecycle came to an end.

But, as audiences now see, the trial seemingly continues in perpetuity. Q says to Jack that his own trial is just starting. Picard's progeny now bears the responsibility of proving humanity's worthiness to continue existing. 

What does it mean?

Audiences have long been trained to accept mid-credits teasers as previews for an upcoming film or TV series; we have the Marvel Cinematic Universe to thank for that. As such, the appearance of Q might serve as a miniature pilot for another new "Star Trek" TV series. Showrunner Terry Matalas has even said that he would love to make a series called "Star Trek: Legacy," which would presumably be about life on the Enterprise-G with a young ensign Crusher and Captain Seven seeking out new life and new civilizations. 

With a new Enterprise, a new crew, and a godlike antagonist, it seems that we're exactly back to where we were in 1987 with the launch of "Next Generation." Only this time, a whole season of television presaged it, establishing characters and scenarios the way a pilot episode might. The groundwork has been laid. It seems all Matalas needs is a green light. 

As for reusing the "Next Generation" premise of a Picard standing in as humanity's avatar while Q puts our species on trial, I have no problem. Repeating an idea may be cheap from a writerly perspective, but it makes logical sense given Q's nature. He is pretty much immortal, we see, and experiences time on a vast scale. When one can live billions of years, a millennium is but a drop in the bucket. Q knew Picard for, what, five decades? That's not even the single beat of a bumblebee's wing to Q. It makes sense that the trial of humanity would continue into the next generation, or even into multiple generations beyond. Q is the Picard family Devil now. 

Whether or not audiences see it happening, we can rest assured that Q will make Picards miserable for thousands of years to come. 

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Star Trek: Picard finale post-credits scene explained: Showrunner confirms big things to come

Showrunner Terry Matalas says Ed Speleers is gonna be a busy man after Picard.

Warning: Spoilers from Star Trek: Picard 's series finale are discussed in this article.

There might be another Star Trek series coming our way — or at the very least, another home for Ed Speleers ' Jack Crusher.

The series finale of Star Trek: Picard , which dropped on Paramount+ Thursday, came with a post-credits scene that teases big things ahead for the character. Showrunner Terry Matalas confirms in an interview with EW, "Jack's got a lot to do, let me tell you."

He wouldn't tell us exactly what, of course, but the producer — who has guided the Patrick Stewart -led spin-off to break into the Nielsen Top 10 ratings for the first time with season 3 — confirms his story isn't over.

After Jean-Luc Picard (Stewart) and Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ) save their son from the Borg Queen with help from their longtime comrades, the finale episode jumps forward a year to see where these characters ended up. Among the reveals is the U.S.S. Titan, which has been rechristened as the Enterprise-G in recognition of Picard and his crew's efforts.

Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan ) has been promoted to captain, with Raffi (Michelle Hurd) as her No. 1. A few members of the Titan join them, including Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut). Jack is now Ensign Jack Crusher, as he was placed on an accelerated track by Starfleet.

The post-credits scene cuts to Jack in his quarters on the Enterprise-G. He settles into his room when Q (John de Lancie) makes a surprise appearance.

"Young mortal, you have much ahead of you," he tells Jack.

"You told my father that humanity's trial was over," the young Crusher replies.

"It is... for him," he clarifies. "But I'm here today because of you. You see, yours, Jack, has just begun."

Matalas had the idea for this moment deep into season 2 when he was mapping out the trajectory of season 3. "Once I had the genesis of this idea and I knew it would be about Picard's son, I had envisioned a post-credit sequence in which you passed the torch to [him]."

He points to "Encounter at Farpoint," the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1. "The first major interaction is Q and Picard," he says. "Where better to end than at the beginning?"

A Star Trek: Legacy series has been rumored for some time, with a few of the Picard actors teasing how season 3 leaves the door open to continue that story with the next generation of characters. Alex Kurtzman , who's been shepherding the new golden age of Trek, had even teased during San Diego Comic-Con last year that fans should expect more shows with female leads. So, perhaps, we're getting a Seven of Nine series for Ryan, with Jack as part of her crew.

The only new Trek titles that have been formally announced so far are Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , which Matalas says is part of a different timeline than Picard ; and Star Trek: Section 31 , the event movie starring Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery .

Matalas won't disclose what the plans are for Speleers as Jack moving forward, only that he knows what they are. "Oh yes. I do [know]," he says. "Oh yes."

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‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 Ending and Post-Credit Scene Explained

Just when you thought the adventure was over…

“Star Trek: Picard” wrapped Thursday with a satisfying conclusion that found the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise and its allies prevailing over humanity’s greatest threat.

But just when viewers thought the voyage was over, a cliffhanger ending left the door open for new adventures through the cosmos and beyond.

Read on for an explainer on the ending of “Star Trek: Picard” and its post-credit scene.

Warning, major spoilers ahead from the series finale of “Star Trek: Picard” titled “The Last Generation.”

By the end of “Star Trek: Picard’s” tenth episode, the Borg threat was eliminated thanks to the ingenuity of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D, who “borrowed” the ship from the Fleet Museum.

We skip ahead one year, and the Enterprise-D has been returned to the museum. William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Picard and Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) stand on the bridge reflecting on their 35+ years of adventures together.

“If ever there was better evidence that the past matters, it’s right here,” Picard says nostalgically. La Forge initiates the shutdown sequence, and viewers hear Majel Barrett Roddenberry’s voice one last time as the ship’s computer.

Picard, Beverly (Gates McFadden) and Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) take a shuttle to Spacedock, which has been rebuilt. Jack paces nervously as he’s about to get his first posting as a Starfleet officer (he was put on an accelerated track).

The ship Jack is posted to? The U.S.S. Titan. Or the former Titan. The Constitution-class refit has been re-christened the U.S.S. Enterprise-G in honor of Picard and his crew (the Enterprise-F, which flew on Frontier Day, was already set to be decommissioned).

He meets his captain, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), and first officer, Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd). Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) sits at the helm, with Mura (Joseph Lee) at tactical and Esmar (Jin Maley) at comms. Jack learns his assignment: special counselor to the captain.

The Enterprise-D crew gather at Guinan’s 10-Forward bar in Los Angeles. After some more reminiscing, Picard joins the crew in a game of poker. The only other time he did this was in the series finale of “The Next Generation” in the episode titled “All Good Things.” In fact, the overhead shot of the poker table is exactly the same shot as seen in “All Good Things.”

The credits then roll in “The Next Generation” typeface as the theme song plays one last time.

In the post-credit scene, Jack is unpacking his belongings aboard Enterprise-G, including a model of Enterprise-D and a photo of his parents.

Suddenly, a familiar voice calls out, “Well look at you. A chip off the old block.”

That voice belongs to Q (John DeLancie), the omnipotent being and longtime Picard nemesis who “died” last season. Apparently, you can’t keep an all-powerful villain down for long.

“You told my father humanity’s trial is over,” Jack says.

“It is. For him,” Q responds. “But I’m here today because of you. You see yours, Jack, has just begun.”

All episodes of “Star Trek: Picard” are available to stream on Paramount+.

'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Finale Post-Credits Scene Explained: Ending at the Beginning

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Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for the series finale of Star Trek: Picard.

After ten thrilling weeks, Star Trek: Picard has, at long last, aired its final episode bringing the final story for The Next Generation crew to an end. The long-awaited final season delivered the even longer-awaited reunion of the TNG cast for one last ride, giving them a more fitting send-off than the one fans had been left with after the last (poorly received) Next Gen movie, Star Trek: Nemesis .

Season 3 kicked off with a distress call from Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ) leading Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) into the greatest adventure of his life. When Picard and Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) arrive aboard her ship — finding her in dire straits — they're greeted by a son they never knew she had and it quickly becomes clear that Picard is his father. The mystery that unfolds from there brings in some of Star Trek 's greatest foes and most legendary heroes. From a harrowing showdown with one of the most formidable changelings we've ever seen on screen, to the return of Picard's most personal enemy, the Borg , Season 3 is jam-packed with action, Easter eggs, and emotional performances.

The final two episodes of the series play together like a movie, bringing the crew of the Enterprise-D home to the bridge where they spent their lives learning to trust each other and defend the galaxy. In the Picard finale, Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ) finally discovers the mystery that has been plaguing him his entire life — Picard's fateful run-in with the Borg has made his son into a sort of human-borg hybrid. As the crew sets out to rescue Jack and save Earth and all of Starfleet from one of the most dangerous attacks they've ever faced, every member of this found family is in fine form. Picard is forced to face his darkest fears to rescue the people that mean the most to him—Beverly, Riker, and Worf ( Michael Dorn ) are action heroes, Geordi ( LeVar Burton ) takes the captain's chair, Data ( Brent Spiner ) is able to rely on his instincts, and Deanna ( Marina Sirtis ) flies the D into the heart of the Borg cube to bring them all home.

Elsewhere, Seven ( Jeri Ryan ) and Raffi ( Michelle Hurd ) serve as Starfleet's last line of defense. And when all is said and done we're left with a profound sense of hope. Flash forward to a year later, and Jack has fully embraced his father's chosen family and is now an ensign assigned to one of Starfleet's most notable ships—the Titan turned Enterprise-G. Woven into the merriment of these final moments is the sense that the game never ends, there will always be new adventures for these heroes even if we never see them again. As we close out the series with a shot that beautifully mirrors the series finale of The Next Generation , we linger with the crew playing one last round of poker. We stay here through the end of the main credits, and we're greeted with a lovely little post-credits scene of Jack unpacking his things in his crew quarters. In this final moment, Picard squeezes in one last infamous Easter egg with the appearance of John de Lancie 's Q . Though humanity's trial has long ended for Picard, Q informs Jack that it has only just begun for him. RELATED: 'Star Trek: Picard's Gates McFadden Talks 'InvestiGates' Season 2, Dream Guests, and What She Loves About Beverly Crusher

The Q Continuum is an omnipotent alien race of godlike beings that can travel anywhere in time and space and do almost anything you can imagine with the snap of their fingers. This particular Q hs appeared to Picard in both the premiere and finale of The Next Generation — as well as several times in between, and he also appeared on both Voyager and Deep Space Nine .

While Q is not exactly an outright villain, he's somewhat of an antagonist, especially for Picard who often found him to be the very bane of his existence. De Lancie has always played the character as a roguish foil to Stewart's more formal Picard, and their chemistry throughout the years created a fascinating sort of love-hate relationship that was a genuine pleasure to watch whenever the two shared the small screen.

Bringing Q Back From the Dead

In the final episodes of Season 2 of Picard , Q assumed that he was dying and fans expected to never see him again. However, it's so extremely like this trickster to rise from the dead upon learning that the son of Jean-Luc Picard has joined Starfleet. Collider's own Maggie Lovitt recently sat down with Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas to discuss the series finale, including this special moment. During their conversation, Matalas spoke about bringing the series back to where it all began. "Where better to end than at the beginning, right," he told Lovitt. "It was an honor." Q's appearance in this post-credits scene echoes his first appearance to Picard, down to his regal red and black costuming. Getting de Lancie to come back for this special moment was as easy as asking according to Matalas, who told the actor about his plans on his final day on set for Season 2 — "I told John [de Lancie] about it on his last day, and he was like, 'Absolutely, I'll come back. It would be amazing.'"

Matalas also explained that the moment serves as a sort of callback to a moment from the Next Generation finale. "That moment at the end of “All Good Things…” when Q goes to whisper about, 'There's a thing you should know, Jean-Luc,' and then he's like, 'Ah, you'll see.' Maybe that was about Jack," the writer/director told Lovitt. This moment acts as a hopeful cherry on top of the final season of Picard . With the introduction of the next Next Generation alongside so many iconic legacy characters, fans have been calling for a spin-off series . While nothing has been greenlit yet at Paramount, the inclusion of this moment certainly proves that the possibility is there. Whether we see these characters again on our screens, in comics, or in novelizations, Q's return is a happy reminder that these adventures could continue for eternity.

Don't miss Lovitt's full conversation with Matalas on the series finale. All 10 episodes of Picard Season 3 are now available on Paramount+.

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‘Star Trek: Picard’ Series Finale Recap: Saying Farewell

In the end, the final season of “Picard” was a worthy send-off for the “Next Generation” crew.

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By Sopan Deb

Season 3, Episode 10: ‘The Last Generation’

“What began over 35 years ago ends tonight,” Jean-Luc Picard says, standing on his favorite bridge and glaring at his most distasteful enemy. It recalled his “The line must be drawn here!” from “First Contact.”

This was ostensibly a reference to the Federation’s longstanding battle with the Borg, but it also applies to “The Next Generation” franchise. (The show began airing in 1987 and 35 years ago would be 1988.) And if this is the last time we see these characters, that’s OK. Not because this season of “Picard” wasn’t a strong one. Quite the opposite, in fact: It was quite good and recaptured everything that made “Next Generation” what it was.

The characters all used special skills to work together and save humankind. Some of the dialogue was campy. There were plot holes. And there were classic “Star Trek” tropes, like Jean-Luc nonsensically going to the Borg cube, when he was likely the least physically capable of the old crew in fighting off the Borg.

But overall, this season was a worthy send-off for the crew. It wasn’t perfect, but neither were the show or any of the movies. But it was worth doing. The story justified its existence, advancing each of the main characters and filling in some gaps.

And it confirmed one last time that “The Next Generation” was greater than the sum of its parts. That might have been why the first two seasons of “Picard” didn’t work as well. Jean-Luc wasn’t the best character he could be without his old friends. The chemistry wasn’t as fluid, and the story wasn’t as deep.

In the finale, we learn a bit about what the Borg have been up to, though I remain baffled that no one brings up Jurati or the whole Good Borg thing from last season . (Maybe it was for the best.) There was no collective left — only the Borg Queen remained, she claimed, though we know from last season’s events that this isn’t exactly true.

It was Jack who found the Borg Queen, at least in her telling. She speaks in a way that is contrary to what we’ve known about the Borg: She says she was lonely and that the Borg were left to starve. (This kind of undercuts the Borg’s whole message of being the perfect beings.) But now, the Borg want to evolve rather than assimilate, and Jack is the perfect partner to do that. (In order to survive, the Borg Queen, I think, resorted to Borg cannibalism. Yikes! Hope those drones won Employee of the Month or something.)

The Borg and the changelings came to an agreement in which the changelings would be the Borg’s vehicle to carry out some villainous plan to help them procreate. Aside from an ill-fated revenge that they didn’t really need the Borg for, I don’t know what the changelings really got out of this alliance.

Elsewhere, classic Star Trekking happens. Worf and Riker fight off some baddies on the cube. Beverly uses her now finely honed combat skills to fire weapons. (It’s somewhat amusing that Geordi refurbished the Enterprise D for display at the fleet museum and also included a loaded torpedo system. Thank goodness he went above and beyond!) Data shows off his lightning fast piloting skills, assisted by his newly acquired gut instinct.

Beverly is faced with an impossible decision: Blow up her son and save the galaxy, or, uh, don’t. I loved that Geordi is the one who asks her permission, because he now understands a parent’s love for a child. And when it comes time to fire on the beacon, Geordi really, really doesn’t want to do it.

Jean-Luc finds another solution. He assimilates himself so he can get in contact with Jack in the Borg collective. Jean-Luc isn’t human, of course. He is an android — apparently, he can just plug himself in to the network like a flash drive. Jean-Luc tells Jack that he is the missing part of Jean-Luc’s life. (Patrick Stewart plays this perfectly.)

Jean-Luc is finally able to admit to himself how lonely he was outside of Starfleet, and that Starfleet merely covered up that loneliness rather than filling it entirely. Jean-Luc gives his son something he’s craved his whole life: approval and unconditional love. And Jean-Luc also won’t let his son go. He offers to stay in the hole with him so they can climb out together, and Jean-Luc gets to be the father he never knew he wanted to be.

Eventually, Jean-Luc pushes Jack to unassimilate himself and turn against the Queen. And that’s that: The universe is saved again. Our thanks to the crew of the Enterprise for the umpteenth time.

The episode ends in the only appropriate way for the “Next Generation” crew: They sit around and toast one another. Jean-Luc quotes Shakespeare, and then they whoop and play cards just like at the end of “All Good Things…,” the series finale of the original “Next Generation.”

The end wasn’t perfect, but it was proper. And that’s about all you can ask from a season like this. I don’t need any more — I want the Enterprise D crew to Costanza it and leave on a high note. They’ve earned it.

Odds and ends

Somewhat amusingly, Jean-Luc does not express any concern for or otherwise mention Laris throughout this season , another example of the team behind “Picard” trying to erase the first two seasons of the show from existence. But Laris, for her part, actually appeared in the season premiere and, one could argue, help put the events of the reunion in motion.

I keep thinking about that scene early this season with Riker and Jean-Luc at the bar, when Riker has to defend the honor of the Enterprise D. We didn't know it then, but that foreshadowed the whole season.

I would have liked to hear more about what Worf has been up to since the events of “Nemesis.” At the end of “Deep Space Nine,” Worf was named an ambassador to Qo’noS. In “Nemesis,” Worf somehow just becomes a member of the Enterprise crew again with little explanation. In this season, it is implied that Worf helped destroy the Enterprise E — more detail would have been nice.

The “Worf as comic relief” thing, as when he fell asleep on the bridge immediately after he helps to save civilization, also wore thin. But there is a fun callback in the last scene of the episode: Beverly saying Worf should have another glass of prune juice. A warrior’s drink!

Pavel Chekov’s son, Anton, being president of the Federation was a nice touch. Anton is likely a reference to Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the rebooted feature films beginning in 2009. He died in 2016 as a result of a car accident .

When Seven and Raffi figure out a way to transport assimilated crew members off the bridge using phaser rifles, it’s quite the deus ex machina. That technology would’ve been helpful all season!

That was a funny moment when the cook is ordered to pilot the Titan. He didn’t even finish flight training, why is Seven making him take the wheel? Have Raffi do it! (Within minutes, the cook executes complicated evasive maneuvers, so that must have been some training.)

At first, I found New Data to be jarring but after a couple episodes, this version grew on me. When he says he hates the Borg, you can see the Lore side of him burst through. It’s a fresh take on Data and Brent Spiner pulls it off.

That was a nice bit of wordless acting from Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis when Riker heads down to the cube for yet another mission with Jean-Luc. The swashbuckling Riker gives the slightest of smiles, as if to say, “You know who you married. You know why I have to do this.” And Troi reluctantly agrees. Later, when Troi tells Riker he will only have a minute or so to save Jean-Luc once the Enterprise fires on the Cube, he responds again with cool confidence in a near death situation.

There will certainly be some disappointment among fans that Kate Mulgrew did not reprise her role as Admiral Janeway this season. The events in “Voyager” presumably are the reason the Borg cube was in such terrible shape when Jean-Luc beams aboard. Given the multiple references to Janeway and what was happening on Earth, it would have been nice to have gotten a glimpse of her. (And man, how gnarly does the Borg Queen look now?)

Ah, there’s Tuvok, offering Seven her own ship. As Vulcan as ever.

In the grand scheme of things, this is still only the second most successful attack by the Borg on Earth. Sure, they get to Earth, bring down the planetary defense systems and attack cities directly, all while using Starfleet ships. But in “First Contact,” they actually went back in time and assimilated all of Earth before the pesky Enterprise crew initiated a do-over. And honestly, if Jean-Luc and his merry band hasn’t been able to rescue Earth from Evil Jack, they could have just done what they did last season or in “First Contact”: Go back in time. It’s easy!

Troi gets to drive the Enterprise D again. It went better than it did last time, when she crashed it.

Beverly is an admiral now? What a promotion, considering the decades she spent out of Starfleet running a rogue operation. I wonder if Riker, Geordi or any of the others were like, “Hey, what about us?”

Ed Speleers did an admirable job as Jack Crusher. It’s not easy to go toe-to-toe with Patrick Stewart, but Speleers fits in seamlessly as Beverly and Jean-Luc’s son. (While we’re here, what’s up with Jack’s brother, Wesley?)

I hope all of you stuck around for the post-credits scene. Q is still alive! Of course he is. We don’t acknowledge last season around these parts.

Sopan Deb is a basketball writer and a contributor to the Culture section. Before joining The Times, he covered Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for CBS News. More about Sopan Deb

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'Star Trek: Picard' Series Finale Takes Flight with Proper 'TNG' Sendoff: How the Reunion Concluded

Picard concluded after three seasons on Thursday with one final grandiose adventure that's sure to give fans cheers and chills

Ryan Parker is the former Senior News Editor, Weekends for PEOPLE. He left PEOPLE in 2023.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the season 3 finale episode of Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek fans were treated to one final adventure with The Next Generation crew in their iconic ship from the popular '80s-'90s TV series in the finale of Picard .

In Thursday's finale episode astutely titled "The Last Generation," the crew of the rebuilt Enterprise-D took on the Borg one final time (maybe?) to save the day — and humanity.

The third and final season of the Paramount+ series reunited TNG stars Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton , Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn and Marina Sirtis for one last, grandiose adventure.

The finale also featured some wonderful Trek Easter eggs, including The Original Series star Walter Koenig voicing his character's son, Federation president Anton Chekov.

Essentially, Jean-Luc Picard (Stewart) discovered this season he had a son, Jack (Ed Speleers), whose mother was Dr. Beverly Crusher (McFadden). Jack heard Borg voices in his head due to Jean-Luc's passed down Borg-altered DNA from being assimilated in TNG .

In an attempt to once again rule humanity, what was left of the Borg and their Queen (voice by OG queen Alice Krige from the film First Contact ) used a combo of Picard DNA and Jack as a conduit to control the younger members of Starfleet in order to concur Earth.

Needless to say, only the TNG crew, along with the help of Picard series stars Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd, could save the day. And they did just that, by stopping the Borg moments before Earth was enslaved, thereby rescuing Jack and killing the Queen.

Each TNG character got to showcase their abilities and shine, the most rewarding of which for many fans was Geordi La Forge (Burton) taking the Enterprise captain's chair while Jean-Luc, Capt. Riker (Frakes) and Worf (Dorn) were aboard the Borg Cube to save Jack and stop the global assimilation.

The series concluded with Seven of Nine (Ryan) being named captain of a rechristened USS Enterprise-G, with Raffi (Hurd) as her first officer and Jack, named special councilor to the captain.

Before the credits rolled, the TNG crew gathered for one final drink — and a game of poker, which TNG fans will recall is exactly how that series concluded in May 1994.

In a mid-credits scene, Q (John de Lancie) returns to inform Jack that Jean-Luc's trial for humanity was indeed over — but his was just beginning, leading to fan speculation a new Star Trek series is in the works.

This season, and more specifically the finale, was fulfilling for many Star Trek fans (who shared their approval on social media resulting in the show's trending) as it was a proper sendoff for the TNG crew 20 years after the film Star Trek: Nemesis bombed at the box office, resulting in an unceremonious end to the TNG franchise.

Picard star Stewart told PEOPLE at the beginning of this season that the entire cast was disappointed with Nemesis , so having another bite at the TNG apple was a cherished opportunity.

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Star Trek: Picard Boss Answers All Our Burning Series Finale Questions, Starting With: Is This Really the End?

Dave nemetz, west coast bureau chief.

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Warning: This post contains spoilers for the series finale of Star Trek: Picard .

Star Trek: Picard wrapped up its three-season run with an immensely satisfying series finale — but that doesn’t mean we don’t still have plenty of questions.

The finale served as a proper send-off to Jean-Luc and his Next Generation pals, giving them one final victory over the Borg as well as one more chance to play poker together. ( Read our finale recap here to get the full rundown .) But it also looked like it was introducing a new story, with Seven of Nine captaining a new Enterprise and Raffi, Jack Crusher and Sidney La Forge all aboard as well. Plus, that trickster god Q showed up again to annoy Jack just like he used to annoy his dad Jean-Luc. So is Star Trek: Picard really finished? And will the story of Seven’s new ship continue in a new Trek series?

TVLine reached out to Picard showrunner Terry Matalas, who wrote and directed the series finale, to get the scoop on a possible continuation of the story, what it was like shooting that final poker scene with Patrick Stewart and his Next Generation co-stars and why a number of key characters didn’t return for the finale.

TVLINE | Let’s start at the end, which seemed to set up a new story with Seven, Raffi, Jack and Sidney on the new Enterprise . Would that be a fourth season of Star Trek: Picard , possibly, or a new series altogether? Well, really, it was an ending to Picard , which was a proper beginning. That was what was designed to be the most satisfying thing: the passing of the torch. So having said that, it does feel like something new, with Captain Seven and her crew. It feels like a new mix. I don’t know how much everyone would be involved, but it definitely feels like a mix and match of old legacy and new. But again, there’s nothing in development, currently. It’s just a pie-in-the-sky sort of fan wish at the moment.

TVLINE | What’s the vibe like on that new Enterprise ? Jack called them a bunch of ne’er-do-wells and rule breakers. It is a little different, isn’t it? It does feel like Starfleet has seen that this particular crew has a very particular set of skills that’s a little bit different than your typical Starfleet flagship. So that kind of gives you a glimpse as to how this Enterprise might be different than previous incarnations.

TVLINE | What made you decide to bring back Q, after we got what we thought was a farewell to him in Season 2? It felt like a really amazing way to honor the beginning of Next Gen by seeing him once again at the very, very end, and also pass the torch to Jack. It was the first thing, literally the first encounter, so to speak, with Jean-Luc. And how amazing would it be for Jack to have that same encounter at the beginning of his journey?

TVLINE | This finale definitely served as a very fitting goodbye to Jean-Luc and the Next Generation cast, but if this did continue, would we possibly see them pop into whatever continuation comes about? Definitely. Everybody wants to come back. Even Patrick said he’d love to come check in on his son, and I think he used the phrase, “provide some comedy.” And that’s unique. You don’t often get that, where everybody wants to come back.

TVLINE | That final scene with Jean-Luc and the crew playing poker was such a great callback to the Next Generation finale, and we could feel the love in the air among the castmates in that scene. What was it like shooting that on set that day? Very natural. What I wanted to do is make this a little different than “All Good Things…” because so many years have passed. At this point, they’ve been playing poker, they’ve played it hundreds of times, I would imagine. So I wanted to capture what it’s like to really be in the room with that cast. So I just rolled the camera for 45 minutes and just caught them really playing the game. So that’s a lot of improv. A lot of genuine smiles, real laughs. The only bit of scripted dialogue are the last few lines.

TVLINE | It felt inevitable that Jean-Luc would have to face the Borg again, but how did you come up with them resurfacing in Season 3, and specifically having Jack be sort of their unwitting conduit? That was the logline of the season. “What if Jean-Luc found out he had a son and had inadvertently passed on the Locutus gene to him?” That was essentially the core question that I asked right away, and we built it from there.

TVLINE | OK, some quick questions about some characters who were missing. Why didn’t Jean-Luc reconnect with Laris at the end of the season? Was that to leave the door open for him and Beverly? Two things: The first answer is time and money. At that point, Orla Brady [who plays Laris] had returned to Ireland and was no longer stateside. So we couldn’t really wrap that up. It would have been amazing to see her again mid-season, to come in and help out. The second reason is I think none of us were really sure exactly where Jean-Luc would end up. I think that included Patrick. And the season wasn’t really about that. It wasn’t a particularly romantic season for any of the characters, whether that was for Jean-Luc and Beverly, or for Seven and Raffi, or for Jack and Sidney, or the Rikers. So we deliberately left it open for the audience to decide, and if we are coming back, we can dig into it.

TVLINE | What about Wesley Crusher? We know he’s zipping through the universe somewhere as a Traveler, and it seemed like Beverly already considered him a lost son. We definitely would have loved nothing more for Wesley to return again. It’s one of those things where he has a lot of omniscient power that would have helped them if he turned up too early. So if he were to have turned up, we would have had him turn up very, very late. So a tricky character to drop in.

TVLINE | And what about Guinan? We kind of expected to see Whoopi Goldberg in the bar at the end there. Again, I’d love nothing more than to have the time and money. Whoopi lives on the East Coast, and to get her to leave her amazing show The View to get out here in time to shoot is no easy feat.

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As for Wesley… I would have loved to have seen him pop up in the finale and just see Beverly’s reaction. Even if he showed up after all the action was done.

Oh, please let “Star Trek: Legacy” happen with Captain Seven, Raffi, Jack, Sidney and the rest of the crew!!!

Please please please please!!

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!

Don’t forget Q.

I was more surprised by the absence of Jurati and her own Federation-aligned collective. It felt like they would have been obvious allies to lend a hand against a resurgent old-school-Borg threat. I know they were on an important mission sitting at the transwarp conduit, but surely they could have made time.

I’m not a huge Star Trek fan and I found the existentence of these separate Borg lines a bit confusing although I think I’m starting to put it together.

I’m only now figuring out the differences between Vulcans and Romulans…please don’t come for me Trekkies!!!! Although I can’t yet tell them apart. I appreciate that the writers are good about having characters point out their races in dialogue!!

Yeah, I don’t actually know if there’s an official answer on how many Borg Queens/Collectives exist, or if they are interconnected in any way. – And as for Romulans and Vulcans, some confusion is understandable. Their physical appearance is almost exactly the same (by the era of Discovery, the two races have basically recombined on a single home planet). Generally, Romulans are a bit more severe in appearance and behavior, while Vulcans are more calm and passive, but there are plenty of exceptions.

Romulans are the descendants of renegade Vulcans who rejected Surak’s life of logic and left the planet. Vulcans forgot about them, but the Romulans remembered their origin.

Okay, here goes: . It has yet to be made clear what the nature of the Borg Queens is, other than that Agnes Jurati merged with one and she/they have created her/their own Borg Cooperative in which anyone joins of their own free will. . As to the other Queens, the one from First Contact (played by Alice Krige) died at the end of First Contact when she was defeated by the D Team. The first one from Voyager (played by Susanna Thompson), who is the Queen of the Borg collective (hive/cube system) that Seven of Nine was assimilated into, was last seen at the end of the two-parter “Unimatrix Zero,” on the brink of a civil war with numberous drones that had been de-linked from her Collective (hive). The Queen from “Endgame,” the final episode of Voyager (played by Alice Krige in that episode and voiced by Krige but played by Jane E. Not That Jane Seymour, is definitely not the Queen from First Contact because that Queen died) was believed to have died at the end of Endgame, but we see in this season of Picard that she survived her isolation in deep space by consuming nearly all of her drones. And now she’s really, most sincerely dead. . To summarize: . The Borg Queens, in chronological order of appearance: . 1) First Contact Queen (Alice Krige) — Dead at the end of First Contact. . 2) Voyager Queen 1 (Susanna Thompson) — The Queen of the Collective Seven came from. Last seen starting to fight a civil war against unlinked drones, presumed dead because it’s been twenty years with no sign of her. . 3a) Voyager Queen 2 (Alice Krige) — Presumed dead at the end of the Voyager series finale, “Endgame.”

4) Picard Queen 1 (Annie Wersching) — merges into Agnes Jurati to become the leader/”Queen” (my air quotes) of the first Borg Cooperative. . 3b) Voyager Queen 2/Picard Queen 2 (Jane Edwina Seymour, Voiced by Alice Krige) — Really, most sincerely dead now. We can infer that the Voyager 2/Picard 2 Queen is not the Voyager Queen 1 because she bears little interest in Seven of Nine other than seeing her as a drone to be threatened, seduced (if possible) and used (ie: because Seven had never been a part of this Queen’s collective.) . What we don’t know factually for sure: Since the Borg have an insect-like hierarchal structure, one can infer that all three of these queens (Four, counting Jurati) are different queens. We don’t know how many queens there are besides these four, nor do we know if there is a level of hierarchy above that of the Queens — although, if the Borg are like bees, there is no higher level and each collective is its own collective. . Another interesting inference: Given that Alice Krige played both the First Contact Queen and the Voyager/Picard Queen, it begs the question of why those queens look the same: were they twins who were assimilated at the same time into a single collective? And if so, how did they become queens and how did they break off into their own collectives?

And to be AR about it, there’s supposed to be a space between items 3a and 4.

The finale had some SG-1 moments, it seemed: Riker dropping quips like Jack O’Neill in the face of danger, was waiting for ‘and when we’re done…there’s cake!’ As well, when links were severed to the queen, the replicators fell apart, just like when Borg queen died, everyone’s complexion cleared instantly. Ah, and the NCIS homage to Gibbs, Data adamantly makng the case of his correctness because of the feeling ‘in his gut’…classic Gibbs!

The Titan renamed as the Enterprise-G? The Kirk and Picard Enterprises were the flagships of Star Fleet. Why the demotion of the Enterprise to a ship of the line instead of the head of the line ship?

Couldn’t have a bunch of ne’er-do-wells crewing the flagship but still…?

I think the Titan was the first of the new Titan-class.

Neo-Constitution class (Or Constitution III). This ties it to the original Enterprise, which was a Constitution class. The seeds were planted pretty early in the season when you look back on it.

The most wild thing is that there is a loud and clear voice of the fans demanding the Legacy show and Kurtzman is like “no, you don’t really want that, you want this, we already worked on this so this is what you get”. I’m guessing they didn’t plan for the massive response to this last season of Picard.

I was of the impression from what Beverly said, that Wesley had died.

Oh wait, I remember the Traveler thing now.

Yep, and cannot interact with Anyone he has met before becoming one

Nope. She knows that he’s a Traveler. I mean, he ascended while she was there! . But since he’s rarely, if ever, come back, it’s as if he’s all-but died, so she feels his absence as a loss. He’s a prodigal son in that way, except that he doesn’t have a serial killer doctor played by Michael Sheen as his doctor parent.

All the cliches that plague every reboot – characters from the old series just happening to show up, and the idea of yet a new series — where the crew is made up of the children of a previous crew? Who wrote that fan-fic, Mary Sue?

Why is Q, so old ?

Next time we’ll use a young CGI version of him just for you. Just like Mark Hamill’s appearance in The Mandalorian.

In season two, they aged his appearance so they wouldn’t have to use that de-aging CGI that isn’t very convincing. In story, the character reason for aging himself was that Jean-Luc had aged, and Q didn’t want to make his old friend feel bad by looking so much younger.

As I’m sure you know he was his younger self in his 1st few seconds on Picard but wanted to fit in with the Admiral’s appearance. I am betting there are two reasons. 1: Respecting John de Lancie’s true appearance and the man himself, the whole art over technology thing. 2: CGI de-aging costs a lot of money. Apparently Michael Douglas’s de-aging in the latest Ant Man cost more than the actor himself.

I have been a Star Trek fan since the beginning and loved this last series of Picard, and seeing them all together again. They should all come back, and impart their collective wisdom, and to bring back Q is a great idea I love his character!

I personally don’t want Raffi on the Enterprise, I’d rather have her on a spin-off with Worf the Chemistry between the two characters was amazing and had a great buddy cop type vibe. A section 31 spy/thriller type show would be different.

I know it was probably more budgeting issues, but I was really disappointed not to see Elnor among Seven and Raffi’s crew. Especially considering how much of Raffi’s storyline in season two was built around first her pride in Elnor joining Starfleet and then her grief over him dying in the past. (Which was negated by the return to the present/reset of the timeline.) I’m hoping if we ever get a Legacy spin-off that Elnor will be assigned to the Enterprise-G.

I have a couple of questions. Anton Chekov, Pavel Chekov’s son, was a voice over by Walter Koenig. On a pod cast on YouTube he said he wasn’t sure if all the lines in the Picard finale were said by him. Humorously Koenig said he is 86 and recorded his lines a year ago so how did that turn out? Was Riker’s wondering if he and Deanna Troi should vacation in Orlando a Disney support tag?

What happened to the Enterprise F? Was it destroyed?

Yes, right after the Borg shot. Admiral whatever her name was.

No it was decommissioned, not clear in the episode but this was the final flight of the F according to the shows instagram account.

It would have been nice if they would have asked them about what happened to the Borg from Season 2 which ended with the Borg being provisional members of the Federation. But it seems that they just completely retconned that and Agnes being the new Borg Queen from happening. Normally I don’t mind retcons, but this was last season not 20+ years ago.

The truth is, the first two seasons don’t work. The people making them had probably never seen Star Trek before and were basing their ideas on Wikipedia entries. It was a mess. Most people (not all people, but most) didn’t like it, and the ratings were low. Tying themselves to that would have been damaging to everything going forward. They did a good job of not necessarily erasing it, but not necessarily embracing it either, and that seems to have worked for most fans. Think of those seasons as being like some of the cringier TNG episodes that we all acknowledge but still kinds look right past when it comes to continuity.

1 – the first 2 seasons worked – even if there might any elements that didn’t satisfy some people (ie. yourself or others) – the point of a continuing serialized story is to be different each season and build on things – which the show did, including bringing former characters … introducing new characters and exploring new stories that hadn’t been done before which after 50+ years can’t be easy

2 – nothing in season 3 contradicts anything from season 1 or 2 – and as it’s apparently clear – there can be more than one Borg queen/ leader — and very likely in the future Agnes & her “new” Borg will return

3 – the people who made season 3 are the exact same people as season 1 & 2 – including showrunner & Jonathan Frakes directing multiple episodes each season … and clearly he knows Star Trek as well as or BETTER than most fans (besides super duper uber fanatical fans who have knowledge on virtually everything and little detail)

4 – and I think most people did like season 1 & 2 (may be just not people you know or talk with ?) – thus the reason it was renewed twice after season 1 – if people weren’t watching they would have stopped – as it’s not a cheap show to make

5 – but hey everyone is entitled to their own opinions

Look at ratings, or audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Look at how many people are talking about season 3, compared to season 1 or 2. Look at how critics of the first two seasons are responding to season 3. It is fine to say that some people liked the show. I’m sure that is true. But to say that the overall audience response to it was positive is just demonstrably untrue. And I’m sorry, but you are not fully aware of the behind the scenes history of the show. In season 2, Terry Matalas was brought in to help the showrunner at the time, but he wasn’t able to make any major decisions himself or craft the story until season 3.

This collective were a temporal creation and separate to the rest of the Borg (Agnes said they remained out of histories way). Shaw does mention them in episode 4 and states that the ‘real’ borg are still out there as well.

I love that his answer to the Q question was the very pat, safe answer, instead of what was probably his actual motivation. Namely that the decision to kill him in season 2 was astronomically stupid and he just wanted to retcon it.

In theory Q did still die at the end of season 2 as he says don’t be so linear! But you could read it another way and that he tricked Picard.

it wasn’t a retcon decision – it was simply a write off of all the characters – not knowing for sure if they’d be coming back for season 3 and more importantly with all the original cast aging – it was a way to end his story – even though John DeLancy looks great (same as all the cast) – but they are all over 65 or older

with season 3 – it’s and that tag on surprise it was just a new idea to still hopefully bring Q back once they knew they had a hit season and were confident fans would want more with the potential new Enterprise crew

and I’m guessing if/ when it all happens – if John Delancy is no longer able to work (or sadly passes away too soon) – they’ll recast the role with a new actor as Q can of course alter his appearance whenever he wants

The season was a really great farewell to the TNG crew. Not as much like a TNG season as it was like a trilogy of classic Star Trek movies, and that’s cool. I didn’t like Nemesis, so to jump from Nemesis right to Picard season 3 works for me. And I liked what they did with Seven. It felt like a continuation of her Voyager arc, and it’s nice to see how that worked out. I will say that while I liked what they did with Raffi this season, I don’t really want to see her as the first officer. Serving with Seven is weird, since that whole thing was weird to begin with. Plus, I think she worked best with Worf, working in intelligence. She doesn’t work on a bridge, exploring strange new worlds. If Legacy goes forward, I’d prefer to see a new first officer, and of course a couple of new crew members. Star Trek doesn’t usually just spin off characters from previous shows, so it’d be cool to meet some new people. The question is whether a streaming show like this could ever develop characters in the way that the past shows did. DS9 spent so much time on small moments and exploring different sides of characters, but I don’t think that’s possible with a 10 episode order.

I would love to know if Season 3 was always planned that way as it felt like a different show from the previous 2. Did they respond to feedback and change it I wonder?

The people who ran the show in seasons 1 and 2 moved on to other jobs and kicked the last season down to Terry Matalas because they didn’t really care what happened anymore. Matalas got his start working for Star Trek Voyager and Enterprise, and has been a lifelong fan of the franchise (unlike other modern Trek producers). I don’t know if he was listening to fans, or just knew what he was doing all on his own. He probably had a lot of the same thoughts that most Trek fans had, but he’s also shown that he pays attention to what fans are saying and he engages with them a lot more than other modern Trek producers.

They were filmed back to back and Season 3 was basically in the can before Season 2 even aired.

Great season. As many times as they referenced her, I expected a Janeway cameo.

I see Wesley as a post-credit scene…

Returning from the Jupiter Borg battle, Dr. Crusher catches a glimpse of something at the communications station. The chair spins around and Wesley smiles at his mother. Time seems to have stopped for everyone else. Wesley tells her not to be alarmed. “They are just fine. I just wanted to see if you were ok. And I wanted to see him…” He points to Jack. “So that’s my kid brother?” He moves next to Jack. I can see the family resemblance.” He reaches up to the Borg attachments and pulls them off as if they were glued on. “Let me save you the trouble of removing them in sick bay, Mother.” He hands them over to her. “It’s a Traveler’s ability. This, I can do, but I could not interfere with your recent battle. There were too many variables in play, and it needed to play out as it would.” “Do you plan to stay a while, Wesley?” “No. I am just making sure you are all ok. And I was interested in meeting Jack. He has a quite interesting future ahead of him.” Wesley brings Jack up to speed with him and their mother. Jack, seeing his mother is not alarmed, awaits an explanation. “I know you both want explanations but I can’t give them. I can only guide, not direct your paths. Jack, I am your half-brother. You will face some problems in the future, but not right now though. A few years from now, a man Mother knows as Q will approach you. When he does, think of me and I will travel to be by your side and help you deal with him.” “Who is this Q character, Mother?” “You should ask your father, Jack. I had few dealings with him. Your father has many stories to tell you.” “If he tells you Q is gone, Captain Picard believes that to be true. So pay attention to his stories. They may help you to understand Q better. And when you need me, call out for me. I will hear it and help if I can.”

With that, Jack vanishes and time speeds up for everyone else. Jack turns to his mother with one question. “I have a brother???”

Matlas should make a new series. Three big ropes left untied. 1. Jack said to Seven “Now you can start your own Legacy. 2. Seven was going to say the captain’s order to go to warp and she was cut off and we never found out. And the big 3 we saw Q. Jack said “I thought you were dead”. Then Q said “For him yes. For you no”. It begs to be made.

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Star Trek: Picard Series-Finale Recap: Captain’s Log, Final Entry

Star trek: picard.

Star Trek: Picard  began as a series partly dedicated to giving Jean-Luc Picard, the aged but unbowed former captain of the  Enterprise , a late-in-life shot at returning to the stars and partly as a torch-passing exercise that surrounded Picard with new characters (a kind of next generation, you could say). Across three seasons, that mission didn’t so much drift as grow in scale. This third and final season has extended the autumnal adventures to almost all of the original cast of  Star Trek: The Next Generation  (while keeping Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd around from the preceding  Picard  seasons) and making the torch-passing theme even more explicit by bringing in Picard’s previously unknown son, Jack Crusher, and a pair of Geordi LaForge daughters to boot.

That’s a lot to ask of any series, much less one that has to give the beloved  TNG  characters the proper send-off (maybe?) they were denied by the less-than-beloved  Star Trek: Nemesis.  And, by and large, the season has shouldered that burden well. The  TNG  characters have all had their moments in the spotlight as the show reassembled the team, Ryan’s Seven of Nine and Hurd’s Raffi have had plenty to do (as did Todd Stashwick’s Captain Shaw, RIP), and Jack has proven to be a charismatic addition when he could have felt like an interloper shoehorned in to bring down the cast’s median age.

But does this final episode stick the landing? Pretty much, yeah. “The Last Generation” both brings the season-long story — which began as a confrontation with the Dominion before that dread foe essentially handed over villain duties to the Borg — to an exciting conclusion and gives the original cast a nostalgic valedictory moment while also leaving the door open for future adventures.

As it opens, however, any possibility of a happy ending seems unlikely. Federation President Chekov (not that one but his son) issues a dire warning that the Federation’s younger generation has been assimilated, and there’s little to be done about it, but in the words of his father, “There are always possibilities.” Picard and the crew are not an easily dissuaded bunch, and recognizing, as Data puts it, they “are the cavalry,” they come up with a plan.

Sure, it’s a desperate plan, but a plan nonetheless: Head to Jupiter, board the Borg vessel, and shut down the beacon that allows the Borg to do what they do. (And hopefully rescue Jack in the process.) For Picard, it’s personal. The Borg have his son (whom he’s come to like quite a bit despite a messy start), and he’s been plagued by their threat for over 35 years. For everyone else, it’s, well, also pretty personal. If this is truly a last stand, it’s a last stand against an enemy with whom they have a long, nasty history. The newly emotional Data sums it up as they approach: “I hate them.”

No one knows that better than Seven, of course, who leads a party to reclaim the  Titan.  She and Raffi will play a crucial role in the confrontation that follows, but it’s the newly reunited  TNG  crew that drives the action. And, in classic  Trek  faction, that means breaking into smaller groups. Picard, Will, and Worf head into the cube. (“And I will make it a threesome,” Worf says, by way of announcing his intentions.) Their farewell is one of the episode’s first heart-tugging moments. Could this be the last time these characters see each other? The look on Deanna’s face as Will walks away says it all.

On the cube, they find a lot of rotting Borg drones but little action. Then it’s time to split up after another wrenching farewell scene in which Picard can’t bring himself to tell Will how much he means to him. “You know that I know. Always,” Will says, letting him off the hook while making the scene that much more intense, with Worf’s own final words about Klingon’s not knowing the words “defeat” and “farewell” providing poignant punctuation.

When Picard reaches Jack, it’s worse than he feared. His son appears fully Borgified and the Borg Queen (voiced by Alice Krige and looking more like a nightmarish H.R. Giger creation than ever) looms over him. She’s mostly interested in mocking “Locutus,” calling his arrival a homecoming. The Borg Queen also announces that assimilation is old news. The new Borg goal is evolution. And it looks like that plan is working out for them. Thanks, unwittingly, to Jack, Starfleet is now filled with unwitting hybrids walking around with Borg DNA just waiting to be told what to do.

But despite the odds stacked against them, our heroes prevail via a series of pretty good fight scenes that mix aerial combat, a hand-to-hand battle with Borg drones, some fancy flying from Data, and a battle for Jack’s soul. The latter involves Picard plugging himself into the Borg network and selling Jack on the pleasures of life outside the Borg cube, despite the possibility of loneliness and fear. Picard’s pitch includes freely expressing his emotions (never an easy thing for the captain), including his feelings for his son. “You are the part of me that I never knew was missing,” he says. Later, they hug. (This episode just does not let up on big emotional moments. Will’s farewell to Deanna, if anything, hits even harder: “I’ll be waiting. Me and our boy.”)

Star Trek  is a franchise dedicated to following intriguing science fiction concepts wherever they lead, but it’s also one in which occasionally love saves the day, and the Borg Queen’s dying shout of “No!!!” shortly before her cube explodes signals that this is one of those  Star Trek  installments. (Even Seven’s in a hugging mood when the Borg control lifts from the  Titan  crew.) It’s a happy ending for all, and the tableau of everyone posing on the  Enterprise  bridge (an image that includes Will and Deanna embracing and Worf asleep) could be a fitting end to the series.

But there’s more to be done. That includes giving the  TNG  crew some more time together and setting up future adventures. Will’s log reveals that Beverly has developed a method to eliminate Borg DNA and scan for Dominion holdouts. Tuvok, the real Tuvok, is still alive, it’s revealed. Seven learns that Captain Shaw actually liked and respected her, even recommending she be promoted to the rank of captain. Data is still sorting through his new emotions with a lot of help from Deanna, who’s a little distracted planning a vacation during the latest of their marathon sessions. But, essentially, all is well.

One year later, the long good-bye continues as Will, Picard, and Geordi put the  Enterprise  D to bed. A bit later, Picard and Beverly escort their son to his first Starfleet assignment aboard … the  Enterprise ? Rechristened in honor of Starfleet’s fabled flagship, the  Enterprise  is now under Seven’s command, with Raffi and Jack by her side. That looks like a setup for a whole new series featuring this crew. (I would watch.)

We’re not done: Over drinks and a stirring recitation of one of Brutus’s speeches in  Julius Caesar  from Picard (“There is a tide in the affairs of men”), the  TNG  crew spends the evening in each other’s company, reflecting on their time together before, in a nod to “All Good Things …,” the original  TNG  finale, a game of poker breaks out with Picard enthusiastically participating. It’s an indulgent moment that calls on decades of accumulated affection for these characters, and boy does it work. It feels like a fitting farewell, albeit one that suggests all good things, or at least all good shows, don’t always come to an end. They just kind of lay around waiting for someone to pick them up again.

Captain’s Log

• Hello! No, I am not your regular  Picard  recapper (though I did cover the first season). I’m just filling in for the excellent Swapna Krishna, who was unexpectedly unable to cover this episode.

• This episode pretty clearly sets up a Seven/Raffi/Jack–focused series and that’s a pretty exciting prospect. Ryan is, of course, already a  Trek  legend and her reprise of Seven has broadened the character and confirmed she has a range we never saw on  Voyager . Hurd was always a  Picard  highlight and Ed Speleers has fit right in when Jack could easily have been the series’ Poochie.

• If there is a series, please, please find room for the “Ma’am, I’m just a cook!” guy. He’s great.

• Over the end credits, there’s one last surprise: Q is back and ready to put Jack to the test. Nothing really ends or dies with this franchise, does it? (Okay, except for Ro Laren, Capt. Shaw, etc., etc.) After a first season partly dedicated to putting Data down, he’s back and the Data who wanted to die got hand-waved away. Now Q’s mortality, a big part of the second season, is out the window. It’s inconsistent, but is any going to complain, particularly after a season this strong?

• That said, the sudden transition to a mostly different supporting cast hasn’t been without some awkwardness. Whither Laris?

• Is this the last time we’ll see the  TNG  characters all in one place together again? Another reunion seems unlikely, but then  this  reunion seemed pretty unlikely. If it is the end, it’s a warm, affectionate send-off. If not, let’s hope the next reunion strikes as deft a balance between nostalgia and adventure.

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Picard says goodbye with a mysterious hint at Star Trek’s future

The finale has one of Star Trek’s only credits scenes

by Susana Polo

Never let it be said that Paramount Plus hasn’t brought the Star Trek franchise into the modern era of interconnected television: Star Trek even has credits scenes now.

And while the award for “first credits scene in Star Trek” would go to Star Trek: Lower Decks , with its season 3 finale, “The Stars at Night,” the award for “first Star Trek credits scene to point at a mysterious future installment of the franchise” can go to Star Trek: Picard and its finale.

[ Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for the final episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3, “The Last Generation.”]

The denouement of “The Last Generation” makes sure we know exactly where our faves old and new have wound up. While the Next Generation crew largely wound up with promotions, renewed relationships, or just a return to their peaceful lives, Picard built a new future for some of its younger old characters.

Former borg drone Seven of Nine was promoted to captain of the Titan, which was renamed Enterprise. Thanks to some calculated intelligence leaks, her girlfriend Raffi’s record was cleared, freeing her up to act as Seven’s first officer, and Jack Crusher — son of Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher , interstellar adventurer, recently freed from Borg control — was fast-tracked to the rank of Starfleet ensign to serve as captain’s counselor.

The credits scene takes us right back to Jack, in his quarters on the newly christened Enterprise, as he’s visited by none other than the cosmic being known as Q (John de Lancie). Q was thought to have died at the end of Picard season 2, but when Jack points that out, Q admonishes him for thinking so linearly. The long and the short of it is: Q is eternal, and he has something in mind for the progeny of his longtime fixation, Jean-Luc Picard.

Does this mean Star Trek: Legacy is real?

About a month ago, Picard showrunner Terry Matalas tweeted that “#StarTrekLegacy is what I’d call a spin-off show from #StarTrekPicard. A 25th Century show that explores the Last Generation and the Next.” Since then, he’s been either teasing an upcoming show or just having a hearty good time retweeting coverage of his tweet and clips of veteran Star Trek actors agreeing that a nostalgic spinoff for 1990s Trek fans sounds like a good idea .

So it’s not entirely clear whether “Star Trek Legacy” is a real show or what. But it’s hard to imagine what else Picard ’s final moments could possibly be pointing to. The next Star Trek show on the Paramount Plus lineup is the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , then the fourth season of the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks , and then the second season of all-ages cartoon Star Trek: Prodigy . None of those seem like a good fit for Picard ’s hints, being set in completely different eras or produced in a completely different medium.

Paramount has also confirmed at least two more future Star Trek projects, but they also don’t seem likely as answers either — Starfleet Academy will take place the better part of a millennium after Picard , while the recently announced Section 31 film starring Michelle Yeoh just simply doesn’t seem particularly relevant.

It’s possible that Paramount is sitting on a Star Trek: Legacy show about Jack Crusher, Seven of Nine, Raffi, and Sidney La Forge (the Titan/Enterprise’s helmswoman and daughter of Geordi La Forge) going on some epic Q-uest. But we won’t know until it’s actually announced — and so far, Paramount is keeping quiet.

Update: Speaking to Entertainment Weekly , Matalas said “Jack’s got a lot to do, let me tell you.” The showrunner confirmed that Paramount does have a plan for Jack Crusher’s character moving forward, but declined to elaborate or confirm the existence of another new Star Trek show.

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Star Trek: Picard season 3’s ending, explained

Since it debuted in 2020, each season of the sci-fi spinoff Star Trek: Picard has had its own unique story and tone, guided by a different showrunner’s vision for the series. The first season was a drama about Adm. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), now a 100-year-old Starfleet legend, leaving his lonely retirement and confronting his grief over the loss of his friend, the android Data. Season 2 took Picard and his new crew back in time to our present day to save the timeline while exploring Picard’s childhood trauma.

What is Star Trek: Picard season 3 about?

Return of a familiar foe, how does star trek: picard season 3 end, where do all the picard characters leave off.

For its third and final season, new showrunner Terry Matalas has taken the series in a more traditional direction, reuniting Sir Patrick Stewart with the rest of the cast from Star Trek: The Next Generation for an old-school space adventure in the style of the classic Star Trek film series. Where previous seasons have received mixed reviews from Trekkies and critics alike, this more traditional iteration of Picard has, naturally, garnered almost universal praise from the fan base, to whom it has been painstakingly catered.

Littered with Easter eggs and cribbing liberally from the franchise’s greatest hits, Picard s eason 3 gives the people what they want: the same stuff they already have, with a happy ending and a hook for a spinoff.

Spoilers ahead for the final season of Star Trek: Picard.

Set decades after their last appearance together in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis , Picard season 3 sees Picard reassemble his crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation , one member at a time, while trying to solve a mystery of galactic proportions. Stationed aboard the shiny new USS Titan (which they have sort of hijacked), Picard, Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Worf (Michael Dorn), Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and a new version of Data (Brent Spiner) work alongside the Titan’s younger crew to uncover a conspiracy that threatens the entire Federation.

They learn that Starfleet has been infiltrated by Changelings, the malevolent shape-shifters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , who brand Picard and company as fugitives in order to protect the secret of their existence. Alone and on the run, the crew of the Titan search for a way to foil the Changelings’ plans to attack the Frontier Day ceremony, a gathering of the entire active Starfleet in celebration of its 250th anniversary.

Interwoven with this larger mystery is the revelation that Picard has a son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speelers), who his mother, Beverly Crusher, has kept a secret for 20 years. A roguish Robin Hood type, Jack has little interest in getting to know his stiff, absent father, but when he and his mother are targeted by the Changelings, they have no choice but to go to Picard for help, setting the entire season into motion.

Over the course of the story, it becomes clear that there’s something very unusual about Jack. Though he can’t explain how, Jack gains the ability to read the minds and even control the bodies of several officers aboard the Titan, and is being tormented by strange voices and visions in his head. It’s only after the Titan has picked up the entire old Enterprise crew that they’re able to discover the secret behind Jack’s strange abilities, which propels them toward Star Trek: Picard ’s climactic two-part finale.

Though they don’t appear until the final two episodes of the season, the finale pits Picard against his greatest enemy from The Next Generation : the Borg. The Borg are a race of cybernetic beings who evolve by assimilating other species into their hive mind, absorbing their knowledge and technology. then transforming their individuals into zombie-like drones. In the popular Next Generation two-parter The Best of Both Worlds , Captain Picard is captured, assimilated, and forced to command the Borg’s invasion of the Federation. Though the invasion is thwarted and Picard is rescued, neither the Captain nor Starfleet are ever quite the same.

Picard would later confront the Borg again in the movie Star Trek: First Contact , coming face-to-face with the personification of their evil, the Borg Queen. Picard and his crew once again foil her plans, but it’s Kathryn Janeway and the USS Voyager who land the killing blow against the Borg years later in the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager . Through a combination of cunning and time-travel shenanigans, a version of Janeway from an alternate future infects the Borg Queen with a nanovirus that collapses the entire Collective, and neither the Queen nor her cyborg army have been seen since.

In season 3’s penultimate episode, Võx , Troi uses her empathic abilities to help Jack overcome a mental block and discover the source of his strange abilities. Jack is revealed to have been genetically altered before his birth through experimentation that was performed on his father by the Borg 35 years earlier. While Picard was under the Borg’s control, his DNA was altered so that his offspring would be the first of an all-organic next generation of Borg. As a result, Jack’s brain is a transmitter that allows him to connect with and control any life form whose own DNA can receive his commands.

During their infiltration of Starfleet, the Changelings altered transporters throughout the fleet to insert this receiver DNA into the genetic code of anyone who beams up or down, giving Jack the ability to reach into their minds the same way that the Borg Queen uses nanoprobes to command her drones. Through her Changeling agent, Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer), the Borg Queen has been trying to capture Jack so that she can control him and, by extension, everyone to whom his biological transmitter has access.

After learning of his true nature, a confused Jack goes looking for the Queen himself. She plugs him into the Collective, instantly assimilating countless Starfleet officers by proxy. The fleet, which is assembled over Earth for the Frontier Day ceremony, quickly falls under Borg control and turns its weapons toward the Earth. There is, however, some hope: the alterations to the officers’ DNA have not affected individuals over the age of 25. This means older people, such as Picard and his friends from The Next Generation , still have control of themselves and a chance to fight back.

Leaving the assimilated fleet behind, the old crew retreats to the Starfleet Museum, where its curator, La Forge, reveals his pet project: a fully restored and refurbished USS Enterprise-D. Too outdated for the Borg to reprogram, the Enterprise approaches the Borg’s massive control ship, where an away team of Picard, Riker, and Worf beams aboard to rescue Jack and stop the Queen’s mind-control broadcast. La Forge, Beverly Crusher, Troi, and this latest incarnation of Data remain on board the Enterprise, awaiting the opportunity to destroy the Borg Cube.

Meanwhile, the surviving unassimilated crew of the USS Titan, led by first officer Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), retakes the ship, locking away the Borgified junior officers in the transporter room. The captured Borg include La Forge’s two daughters, Sidney (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) and Alandra (Mica Burton). The Titan has no hope of defeating the entire assimilated Starfleet, but she can create enough of a distraction to draw their fire away from Earth, buying precious time for the Enterprise to complete its mission.

In-between fighting a handful of Borg drones, Riker and Worf search the Cube for the source of the Queen’s transmissions and discover that there’s a massive antenna at the center of the Cube. The Enterprise will need to navigate through a seemingly impossible maze in order to reach it, but Data believes that, despite the odds against it, he can pilot them there. Trusting his “gut” for the first time in his life — a development made possible by having fused with his more emotional twin brother, Lore — Data successfully navigates to the heart of the Cube.

However, there’s a further complication: the antenna is, essentially, load-bearing, and cannot be destroyed without bringing the entire Cube down with it. Picard, Riker, and Worf are still on board trying to free Jack, but every moment that antenna is intact brings the Earth, and possibly the entire galaxy closer, to destruction. La Forge, now in command of the Enterprise, makes the painful decision to sacrifice his friends below to save the rest of humanity, and Beverly fires torpedoes, knowing that this may mean the death of her son.

At the same time, Picard is struggling to free Jack from his mental enslavement to the Borg Queen. The Queen taunts Picard by explaining that only Jack can disconnect himself from the Collective, and that he’s too far gone to be reached from the outside. Driven by his love for his newfound son, Picard faces his fears and voluntarily plugs into the Collective himself so that he can have the chance to communicate with Jack.

Inside the digital limbo of the Collective, Picard pleads with Jack to unplug himself, but Jack, who has struggled with feelings of isolation and loneliness his whole life, finds the profound connection of the Borg hive mind difficult to resist. Picard confides in his son about his own struggle to connect with people and in the fulfillment he eventually found with the Enterprise crew, arguing that Jack can still make a life for himself in the galaxy. However, should Jack choose to stay in the collective, Picard offers to stay there with him and to be a family together, regardless of the circumstances. This act of love convinces Jack that he has something to live for after all. He unplugs himself and his father from the Collective, but only after the Enterprise has fired its torpedo barrage at the Borg Cube.

At first, it seems as if interference from the explosion will make it impossible for the Enterprise to get a transporter lock on the four stranded crewmembers. However, when Riker whispers a final goodbye to his wife, Troi is able to sense his thoughts and, by extension, his location. This is an ability she has demonstrated since the first episode of The Next Generation and has come in handy occasionally in the decades since. She beams Will, Worf, Picard, and Jack safely aboard moments before the Cube explodes, vaporizing the Borg Queen and theoretically ending the threat of the Borg forever. The assimilated young people in the fleet and on Earth are instantly freed, and billions of lives are saved.

The final episode of the series ends with an epilogue set one year after Frontier Day and the battle with the Borg Queen. In that time, Beverly has been promoted to Admiral and appointed the head of Starfleet Medical, having successfully removed the Borg programming from the young officers’ DNA and rooted out any remaining Changeling infiltrators. La Forge has deposited the Enterprise-D safely back in the fleet museum, where it will be preserved indefinitely.

Riker and Troi, whose marriage was on the rocks at the start of the season, are planning a romantic getaway together, assuming Deanna can manage some time off from the newly emotional Data’s daily therapy sessions. Worf, who is now an open-hearted warrior pacifist, is giving seminars about meditation. However, in-between their various obligations, the old gang gets together at Guinan’s Ten Forward Lounge in Los Angeles to have a drink and a friendly game of poker with Picard, echoing their game in the final scene of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Meanwhile, Star Trek: Picard ’s younger contingent of characters has all assembled aboard the Titan — or as it’s been rechristened, the USS Enterprise-G — bound for new adventures. These voyages will be led by Captain Seven of Nine, her first officer and off-and-on girlfriend Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), helm officer Lt. Sidney La Forge, and “special counselor to the Captain,” Ensign Jack Crusher, who has received an accelerated commission. The new Enterprise warps out into the final frontier in the hopes that the proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy , receives a green light.

If that’s not enough of a tease, the finale also includes a mid-credits stinger in which Jack gets a surprise visit from Picard’s old frenemy, Q (John de Lancie). Jack correctly points out that Q died during season 2 of Picard , but Q dismisses this, implying that he is a version of himself from a point in time before his death. Q tells Jack that his trial against Humanity, which has been ongoing since the first episode of The Next Generation , is now Jack’s responsibility.

To be continued, theoretically, in future installments of the Star Trek franchise.

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for Civil War.

Alex Garland's newest film Civil War picks up at the height of a modern-day civil war taking place in America. But much like Garland's other hits like Ex Machina and 28 Days Later, the plot of Civil War serves mainly as a vehicle for emotional provocation and character building. The film follows a group of war reporters – veteran photojournalists Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and Joel (Wagner Moura) and the novice Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) – as they make their way to Washington DC, sensing that an epic conclusion to the war is about to reshape America. .. and make for an award-winning story.

Thanks to its more than 50 years of continued existence, Star Trek has produced just a lot of stuff. That stuff includes several great TV shows, more than a few outstanding movies, and perhaps most importantly of all, some genuinely great villains.

Because Trek has always concerned itself with the politics of the stories it tells, the series has also introduced some genuinely nuanced bad guys. There are plenty of great villains of the week, to be sure, but there are also legendary villains who have made their way onto this list. These are the seven best Star Trek villains, ranked. 7. Nero

Fans have waited almost a year-and-a-half since The Walking Dead ended, longer since the character Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) left the show, to find out what happened to him.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live finally answers that question. It also follows Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) journey to find him and wraps the story up with a nice, neat bow in the final episode. Rick and Michonne are ready to take down the CRM

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Episode list

Star trek: picard.

S3.E1 ∙ The Next Generation

S3.E2 ∙ Disengage

S3.E3 ∙ Seventeen Seconds

S3.E4 ∙ No Win Scenario

S3.E5 ∙ Imposters

S3.E6 ∙ The Bounty

S3.E7 ∙ Dominion

S3.E8 ∙ Surrender

S3.E9 ∙ Võx

S3.E10 ∙ The Last Generation

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How Picard Season 3 Finally Broke a Classic Star Trek “Mandate”

The New Next Generation is here.

It’s hard to believe, but 30 years ago, as The Next Generation began its seventh and final season, there were still vocal Trekkie haters who claimed the show wasn’t really Star Trek. How times change. What was once the “new” Star Trek — a 1987 sequel to a 1960s sci-fi series — is now retro.

In 2023, Picard Season 3 is the second coming of The Next Generation. But, according to the people who made it, this season isn’t just about looking back. The callbacks may be tied to the ‘90s, but for showrunner Terry Matalas, his cast, and crew, this season is all about pushing the franchise into a brave new style of Star Trek storytelling.

Launched in 2020 , Star Trek: Picard sought to tell ruminative down-to-Earth stories about the struggles and further adventures of a much older version of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Often called the Star Trek version of Logan , the tone of Picard has always been more earnest and darker than in The Next Generation. Despite its merits — including nuanced writing from Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon — aspects of Season 1 rubbed fans the wrong way. And while most hardcore fans loved the new Stargazer in Season 2, there’s debate on whether or not that season stuck the landing.

But now, it seems with Picard , the third time’s the charm. The advance buzz for Season 3 is overwhelmingly positive, with all critics noting there’s a pretty big tonal shift here. But how did it happen?

A new Picard story

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Jeri Ryan in 'Picard' Season 3.

“This season came to me very fast,” showrunner Terry Matalas tells Inverse . “I knew what all the big moves are and I had to sell it to Patrick [Stewart], to Secret Hideout, and to Paramount+ very quickly.” Matalas joined the Picard creative team after Season 1, and the tonal and aesthetic differences with Season 3 are all the result of his vision. Before joining Picard , and before helming the SyFy reboot of 12 Monkeys , Matalas was a production assistant on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise . His nerd street cred is clear.

Although series star Patrick Stewart had initially been resistant to bringing back too many TNG characters just for the sake of it, Matalas won him over with the overall pitch for the season. Johnathan Frakes, who returns as Riker, and directs two episodes this season, was there when Matalas outlined his vision to Captain Picard himself.

“Before we started, Terry had lunch with me and Patrick [Stewart], and was very upfront about what he wanted to do,” Frakes says. “He asked if Patrick was cool with it, and Patrick was all in.”

Conflict on the Bridge

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: Picard Season 3

In Picard Season 3, the stakes are bigger, and the tone is closer to classic Star Trek feature films. “We wanted this season to be something monumental for this crew,” Matalas reveals. “It had to feel big, the same way The Undiscovered Country was for the original crew. The stakes have to be high because this is the last go at it.”

By now, most fans know that all seven cast members from The Next Generation are reunited in this season, along with a few secret surprises from the ‘90s Trek yet to be revealed. But, for the returning cast, there was a big difference between Picard Season 3, and the heyday of The Next Generation . In the ‘90s, the crew of the Enterprise didn’t argue with each other. In Picard Season 3, conflict is everywhere.

“In the original Next Gen the mandate was no conflict among the main bridge crew,” LeVar Burton says. “And that was tricky and unnatural. So, this was delicious to play, it was great fun.”

Because the show is still called Picard , you can easily guess which character Geordi La Forge (Burton) finds himself in conflict with. But he’s not the only one. Jean-Luc’s reunion with Beverly Crusher is also brimming with down-to-Earth conflict. For McFadden, the material in this season was bigger than anything she was ever able to do on TNG .

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher in Picard Season 3.

“I wish we'd had more scenes like this earlier on,” she says. “It was fantastic because Patrick and I are both theatre actors. So, it’s wonderful to just have a scene where you can really go for it.”

Stewart agrees with McFadden and notes that part of why he even agreed to do Picard at all, was because of the tonal difference of the series. “Some experiences that these characters have had, some are good. Some are not so good,” Stewart reveals reflectively. “And that had a strong effect on me and made it possible for me to sometimes sink a bit low in mood and temperament. I think it’s closer to real life.”

A new Star Trek ship, a new crew

While the final season of Picard creates an exciting story that allows The Next Generation cast to shine in bold new ways, it’s not only about the old gang. Raffi (Michelle Hurd) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) — who appeared in the two previous seasons of Picard — return here. And through these characters, the future of Star Trek beyond this moment might be glimpsed. Seven, of course, originated on Star Trek: Voyager , but her arc in Picard has turned her into a much more well-rounded character. And this time out, she’s finally in Starfleet, the first officer on the USS Titan , and constantly sparring with Captain Liam Shaw, played by Todd Stashwick, probably famous to sci-fi fans for his role in the TV version of 12 Monkeys.

Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw.

In the first episode, fans will notice that Shaw and Seven don’t get along. Like, at all . But Stashwick says this isn’t a mistake. It’s by design. “When choosing a first officer, you don't want someone who agrees with you,” he explains. “You want to have a dissenting opinion. You want to have someone who is the things you aren't.”

The Titan bridge is rounded out by several newcomers, too, perhaps most notably, Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut as Sidney La Forge, one of the daughters of Geordi La Forge, who is the helmsman of the new USS Titan . Chestnut tells Inverse she decided to create a consistent way to control the Titan , by repeating certain patterns with her hands. “There’s a method to my madness if you look closely at my hands!” she says with a laugh. Sidney’s journey is also bigger than it might seem. But, detailing too much about her character, or, for that matter, Ed Speleers' new role, might be a spoiler. For now, let’s just say, there are plenty of new Starfleet heroes in Picard Season 3.

The future of 25th-Century Star Trek

(Picard) Patrick Stewart, Seven (Jeri Ryan), and Riker (Jonathan Frakes) on the bridge of the USS Titan in the debut episode Picard Season 3, “The Next Generation.”

Whether or not Star Trek: Picard Season 3 leads to a new season of a different Star Trek series remains to be seen. For now, this is the ending of this series and the ending of the story of The Next Generation crew. And the feeling will remind fans of the 1987-2005 era of Star Trek. But, Picard Season 3 is also a contemporary television show, and that means massive twists are coming, and the drama won’t unfold in the style of ‘90s Trek.

“I’m really interested in telling human stories,” Matalas says. “In terms of television, one influence on me is very much Ron Moore’s Battlestar. I like those situations where everybody's right and everybody's wrong. It’s really great dramatic territory.” Matalas explains his views on how to write effective twists and mystery boxes slightly differently than other showrunners in the business: “There is a practice in some writers' rooms that, if the audience can guess what you're doing, don't do it. And I don't subscribe to that. You have to accept the fact that the audience may guess what's going on, but they have to like it, too.”

Matalas is quick to point out he didn’t write the season by himself. He reteamed with two of his 12 Monkeys collaborators, Sean Terretta and Chris Monfette, and sings the praises of the other Picard writers, Cindy Appel, Jane Maggs, and Matt Okumura. “I had a tremendously brilliant writing staff. They worked really hard under difficult time constraints and a lot of pressure. And they shined through it all.”

Will team Matalas continue to tell stories set in the 25th Century era of Star Trek? The showrunner reveals that when one fan told him that this felt like the “beginning of the Terry Matalas era of Star Trek,” at first, he “winced.” At first.

“But, then, after I thought about it, I understood what they meant,” he says. “There is a different kind of tone here that blends a lot of different kinds of storytelling. I just hope people respond to it.”

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 debuts on Paramount+ on February 16, 2023. It will consist of 10 episodes.

• Science Fiction

Star Trek: Picard Fulfilled The Borg Queens Greatest Wish In An Expected Way

The Borg Queen (Annie Wersching) had another desire besides assimilation, and Star Trek: Picard season 2 fulfilled it in an unexpected way. Star Trek: Picard season 2 introduced a version of the Borg Queen hailing from an alternate timeline created by Q (John de Lancie) where the galaxy was ruled by the malevolent Confederation of Earth. This Borg Queen saw her Borg Collective wiped out by the Confederation Starfleet led by General Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) of the CSS World Razer. But the Confederation reality's Borg Queen got her heart's desire that other versions of the Borg Queen did not.

Introduced in Star Trek: First Contact, the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) was revealed to be the ruler of the Borg Collective, which was previously believed to be a central hive mind. The Borg Queen was retconned as the voice Captain Jean-Luc Picard heard when he was assimilated and turned into Locutus of Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Best of Both Worlds." Moreso, Picard surmised in Star Trek: First Contact that the Borg Queen desired a partner or a counterpart. Indeed, the Borg Queen attempted to seduce and turn the android Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) before she was defeated by Picard. The Borg Queen returned many more times, but she never got what she wanted, unlike Star Trek: Picard season 2's Borg Queen.

Star Trek Picard Cast & Character Guide: All 3 Seasons

Star Trek: Picard season 3's cast includes several new characters and the return of some of the biggest names and iconic characters in Star Trek.

The Borg Queen Finally Got Her Greatest Wish In Star Trek: Picard Season 2

The queen found her counterpart.

Even broken and brought to heel in Star Trek: Picard season 2's Confederation reality , the alternate timeline's Borg Queen still desired a mate, just as she wanted to restore her Borg Collective. Unexpectedly, the Borg Queen found her perfect mate in Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill). A genius cyberneticist harboring dark secrets and deep regrets, Jurati was an easy mark for the Borg Queen. Agnes found herself manipulated by the Queen, and Jurati even voluntarily chose to let the Queen assimilate her.

The Borg Queen took advantage of Admiral Picard and his friends being stranded in 2024 to prey upon Agnes Jurati.

The Borg Queen nestled in Dr. Agnes Jurati's mind, but this was just the first step in her takeover of Agnes. Jurati was physically transformed by her assimilation . Soon, Agnes manifested the Borg Queen's powers , allowing her to easily defeat Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd). The Queen's plan involved helping Dr. Adam Soong (Brent Spiner) ensure the Confederation reality came to be. The Borg Queen even created a primitive version of the Borg Collective to be Soong's army.

The Borg Queen fulfilling her greatest wish ended up changing her for the better.

However, a funny thing happened after the Borg Queen found her perfect mate; Dr. Agnes Jurati changed her. The hybrid Jurati Borg Queen benefited from Agnes' humanity. After the Jurati Borg Queen fled Earth in 2024, she returned in 2401, emerging from a trans-dimensional rift with a new Borg Collective. Shockingly, upon revealing herself as Agnes Jurati to Admiral Picard, the Borg Queen fought alongside Starfleet to prevent an unnamed foe from entering Star Trek 's Prime timeline . The Borg Queen fulfilling her greatest wish ended up changing her for the better.

Admiral Picard granted the Borg Queen provisionary Federation membership.

Why The Borg Queen Always Wanted A Mate But Was Denied By Picard

The queen could not be allowed to win.

The Borg Queen of Star Trek 's Prime Universe always desired a mate. The Borg Collective's mission of assimilating lifeforms and adding their biological distinctiveness to their own was a pursuit of perfection. But ultimately, millions of assimilated beings only resulted in millions of drones. Essentially, the Borg Queen was lonely . She was a being with no equal in her eyes, and it's understandable - even human - that the Borg Queen desired a mate to share the universe with.

The Borg Queen that Captain Picard in Star Trek: First Contact and Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) in Star Trek: Voyager fought and foiled never fulfilled her greatest desire and found the mate she wanted . The Queen made a few attempts with Picard/Locutus, Data, and Jean-Luc's son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speelers), whom the Queen manipulated and groomed since childhood to become Vox of Borg in Star Trek: Picard season 3. But to protect the United Federation of Planets and the Alpha Quadrant, Picard could never allow the malevolent and genocidal Borg Queen to succeed in any fashion, including finding the mate she desired.

Admiral Picard and the USS Enterprise-D destroyed the Prime Universe's Borg Queen and her Collective once and for all in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

It's interesting, however, that in Star Trek: Picard season 2, the Borg Queen found her perfect mate in a woman, not a man . Dr. Agnes Jurati bonded with the Borg Queen differently than how the Queen in Star Trek: First Contact pursued Data as a romantic partner, or how the Borg Queen tried to become an ersatz parent to Jack Crusher in Star Trek: Picard season 3 . Jurati found the innate strength she felt she lacked in the Borg Queen, whereas the Queen found an idealism and a different kind of fortitude in Agnes that impressed her. It seems the right match for the Borg Queen was another queen in Agnes Jurati, and the result was a one-of-a-kind benevolent Borg Queen.

Will Star Treks Jurati Borg Queen Return?

Maybe if star trek: legacy happens.

Star Trek: Picard season 2's finale was the last time the hybrid Agnes Jurati Borg Queen was seen, and this may be case for a long time. Jurati's Borg Queen did not return in Star Trek: Picard season 3 , which focused on the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation reuniting to defeat the Prime Universe's Borg Queen once and for all, resolving decades of the Borg being Picard and the USS Enterprise-D's greatest adversaries. While Jurati's Borg Collective joining the fight on Picard's side may have been logical, it would have complicated the story, diluted Jean-Luc's triumph to have such help, and it also wasn't financially feasible for Star Trek: Picard season 3's budget.

Star Trek has no ready means for Agnes Jurati's Borg Queen to return.

However, with Star Trek: Picard 's proposed 25th century-set spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy, not happening for the foreseeable future, if ever, Star Trek has no ready means for Agnes Jurati's Borg Queen to return. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set in the 23rd century, over a hundred years before Starfleet meets the Borg, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set in the 32nd century. Star Trek: Section 31 is set in the 24th century's ' lost era ' decades before the Federation learns of the Borg. Even animated series like Star Trek: Prodigy are a no-go, unless the 24th century-set Star Trek: Lower Decks ' final season contains an anachronistic surprise. Fans are simply left to wonder how well the union of the Borg Queen and Dr. Agnes Jurati is going.

Star Trek: Picard

Cast Orla Brady, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Jeri Ryan, Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Isa Briones, Evan Evagora, Marina Sirtis, Amanda Plummer, Whoopi Goldberg, Gates McFadden, Todd Stashwick, Santiago Cabrera, Michelle Hurd, John de Lancie, Ed Speleers

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Akiva Goldsman, Terry Matalas, Michael Chabon

Directors Terry Matalas, Jonathan Frakes

Showrunner Akiva Goldsman, Terry Matalas, Michael Chabon

Where To Watch Paramount+

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Star Trek (Ent): Singularity

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Star trek still has plenty of borg despite picard season 3.

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9 Versions Of The Borg In Star Trek

Star trek: picard’s forgotten captain reversed leonard nimoy’s whale movie time travel, no one noticed star trek: picard season 3 subtly set up uss enterprise-d’s return.

Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew may have thwarted the Borg in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but that doesn't mean that Star Trek is finished with the cybernetic drones. Since their introduction in Star Trek: The Next Generation , the Borg have become one of the franchise's most formidable foes. As a hive-minded collective of cybernetic drones, the Borg cannot be reasoned with and they adapt quickly to any attack. With their frightening refrain that "resistance is futile," the Borg have become ingrained in Star Trek and popular culture.

The Borg played a role in all three seasons of Picard, culminating in the dying Borg Queen's (Alice Krige) attempt to destroy Starfleet once and for all. After suffering a devastating attack at the hands of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) in Voyager's series finale, the Borg Queen allied with the Changelings to take on Starfleet. Their plan may have ultimately been successful if not for Admiral Picard and his reunited TNG crew aboard the rebuilt USS Enterprise-D. While the Enterprise-D may have put an end to one Borg Queen and her collective, there are still other active Borg out there.

So many versions of the Borg Collective exist in Star Trek, from TNG's original cybernetic villains to Voyager's offshoots and Picard's revivals.

The Borg Still Exist After Star Trek After Picard Season 3

Admiral picard and his crew didn't destroy all of the borg..

Star Trek: Picard season 1 revealed that the Romulans had acquired a disabled Borg cube that had become detached from the rest of the collective. The Romulans then established a Reclamation Site within the Borg cube to study Borg technology alongside Federation scientists. This Borg cube became known as the Artifact and it eventually crash-landed on Coppelius, with the fate of any remaining Borg drones unknown. It's possible some of these drones survived this crash, but another Borg collective remains active as well.

In Picard season 2, the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching) from an alternate timeline assimilated Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) and the two merged into one being. Jurati retained control and created a new, benevolent Borg collective. After this Borg collective helped stop a dangerous energy wave, Admiral Picard granted Jurati and her collective provisional membership in the Federation. This Borg collective then agreed to keep watch over the transwarp conduit created by the energy wave, alerting the Federation to any enemies that emerged from it. Picard season 3 did not check in on Jurati's collective, and their future remains unknown.

Will Star Trek Bring Back The Borg As Villains?

Picard season 3 proved the borg can still be good villains..

Considering the popularity of the Borg, it's likely Star Trek will bring them back in some way. Star Trek: Picard already proved that there are new and interesting stories that can be told about the Borg. The story of Borg Queen Jurati and her collective remains unfinished, meaning she could pop up in a future Star Trek project. A future project could even pit a powerful evil Borg collective against Jurati's benevolent one. Plus, with the advancements in real-world technology, modern Star Trek can make the Borg look better than they ever have.

The scariest thing about the Borg is the loss of control and identity associated with being assimilated, and this fear remains as potent as ever.

As technology advances within the Star Trek universe, it makes sense that the Borg would continue to advance as well. Although Star Trek has already gotten a lot of mileage out of the Borg, a good writing team could undoubtedly find more stories to tell. The scariest thing about the Borg is the loss of control and identity associated with being assimilated, and this fear remains as potent as ever. Star Trek: Picard season 3 made the Borg frightening again and became a resounding success, making it probable that the Borg will continue to plague future Star Trek crews.

Star Trek: Picard

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