At this weekend’s Las Vegas Star Trek Convention, Sir Patrick Stewart took the show’s keynote stage with a surprise announcement: Jean-Luc Picard is back.
Stewart confirmed that he will return to his iconic role in an as-yet-unnamed series which, according to Deadline, will be a CBS All Access exclusive. The series’ details are currently quite unconfirmed, with Stewart admitting to the LVST crowd that “we have no scripts yet” and he is “talking storylines” with the series’ handlers. But Sir Patrick and the rest of the Star Trek team are adamant in saying that this series will not be a Next Generation reboot, and the LVST events did not include additional TNG actors confirming their involvement.
“He may not be a captain anymore,” Stewart said on Saturday. “He may be someone who has been changed by his experiences… It will be something very different, but it will come to you with the same passion.” An additional statement at Stewart’s Twitter profile pointed out his initial expectation that the role had “run its course” following the filming of 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis.