Olivia Reed
Prepare for an exciting announcement, Trekkies! The legendary Patrick Stewart, known for his iconic role in Star Trek, is advocating for Paramount to bring Star Trek: Picard to the silver screen.
In an interview with Time Magazine, Stewart expressed his desire to see Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation grace the cinemas once again. But here’s the twist – Stewart wants something completely fresh and unique, unlike the previous Next Generation movies.
“I am gently pushing Paramount to let us do one single Picard movie. Not a Next Generation movie, as we have already done four of those,” Stewart revealed. “This would be an expansion and deepening of the universe as we’ve seen it in Star Trek: Picard. I’ve discussed this with Jonathan [Frakes], Brent [Spiner], and LeVar [Burton], and they are all game.”
Stewart and the Next Generation cast captivated audiences on the big screen, starting with 1994’s Star Trek: Generations, where Captain Picard finally met Captain James T. Kirk. The franchise reached new heights with 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact, earning praise for Jonathan Frakes’ exceptional direction. However, the last two Next Generation films, Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), experienced diminishing box office returns. If a new Next Generation movie materializes, Stewart insists on having Frakes back in the director’s chair.
How Patrick Stewart nearly prevented a TNG reunion from happening
Interestingly, Stewart initially opposed the idea of reuniting the entire Next Generation crew for Picard during the show’s second season. However, the strong bonds of friendship proved irresistible. Showrunner Terry Matalas shared, “They said, ‘No, we’re never going to do that.’ But along the way, I think Patrick warmed up to the idea. The more his friends came back to the show, Jonathan [and] Marina came back, de Lancie came back, and Whoopi came back… Those days on set were so warm and so happy for him, that he started to say by the end, ‘We gotta have everybody.'”
The future of Star Trek on the big screen remains uncertain. While Paramount plans to prioritize the franchise after the SAG-AFTRA strike concludes, there are conflicting reports about continuing J.J. Abrams’ Kelvin timeline or rebooting Star Trek entirely. For now, Star Trek continues to thrive on the small screen with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks. You can catch all three seasons of Star Trek: Picard, along with these exciting shows, streaming exclusively on Paramount+.
