Picard returns for Star Trek reboot
Star Trek return ‘irresistible,’ Stewart says at premiere of new series
Star Trek: Picard
Debuts Thursday, CTV Sci-fi Channel
LONDON Patrick Stewart said returning to Star Trek was irresistible as he led a new generation of cast members down the red carpet for the debut of a series devoted to his much-loved character Jeanluc Picard.
The 79-year-old British actor had repeatedly refused efforts to lure him back as the starship captain Picard.
But the writers of its latest chapter, Star Trek: Picard, helped change his mind, to the delight of science fiction fans, and his character is due back on screens after a two-decade break.
“I came back because it was irresistible,” Stewart said on the red carpet earlier this month ahead of a screening at a cinema in London’s Leicester Square.
“I was intrigued and that intrigue grew into something very exciting, which is why I’m back.”
But he warned fans that this was a new era for Star Trek.
“Everything’s different. Everything. He’s hardly the same man,” Stewart said of Picard.
There was also a question mark over whether the iconic, colourful uniforms of the Starship Enterprise crew would return after Stewart said he told writers: “Don’t put me in a uniform.”
The new 10-part series picks up
Picard’s life 20 years after the character last appeared in the film set in the 24th century. A trailer shows a retired Picard living a quiet life running a family vineyard when Dahj, played by Isa Briones, comes to him asking for help and he puts together a crew to return to space.
Briones said the Star Trek experience had been “crazy.”
“When you first sign on,” she said, “you really don’t know what you’re getting into.”
For co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman, the return of Picard brings a message of hope, reminding viewers of what a great leader can be.
“I think in this moment, when so many people are looking and seeing so much division in the world, to be reminded that a great leader can come forward, and bring us back together I think that’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Stewart’s history with Picard dates back to 1987, when he played the character in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as in four feature films, the last of which was released in 2002.
The new series will air weekly on CBS All Access in U.S. markets and in Canada on CTV Sci-fi Channel.
CBS All Access has already confirmed that a second season will follow. CTV has not yet confirmed whether it would pick up a second season.