Tag Archives: Star Trek: Picard

Nov 7 2026

Remembering Sir Patrick Stewart 1940-2026

Make it so” Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Worlds of Star Trek and Marvel are still numb and devastated by the news that Star Trek and Marvel Legend Sir Patrick Stewart passed away last week at the age of 86 following a brief battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy body dementia. The tragic announcement of his death on October 28, 2026 was a double gut punch for Star Trek fans and in many ways even more devastating news following the death of Walter Koenig a couple of days earlier. Despite the tragic loss, Stewart lived a full life and left behind a glorious acting legacy that was highlighted by his iconic performances as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) and Star Trek: Picard, and as Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X in the X-Men films.

Early Life & Career

Born in Mirfield, United Kingdom, Stewart developed a passion for acting when he was a child and studied drama. He soon participated in local theater and continued to develop his acting skills while working as a journalist. Eventually, he chose to devote his career on acting and made his debut onstage at the Theatre Royal, Bristol in a production of Cyrano de Bergerac. He then became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and honed his acting skills in several minor television roles and stage productions. Stewart preferred classical theater, even though he began to gain the attention of Hollywood thanks to his strong baritone voice and stage presence. Probably his best known work in the 1970s was his role as Sejanus in the BBC TV drama I, Claudius in 1976. He won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for his work in Antony and Cleopatra in 1979.

Stewart entered the realm of live-action genre with his small but impressive role in Excalibur (1981) and especially as Gurney Halleck in Dune (1984). One of the few highlights in that film was his character’s unexpected reunion with Paul Atreides in the battlefields of Arrakis. The moment when the two men hugged each other in the chaotic battlefield was quite heartfelt and emotional as it genuinely conveyed the deep friendship they shared. Stewart also appeared in the sci-fi/horror film Lifeforce.

The Next Generation Begins

When Star Trek: The Next Generation went into pre-production in 1986, there was an exhaustive search to find the right actor to play the Enterprise’s captain. During this period, executive producer Robert Justman saw Stewart giving a lecture about Shakespeare in UCLA and knew instantly that he would be perfect to play Jean-Luc Picard, though he was considered for the role of Data.

Stewart’s casting as Picard was not an easy road, as Star Trek creator and showrunner of TNG Gene Roddenberry did not favor Stewart. Roddenberry felt that Stewart, as a bald, middle-aged Shakespearean actor, did not fit the role of a virile starship captain and preferred Patrick Bauchau and Stephen Macht instead. It should be noted that other prominent actors like Yaphet Kotto and Edward James Olmos were considered. Thankfully, Justman persevered and finally convinced Roddenberry and other TNG executives that Stewart was the best actor for the role due to his auditions.

The rest as they say is history. When Star Trek: The Next Generation made its debut in syndicated television in the fall of 1987, many were skeptical that a Star Trek series without the original cast would work. Unfortunately, due to the tepid first season, those doubts were justified, but one thing that stood out in the early TNG episodes was Stewart’s performance. His Picard had a commanding presence with a confident and eloquent manner that quickly established that Captain Picard was a natural leader in a way that stood apart from Captain Kirk.

After a couple of seasons, TNG found its stride and gained acclaim by fans and critics as it ushered in the Star Trek Renaissance in the 1990s. Over time, thanks to Stewart and others, TNG became well regarded in many instances lauded as the best Star Trek TV series. Being that Picard and the other characters were quite different from the original Star Trek characters, the world and scope of Star Trek was able to grow into a rich and diverse universe with new characters that fans eventually embraced. During his tenure on TNG Stewart turned in some brilliant performances, notably in “The Measure of a Man”, “Family”, “Tapestry”, “Chain of Command”, “Darmok” “All Good Things…”, and “The Inner Light”. He also directed several episodes of the TV series.

picard takes charge

When the series ended after seven seasons, Stewart and the other TNG cast made their transition to films in 1994 with Star Trek Generations, which gave us the unforgettable moment with Captain Picard met the other legendary Star Trek Legend, Captain Kirk. The natural chemistry the two actors shared with each other was the best part of the flawed film and was delight for fans of the two series to watch. The TNG films ranged in quality but one constant about them was Stewart’s performances. Arguably his best TNG film performance was in Star Trek: First Contact where he emulated Captain Ahab (a role he later played in a television production of Moby Dick) in his obsessive drive to defeat the Borg.

When the TNG film series ended in 2002 with Star Trek: Nemesis, Stewart took a break from Star Trek and excelled in other roles such as Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise, although he reprised his role in the video game Star Trek: Legacy and lent his voice to the Star Trek: The Experience theme park attraction Klingon Encounter. However, he returned to the role that made him famous in Star Trek: Picard for three seasons from 2020 to 2023. The TV show had a mixed reception, but its third and final season was well beloved as it finally reunited the core TNG cast, as well as featuring other great Trek characters and plot lines. Given that he is no longer with us, it is quite fortunate that we were able to get a reunion of the TNG characters for one last trimuphant hurrah.

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Dec 31 2023

Top Ten Films & TV Shows Of 2023

2023 boasted its fair share of exceptional genre films and TV shows. It is also noted for being the year when superhero films and TV shows started to lose steam. More on that some other time. Still, there plenty of quality fare for us fans and here are the best films and TV shows of 2023. Be sure to drop a comment with your own choices and rankings.

Films

10. 65

Adam Driver starred as a pilot of a crashed starship who struggled to survive in a hellish prehistoric landscape that turned out to be Earth 65 million years ago. This absorbing survival tale had intense moments and great dinosaur scenes.

9. The Creator

Garth Edwards’ film about a soldier protecting a young A.I.girl while pursued by hostile forces was derivative in terms of its plot. But its jaw-dropping visuals of a future Asian society where man and A.I. live harmoniously, action scenes and performances more than made up for its flaws.

8. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

The third Ant-Man film was unfairly put down by many who missed the usual capers of the previous Ant-Man films. Instead this film went in a different and wilder sci-fi direction as our heroes explored bizarre landscapes and confronted the next big bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Kang the Conqueror.

7. Leave the World Behind

This apocalyptic psychological thriller was both disturbing and intriguing as we see how the world begins to crumble from the viewpoint of vacationers. We were also swept up in their horrified plight as they struggled to understand their new situation and survive in a dangerous new normal with their limited skills and experience.

6. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

This fun-filled fantasy romp based on the classic board game turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The film boasted spirited performances starting with Chris Pine as a lovable rogue and an imaginative script and direction that always kept the pace moving throughout the film.

5. Blue Beetle

It’s a shame that one of the last DC Extended Universe (DCEU) films did not perform better in theaters since it was of the best DCEU films. While the film followed the typical superhero origin formula, its strong performances, direction, and humorous family interactions elevated the film with its back-to-basics approach with superhero films.

4. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

The last hurrah for our favorite swashbuckling archeologist hit many emotional notes in its depiction of Indiana Jones in his twilight years. Yes, Steven Spielberg’s masterful direction was sorely missed in the final Indiana Jones film, but its solid direction, thrilling action and Harrison Ford’s solid performance as the title hero made this a memorable finale to the fantasy adventure franchise.

3. Godzilla Minus Zero

The latest Godzilla film proved that the decades-old franchise could still deliver captivating and exciting kaiju films. It stood above other Godzilla films thanks to its grounded approach, emphasis on relatable characters and a directorial decision to make the title creature a terrifying force of nature. It’s easy to see why this is one of the best Godzilla films.

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

There were other notable animated films this year like Elemental or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem that rivaled Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with distinctive animation and scripts. However, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse stood out from the pack with stunning and unparalleled animation that was simply stunning.

More importantly, what made the film such a success was its engaging storyline of a relatable Miles Morales involved in a head-spinning story, which involved other universes and characters. Cannot wait for the conclusion to the storyline!

1. Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3

James Gunn’s final MCU film was one of the best in the Marvel film franchise. It perfectly closed the chapter of these lovable galactic misfits/heroes while exploring their emotional connections and giving us glimpses of how the team would continue without the OG heroes.

This film proved that the MCU could still deliver quality films that are widely acclaimed and perform well. What made audiences engage with Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3 was its emotional core as we witnessed the tragic backstory of Rocket Raccoon, the fragile nature of the other guardians, and one of the most evil MCU villains ever shown.

Noteworthy Mentions:

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Elemental, Evil Dead Rise, The Flash, Knock at the Cabin, M3GAN, The Marvels, Rebel Moon, Part One: A Child of Fire, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

TV Shows

10. Superman & Lois

The third season of the final Arrowverse TV show continued demonstrating that it is one of the best Arrowverse TV shows as Superman/Clark Kent continued balancing life as a superhero and a husband and father to his family in Smallville.

9. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

This TV show did so much to flesh out and expand the world of the Monsterverse by featuring interesting characters and fascinating plots involving time jumps and conspiracies. The result was a fascinating look at the impact that giant kaijus would have in the world.

8. For All Mankind

Ronald D. Moore’s alternate reality TV series where the Soviets landed on the moon first, relished in how that reality has begun to wildly diverge from ours as it featured life on a thriving Martian colony circa 2003, along with the intriguing geopolitics and personal drama that often intertwined.

7. What If…?

The second season of this animated MCU TV show featured more diverse variant MCU characters and situations. Unlike the live-action MCU, What If…? really let its imagination run wild with the concept of the Multiverse thanks to its inventive tales of alternate MCU realities.

6. Sweet Tooth

The second season of this live-action adaptation of the Vertigo comic book by Jeff Lemire was just as enjoyable as the first thanks to winning characters like young Gus and other animal/children hybrids and humans trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a plague and warlords.

5. Gen V

This spinoff of The Boys was much more than a satirical take on the X-Men or the New Mutants. It further fleshed out the world of The Boys and underlined the dark side of supeheroics with relatable characters who suffered with the burden of having super powers and their lives as angst-ridden teenagers.

4. The Last of Us

This was a faithful and tense adaptation of the classic video game about a ruthless man protecting a young girl in a world devastated by a plague that turned most of humanity into mindless monsters. The performances were simply brilliant and the scripts truly touched viewers during its explorations of the characters and their relationships in a savage world.

3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The second season continued the episodic back-to-basics approach to Star Trek with excellent one-off episodes. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was buoyed by solid scripts and spot-on acting, which made it one of the franchise’s best entries. Even though some of the episodes may have been too bizarre like the musical episode or the one that featured characters from the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks, the season overall was a genuine success.

2. Loki

From the first frenetic moments of its premiere episode to the majestic triumph of its last scenes in the season finale, Loki singlehandedly demonstrated that there was still creative life in the MCU, which struggled in 2023.

Highlighted by brain-twisting time travel conundrums and a topnotch cast, the second season of Loki was arguably better than the first as we saw the title character complete his emotional transformation from a petty foe into a mature god burdened with maintaining all of time and reality.

1. Star Trek: Picard

Yes, the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard reveled in memberberries, call backs, Easter eggs and references. But it was much more than that, it was a genuine love letter and tribute to the Star Trek franchise, circa 1990s.

Star Trek: Picard had an engaging and exciting storyline with many twists and turns as it reunited the cast from Star Trek: The Next Generation for one last hurrah to save the United Federation of Planets from an old foe. At the same time, the TV show introduced intriguing new characters that tantalized viewers with potential future adventures. Come on, give us a Star Trek: Legacy show already!

Noteworthy Mentions:

Ahsoka, Black Mirror, the Doctor Who specials, Doom Patrol, Foundation, Harley Quinn, Invincible, La Brea, The Mandalorian, One Piece, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Primal, Scavengers Reign, Scott PIlgrim Takes Off, Silo, Upload

 

Apr 30 2023

The Potential Of Star Trek: Legacy

Fans are still swooning over season three of Star Trek: Picard and for good reason. Not only did it feature the long-awaited reunion of the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), but it was bursting at the screen’s seams with Easter eggs and references to most of the previous incarnations of Star Trek TV shows and films. More importantly, instead of wallowing in Member Berries, the third season actually set up a potential spinoff—Star Trek: Legacy. *Warning for those who have not seen season three of Star Trek: Picard, there will be spoilers from here on out.

During the third season of Star Trek: Picard, we were introduced to Jack Crusher, who turned out to be the son of Jean-Luc Picard. In many ways he was a lot like his father but with a rakish bent as he seemed more comfortable acting independently and living a pirate-like lifestyle. Perhaps this is how Picard was like in his younger days. In some ways, Jack had more of the swashbuckling demeanor of James T. Kirk (more on him soon). Yet he had an intellectual and empathic side that echoed his father. In a sense he came off as an authentic child, who has elements of both his parents with unique personality traits gained from experiences the parents never had. Jack quickly became a fan favorite and has enough personality and development to return in future Star Trek spinoffs. This was very clear at the end of the final episode of Star Trek: Picard when he joined Starfleet and was posted on the Enterprise-G as special counselor to the captain.

The third season also introduced several other characters, some of which were bridge officers of the Titan-A (later rechristened the Enterprise-G). The one standout was Sidney La Forge, the Titan-A’s helm officer and daughter of Geordi La Forge. She soon formed a friendship with Jack with hints of something more to develop. It was fun seeing the two scions interacting with each other, which foretold great adventures to come if the powers that be at Paramount Pictures greenlight a Star Trek: Legacy. Obviously the two characters would be some of the central characters of this show.

Two other characters that could headline the show would be Captain Seven of Nine a.ka. Annika Hansen, and her first officer Rafaella “Raffi” Musiker.  Most fans know that Seven debuted on Star Trek: Voyager before becoming a regular on Star Trek: Picard. Raffi is the only remaining original character from Star Trek: Picard to remain a part of the show after the other original characters were written out after the second season of the show. Even though they are not the children of past Star Trek characters they in a sense would carry on the legacy of Star Trek: Picard. Perhaps other past Star Trek: Picard characters like Sohji Asha (Data’s daughter) could return and continue the theme of legacy.



Another character that could return is Captain Liam Shaw. Yes, he was killed off in the penultimate Star Trek: Picard episode “Vox”, but he quickly became a fan favorite. While he was very surly and dismissive towards our favorite TNG characters especially Picard and Will Riker, he was actually the voice of reason. He was more cautious when it came to his ship, the Titan-A, and the safety of his crew, which conflicted with the daring decisions made by Picard and Riker that threatened the Titan-A and crew. More often than not he was willing to call out Picard on his decisions and his arguments usually had merit. What made him more dimensional was the revelation that he was a survivor of the Battle of Wolf 359. He clearly was still suffering from that incident where the cybernetic race called the Borg decimated a Starfleet armada. This also explained his animosity towards Picard since Picard was assimilated by the Borg and helped them defeat Starfleet. In as sense this also explains his antagonistic relationship with Seven since she is a former Borg. Shaw was a great character and it was too bad he was killed off. However, Terry Matalas, the showrunner of the third season, has hinted that there is a way for Shaw to return in the Star Trek: Legacy show. Being that this is Star Trek, there are dozens of ways to do this: clones, time travel, cold storage, Seven’s Borg nanoprobes, even Q could easily bring Shaw back.

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Apr 21 2023

Star Trek: Picard Concludes With A Bold New Legacy

The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard just streamed its last episode, titled appropriately enough “The Last Generation”, and it was a brilliant finale to an exceptional season for the TV show.  *Warning: Spoilers will follow.

Star Trek: Picard as a series has been a mixed bag of a Star Trek show. While it was great to see Patrick Stewart reprise his role as retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, some of the episodes in the first season were not as well executed as they should have been. Meanwhile, the second season started strong but soon fell apart and became a big disappointment. So, in the final season of Star Trek: Picard, the showrunners, led by Terry Matalas, pulled out all stops to make this a worthy swan song to the legacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG). This included reuniting the core cast of that beloved TV show and numerous Member Berries recalling not just Star Trek: The Next Generation, but the original Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and even other media like Star Trek Online. And you know what? It worked!

The third season of Star Trek: Picard quickly engaged viewers with reunions and beguiling mysteries that threatened the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet. Picard received a plea for help from Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), who he has not spoken to in decades. She and her young adult companion Jack (Ed Speleers) operate independent of the Federation and deliver medical aid to those that need it. They are also pursued by mercenaries led by the mysterious Vadic (Amanda Plummer). The problem is that Crusher is located just outside Federation space and Picard needs to find a way to get to her.

Picard enlists the help of his best friend and former first officer of the Enterprise-D, Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), along with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), who is the first officer of the Titan-A (a nice nod to Riker’s offscreen adventures as captain of the previous Titan). Together, they commandeer her ship to the edge of Federation space to rescue Crusher and Jack, who turns out to be Picard’s son. Their efforts unveil a vast conspiracy against Starfleet and the Federation itself involving Changelings (last seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and their unknown partner.

Everyone involved with the third season was at the top of their game and it was clear they were determined to turn the season into a love letter for fans. It is incredible that they succeeded as the TV show was exciting, full of emotion and great character moments. Some aspects of Star Trek: Picard evoked previous Star Trek tropes and plot points, but they were executed in a respectful and invigorating fashion that felt fresh. The best example of this were with the early episodes where Picard and the crew of the Titan-A played a cat-and-mouse game with Vadic and her ship the Shrike in a nebula that was clearly inspired by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Then there was the major subplot of Picard getting to know Jack, which was similar to Kirk’s relationship with his son David in that film. But it worked because these moments were not exact duplicates of the famous Trek film but added new wrinkles. Of course, what sold it was the execution with memorable acting and topnotch production values.

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Mar 31 2023

The Return Of James T. Kirk?

Sure, this title seems like your typical Aprl Fool’s Joke on Trekkers, but the possibility in official Star Trek canon was raised last week with the recent Star Trek: Picard episode, “The Bounty”. Spoiler warning for anyone who has not seen the episode.

During the episode Worf, Riker and Raffi raid the clandestine Daystrom Station. Unlike the noble, scientific think tanks named after Daystom shown and mentioned in other Star Treks, this orbital facility was the 25th century version of Area 51. The station stored many of Starfleet Intelligence’s top secret technology, weapons and alien contraband. The Daystrom Station was littered with many Star Trek Easter eggs and call backs, but the one that raised the most eyebrows among fans was the revelation that the station had the remains of Captain James T. Kirk.

The last time Kirk was seen onscreen, as played by William Shatner, was in the 1994 film Star Trek Generations. The late, great captain of the starship Enterprise met his end anticlimatically when he fell off a bridge while aiding Captain Jean-Luc Picard. To many fans this was an unsatisfying way to kill off the beloved Enterprise captain as they felt he warranted a more heroic death. Of course, this was not the last fans saw of James Kirk as he was portrayed by other actors, notably Chris Pine and Paul Wesley. But Shatner’s version of Kirk remains the definitive Kirk that is beloved by fans and many hoped that the actor would someday reprise the role. The closest we got to that was in Star Trek: Enterprise where there were plans for Shatner to reprise the Mirror Universe version of Kirk, and Shatner was slated to cameo in the Star Trek reboot film, but these plans never came to be.

Shatner himself expressed his dissatofaction with the way his character died on screen and went as far as to co-author a series of books with Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens where Kirk was resurrected. The first of these post-Star Trek Generations books was The Return and its plot revolved around Kirk being revived by Romulans using Borg technology to use him against the United Federation of Planets. Kirk with the aid of many Star Trek heroes overcame this plot and went on to live a full life in the 24th century. The books, called the Shatnerverse, are considered an alternate reality for obvious reasons, Still, they were popular with Kirk fans.

Getting back to Star Trek: Picard, which is official Star Trek canon, when Raffi passed by a containment unit in the Daystrom Station, a holographic display showed an image of a skeleton with the signage “James T. Kirk”. This image also had some biographical data and what was interesting was that the display revealed that Kirk was “critically injured” in the events of Star Trek: Generations. It does not say that he died in the film even though Picard was clearly seen standing over Kirk’s grave. So what gives?

Technology will be much more advanced in the far future, especially when it comes to medicine. For all we know a critical injury like falling off a bridge and being clinically dead as we know it today may not be the actual end of a person’s life. It can be possible to revive a person hours after death in the future and it’s possible this could be top-secret technology in the Federation that is reserved for very important people. Or perhaps Kirk remained dead but Starfleet Intelligence and its black-ops offshoot Section 31 may be trying to clone James T. Kirk for their own reasons. This is not far fetched since the Romulans cloned Picard in the film Star Trek Nemesis.

Most likely nothing will come of this, but this Easter egg is fertile ground for future screenwriters. It is also unlikely that Shatner, who is in his early nineties, will reprise his role one last time. However, this tantalizing Easter egg gives fans of the legendary James T. Kirk some hope that he can somehow return someday for one last, great adventure, at least in their imaginations. After all, legends never die.