Patrick Stewart has said that he’s waiting for a script which is potentially a Star Trek script that will allow his character, Jean-Luc Picard, to return to the screen. Stewart has previously said he wanted one more goodbye for the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast, but beyond that, he wanted the opportunity to play PIcard in a different light. The third season of Star Trek: Picard allowed us to see things in the admiral that we never saw in the captain, and that’s what Stewart wants to experiment with.
Of course there are people asking why this movie needs to be made. Our own Chad Pprto even wrote with the same question in mind. The response to this is: it doesn’t need to be made. But practically everyone wants to see it made, including the viewers who turned in for the final season of Picard.
The viewing numbers for Picard were nowhere near what Star Trek: The Next Generation brought in ,and that’s to be expected. The viewing landscape is diluted now. When The Next Generation was airing, there weren’t as many options for entertainment as there are now. Any streaming channel would be hard pressed to pull in the numbers series from the 1980s and 1990s did.
The fact remains that The Next Generation cast is still one of the most loved casts, if not the most beloved in the Trek franchise. The viewing numbers for Picard proved the popularity of the cast and crew had not waned. So why not give the fans (and the actors) what they want? Sure there some who aren’t interested in a follow-up movie, but why deny the rest of the fans the opportunity to see it? There are plenty of us who want to see The Next Generation crew again, and for those who don’t, they have the option of not watching.
We’ve been down this road with Nu-Trek. It’s popular with some Trek fans, not so much with others, but this franchise brings so much to so many people. There’s something for everyone, whether you just want to continue watching old school Trek or catch one of the newer shows on either Paramount+ or Netflix. So what’s the harm in making another movie for fans? Paramount will take the financial risk, and fans will either watch or not. It’s as simple as that.
