During the press visit for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Patrick Stewart was asked what this final season was from Picard let him do with the inheritance and lore of Star Trek: The Next Generation which he had not previously had the opportunity to do. Stewart had a surprisingly deep answer to that question:

“Insecurity. Uncertainty. A loss of confidence in that he [Jean-Luc Picard] may be the right answers. And loneliness too. Being disconnected from others, and yet the situation is potentially deadly. They were all great, interesting things to play because they’ve rarely been in him before.”

Don’t be alone Star Trek: Picard Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas and his writing team add new elements to The next generation characters – almost reimagining them as more three-dimensional and complicated versions of the characters we knew:

“The reason I jumped on board was because I loved the character arc and the story,” added Gates McFadden. “I felt it [the story] showed a lot more aspects at once, rather than, you know, once or twice an entire season. We saw that yes, she is a woman in charge; that she can pilot her own ship; she’s a mother, she’s a scientist, she can find vaccines and research things – and yes, she can be wrong, she can overlook things. I think the humanity and fallibility of characters – which certainly happens as we get older – we are no longer know-it-alls because we know that we have all failed at different times in our lives. And that brings wisdom and humility and I think we see some of that reflected in all the characters. So that was actually a joy, and Terry was great to work with.”

McFadden and Stewart couldn’t talk about their respective futures Star Trekbut didn’t close the door to work again and have fun with old friends…

The first two seasons of Star Trek: Picardalong with all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generationare streaming now Paramount+. Star Trek: Picard Season 3 premieres on February 16.