It is just a week until the final season of Star Trek: Picard arrives on Paramount+. Ahead of its arrival, showrunner Terry Matalas stopped by and chatted with Entertainment Weekly. Along with sharing more about the final season of the series, new photos were also released with the main cast onboard the USS Titan-A.
During the interview, Matalas shared how he views this season as the “last story” for the Next Generation era. “I think the original series had a final send-off with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” he tells EW of the 1991 movie that brought back the William Shatner-led cast. “This cast,” he says, referring to The Next Generation, “never really had that. So that was the goal from the beginning, to send ’em off in one final adventure that was both thrilling and deeply personal.”
He shared that from the start, it was going to be about this crew coming back together and he really didn’t have a backup plan.
“It was this or bust, so I had to go hard,” Matalas admits. “The good news is I think everybody really wanted to do it. It was something that was in their hearts. The cast certainly wanted to return. They’re all lifelong friends. And another chance for them to be reunited on a starship? Who wouldn’t say yes to that? The pressure is really finding a story that’s worthy of that.”
The interview then goes into how Matalas brought the crew back together, the pitches he gave to individual actors, and the efforts made to have a very classic and strong Star Trek villain. This was done with Amanda Plummer as Captain Vadic. Plummer, whose father played General Chang in Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country has taken a more classic approach to the role.
“She’s a bit more theatrical by intention,” Matalas says. “She’s a bit more like her father, Christopher Plummer, in Star Trek VI and that was by design.” While her backstory and motives are still being kept secret, she clearly has a strong motivation. “We wanted someone who would chew the scenery a bit more, someone who was fun to watch,” Matalas continues. “Having said that, when you get to know her story, you will find sympathy. Vadic has her reasons for all of this, I say cryptically. When you do [find out], it will make a lot of sense.”
The interview also looks at what could be in store for the future of Picard and along with sharing character photos, most of which were taken on the bridge of the USS Titan-A. The full interview can be read here. The photos can be seen below.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Synopsis
In the epic, thrilling conclusion of ‘Star Trek: Picard,’ a desperate message from a long-lost friend draws Starfleet legend Admiral Jean-Luc Picard into the most daring mission of his life, forcing him to recruit allies spanning generations old and new. This final adventure sets him on a collision course with the legacy of his past and explosive, new revelations that will alter the fate of the Federation forever.
The final season of Star Trek: Picard will begin streaming on Paramount+ on February 16th and then be released weekly through the course of its 10-episode season. This will be followed by other Star Trek shows throughout the year on Paramount+. Recently the final trailer for the series was released during the AFC Championship Game on CBS. It showed elements of the crew of the Enterprise-D coming back together and also how the stakes seem to be higher than ever!
Are you excited about this final season of Star Trek: Picard? Do you have any predictions? Share your thoughts, opinions, and predictions in the comments below!
