Star Trek: Picard didn’t knock it out of the park with its first season, but I enjoyed it. The highlight was the nostalgia-tickling reunions with The Next Generation characters Riker, Troi, and Data, whose long history with Picard made for some moving scenes. Work is currently underway on the second season, which will feature Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan and John de Lancie as Q.
De Lancie has proved to be an excellent source of information of what’s coming down the line for the show, sharing his thought during the shoots via Cameo and saying that reuniting with his Star Trek buddies is like one big party. But now he’s sounded what could be an ominous note, saying:
“You are going to be seeing me soon on Picard. I come back – not in a walker, but close to it. It’s my final carryings on with Jean-Luc Picard.”
This could simply mean that de Lancie is treating this performance as his swansong and is ruling out returning for further seasons, but it could also indicate that Q’s immortality may not be all it’s cracked up to be. As an extra-dimensional being he’s possessed of control over time and space, though let’s face it, even those with vast cosmic power must eventually die.
Perhaps we’re reading too much into this. After all, he does mention that this is his final meeting “with Jean-Luc Picard”, so it’s possible Q could reappear in other forms in other shows. Whatever the case, Picard looks set to continue its gently elegiac tone as we see familiar characters dealing with aging, the consequences of their past decisions, and the legacy they’ll leave for the future. On top of that, it seems we’re heading into an alternative reality, so we may see some surprising twists on the known canon.
Star Trek: Picard season 2 is expected to air in early 2022 on Paramount Plus.