Although we’re still waiting for the January premiere of Star Trek: Picard, CBS All Access have now officially greenlit the second season of the show. The renewal was something that’s been pretty much a done deal for a while, with the story circulating a few months ago that a second year was already in development. CBS All Access finally confirmed a season 2 at this weekend’s Television Critics Association press tour though, stoking excitement for the long-term direction of the series.
ViacomCBS’s Julie McNamara had this to say about their confidence in the success of Star Trek: Picard:
“The energy and excitement around the premiere of Star Trek: Picard has reached a magnitude greater than all of us at CBS All Access could have hoped for. We’re thrilled to announce plans for a second season before the series’ debut, and we are confident that Star Trek fans and new viewers alike will be captured by the stellar cast and creative team’s meticulously crafted story when it premieres on January 23.”
We already know quite a bit about the first season of Picard, with teasers in the last few weeks introducing some new characters. However, the cast and crew have also been keen to point out that this Star Trek experience will be a quite different one for fans, with Sir Patrick Stewart in particular acknowledging that the universe has moved on from what we saw in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Furthermore, it appears that ViacomCBS are keen to build on the connections between Star Trek: Picard and the wider franchise, with talks already rumbling about a potential movie, as well as crossovers with Star Trek: Discovery. The next slate of Star Trek films and television shows can also now interact with each other, a situation that was previously limited by the corporate structuring of their parent company.
For now, we only have a short wait to see how Star Trek: Picard holds up to the buzz it’s steadily been building over the last few months, including the return of key characters and an official prequel comic that’s been explaining how Picard has moved on from where we saw him in Nemesis to the new series.
Star Trek: Picard will be with us on January 23rd on CBS All Access. Don’t miss it.