Star Trek – Picard spin-off presses on; Sir Patrick Stewart reads first script!

The Star Trek spin-off series featuring Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard has felt like an exciting endeavor; yet, it’s also felt still like an endeavor that is many, many months down the road, if not longer. It was first announced last year, and while we’ve heard assorted teases as to what it could look like, the producers understanding are guarding its secrets like Fort Knox. This could be the biggest series in the history of CBS All Access. Picard is a revered figure; his adventures and teachings are well-documented among longtime fans and he serves as a beacon of hope and determination for so many all over the world.

Of course, what we actually know is little beyond that this is a new show that will be casting its focus on a different part of the horizon than The Next Generation. We are venturing forward to a new place, one with a very different sort of Picard who has aged twenty years and will be shaped by new experiences within his life. There aren’t any returning cast members from the original show included, but we have to hope that some will be factored in over time.

Today, we at least do come presenting a new tease — one that should add to the overall sense of excitement that is buzzing around this show at the moment. Just take a look, via Deadline, at what executive producer Alex Kurtzman had to say about a recent experience with Stewart:

“Here’s what I will tell you … I had an amazing experience yesterday. I sat at Patrick’s kitchen table and I heard him red the first episode and I almost cried. It was quite something. He’s at an amazing place in his life. He’s so excited. It’s going to be a very different show from Discovery. The only way this universe, I think, works correctly is if each show is really different and speaks to a different part of Star Trek.

“This is going to be a very thoughtful, psychological portrait in a lot of ways … We all know what Picard means to the world and why he, like so many legendary characters on Star Trek, has endured and what he’s represented. He is some way has to go through a gauntlet to find that again. Things have changed for him and changed him in some ways, and yet he is so deeply and fundamentally still Picard. We’re thrilled at what we’re going to deliver. I know Patrick is really excited. The cast is coming together beautifully. And I will give you nothing else.”

We foresee the Picard series being a thoughtful, emotional exploration into this man’s world and what defines him now as a man. We think because Star Trek: Discovery is out there, that does ease some of the pressure off of this show to be some sort of dramatic, action-packed spectacle. Our hope is that we’re going to turn off reality and dive into a world filled with imagination, new ideas, and above all else, hope. No matter who you are or also where you come from, Star Trek is a world that does present fairly unlimited opportunities. We’re eager to see precisely what this world has to offer.

What do you want to see in regards to this solo show featuring Jean-Luc Picard? Be sure to share some of your thoughts right now in the comments.

Photo: CBS All Access