Two Star Trek shows are about to make first contact on Paramount+. The streamer has just unveiled that a handful of former The Next Generation stars will join Picard for its third and final season, a family reunion of sorts for the crew of Patrick Stewart’s beloved U.S.S. Enterprise.
LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner will appear alongside Stewart on the upcoming season, nearly 30 years after the final season of The Next Generation aired. Stewart reprises his role as Jean-Luc Picard in the show, which means we’ll see Burton as Geordi La Forge, Frakes as Will Riker, and everyone else reviving their much-loved characters.
The news came as a part of “First Contact Day”—April 5, 2063 is the day humans make first contact with the Vulcans in Star Trek: First Contact—via a cast announcement clip featuring teasers from all the returning cast members. “I think back to the days on the Enterprise, all that danger we rushed into,” Geordi voices over as a nostalgic Picard opens up a case holding his old uniform.
“Those were the days,” Picard responds.
Star Trek: The Next Generation aired for seven seasons from 1987 to 1994, picking up where the original Star Trek series left off. Picard homes in on Stewart’s character, who captained the U.S.S. Enterprise in Next Generation.
“I remember watching the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation almost 34 years ago with my father like it was yesterday. It was the spark that ignited my love for science fiction,” said Terry Matalas, season three showrunner and executive producer. “So, it’s most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honoring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the U.S.S. Enterprise.”
Star Trek: Picard is currently underway with its second season on Paramount+, as new episodes continue to drop weekly on Thursdays. Season 3 of Picard is expected to drop sometime in 2023.
