We’ve all said goodbye to Captain Jean-Luc Picard several times over the past three decades. First, there was the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1994, then the final film Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002, and most recently, Star Trek: Picard just last year. But it seems the legendary captain may not be quite ready to beam himself out of our lives just yet.
Whispers of a New Adventure
Since the press tour for Picard Season 3 began back in 2022, Stewart has dropped hints that there might be one more Trek film for Picard (and his Next Gen cohorts) up his sleeve. From a playful joke at New York Comic Con to a thoughtful interview with IndieWire, the actor has teased the possibility of a big-screen return.
“I think we could do a movie, a ‘Picard’-based movie,” he mused in the IndieWire interview. “Now not necessarily at all about Picard but about all of us. And to take many of those wonderful elements, particularly from Season 3 of ‘Picard’ and take out of that what I think could be an extraordinary movie. I keep telling people and mentioning it, and so far there’s been no eager response, but it might well happen. And that would be I think a very appropriate way to say, ‘And goodbye folks.'”
A Script Materializes
Now, in a recent interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Stewart has revealed that there’s actually a Picard-focused script in the works, and it could be landing in his hands any day now.
“I heard… about a script that is being written, but written specifically with [me] to play in it [as Picard] — and and I’ve been told to expect to receive it within a week or so,” Stewart told host Josh Horowitz. “I’m so excited, because it sounds like the kind of project where the experimentation that I want to do will be essential for this kind of material.”
Uncertainty on the Horizon
Of course, even with a script in the works, there’s no guarantee that a Stewart-starring Star Trek movie will actually make it to production. The franchise has had its fair share of false starts on the big screen in recent years, and even if it’s planned as a streaming movie like Michelle Yeoh’s upcoming Section 31 project, there are still challenges facing Paramount+ and the larger Paramount Pictures corporation.
There’s also no word on whether other members of the Next Generation (or Picard) cast would be involved, given Stewart’s desire for “experimentation” with the project. He famously agreed to return for Picard on the condition that it wouldn’t be a full-blown reunion, so it’s anyone’s guess who might (or might not) join him on this potential final adventure.
So, will we see Captain Picard grace the big screen one last time? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: Trekkies everywhere will be eager to see what the future holds for the beloved captain and his iconic starship.