Patrick Stewart could return as Captain Picard for new Star Trek project

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Make. It. So. Earlier today it was reported that CBS Television Studios had signed Alex Kurtzman to a five-year deal which will see the Star Trek franchise greatly expanded with a variety of new projects, one of which may find Patrick Stewart returning to reprise his role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard for the first time since STAR TREK NEMESIS back in 2002. Sign me up.

It's far from a done deal, but THR has said that rumblings of such a series have been getting louder, adding that Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman are attached to the Picard project. CBS naturally declined to comment as a deal is still quite a ways off from completion, but Patrick Stewart recently teased a possible return to the franchise when he said that he "may have good cause to look at [Star Trek: Discovery] very soon." Again, who knows whether it will actually happen, but it's exciting to know that CBS and Alex Kurtzman are developing a handful of possibilities for Star Trek's future. As for those other potential shows, which include a new series, mini-series, and animated series, Variety has a few more details:

• A Starfleet Academy series from Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz (Runaways).
• A limited series whose plot details are being kept under wraps.
• A limited series based around Khan Noonien Singh, which is likely the project which Nicholas Meyer has been developing.
• An animated series whose plot details are also being kept under wraps.

CBS Television Studios naturally wouldn't confirm any of these projects, but I'm excited to learn more. The limited series are of a particular interest to me, as there are plenty of stories revolving around different races and time-periods which may not fit into an ongoing show. The possibilities are endless, let's just hope that they don't screw it up. At the moment, the talk is that one of the first shows would be an eight-episode limited series spin-off and that more details may be revealed at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con.

Any thoughts on what sort of new Star Trek series/mini-series you'd like to see CBS tackle during this great Trek expansion?

Star Trek: Discovery is expected to return for a second season in 2019.