Does the possibility exist for Star Trek: Picard Season 4? And can the franchise continue to feature its iconic title character and his crew?
After it seemed like the voyage of Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard had come to a close following appearances in four Star Trek movies from 1994 to 2002, Star Trek: Picard debuted on Paramount+ in 2020 with Stewart back in the franchise.
The most recent season saw Patrick Stewart reunite with Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, and LeVar Burton, all of whom reprised their Next Generation characters.
Now, with that series having released its third season in 2023, could there be room for Picard’s journey to continue?
Season 4 for Star Trek: Picard?
First things first, Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard was repeatedly billed as being the last outing for the show.
Now, just because it was stated that the third season served as the show’s finale, doesn’t necessarily mean that a Season 4 will not happen. Producer Akiva Goldsman has gone on record (via TrekMovie) saying that Season 3 needn’t be the final one if Stewart was game for more:
“Yeah, I think that think three [seasons] is the story as imagined. For me, as many seasons as Patrick Stewart wants to do, that’s as many seasons of Picard there should be.“
However, Goldsman said this in 2021, ahead of the Season 2 premiere, so his comments could possibly be outdated. Furthermore, from the outset, Star Trek: Picard was indeed envisioned and planned as a three-season series.
But Sir Stewart himself indicated in January 2023 (via Deadline), prior to Season 3, that he would be open for a potential Season 4:
“There is still enormous potential for matters in what we can do and there are doors left open and we didn’t close all of them,”
At this point though, it seems unlikely that Star Trek: Picard will continue on for more seasons in its current form. But by no means does the story have to end.
The Continuing Adventures of Jean-Luc Picard
Never one to rest on his laurels, Patrick Stewart has made no attempt at hiding the fact that he would like to do more Star Trek.
In fact, in his recently published memoir Making It So, Stewart included the following passage (via Time Magazine), intently expressing his eagerness to star in a Picard movie:
“I am gently pushing Paramount to let us do one single 'Picard' movie. Not a 'Next Generation' movie, as we have already done four of those. This would be an expansion and deepening of the universe as we’ve seen it in 'Star Trek: Picard.' I’ve discussed this with Jonathan, Brent, and LeVar, and they are all game. Jonathan is my first choice to direct it.”
Frakes, who of course played Jean-Luc’s first officer Will Riker, helmed two Trek features already, 1996’s First Contact and 1998’s Insurrection. As such, he is heavily invested in the Star Trek universe both behind and in front of the camera.
Another movie led by Picard, Riker, and crew is a fine idea, but Picard Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas has his eyes set on a different prize.
A New Legacy for the Next Generation Crew
Speaking to SFX Magazine (via TrekMovie) in January, Akiva Goldsman acknowledged the potential for elements of Star Trek: Picard to become pieces of future standalone content:
“Are there things in ‘Picard’ that could be their own storytelling arc? Or their own storytelling spines? Yeah, for sure. Is that the direction of the expansion of the Star Trek Universe? That turns out to be above my pay grade.”
Additionally, Terry Matalas has not been shy with his desire to spin Picard off into another series which, in his mind, would be titled Star Trek: Legacy. This series would pick up with the crew of the USS Enterprise-G, with Jeri Ryan’s Captain Seven of Nine in command.
Picard concluded with Seven in the Enterprise’s captain’s chair. Also along for the ride was Jean-Luc and Beverly Crusher’s son Jack, as well as several new other characters introduced in Star Trek: Picard.
What’s more is that Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and more have thrown their names onto the pile of potential guest stars who could pop into this new spin-off.
Frakes spoke on a continuation of what was laid down in Picard back in late 2022 (via Den of Geek):
“As you’ll see by the end of the season, it’s ripe for a continuation of some version of what we’ve established in the show. Not more ‘Picard’, but certainly, ‘Next Gen’ is alive and well.”
So, Legacy would be set up to follow this new crew and their voyages aboard the Enterprise in the 25th Century. Only, it’s currently far from greenlit. Paramount+ is running a business with its streaming service and there’s only so much money to go around for new Trek projects.
However, given the enormously positive audience response to Picard Season 3, getting Star Trek: Legacy made seems like a no-brainer. No official word on its development has been spoken though.
The entirety of Patrick Stewart’s 36-year run as Jean-Luc Picard (including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Nemesis, and all three seasons of Star Trek: Picard) can be streamed on Paramount+.
