Looking Back And Looking Ahead: SDCC ‘Star Trek’ Panel Offers The Best Of All ‘Strange New Worlds’
Picard (helmed by star Patrick Stewart) is getting the old gang back together.
The Star Trek panel at San Diego Comic Con gave stalwart sci-fi icon a chance to say goodbye to his fans – and his beloved character Saturday.
The main cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987-1994, will be returning. That includes Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis and Brent Spiner — who does not appear in the trailer but is reported to be returning playing a new character. Wil Wheaton appeared as a new character in season two, he also reportedly will return in season three.
The Star Trek team showed off a short teaser trailer of the actors back in character, and Dorn as Worf got the biggest applause. Of the crew, only Stewart and McFadden were in attendance at Comic-Con.
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman told the crowd that by the beginning of season three, the crew is stationed in different places around the galaxy. “Slowly we see them come together. We wanted to take the time to get to see where they are now,” said Kurtzman.
He added that Wrath of Khan, the fan-favorite 1982 Star Trek movie, will be a major touchstone for this season, which will focus on the mental battle between Picard and one main villain. “She is amazing,” said Kurtzman of the villain, without revealing more details. Khan was teased in season two of Picard when it was revealed Adam Soong (played by Spiner) was the creator of a superhuman project, code-named “Khan.”
McFadden told the crowd that while the characters have evolved over time, they still have to work through some of their past relationships. “There are a lot of unresolved issues between Picard and Crusher. Even with the ensemble, there are some of us who haven’t seen each other for years, and others who have been in contact all the time,” she said.
At the end of the panel, Stewart, who also plays iconic character Professor X in the multi-movie X-Men franchise, shared his gratitude to Comic-Con for supporting him over the years, telling fans he wanted to thank the con now because he might not have the opportunity to in the future.
In other Star Trek news, Paramount announced a surprise crossover between its two new series Star Trek: Lower Decks, which is animated, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which is live-action. There was no footage that shows how the world of the two shows will come together.
Paramount did premiere the season three trailer for Lower Decks, though, showing the crew of the USS Cerritos embarking on all new adventures through space. Lower Decks comes from the creator of Rick and Morty.