Star Trek EP Says Picard is Not a Next Generation Sequel

There is little doubt that Trekkies already have certain expectations when it comes to Star Trek: Picard. However, the show's executive producer is quick to point out that the highly anticipated return of Patrick Stewart as the Enterprise captain is not a sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Akiva Goldsman recently spoke to Hollywood Outbreak about the upcoming series and the Picard executive producer was quick to point out that the show shouldn't be seen as a sequel to TNG.

"Well, we pointedly wanted to not make a sequel to Next Gen," Goldsman said. "I think that tonally, it's a little bit of a hybrid. Obviously it's – you will see, I hope – slower, more gentle, more lyrical. It is certainly more character-based."

That character, naturally, is none other than Jean-Luc Picard. Goldsman explained that although the series is bringing back a beloved Star Trek figure, it's a completely new show that still stays true to the tried-and-tested formula.

"It also takes on the same thing that The Original Series took on, that Next Gen took on, that Discovery takes on, which is a hope for a future that is in many ways better than the world we live in today," Goldsman continued. "Star Trek remains aspirational and what we get to do that DS9 got to do a little bit and Discovery got to do is to tell serialized stories, and in serialized storytelling, the characters can evolve in a way that makes it unique. So we think it's a new kind of Star Trek show, made by a lot of people who love all the old kinds of Star Trek."

Goldsman has a point there and we're eager to see what's next for Picard. In addition to that, we can't wait to see the beloved TNG characters showing up in the series.

Star Trek: Picard will premiere on CBS All Access on January 23, 2020.

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