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Star Trek: John de Lancie Almost Turned Down Q's Return in Picard Season 2


There is little doubt that Trekkies are looking forward to John de Lancie's return as Q in Star Trek: Picard Season 2. However, it looks like the Star Trek: The Next Generation actor wasn't initially convinced that this would be a good idea.

Fans got excited last week when the first teaser for Star Trek: Picard Season 2 was dropped during First Contact Day. Amazingly, the brief video also confirmed that Q will be back in the show's second season and will once again be portrayed by de Lancie.

This is great news considering that we can't imagine anybody else other than de Lancie playing Q. However, the former TNG star told Variety that it wasn't easy for him to decide on coming back as the live-action version of his character.

"It was, and is, a little bit of a mixed bag," de Lancie said. "One of the issues that I have is you don't want to fall into the trap of re-creating."

That's not the only thing that de Lancie was concerned about. Since Q is immortal, he was also worried that fans wouldn't be convinced since he has aged since he first appeared as Picard's frenemy.

"I was obviously a little concerned -- very concerned -- about the issues having to do with, well, excuse me, this is 20 years later," de Lancie said. "I certainly look very mortal."

Although he had his doubts, de Lancie admitted that he "was flattered" to be given the chance to return as Q. With that in mind, he agreed despite not knowing what would happen in Star Trek: Picard Season 2.

This isn't the first time that de Lancie has reprised his role as Q. He had previously voiced the character for an awesome scene in the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks. He only had a small role in the episode but Q's brief appearance also had fans hoping de Lancie would be back in live-action. Luckily, we're getting that next year.

Star Trek: Picard Season 2 will also star Patrick Stewart. The new season will premiere on Paramount+ in 2022.

Related: New J.J. Abrams Star Trek Film Set for 2023 Release

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