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Star Trek: Patrick Stewart Initially Didn't Want To Return As Jean-Luc Picard


There is little doubt that Star Trek: Picard is one of the most exciting shows to look forward to in 2020. However, there was a time when it almost didn't happen. Producer Alex Kurtzman has just revealed that Patrick Stewart was initially not interested in reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard in the CBS All Access series.

Kurtzman was in attendance at the Star Trek panel at New York Comic-Con 2019 where he opened up about the difficulties he went through while developing Picard (via Comicbook.com). For starters, he shared that Stewart wasn't fully convinced that his character should be brought back. Nevertheless, the idea was something that Kurtzman and his crew were determined to pursue.

"We were sitting in a room," Kurtzman said, "And said, ‘Wouldn't it be fun to do one of the Short Treks about Picard?' We said, ‘A Short Trek would be great, but wouldn't it be great to bring him back?'"

Luckily, Kurtzman found a way to show Stewart how important Picard is to the future of Star Trek. Screenwriter Michael Chabon actually wrote a 30+ page document enumerating the several stories that they could explore involving his character. In the end, Stewart was so impressed that he agreed it was time for Picard to return.

We're glad to know that Kurtzman really went out of his way to make sure Stewart would return to Star Trek: Picard. After all, there are still so many stories to explore and it will be a delight to see the beloved characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation all over again.

Star Trek: Picard will premiere on CBS All Access on January 23, 2020 and on Amazon Prime on January 24, 2020.

Related: Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Trailer Reveals Michael Burnham's Strange New Future

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