CBS shows the first new image of Patrick Stewart as Picard in 17 years

[Karlston]

Details on the series are scarce, but fans have their theories.

Enlarge / A photo taken of the brief video clip CBS showed at the Upfronts.

Kate Aurthur

We now have our first look at Patrick Stewart in character as Star Trek: The Next Generation's Jean-Luc Picard since the film Star Trek: Nemesis back in 2002.

 

The image is a photo of a video clip shown at CBS' Upfronts presentation. Upfronts are hosted by TV networks like CBS to show off the next season's slate of shows primarily to advertisers, but sometimes to press as well. Press and advertising professionals who presented at the event shared the details on Twitter. The image itself was shared by Kate Aurthur, Buzzfeed's chief Los Angeles correspondent.

 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV critic Rob Owen described the brief scene in a tweet, writing that the clip featured "a Starfleet officer asking Jean-Luc, 'May I have your name, please, sir?' as Picard appears incredulous."

 

The clip was brief, and fans looking to learn about the series won't find a whole lot to work from. That said, TrekMovie speculates that Picard may be a professor or instructor at Starfleet Academy. The reasoning: Picard "looks rather professorial" even though he is not in a Starfleet uniform, and the uniform you can barely see in the background closely resembles those worn by cadets in training in episodes like "The First Duty."

 

We know very little about the show, as the series' director made clear in interviews that CBS wants to keep as much under wraps as possible. Here's what we've got so far: the series will premiere in late 2019, its first season will consist of 10 episodes, it will take place 18 years after Star Trek: Nemesis, and it will involve Picard coping with the news of Romulus' destruction in the Prime timeline in the 2009 Star Trek film.

 

We also know a little bit from the casting. Santiago Cabrera (Merlin, Heroes) will play a thief and pilot flying on Picard's ship, and Michelle Hurd (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Bosch, Jessica Jones, Daredevil) will play an intelligence agent struggling with addiction.

 

More details are likely to come at San Diego Comic-Con in July. For now, CBS confirmed Star Trek: Picard will premiere on CBS All Access in the United States, The Space Channel in Canada, and Amazon Prime Video in 200 other countries. (Star Trek: Discovery has also been a CBS All Access exclusive in the United States, but it is distributed by Netflix in most other countries).

 

Source: CBS shows the first new image of Patrick Stewart as Picard in 17 years (Ars Technica)