Paramount+ confirmed the release date and length of the next chapter in Picard's third and final season.
The upcoming sixth episode, simply titled "Bounty" will hit the streaming service on March 23 and will run for 52 minutes and 23 seconds. This ties it with Episode 2, "Disengage" as the shortest Season 3 installment yet. As far as the story, Episode 6 will follow Picard and his skeleton crew as they reunite with one of the captain's old friends and break into one of Starfleet's most secure facilities. The identity of the mystery character remains unknown but fans are confident it will be another familiar face from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Picard Season 3 is planned as the final installment of the popular Star Trek spinoff series, catching up with several characters years after their final appearances in Star Trek: Nemesis. Told largely through the eyes on the titular captain, once again played by fan-favorite actor Patrick Stewart, Picard has proven to be success in the eyes of critics and fans, many of whom have praised its thoughtful continuation of the series that manages to wrap up plenty of loose ends.
As for the character's lives after Picard's conclusion, the door remains open for future appearances. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman has acknowledged the potential for more stories dedicated to crew of The Next Generation. "Anything is possible. If a show blows the doors off the place, as we're certainly hoping it will, and we're very, very proud of season 3, who knows?"
Showrunner Terry Matales has echoed these sentiments, acknowledging that the cast involved thoroughly enjoyed returning to the world of Star Trek. "I think there are ways of seeing these characters again, in a kind of 'Next, Next Generation' story. Not all these characters -- I'm not gonna say they all necessarily make it out safely of Season 3," Matales said.
As for Picard himself, Stewart has admitted that while the show is ending with Season 3, he'd be open to returning to the role again. The actor admitted that in order for him to do so, the creative team would need to "maintain the work quality" of the previous seasons. He further went on to say that while the third chapter was conceived as a conclusion, it still manages to leave the door open for future seasons.
Picard Season 3 is now streaming on Paramount+ with new episodes dropping every Thursday.
Source: Paramount+