Star Trek: Picard's Gates McFadden recently explained Dr. Beverly Crusher's absence from Starfleet heading into Season 3.
McFadden, who is one of several Star Trek: The Next Generation veterans attached to Picard's third season, revealed why Crusher parted ways with Starfleet in an interview with SFX. "To me, what was really different in this iteration is that you saw that [the Next Generation characters] had aged, in particular," she said. "Crusher had not been in Starfleet, like the others had stayed in Starfleet much longer. So that's interesting in and of itself. She's had to become a warrior in a different way. She was really exploring places that had not been explored and planets that didn't have medical help. So that was fascinating. And I like any kind of action, I've always loved that. And I love the fact that I start the whole third season. [Laughs] It's like out of the blue."
The addition of McFadden and her Next Generation co-stars Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton to the Picard cast is one of the most hotly-anticipated aspects of Season 3. Despite this, showrunner Terry Matalas recently insisted that the third season wasn't always intended to serve as an unofficial Next Generation reunion. According to Matalas, the decision to bring McFadden, Frakes, Dorn, Sirtis, and Burton onboard was only made halfway through production on Season 2. The showrunner added that he then ran the idea past Jean-Luc Picard himself, Patrick Stewart, who approved of the plan.
Picard Boss Discusses the Star Trek: TNG Cast
Matalas doesn't think fans have seen the last of the Next Generation cast, either. On the contrary, he expressed confidence that some (if not all) of the actors could reprise their iconic roles again in future Star Trek films and TV shows. "They certainly did have a great time [on Picard Season 3] and they certainly all would love to do this again," Matalas said. "I think there are ways of seeing these characters again, in a kind of 'Next, Next Generation' story." Matalas went on to warn fans that some of Jean-Luc's aging allies might not survive Picard's next batch of episodes, although he noted that this wouldn't prevent them from cropping up in other projects.
There's also a possibility that Picard will embark on further adventures, too. Stewart indicated in a recent interview that he would be willing to consider headlining additional seasons of Picard, provided they matched the "work quality" of their predecessors.
Star Trek: Picard Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Paramount+. Season 3 is set to premiere on the platform on Feb. 16, 2023.
Source: SFX