It has been rumoured for a while, but now there’s confirmation that the second season of Star Trek: Picard will see the return of a character first scene in the very first episode of The Next Generation, Encounter at Farpoint. Star Trek‘s news-loaded ‘First Contact Day‘ (selected because this was the day in 2064, according to Trek mythology, when mankind first encountered extra-terrestrial life) revealed that John De Lancie will reprise his role as ‘Q‘, the mischievous, manipulative, almost God-like being that caused so much trouble for Jean-Luc and his crew during the show’s seven-season (and, technically, beyond as he also appeared in Voyager).
Though there are scant details at this point – filming only began in the last month – but the teaser-trailer (which you can see below), has Picard talking about the nature of time and the lack of real ‘second chances’ as we pan across his chateau and to a table where the Queen of Hearts slowly breaks apart, leaving only the ‘Q’ corner… and then John DeLancie’s voice.
The brief line of dialogue reflects the idea that ‘Q’ extolled in that first appearance and TNG‘s finale (‘All Good Things‘) that mankind as a species is on continuous trial for its right to spread across the universe. It feels like, not for the first time, there might be some time-twisting elements involved.
Picard: Season Two will arrive on the newly-rebranded Paramount+ in 2022…
