Probably not for the whole season, but I'll eat my hat if they don't reunite on the bridge of the Enterprise for at least one episode.
If they did show the Enterprise, the Stargazer bridge is similar enough to the E-E bridge that they could get away with redressing it slightly and it would be the E bridge with 20 years worth of upgrades. Bit like how it was used for the brief glimpse of the Excelsior bridge we saw in S02E01.
I figure this is the last chance to have a final hurrah of the TNG crew and see them part ways one final time. Their final sendoff to date was Nemesis, and can we really say that was a good movie finale for the TNG ensemble? I think it was inevitable once Picard moved beyond 1 season that there would be some discussion of the rest of his crew, so I'm not surprised about this.
As someone who was disappointed with Nemesis as a TNG send-off S3e10 will be so interesting! I'm delighted though.
Terry Matalas just hinted on Twitter we're going to see a lot of Picard and Beverly screen time in Season 3.........
From the press release (emphasis mine). If that's not a very particular starship I'd be very surprised. “So, it’s most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honoring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the U.S.S. Enterprise. It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honor. The entire STAR TREK: PICARD team and I can’t wait for fans to experience this final, high-stakes, starship-bound adventure in season three!”
Yawn. Great for those who want it, but my interest in the show is inversely proportional to the number of TNG characters in it.
My first reaction is I feel the same way as you guys. I love TNG, and that cast was a great cast, but let the past be the past. I saw this news and my first thought was is Picard dying and they are all getting ready for the funeral? I mean what is the difference between the TNG cast coming in to Season 3 of Picard and Riker and Troi coming in against the Enterprise Cast for "These Are The Voyages"? Yeah, Picard knew those characters, but this overshadows the new cast, and that's where I see the comparison. I'll go in with an open mind, but this strikes me as "Memberberries" and not much more than that. I didn't get emotional watching that, unfortunately.
I will concede that the writers for modern Trek do tend to "fall back" on legacy character, but three things: 1) Star Trek is an almost 60 year old franchise with a huge playground of characters and canon, it's almost impossible not to bring back legacy elements...this isn't like in 1987 when there were only 79 episodes and four movies. 2) Many long-term fans have been dying for a proper ending for the TNG cast for 20 years after Nemesis. 3) Unlike in the latter-half of the Berman era, Trek producers seem to be more keen on listening to fans (SNW is only happening because fans wanted it) while still trying to do unexpected things (with mixed success e.g. Picard season 1).
This is a complicated set of circumstances and speaks to the benefits and drawbacks of making shows based on legacy characters. I completely understand the desire for Trek to tell new stories with new characters and spread its wings in the streaming landscape. What Trek fans would't want that? Thankfully, there is DSC, LD, PRO, and SNW, even if legacy characters show up in those. But, at the end of the day, this is a show about Picard. For the audience, the character carries with him a long legacy and the very name calls to mind experiences and feelings we had watching TNG. Given that TNG ended 28 years ago the audience, like Picard the character, has aged and are different people now than we were then, but the sum total of our experiences make us who we are, just as the sum total of Picard's experience make him who he is. Seeing Picard as an old man reflecting on his life reuniting with people that he is/was close to, and that we were/are close to as an audience, is a powerful experience that allows us to identify with Picard and examine our own lives and how time has passed. We can identify with Picard in a new way. To me, this is the most positive definition of the word "nostalgia." Much will depend on the execution of course, but from a creative standpoint this makes a lot of sense on a show about Picard. Trek is a franchise that benefits from and is also weighed down by its long life. They had the opportunity to "get the band back together" and they took it, likely because there won't be a chance to ever again. What other fanbases are so lucky to be able to see something like this? If it's good then we can enjoy the sense of closure. If it's bad we can pretend that nothing happened after All Good Things (or FC, or whatever, but fuck Nemesis forever). I know that "we have 178 episodes," but I for one am very excited for one last go round, hopefully done with love and care to pay tribute to characters and a show that were and are very important to me. I am greedy and would love to see something similar with DS9 and VOY, as unlikely as they may be. At the very least, Trek is trying its hardest, with varying levels of success, to give us multiple and varied offerings that hopefully offer something for everyone. I enjoy them all at least a bit, and am excited for this...AND whatever new things are coming. Stuff (Trek) can be two things! It's not nostalgia OR new things. It can be both.
I am literally sat in my car crying with happiness about this!!!! Just like I did when I found out that Seven of Nine was back a few years ago!
Right now, the imagination is originating in the Animated Shows. I guess that's why I'm really looking forward to the return of Lower Decks and Prodigy more than anything else.
Not me. And while there may be complaints on either side of the issue, I highly doubt the complainers are the same people.
Yeah, I am not complaining about not seeing the TNG cast. I have issues with the story and the writing, but the TNG cast has not even entered my mind when watching this show because the writers themselves said that this would not be TNG 2.0. In my mind that allowed me to separate TNG from Picard.
You’re going to have fans on both sides of the coin. You can’t please everyone all the time. Apparently, there is a call for nostalgia in bringing back the entire TNG cast. I was not one asking for that but at the end of the day, that’s what they decided to do.