"Star Trek Picard Is Not a Sequel to The Next Generation Says Producer"

[Qonundrum]

Then what is it, a big bubble that lives in Buck Rogers' disco universe where they protect Strawberry Shortcake and the Ewoks from Gargamel and his insipidly evil cat named B-9?

https://comicbook.com/startrek/2019/12/29/star-trek-picard-next-generation-not-a-sequel/

Patrick Stewart reprises his role as Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Jean-Luc Picard in the upcoming series Star Trek: Picard. The CBS All Access streaming show will see Picard on a new adventure but also brings back some other familiar faces from The Next Generation. But executive producer Akiva Goldsman says Picard isn’t a sequel to The Next Generation. Instead, it’s something new. "Well we pointedly wanted to not make a sequel to Next Gen," Goldsman tells Hollywood Outbreak. "I think that tonally, it's a little bit of a hybrid. Obviously it’s – you will see, I hope – slower, more gentle, more lyrical. It is certainly more character-based.

That saves a lot of time in needing to rewatch existing TNG or VOY episodes if this new show isn't going to be a sequel. Why not go the extra mile if this new show is its own thing and call the following canonical continuity: Get Picard to dress up with a yellow outfit and grew bright red curly hair from a Chia Pet kit and after wiggling his nose he'll fly around, and make the nemesis a gigantic purple blob with a goofy laugh and say it's Ardra (no relation to Buck Rogers' Ardala as she wasn't in that season 4 episode where she had the hots for him for some reason).

Series creator Alex Kurtzman has said before that this series is a different experience from The Next Generation. “You know, we feel a tremendous responsibility to the fans who have loved [the Picard character], and Patrick himself, who took a massive leap of faith with us in choosing to come back and play Picard [after] he said he was done forever,” Kurtzman said. “He also said, ‘I want to make sure if I come back, if you loved TNG, you’ll feel we’re honoring it, but this is a very different experience.’ This is really a very different experience. It looks incredibly different, the kind of storytelling is different, but if you’re someone who’s never watched it at all, it’s been built for you to come into it and get to be dropped into this very emotional story about this captain who’s in the late stage of his life and is dealing with the sum total of all his choices.

Why can't news articles tell something new? This excerpt isn't a surprise.

“It also takes on the same thing that The Original Series took on, that Next Gen took on, that Discovery takes on, which is a hope for a future that is in many ways better than the world we live in today.

Seen too many episodes of 21st century Trek so far that surely reveal the contrary but thankfully that's a prequel, FWIW. Let's see what Picard does; I hope the premiere is a strong one.

We’ve now watched five episodes with Patrick and he’s thrilled with it too. Because he was so happy with it, it makes us feel like it honored what we promised.”

Yes but what did Patrick tell you that hasn't been told to the audience? Maybe we're missing out on the fun. Chabon certainly got tired of the fun and left...

 

[BillJ]

It is obviously a sequel. All one has to do is look at the trailers.

 

[Christopher]

Obviously what they mean is that it's not just TNG season 8, but a new Star Trek series telling its own distinct story in the same universe. Not everything in a shared universe is a sequel. The Search for Spock is a sequel to The Wrath of Khan, but Generations is not a sequel to The Undiscovered Country, despite having a few characters in common. "Redemption" is a sequel to "Sins of the Father" and "Reunion," but not to "In Theory," even though that was the preceding episode. That's what they mean here -- sequel in the terms of direct story continuations, not just coming chronologically later.

 

[Tuskin38]

You're completely over thinking 'not a sequel'.

Chabon certainly got tired of the fun

We don't know that.

 

[Lord Garth]

That saves a lot of time in needing to rewatch existing TNG or VOY episodes if this new show isn't going to be a sequel.

I see it as more being a spin-off than a sequel. But I don't consider all the time I put into re-watching TNG or VOY to be wasted. Whatever they do, it's good to be familiar with the original source material. Even if they didn't follow it, I can say whether or not it's being faithful.

But.

Data's death. The destruction of Romulus. Hugh. Those are things being followed up on. Even though Picard isn't about the continuing voyages of the Enterprise -- which is what a pure sequel would be -- it's still picking up threads from previous Star Trek.

This is how I see the series:

TOS --> Original
TNG --> Sequel
DS9 --> Spin-Off
VOY --> Spin-Off
ENT --> Prequel
DSC --> Spin-Off
PIC --> Spin-Off

So, technically, no, I don't see it has a sequel. I see it as a spin-off.

 

[Tuskin38]

It is obviously a sequel. All one has to do is look at the trailers.

Not necessarily. I agree with Christopher's take above.

 

[Gepard]

>most of the main characters from TNG are in it
>directly follows up on a TNG storyline
>trailer is full of "hey, remember that thing from TNG?"
>it has a different tone though so it's not a sequel

Ah. I see it's "not a sequel" the same way that Aliens isn't a sequel to Alien, Terminator 2 isn't a sequel to The Terminator, and The Empire Strikes Back isn't a sequel to Star Wars.

 

[Jayson1]

They are just hyping the show as being something new in order to not scare away people who might not have liked or watched TNG. Maybe also let hardcore fans also be aware to also expect a different approach but it will still have lots of stuff you did like. Something they clearly care about by showing Data,Riker,Troi,Seven etc in the trailers.

This doesn't bother me. At least they aren't saying it's not sci-fi. I use to hate when people who would be making a sci-fi show or movie would say that based on the assumption that anything high caliber or good can't possibly be sci-fi.

Jason

 

[WarpFactorZ]

I think it's the dictionary definition of a sequel... (specifically 2a and 2b).

sequel
noun
se·quel | \ ˈsē-kwəl also -ˌkwel \

1: CONSEQUENCE, RESULT
2a: subsequent development
b: the next installment (as of a speech or story)especially : a literary, cinematic, or televised work continuing the course of a story begun in a preceding one

 

[JesterFace]

About what Stewart said about the new show, interesting....

to make sure if I come back, if you loved TNG, you’ll feel we’re honoring it

 

[Christopher]

>most of the main characters from TNG are in it

Patrick Stewart is the only TNG cast member who's a regular in the series, though several TNG characters and Seven of Nine make guest appearances. I very much doubt that Riker or Troi will be in more than one episode, and the Data scenes are evidently a dream sequence. And that's alongside half a dozen brand-new regular characters played by Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera, Evan Evagora, Alison Pill, Harry Treadaway, and Isa Briones.

>directly follows up on a TNG storyline

If you mean Hugh, all we know is that he's in it. We don't know how large a role he plays.

>trailer is full of "hey, remember that thing from TNG?"

Obviously a trailer is going to play up the familiar aspects over the unfamiliar ones, in order to draw the audience in. It's not the job of advertisements to be strictly accurate or balanced, it's their job to be enticing.

Ah. I see it's "not a sequel" the same way that Aliens isn't a sequel to Alien, Terminator 2 isn't a sequel to The Terminator, and The Empire Strikes Back isn't a sequel to Star Wars.

Of course those are sequels, because they directly continue the storylines rather than just the general universe. This is more like how, say, Solo is not a sequel to Revenge of the Sith.

 

[eschaton]

I think in general it's very hard for one TV show to be a "sequel" to another, unless it's just an outright reprise. Even modern serialized dramas are much too sprawling and messy compared to a feature film, to the point that a new series involving some of the same characters in the same fictional universe isn't really a sequel.

 

[Noname Given]

>most of the main characters from TNG are in it
>directly follows up on a TNG storyline
>trailer is full of "hey, remember that thing from TNG?"
>it has a different tone though so it's not a sequel

Ah. I see it's "not a sequel" the same way that Aliens isn't a sequel to Alien, Terminator 2 isn't a sequel to The Terminator, and The Empire Strikes Back isn't a sequel to Star Wars.

Most of the previous TNG characters have what adds up to a cameo appearance in it. Picard is no longer a member of Starfleet, and the show does not follow the week to week exploits of a Federation Starfleet ship.

While it picks up some dangling plot threads from TNG, it's in no way a sequel to Star Trek The Next Generation.

 

[TrekMD]

I'm fine with it not being a direct sequelt to TNG. It just needs to continue the story of the Star Trek's universe.

 

[Danja]

I very much doubt that Riker or Troi will be in more than one episode

Every Trek fan's fantasy: a therapy session between Counselor Troi (Trek's go-to therapist) and Seven of Nine (one of Trek's biggest cases).

I'm seeing a real Tony Soprano/Dr. Melfi relationship possibility here.

 

[Christopher]

Every Trek fan's fantasy: a therapy session between Counselor Troi (Trek's go-to therapist) and Seven of Nine (one of Trek's biggest cases).

It's been over 20 years in-story since we last saw Seven -- no sense assuming she's exactly the same as she was then. She seems pretty comfortable with herself in the trailers.

 

[Danja]

It's been over 20 years in-story since we last saw Seven -- no sense assuming she's exactly the same as she was then. She seems pretty comfortable with herself in the trailers.

The calm before the storm ...

She was a ground soldier. She's seen combat. You don't do what she did for eighteen years without it affecting you.

She could be putting up a front.

 

[NCC-73515]

Is TUC a sequel to TMP?
FC, INS, NEM came between TNG and PIC. So PIC is more of a NEM sequel than a TNG sequel.

 

[Jayson1]

Every Trek fan's fantasy: a therapy session between Counselor Troi (Trek's go-to therapist) and Seven of Nine (one of Trek's biggest cases).

I'm seeing a real Tony Soprano/Dr. Melfi relationship possibility here.

I'm not sure that is the kind of fantasy many Trek's fans have if it involves both Troi and Seven in it.

Jason

 

[Lord Garth]

From fanboys to fratboys.

 

[DaveyNY]

I'm not sure that is the kind of fantasy many Trek's fans have if it involves both Troi and Seven in it.

Jason

That is Will Riker's fantasy.