Is Resistance Futile? Picard Show Updates Have Some Fans Worried
On January 8, The Hollywood Reporter posted an article with new information from Alex Kurtzman about the upcoming series focusing on Jean-Luc Picard for CBS All Access.
In the article we learn that the series will focus on a “radically altered” Jean-Luc Picard dealing with the dissolution of the Romulan Empire following the destruction of the Romulan homeworld when a nearby star went supernova. The show’s concept draws upon Picard’s history with the Romulans in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation in which Picard in in conflict with the Romulan Empire as well as the “Unification” two-parter featuring Ambassador Spock wherein they attempt to unify Vulcan and Romulus in peace, as well as the film Star Trek: Nemesis wherein Picard deals with a Romulan ploy utilizing a clone of Picard. Alex Kurtzman told THR, “Picard’s life was radically altered by the dissolution of the Romulan Empire.” The series would explore the aftermath of the catastrophic event for the 2009 Star Trek film co-written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.
Some fans have expressed concern with the idea that the destruction of the Romulan Homeworld would actually dissolve the entire Romulan Empire, since the Romulan Star Empire controlled vast tracts of space in the Alpha Quadrant. Other fans are equally unhappy with the idea of a “radically altered” Picard. Patrick Stewart has said, “He may not be the Jean-Luc that you recognize and know so well. It may be a very different individual; someone who has been changed by his experiences. Twenty years will have passed.” While some fans just want and expect more of the Picard they know and love, others are worried that they will “Luke Skywalker” Jean-Luc Picard, referring to the recent depiction of the iconic Star Wars character which many fans felt was uncharacteristic and unrecognizable to the point that it ruined their appreciation for the story.
Alex Kurtzman told THR Patrick Stewart agreed to return only if he could defy what people are used to seeing with Trek, with Stewart saying “If we do this, I want it to be so different, I want it to be both what people remember but also not what they’re expecting at all, otherwise why do it?” This further worries fans who were unhappy with the “defy expectation” approach Rian Johnson was said to have taken when writing and directing the recent Star Wars film The Last Jedi.
What are your thoughts? Are these concerns justified or an over-reaction? Are you fully on-board and excited for the Picard series, cautiously optimistic, or worried it will disappoint? Should characters be allowed to grow and evolve or should they remain the characters we know and expect?
Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
by Deyvid
Its wonderful that they are doing a Picard series. But don’t change the character so much that you can’t recognise them anymore. I want to know what happened to the federation after Voyager. Did we eventually come to terms with enemies like the Borg?
I am looking forward to seeing Next Gen, come back & I hope its with the same Story Lines as before, as this was one of the best we have seen & made you believe what you was watching.
Even though its 20 Years later I hope this will not change much, to what fans want & love.
Many times, Producers do not Listen to the Fans who made Star Trek, as it is & as all Fans knows Next Gen was the best, so as the old saying goes, why change what was good & what is the point if the viewing is lower due to the changes.
For me Picard can be an Admiral if not a Captain like a promotion to send Ships on mission’s or visit other plants to get to join the Federation
Be nice to see a Star Trek Academy, training to see the Cadets train to become Officers, see them flying shuttle & Ships go on little missions etc.
To show us what is involved, to become a
Starfleet Officer, than just reading about it.