“It was awful”: Even Patrick Stewart’s Fame Couldn’t Cushion Star Trek: Picard from a Devastating Blow Before Season 3

Star Trek: Picard shook things up by bringing back The Next Generation crew in seasons two and three, and stunning Star Trek fans. Season one had a mix of characters like Riker, Data, and Troi, but season three saw even more familiar faces like Beverly Crusher, Worf, and Geordi La Forge join Picard.

However, to make room for all these exciting new things, they had to let go of the very people who formed the core of the show this time around, Santiago Cabrera, Allison Pill, Isa Briones, and Evan Evagora after season two, which left actor Michelle Hurd feeling the emotional impact.

The Most Disappointing Fact About Star Trek: Picard!

Season one of Star Trek: Picard brought back familiar faces from The Next Generation, but it was in season three that the reunion truly blossomed with the return of the iconic OG characters. The show pulled off something truly epic. However, what’s good news for some was bad news for others.

To fit these fan-favorite returns, significant changes were made to the core cast. After season two, Santiago Cabrera, Allison Pill, Isa Briones, and Evan Evagora, the key actors from the initial seasons, were let go. This restructuring was not without its emotional toll, as Michelle Hurd, who had joined as Raffi in season one, shared on the D-Con Chamber Podcast, saying,

Then we get to second season, and sort of about the last month or so, we’re just kind of sensing things are changing. You know actors don’t get any information. We know nothing… And we just started to sense or hear through the grapevine that there might not be everybody coming back… It started getting kind of sad and emotional on our set. And then when we started finding out who was staying and who was going, it was really… It’s awful. It was awful…

Hurd described the transition as “awful,” seeing most of the original Picard actors abruptly leave before season 3, which made the experience even more challenging given the suddenness of the change. Despite all the chaos, she also expressed great joy in working with icons from Star Trek: The Next Generation during Picard’s season 3.

Why Patrick Stewart Didn’t Want the TNG Cast to Reunite?

Surprisingly, amid all this, many would have thought  Patrick Stewart would be happy to reunite with his old pals. However, he was one of the most skeptical people on set about the reunion. His reason? Why mess with the original?

In an era filled with sequels and reboots, the actor felt it was better to leave The Next Generation alone. Despite his starring role in the spin-off, he believed they were better off not poking the sleeping bear. While speaking to Gold Derby, he explained that although The Next Generation was hugely popular in its time, he wasn’t sure if the audience of today would appreciate revisiting such an iconic piece. He explained,

Oh, I had many concerns, and fundamentally they centered around should I really do this at all? Because Next Generation had been such an iconic series that I didn’t want to risk the impact of that, which it still has. I mean, it grows in worldwide observation. It gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

he further explained,

I think there are millions and millions and millions all around … I mean, for instance, it wasn’t shown in China for a long time, Star Trek. But now it is, and I get lots of responses filter through to me from China, and I was actually in Beijing about three years ago, and I found I couldn’t go out on the street alone.

Now that everything has gone so smoothly, fans and the star himself couldn’t be happier that Stewart agreed to the plan. The Next Generation clan has always been close-knit, and reuniting with old pals turned out to be a great idea.

Star Trek: Picard is streaming on Paramount Plus.