During the Star Trek: Discovery panel at the 2019 PaleyFest (via Deadline) creator Alex Kurtzman revealed that he almost cried when he heard Sir Patrick Stewart reading the script for the first episode of the upcoming Jean-Luc Picard series.
“Here’s what I will tell you- I had an amazing experience yesterday. I sat at Patrick’s kitchen table and I heard him read the first episode and I almost cried. It was quite something.” said Kurtzman. “He’s at an amazing place in his life. He’s so excited. It’s going to be a very different show from Discovery. The only way this universe, I think, works correctly is if each show is really different and speaks to a different part of Star Trek.”
“This is going to be a very thoughtful, psychological portrait in a lot of ways. We all know what Picard means to the world and why he, like so many legendary characters on Star Trek, has endured and what he’s represented. He in some ways has to go through a gauntlet to find that again. Things have changed for him and changed him in some ways, and yet he is so deeply and fundamentally still Picard. We’re thrilled at what we’re going to deliver. I know Patrick is really excited. The cast is coming together beautifully. And I will give you nothing else.”
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Star Trek: Discovery co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman will oversee development on the new show, which is not a Star Trek: The Next Generation reboot but rather a continuation of Picard’s story.
Kurtzman will executive produce the new series alongside newly-appointed Star Trek: Discovery executive producer James Duff, former Discovery executive producer Akiva Goldsman (The Dark Tower), Michael Chabon (Spider-Man 2) and Star Trek: Voyager and Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer. Also executive producing are Heather Kadin of Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment President Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, and Roddenberry Entertainment COO Trevor Roth.
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Beginning in 1987, Patrick Stewart led the Star Trek: New Generation series for seven seasons before transitioning to movies movies with Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s pilot “Emissary.” He also portrays Dr. Charles Xavier (a.k.a. Professor X) in the X-Men franchise.
The untitled Star Trek spinoff is scheduled to premiere at the end of 2019, exclusively on CBS All Access.
