Akiva Goldsman on Star Trek: Picard season 2 production and “beyond that”
"Akiva Goldsman" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Star Trek: Picard executive producer Akiva Goldsman has given a new interview in which he explains the current progress on season two, and beyond.
Goldsman was speaking to Gold Derby in a video interview late last week. The interview covered the initial production of Star Trek: Picard, and some of Goldsman’s history as a Star Trek fan. “I am a pathetically devoted ‘Star Trek’ fan,” Goldsman said. “It was my favorite thing, from the time I was little.”
Goldsman also talked about the team behind the scenes of Star Trek: Picard. He described them - specifically himself, executive producer Alex Kurtzman, showrunner Michael Chabon and writer Kirsten Beyer - as “a group of folks who believe in collaborative arts”. He elaborated, speaking in particular to their collaborative work on Picard, “It's sort of a giant adaptation. It is creation within the boundaries of a world that has been created for us. I mean, we didn't make up any of this. We simply add to it.”
Later in the interview, conversation turned to what the production process is like on Picard, now that Hollywood is mostly shut down amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Goldsman indicated that not only is the story for season two well underway, but they’re also starting to think about what happens even further down the line. Goldsman said, “Yeah, we’re pretty deep into the story break and have started the writing for season two [...] and thinking in the most gross sense beyond that, but focused right now on, you know, that season two arc.”
But what about more than the writing? When can we expect physical production to start on Picard season two? Goldsman says we’ll have to wait and see. “We managed to do writer’s rooms by Skype,” he said. But soon, he explained, “We’re going to have to say ‘Okay, we’re not gonna be building ‘cause we can’t.’” Goldsman went on to say that they’ll continue designing, and then, “like all the other shows, we will wait until we’re allowed to build.”
The Gold Derby interview is well worth a watch if you’ve got a spare 20 minutes. Not just for the update about Picard season two, but it’s also wonderful to hear Goldsman talk about how Star Trek: Picard started as an idea for a Short Treks episode with a young Picard and aging Uhura. Really, the whole interview is worth watching for the stories and insight.
Of course, you can also watch Star Trek: Picard and all the Short Treks on CBS All Access, where the month’s free trial offer has now been extended through May 10th. Head to dailystartreknews.com/cbsallaccess, click through to their site, and use the code ALL when you sign up.
