DECEMBER 19, 2022 - When Sir Patrick Stewart agreed to revive Jean-Luc Picard, he wanted to do something new and interesting with the character, which the first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard represent. For season three, even though we are going to see his Star Trek: The Next Generation colleagues together again, that is apparently going to be new and interesting as well.

Stewart sat down with Den of Geek to talk about some of what we can expect come February 16, when the final season of Picard premieres.

Overall, the message seems to be that season three is not going to be a warm and fuzzy family reunion. First, there is conflict between Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher. Stewart said that this season “we learn that life-changing things have actually happened for Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard. His fury about the way in which Beverly has lived with this unexpected event led to some of the most interesting scenes that I played. The scenes I have with Gates in season three are among my favorites because they were emotionally naked, both of them…and vulnerable. I don’t think we’d ever seen both of them at the same time at that stage.”

The hugs around the pizza oven will be giving way to some intensity between Picard and Will Riker as well, when “when we learn that Picard was perhaps not right in the choices he was making….”

Stewart points out that Picard is a “different individual living in a different world” and that season three “is not a reunion sequel, and this is one thing that I wanted to make clear. I didn’t want the show to be just sentimental: ‘Oh, we all love one another, and here we are again, playing poker and raising our glasses and so forth.’”

For more from Sir Patrick Stewart on the upcoming season three of Star Trek: Picard, head over to Den of Geek.

You can catch up on seasons one and two of Picard, streaming now on Paramount+ and available on DVD and Blu-ray.