MARCH 28, 2022 - Of the four episodes to drop so far of season two of Star Trek: Picard, Lea Thompson, known for her on-screen performances in the Back to the Future films, directed two of them. In a new video from Paramount+, Picard cast members reflect on their experiences working with her.

Michelle Hurd, Jeri Ryan, Evan Evagora, Santiago Cabrera, and Ito Aghayere are all enthusiastic about their time on set with Thompson. Evagora calls it an “eye-opening experience,” and Ryan says Thompson is a “lovely energy to have around.”

Hurd said, “There’s something about working with actor-directors. They kind of get the fact that, I don’t know, maybe that actors are needy and we just need a director to come in and say, “You’re doing good … go on….”

Aghayere said that working with Thompson was “such a gift. She didn’t have to call me days before we were scheduled to shoot to talk through the episode and ask me what I thought … but she did. She advocated for me and my take on the character….”

Michelle Hurd again talks about the “strong, clear point of view” of director Lea Thompson, and you can watch the entire video on YouTube for more of what she and her castmates had to say. Be warned, however. Here there be spoilers.