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Spoiler alert: This story explores the major plot developments of The Last Generation, the series finale of Star Trek: Picard, currently streaming on Paramount+.
The last time the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast acted together onscreen in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis ended with the sudden death of Data (Brent Spiner) and financial troubles. I was. Due to the film’s failure, Paramount stopped making films with the cast. In effect, “The Next Generation” was canceled from cinemas after seven seasons of spectacular television success.
Twenty years later, when Terry Matalas was tasked with executive producing the final season of Star Trek: Picard, a lifelong Trek fan not only brought back the entire TNG cast, but asked them to A swan song they never received.
“We wanted it to feel like a proper send-off, just like when you saw ‘Star Trek VI: Uncharted Lands,'” Matalas said of the final film, which fully features the original “Star Trek” cast. I’m talking about movies. “In this case he was 10 hours, so we should be able to do better. Give more to each of these characters and end it with a sense of family in a way that a two-hour movie just didn’t have the time.” I made it.
In doing so, Matalas sought to right some of the perceived sins of the ‘TNG’ film. He resurrected Data, giving him consciousness that would allow an android to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming fully human. And he revived the Enterprise-D, a spaceship that was destroyed at the climax of his first ‘TNG’ film, 1994’s ‘Star Trek: Generations’.
“In the most geeky sense, we wanted to put the action figure set back on the shelf neatly and safely,” says Matalas. “Even if you last see them, you’ll still see them together in wonderful, epic moments around the poker table. We’re not lamenting the loss of data. Enterprise-D didn’t crash, it crashed in a museum.” I know there is a bright future for ‘Star Trek’ and their families. For me, that felt important as a fan.It’s about feeling like that’s where we left The Next Generation.
That’s exactly what Matalas did with “The Last Generation,” the thrilling series finale of “Star Trek: Picard.” The entire Starfleet — from assimilation by the Borg, Data, Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Troy (Marina Sirtis), Geordy (Lever Burton) and Worf (Michael Dorn) all contribute to saving the day . In the final scene, everyone toasts to success and happiness and plays his game of poker. This is a callback to the final scene of the “Next Generation” series finale “All Good Things.”
If that wasn’t enough, in the aftermath of the battle with the Borg, the USS Titan was renamed USS Enterprise G, and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) — a Star Trek: Voyager character and Season 1 Picard promoted to captain. A new member of Starfleet, Jack is stationed on the ship with Geordie’s daughter Sydney (Ashley Sharpe and her Chestnut). Even Q (John de Lancie), an all-powerful presence who has been a mainstay of ‘Trek’ since the ‘Next Generation’ series premiere ‘Met At Farpoint’, appears in the post-credits sequence and tells Jack that he I will tell you the trials of. It’s just getting started. ”
It certainly seems like a setting for a “Picard” spin-off series, but in his interview varietyHe also shares a scene he wanted to shoot for the finale but couldn’t, and his unconventional approach to filming that poker scene. increase.
How much of the finale was in your mind when you were assembling the season?
A very surprising amount, in fact. The first pitch to Patrick was knowing that in order to save his son, he would have to face the great trauma of his life and absorb himself again. I knew that time was at Enterprise D and we would meet again. I knew Seven of Nine would be the captain of the Enterprise. I was very happy to hear that from his old friend Jeri. I was like, ‘By the end of the season, you’ll be the captain of the Enterprise. she said, “I’m sorry. what? !’ So there was quite a bit. Some of the reasons why and how you need the glow of a talented Writing Room team to help you get there and make sense of it all.
There were moments in the finale where it seemed like Riker and Worf and Picard, or some combination, could actually die.
No, but I wanted you to think that it was because of the drama. I have no intention of killing my childhood hero like that. I think that’s probably true for some creators. I felt like these characters probably felt like this was going to be their last run.
Did you have other endings in mind?
Sometimes I just didn’t have the time or money to shoot. In the first iteration of the script, we discover that Ro Laren actually survived and was transferred from her shuttle and is still being used by the Changelings for information. The schedule was too ambitious and we weren’t able to make it happen.there was a scene with [the Data-based android from Season 1] Also Souji and Data who couldn’t be photographed. We wanted more Voyager people to join us as part of our promotion to Captain of the Seven of Nine. It depends on how many pennies you have left in your piggy bank after building the Borg Cube and Enterprise.
Was the Titan always going to be renamed the Enterprise?
we talked about it. I thought it might be Picard, so I made it a toy with a different name. But in the end, it just didn’t feel right to the legacy of “Star Trek” and Seven of Nine as the Enterprise. , yes, it’s like it deserves its name.
Did you always know we’re bringing back the supposedly dead Q in season 2 of ‘Picard’?
yes. Ever since season 2. John is my dear friend.on his last day [on Season 2]’ said I. No time, no money, but he’s definitely one of the coolest Q scenes out there.
We only had 20 minutes to shoot that scene. Right after we shot the scene where Picard tells Jack he’s a Borg, we showed Jon in his awesome new costume and instantly smitten him.
you mentioned upon Social media That we want to continue this story with a Star Trek: Legacy spin-off. Have you heard about the possibilities from Paramount or Alex Kurtzman?
Alex and I talk all the time. If it’s going to be done, we don’t want to rush into it. We want to make sure it’s done right. That’s what we’re working on, I shyly say. But we talk all the time.
One of the reasons I’m asking is that I’ve never seen a finale set up a spin-off series more fully on the Enterprise-G scene than this one. Am I correct in thinking they wanted it to seed future shows?
Well, I’m not specifically seeding it for a spinoff, but it’s as lovely as it sounds. I believe that the spirit of Star Trek is to continue to explore new worlds of wonder. It’s a feeling of hope. To be a satisfying ending, it had to be a satisfying beginning. That said, of course, I’d love to see Jack and Seven, Sidney and Laffy, and everyone go on forever. But yeah, that was the creative impulse behind it.
Do you know what happens next for you?
I don’t you?
i saw you Tweet what you want to work on “Galaxy Quest” spin-off show.
Goddamn, “Galaxy Quest” seems to be my all-time favorite. I was literally showing it to my kids just the other day. And I lived it! I actually lived it every way. Oh yeah, I said put me in the coach. i know what it is
The final shot of the cast playing poker was a nice throwback to the final shot of “All Good Things.” Was the actor really playing a full game of poker while the camera hovered over the table?
yes. To make this a little different than “All Good Things,” I wanted the audience to feel like they were really with this cast and have their little wishes come true. So I actually let the camera run for 45 minutes and just play around with it. Let them be themselves. I wanted the audience to be immersed in what it was like to spend time with Patrick, Jonathan, Marina, Gates, Levar, Michael and Brent. So all those smiles and all those jokes are real. And so that the smiles and jokes are real, we stick with it much longer than you normally would. When the Blu-ray comes out, I may be able to watch it longer.
Remember who won the game?
They played so many rounds. But I think they were always sure Patrick would win.
because you’re laughing I asked Patrick that questionand he said, “I think I won.”
Yeah, I think they manipulated it a little so that he wins.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
