A surprise teaser for the third season of Star Trek: Picard contained the bombshell revelation that several Star Trek: The Next Generation characters will be joining Jean-Luc Picard for his final on-screen adventure. Fans instantly rejoiced: while Picard made clear in its first season that it intended to focus solely on the title character, this announcement confirms the Next Generation reunion that Trek lovers were secretly hoping for.
It also means addressing a reasonable chunk of the canon timeline. The last official Next Generation project was Star Trek: Nemesis in 2003, and while members of the crew have made canonical appearances since then, there are a number of questions a formal reunion would answer. Here’s a rundown of every character mentioned in the teaser and where they last popped up in canon. These are the starting spots that Picard Season 3 will be jumping off from.
Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) Is a Question Mark
Dr. Crusher was a stalwart member of the Enterprise crew and had an ongoing almost-but-not-quite romance with Picard during most of The Next Generation. Her whereabouts have been on fans’ minds since Picard first premiered, and speculation went into overdrive with Season 2 featuring Picard getting romantic overtures from Laris. Crusher was last seen at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis, in which she was still chief medical officer aboard the Enterprise-E. Considering that Nemesis took place over 20 years before the events of Picard, that’s a great deal of ground to cover.
Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) May No Longer Be in Starfleet
The crew's redoubtable engineer hasn't been seen in Star Trek canon after the events of Nemesis, just like Beverly. He remained chief engineer aboard the Enterprise-E after helping Data save the ship through an act of self-sacrifice. As with Beverly, that leaves a good deal of time unanswered. However, the first season of Picard provides some clues about his fate.
Season 1, Episode 3, “The End is the Beginning,” shows Raffi acting as Picard’s chief engineer as of 2385. That suggests that either Geordi has transferred to another Starfleet vessel or retired from Starfleet completely by then. Considering his close friendship with Data and the presumed pain from his loss, the latter seems likely. That said, Picard can still count on him, because Season 1, Episode 2, “Maps & Legends” mentions Geordi by name as one of his closest friends who would do anything he could for his old captain.
Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) Is a Reserve Starfleet Captain
Of all the former bridge officers of the Enterprise-D, Riker and Troi are the ones with the most details about their post-Next Generation life. Nemesis ended with the pair getting married and Riker finally leaving Picard’s side to become captain of the Titan. He’s still there in the early 2380s when the events of Star Trek: Lower Decks (which got a shoutout in Season 2) take place.
That changes sometime before Picard Season 1 begins in 2399. He retires from Starfleet but retains reservist status with a rank of captain, as mentioned in Picard Season 1, Episode 7, “Nepenthe” and Season 1, Episode 10 “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2.” Considering the timetable, it’s likely that he remained in command of the Titan until 2399, though that has not yet been confirmed. He and Troi retired to the planet Nepenthe to raise their two children, losing one to a condition known as mendaxic neurosclerosis.
Brent Spiner Likely Won’t be Data
Spiner’s Lt. Commander Data was killed at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis, and the events of Season 1 of Picard suggest that he won’t be coming back. Spiner will, however, though his exact role has yet to be announced. He’s played a number of members of the Soong family, and his most likely role would be Altan Inigo Soong, who helped Picard transfer into his “golem” body during the events of “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2.”
He could also conceivably play another android, such as Data’s brother Lore or B-4, the prototype uncovered during the events of Nemesis. That question has yet to be finally answered, and will likely wait until further information on Season 3 becomes known. Spiner can play just about anyone, which means there are plenty of possibilities for the actor.
Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) Is a Retired Starfleet Officer
Troi was still married to Riker when she returned to the screen during the events of “Nepenthe.” Like him, she retired from Starfleet to raise their children, though the specifics remain vague. She transferred to the Titan with Riker following the events of Nemesis, holding the rank of commander and serving as her husband’s consiglieri on the bridge, just as she had with Picard on the Enterprise. Her retirement stemmed in part from protectiveness -- having lost one child, she and Riker would not risk losing the remaining one -- but the timeline suggests that their daughter may have reached adulthood, giving them leave to rejoin their former captain at last.
Worf (Michael Dorn) Was Federation Ambassador to the Klingon Empire
Worf’s last canon appearance was Nemesis, much like several other members of the bridge crew. However, his position there requires some explanation. Worf transferred to Deep Space Nine at the beginning of Season 4 of that series. It ended with him departing the station for the Klingon home world of Qo’noS to serve as the Federation’s ambassador to the Empire.
He’s onboard the Enterprise during the events of Nemesis as a guest of Troi and Riker’s wedding, and participates in the ensuing action in an informal capacity. His status during the events of Picard Season 1 is unknown, but “Maps & Legends” mentions him, like Geordi, as one of Picard’s true friends whom he can turn to for anything. With so much history to parse through, the character's return in Picard Season 3 will be interesting -- which is likely why the producers brought back Jean-Luc's old crew to truly complete his journey.
