Although Star Trek: Picard’s third and final season might have possibly been the end of the road for Patrick Stewart’s iconic character and the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew, the final episode left a lot of story potential to continue the story of Starfleet in the 25th century. And we mean a lot. Although the Enterprise-D saved the Federation from the Borg/Changeling alliance, the event marked a new dawn for Starfleet. And for one iconic ship in particular.
A New Enterprise for a New Generation
In the Picard series finale “The Last Generation,” Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) receives a promotion to the rank of Captain. She gets this news from none other than her old Voyager crewmate and mentor Tuvok (Tim Russ). Her command places her aboard the U.S.S. Titan, which was her commanding officer Liam Shaw’s dying declaration in the previous episode, “Vox.” Her first officer is her friend and former lover Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd). And her “special counselor” position is occupied by Starfleet’s newest officer, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son of Jean-Luc and Beverly Crusher.
But in the biggest surprise, we learned that after her post-Borg attack refit, they rechristened the Titan as the new U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-G. And that basically confirms that the Enterprise-F we saw commanded by Admiral Shelby was destroyed in the Borg assault. According to ancillary materials, it was due for decommissioning soon anyway. For all the fans asking when we’d see a new starship Enterprise in Star Trek: Picard? It turned out we were following her adventures from the very first episode of season three. We just didn’t know it until the very end of the series.
Reports of Q’s Death Are Greatly Exaggerated
But that’s not all. A post-credits scene shows Jack Crusher in his quarters on the Enterprise-G. As he unpacks, he receives a visit from none other than Q (John DeLancie). Yes, the same omnipotent entity who made life miserable for Picard’s Enterprise. And who supposedly died at the end of season two of Picard. But as Q says, humans think too linearly. This could be a Q from an earlier point in his timeline. Or perhaps death really doesn’t mean the same thing to a being from the Q Continuum. But he told Jack that he has a significant destiny. If Q shows up with a cryptic message, you know big things are in store for Jack Crusher.
The Legacy of ’90s Star Trek
Picard season three showrunner Terry Matalas has been open about his desire to continue 25th-century Star Trek stories in a new series he’d call Star Trek: Legacy. And there is already a huge fan demand for this show to come to fruition. Obviously, such a show would tell the adventures of the Enterprise-G, under the command of Captain Seven. Most of the main characters are now cast; we’ve got our Captain and First Officer, our counselor, and our helm officer in Sidney La Forge. Star Trek: Picard perfectly set up the next Next Generation, and it would be a shame if Paramount+ doesn’t follow up on this incredible gift of a setup.