Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard's Series Finale - "The Last Generation"
Star Trek: Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas revealed that production only had 2 days to film on the recreated set of the USS Enterprise-D. Picard's series finale, "The Last Generation," which Matalas wrote and directed, brought the story of Star Trek: The Next Generation to an emotionally resonant and satisfying conclusion. While the entire cast of TNG was back in Picard season 3, the last necessary "character" to complete the reunion was the Enterprise-D, which returned in the penultimate episode, "Vox."
Screen Rant joined a roundtable interview with Terry Matalas where he was asked about filming on the Enterprise-Ds bridge, which was reconstructed from scratch by a team led by production designers Dave Blass, Liz Kloczkowski, and Michael and Denise Okuda, who ensured accuracy to TNG's original Enterprise-D set. Matalas discussed their startlingly short production schedule on the D's bridge. Read his quote below:
Terry Matalas: We only had two days. We were still gluing pieces of the carpet back onto the ship. And we had a lot to do on that ship. And it was early on in the schedule. So, as a director, I had to really make sure I knew what I was doing. And they were the most emotional, pivotal parts in the piece. And in some cases, not entirely sure how I was going to pull certain moments off, but they work. And so, terrifying. And then wonderful in post process. A great relief to see that they worked.
Star Trek: Picard's USS Enterprise-D Set No Longer Exists
Tragically, Star Trek: Picard season 3's USS Enterprise-D bridge set no longer exists. Dave Blass Tweeted that the set has been "gone for a year" when a fan expressed his hopes that the set wasn't torn down. Given the amount of labor and love that went into recreating the D's beloved bridge, it's sad that it was struck down at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3's production a year go. After all, that set could have been used as a tourist attraction or to hold Star Trek-related events the way the Ten Forward set was recreated in Los Angeles for fans to visit to promote Star Trek: Picard season 2.
Matalas' comment that his production was still "gluing pieces of the carpet back onto the ship" is amusing after Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) remarked how much he missed the Enterprise-D's carpet in episode 9. The Enterprise-D's interior and exterior were certainly a sight for sore eyes, and the brightly-lit bridge was a sharp contrast to the gloomy interiors of the USS Titan-A. It was also a thrill to see the Enterprise-D back in action, taking down a Borg Cube in Star Trek: Picard season 3's finale, as well as all of the emotional moments between Picard and his crew on their old bridge. Star Trek: Picard season 3 may have only had 2 short days on the Enteprise-D's bridge, but it was absolutely time well spent.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is available to stream on Paramount+.