Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation have been eagerly anticipating the release of Star Trek: Picard by CBS later this month. It sees the return of Jean-Luc Picard, one of the most famous Starfleet captains to ever sit in the big chair of the Enterprise, as he begins the next chapter in his life outside of Starfleet Command. Nearly two decades after fans last saw him in Star Trek: Nemesis, Sir Patrick Stewart will once again return to the role that made him a household name.
The trailer has already shown that fans can expect to see many familiar cast members from TNG, as well as glimpses of famous villains encountered in the series like the Borg and the Romulans. TNG was full of seven seasons of material the writers could draw from, so here are five references to the show that Star Trek: Picard needs to make and five that it doesn't.
NEEDS TO MAKE: THE INNER LIGHT
One of the most popular episodes of TNG, "The Inner Light" had a unique plot that would affect Captain Picard in an astounding way. In an alternate timeline, he lives a full life span on a distant planet with a wife and children, grandchildren, and even takes of the flute.
Eventually, this is all revealed to have been a simulation, created for him by a species long dead in the hopes that he would carry their memories. It was an especially poignant episode that only got briefly touched on later, given the non-serialized nature of '90s television at the time.
DOESN'T: PICARD'S IRUMODIC SYNDROME
In the series finale of TNG, Picard suffers from the onset of his Irumodic Syndrome, a degenerative disease that affects the brain. He's distraught over the destruction of Romulus, and Dr. Crusher isn't able to give him much solace about preventing the illness from getting worse.
Besides the fact that Picard already had a heart replacement, the timeline presented in the series finale was invented by Q, and should be taken with a grain of salt by the writers of the new series. Even if the illness would give Stewart an acting challenge, it's unnecessary to Picard's story going forward.
NEEDS TO MAKE: SHAKESPEARE
Would it be possible to have a series about Captain Picard and not include some of the Bard's works? A Shakespearean trained actor himself, Sir Patrick Stewart brought theatrical resonance to the role of Picard in much the same way William Shatner brought his classical training to Captain Kirk.
We fully expect to see not only Picard reciting Shakespeare, as he often did for the crew of TNG, but perhaps an overarching plot of the series could allude to King Lear or even Macbeth. Friends, Romulans, countrymen, lend him your ears!
DOESN'T: DIXON HILL AND OTHER HOLODECK ADVENTURES
The holodeck was one of the exciting new features that premiered on TNG, offering a digital space where crew members of the Enterprise could go and live out their every desire. For Captain Picard, that meant portraying private eye Dixon Hill in 1940's San Francisco.
As fun as it was to see Stewart don a fedora and mow down the occasional thug with a tommy gun, the holodeck episodes were largely campy, and Star Trek: Picard looks to be a serious show that won't have time for jaunts into virtual reality.
NEEDS TO MAKE: HUGH'S CHOICE
We know that Hugh, the Borg drone that Picard once helped cultivate a sense of individuality will appear on Star Trek: Picard. If he works together with Picard on some mission, then reference must be made to their past encounter in the touching episode "I, Hugh".
Rather than force Hugh to be a carrier for an invasive program that Starfleet Command hoped would wipe out the Borg's collective processing, Picard gave him a choice. By inspiring Hugh with personal autonomy, he hoped the drone would do the same for the rest of the Borg Collective. Starfleet Command never forgot that, and hopefully neither has Hugh or the other Borg he encountered afterward.
DOESN'T: THE ATLANTIS PROJECT
The Atlantis Project was featured in the episode "Family" when Captain Picard was reunited with his old friend Louis while visiting his brother and nephew at the Picard family vineyard. Louis supervised the making of a new subcontinent on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and hoped Picard would become the director.
Picard will have retired to his family vineyard estate in the new series, and will undoubtedly dwell on the lives of his brother and nephew who were tragically lost in a fire there several decades before. But he turned down the Atlantis Project once before, and we don't need to see the series become a version of seaQuest DSV.
NEEDS TO MAKE: THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!
One of the most gripping episodes of TNG involved Picard being abducted by Cardassians. "Chain of Command" tested the limits of his mental and physical strength as the ruthless Gul Madred tried to gaslight him and make him question his own reality. In our modern world, with the endless stream of misinformation funneled towards us through digital media, our grip on reality is often tested as well.
As Picard clung to his truth and sanity, Madred explained he'd let him go if he just admitted there were five lights in the interrogation room. His defiant cry of, "There are four lights!" was a testament to the strength of his spirit and should define the tone for Star Trek: Picard.
DOESN'T: VASH
An alluring and hot-headed archaeologist that Picard met on Risa, Vash proved to be a grifter and a tomb raider, yet still managed to turn Picard's head. In many ways, this was because he was unlucky in love so much of the time that she was the closest thing he had to a regular lover.
While fans aren't suggesting Picard have absolutely no love interest in the new series, references to Vash would be full of heartache and negativity. Picard was no Captain Kirk, but he did have two female friendships that could have led to more with Dr. Beverly Crusher and Guinan.
NEEDS TO MAKE: Q'S LESSONS
From the moment that Q appeared in the first episode of TNG, the time-traveling trickster did two things; taunted Captain Picard, and taught him a valuable lesson. He would continue to pop in throughout the series and challenge Picard's perspective on humanity.
When Q departed Picard for the last time on the TNG finale, he explained that he'd always "be watching", and might drop in on him again. Fans would love to not only see the character again but see Picard reflect on his anecdotes. Besides, there are fan theories circulating that the mysterious young woman Picard encounters could be part of the Continuum!
DOESN'T: THE WHEREABOUTS OF WESLEY CRUSHER
As one of the youngest members of the Enterprise crew Wesley Crusher, boy genius, could no doubt be a Captain by the time period of Star Trek: Picard. However, due to the fact that he's a universally hated Star Trek character, chances are most fans won't be wondering what happened to Wes.
Star Trek: Picard will already have enough familiar faces from TNG to not need Wesley reappearing. Otherwise, the series devolves into nothing but fan service for its own sake, and it needs to be able to chart its own course, focusing on Picard and another young character in need of guidance.