Star Trek: Picard is set to return the good captain to TV screens all over the world, but he'll be without several of his fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members. The highly anticipated new series takes place two decades after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, the final TNG film, and finds Jean-Luc Picard in a much different place in his life. Long retired from Starfleet, Picard is pulled from his posh French vineyard by a mysterious young woman named Dahj, convinced he can help her.
Picard won't be going on this new mission alone. He'll have an all-new crew to help him, and there will be appearances from The Next Generation alums like Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), as well as Star Trek: Voyager's former Borg drone Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). The late Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) will also appear, seemingly through dream sequences or flashbacks.
But there's still plenty of the old TNG cast that, as far as we know, will not be returning for Star Trek: Picard. It makes sense that not everyone would be involved; twenty years is plenty of time for people to grow apart, and it's easy to imagine Picard losing touch with some of his old crew as the years pass by and he moves further away from his Starfleet career. We're breaking down the Star Trek: The Next Generation characters who are missing from Star Trek: Picard, why they're not featured, and the likelihood that they might show up in the series at some point in the future.
Worf
One of The Next Generation's most popular characters, Lieutenant Worf served as the Enterprise's chief of security. The first Klingon officer in Starfleet, Worf was often torn between his Klingon heritage and his obligations to Picard and his Enterprise crewmates. While Worf was a relatively minor player on TNG, he would join Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in that show's fourth season, where he immediately became a major part of the cast. On DS9 he would join the House of Martok, marry Jadzia Dax, mourn her death, and play a pivotal role in the Dominion War.
It seems implausible that Worf will never make an appearance in Picard, but so far there have been no indications the prune-juice-loving Klingon warrior will be rearing his ridged forehead. There's been no mention of him in the trailers, and actor Micheal Dorn has expressed some reluctance at getting back in his Klingon makeup. Still, some ancillary media has suggested Worf became Picard's first officer once Will Riker left the Enterprise to command the USS Titan, so he and Picard's relationship only grew in the time since audiences last saw them. Worf will likely make an appearance in Picard — just not anytime soon.
Geordi LaForge
Chief Engineer of the Enterprise, Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge was one of the brightest minds in Starfleet. He also happened to be blind, which he initially dealt with through an experimental visor that allowed him to see better than people with regular sight, and later with ocular implants. Geordi was most strongly defined by his relationship with Data; the beloved android considered Geordi to be his best friend.
The official tie-in comic, Star Trek: Picard: Countdown, reveals that Geordi was in charge of the construction of the fleet of ships designed to rescue as many Romulans as possible before their planet's sun went supernova. However, the Short Trek "Children of Mars" confirms that fleet was used for nefarious purposes and resulted in the deaths of thousands. It seems highly unlikely Geordi would be among the dead, but it certainly would have had an effect on someone as earnest and open-hearted as him. LeVar Burton has suggested he might make an appearance in the show's second season, but at least for while, Picard will have to get by without his chief engineer.
Beverly Crusher
Not only was Beverly Crusher the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer, she was also one of Jean-Luc Picard's best and oldest friends. Played by Gates McFadden, she was the wife of the late Jack Crusher, who was Picard's first officer on the USS Stargazer, his first ever command. The pair's relationship would evolve over the years from a simmering sexual chemistry to a warm, effortless friendship. The TNG series finale "All Good Things" showcased a possible future where Picard and Beverly were married — and eventually divorced.
Beverly's absence from Picard is yet another indication that Jean-Luc's twilight years have not exactly gone swimmingly. The good captain had long made peace with the fact he would never have a family of his own, but the Crushers were likely the closest thing he ever had to one in his adult life. Beverly's absence from his life looms larger than perhaps any other Enterprise crew member.
Wesley Crusher
The most annoying boy genius in the Alpha Quadrant, Wesley Crusher was initially an acting ensign on the Enterprise, often sitting at the helm next to Commander Data. Wesley would depart for Starfleet Academy halfway through TNG season 4, making occasional guest appearances for the rest of the series' run. In his final episode, "Journey's End," he resigned from Starfleet to go on a metaphysical journey with a being called the Traveler, who believed Wesley to be something of a chosen one, capable of things he could barely comprehend. Wesley eventually returned to Starfleet, however, as he was present at the wedding of Will Riker and Deanna Troi in Star Trek: Nemesis, wearing a Starfleet Lieutenant's uniform.
Wesley was the closest thing Picard had to a child of his own, though their relationship could be somewhat volatile. In the classic TNG episode "The First Duty," Picard's trust in Wesley was severely compromised when the young cadet took part in a coverup of a fellow student's death, and Picard loudly protested Wesley's resignation in "Journey's End." It would be interesting to see how or if that relationship evolved in the two decades since Nemesis, but Wil Wheaton doesn't do much live action acting anymore, and it seems like an avenue Star Trek: Picard is likely to avoid.
Guinan
The Enterprise's mysterious bartender shared an unusual bond with Picard. A centuries-old El-Aurian (played with subtle charm by Whoopi Goldberg), Guinan was something akin to the Enterprise's resident sage, offering advice and a shoulder to cry on for the ship's crew. The first few seasons of TNG were peppered with hints of the origins of her relationship with Picard, though their connection would be revealed in the underwhelming two-part episode "Time's Arrow," involving some very '90s television looking aliens and, bizarrely, Mark Twain. The disappointing revelation did nothing to blunt the power of their friendship, however, and she served as one of Picard's most trusted advisors.
Guinan would have little reason to be on Earth in the late 24th century, and Whoopi Goldberg is plenty busy as one of America's most popular talk show hosts, so her absence from Picard is understandable. While her presence was always felt in TNG, she wasn't actually in that many episodes, and with the Enterprise-D long gone, there's no Ten Forward for her to tend bar at anymore. It's possible Guinan could eventually show up in Star Trek: Picard, but of all the main cast from TNG, she's the most unlikely to make a return appearance.