The Star Trek: Picard trailer provides a tantalizing and surprise-filled peek at the new series starring Patrick Stewart as the iconic Jean-Luc Picard. Debuting in early 2020 on CBS All Access and on Amazon Prime internationally, Star Trek: Picard picks up the retired Admiral's story nearly two decades after Star Trek: Nemesis.
Star Trek: Picard draws very heavily on some of the former Enterprise Captain's most famous encounters from Star Trek: The Next Generation when Picard is pulled out of his restless retirement after a mysterious woman appears asking for his help and protection. The new series appears to be about the aftermath of Picard's role in the rescue mission following the destruction of Romulus; it seems the Romulans have begun experimenting on the Borg to develop new technologies and weapons. No longer able to rely on Starfleet for help, Picard launches a new mission with a ragtag crew of renegades, but he also gets some help from some familiar faces along the way, including Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) from Star Trek: Voyager and Data (Brent Spiner).
The second Star Trek series on CBS All-Access following the success of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard will be a new frontier for the character: leading a serialized TV series as opposed to the episodic TNG. CBS is relying on fans' longtime nostalgia and admiration for Patrick Stewart to get them to subscribe to CBS All-Access - and judging from the incredible imagery and this provocative tease at the series, they should indeed have a bonafide hit on their hands. Here are 18 major story and character reveals from the Star Trek: Picard trailer.
18. Chateau Picard
Now retired from Starfleet, the former Admiral Picard lives a quiet life on his family's vineyard in La Barre, France. Gone are his older brother Robert and his nephew Rene, who tragically died in a fire during Star Trek: Generations. But the vast vineyards are still being harvested for their grapes by automated machines and bottled into Chateau Picard wine bottles, which Picard shared with his crew during Riker and Troi's wedding in Star Trek: Nemesis.
17. Picard's Star Trek Movie Commbadge
Picard opens a case that reveals his Starfleet commbadge. It's got the squarish side-wings, which means it's the communicator he wore in the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies, as opposed to the one used in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which had the Starfleet crest on an oval base. Picard stares at his commbadge - a reminder of his many years of adventures and saving the galaxy as a Starfleet captain - which he clearly misses. As Picard says, "These past few years, I really tried to belong here. But it never truly felt like home", as he looks back at the stars.
16. B4 (Or Data) Disassembled?
We see a cabinet open that contains the disassembled parts of a Noonien Soong android. In the voiceover, Picard says, "Nearly 20 years ago, Commander Data sacrificed his life for me." This is a reference to the conclusion of Star Trek: Nemesis when Data destroyed Shinzon's thelaron weapon and himself to save the Enterprise-E. The shot of the android-in-pieces could be a flashback set at Starfleet Headquarters but is the android B4, the Data doppelganger in Nemesis? Or could it be yet another Noonien Soong android, like Lore?
15. Picard Has A Dog
A bird's eye shot shows Picard walking through the vineyards with his trusty new dog. The mutt's name? Number One, a sly in-joke to his days on Enterprise because that was his nickname for his First Officer, Commander Will Riker. It was announced at the Star Trek: Picard Comic-Con panel that Jonathan Frakes (who is directing episodes of the series) will reprise his role as Riker, along with Marina Sirtis as his wife Deanna Troi. Hopefully, fans will get to see Riker's reaction to Picard naming his dog Number One.
14. The Mystery Woman
A mysterious woman named Dahj (Isa Briones) appears on Picard's farm and asks him if he knows who she is. "Everything inside of me says that I'm safe with you." From the scar on her forehead, it's clear Dahj is a former Borg turned human - but she could also be something even more dangerous. When she says "everything inside of me says I'm safe with you", this is a reference to Picard formerly being Locutus of Borg, so it makes sense a former Borg would seek out the heroic former Starfleet Officer who killed the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact.
13. Starfleet Headquarters
Picard does leave his family's vineyard and goes to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco to speak to an Admiral about Dahj. We also get a glimpse of late-24th and early-25th-century fashion as well as a look at the new Starfleet uniforms, which kept the turtleneck and now bear the color of an Officer's track (yellow for Engineering, blue for Science and Medicine, red for Command) across the shoulders, with the rest of the uniform black. It appears handheld holographic technology has also become standard in this new Star Trek era.
12. The Mystery Woman's Combat Skills
It seems bringing Dahj to Starfleet Headquarters was a mistake because Picard has to watch helplessly as Starfleet soldiers attempt to apprehend her. Meanwhile, the former Borg runs and fights back with ferocious combat skills before she somersaults off of a building and is transported away. This betrayal by Starfleet leads to why Picard has to go outside of his former service to help Dahj and complete his new mission. There's also a shot of Picard at fireside telling someone, "If she is who I think she is, she's in serious danger."
11. The New Romulan Warbirds
We see a shot of a fleet of Romulan Warbirds heading towards an unidentified planet. This planet could possibly be Romulus in a flashback before its destruction or it could be the Vulcan offshoot race's new base of operations where they're conducting experiments on former members of the Borg Collective. The Romulan Warbirds have also been redesigned completely from how they appeared in the Star Trek TV series.
10. The Romulans Quarantine An Unidentified Borg Corpse
It appears the Romulans have been conducting experiments on former Borg who are now human once more. There are Romulans wearing face masks analyzing a de-Borgified corpse; it seems some former Borg emit a contagion that the Romulans need protection from. The Romulans are clearly fearful of being assimilated into the Borg Collective, even from a dead Borg stripped of his cybernetic implants. It also seems that despite losing their homeworld of Romulus, the Romulans remain unsympathetic and continue to be villains.
9. Captain Picard Day Banner
The Captain Picard Day banner is a heartwarming reminder of happier times aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. Picard Day was a special holiday where the children aboard the starship celebrated their heroic Captain, which made the child-averse Picard amusingly uncomfortable. This could even be a flashback to happier times aboard the Enterprise-D decades ago.
8. Romulans Are Keeping Borg Prisoners
The Star Trek: Picard trailer also shows a gulag where armed Romulan soldiers keep watch over de-Borgfied prisoners - including the mystery woman Dahj. There's a sign on the scaffolding that amusingly reads "This facility has gone 5843 days without an assimilation". This prisoner pen looks like where the Romulans are keeping the subjects of their illicit secret experiments.
7. Picard's New Crew
"You can't do it alone. You need help. You need protection. You need a crew." Because Picard is no longer a part of Starfleet, he needs a new crew and starship to help him on his mysterious new mission. Thus, we meet the new characters in Star Trek: Picard, which includes Cristobal "Chris" Rio (Santiago Cabrera), the ex-Starfleet pilot of Picard's new ship. Dr. Agnes Jurati, (Alison Pill) is a researcher, someone who’s confused with her place in the world. Narek (Harry Treadaway) is a sword-carrying Vulcan. Raffi (Michelle Hurd) is a former Starfleet intelligence officer with ties to Picard who struggles with substance abuse. Considering Picard's old Enterprise crew is arguably the most beloved crew in Star Trek, the new characters certainly have a tough act to follow.
6. "She Has No Idea Who She Is."
Several characters discuss Dahj in the trailer, spouting ominous lines like, "She has no idea who she truly is!", "She's the end of all!", and "She's a destroyer!" Dahj may be a mystery to herself but Picard and many others seem to know exactly who she is and what she is capable of. It's likely Dahj is some sort of new type of Borg developed by the Romulans who has been weaponized or is even capable of causing the extinction of a race. Whether Dahj is truly friend or foe is a question Star Trek: Picard will answer.
5. A Borg Cube
We see a shot of a fearsome sight: a Borg Cube. However, the Cube appears to be missing whole pieces of its plating and could even be hollowed out. There are also Romulan Warbirds circling the cube - it's possible the Romulans have captured it, stripped it of its technology, and are experimenting on other races or even themselves to create cybernetically enhanced Romulan hybrids.
4. Seven of Nine
Back at the Chateau Picard, the former Admiral pours himself a whiskey while a woman behind him asks, "What the hell are you doing out here, Picard?" The woman is revealed to be Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager! Fans have never seen Picard and Seven interact before (Picard only spoke to Admiral Janeway once in Star Trek: Nemesis) so this is a historic meeting of two 24th century Star Trek icons. Like Picard, Seven was a former Borg who was restored to her humanity (her real name is Annika Hansen), so it makes sense that Seven gets involved in Star Trek: Picard's new Borg-centric story.
3. A Borg Corpse - Is It Hugh?
We see a closer shot of a de-Borgified corpse still bearing the scars and implant nodes from his cybernetic parts. But could this be the body of Hugh, the Borg Picard and the Enterprise-D crew turned back human and returned to the Collective in the classic TNG episode "I, Borg"? Jonathan Del Arco, who played Hugh, has joined the cast of Star Trek: Picard so the series is a sequel to "I, Borg" and the two-part Borg-centric episode "Descent".
2. "Engage!"
Of course, it wouldn't be Star Trek if Stewart didn't get to utter one of his most famous signature catchphrases: "Engage!" Picard used to give this command to prompt the helmsman of the Enterprise to jump to warp speed and he does it again, with a gleam in his eye, aboard his new vessel. No word yet on whether Picard will also utter "Make it so!" but he apparently does order a "tea, earl grey, hot" from a food replicator.
1. Data's Back (Somehow)
The Star Trek: Picard trailer ends with one final surprise for fans: the return of Data (Brent Spiner)! We see Picard playing poker (with a cup of earl grey handy) and he confesses to his unseen opponent, "I don't want the game to end". The shot from Picard's hand of cards then reveals the familiar face of Data, who replies, "I can see that, Captain." Data respectfully refers to Picard by his old rank but the android is back in Starfleet uniform himself - which means that B4 did become Data and his memory engrams successfully took hold so Data can join his former Captain on this new adventure in Star Trek: Picard.