Not even death could keep Picard from coming back for season 2.
The "Star Trek" universe continues to boldly go where no show has gone before — sort
of — as it follows Jean-Luc Picard years after his adventures on the Starship Enterprise.
The first season sees the former admiral investigate the truth behind Data's daughter and a new
breed of synthetic beings.
His mission takes him across the universe, even revisiting his time with the Borg, while
also dealing with a sinister Romulan plot.
There's also the small problem that Picard is dying of Irumodic Syndrome, a degenerative
condition that slowly robs him of his memory.
It's an action-packed season that ends as Dr. Agnes Jurati transfers Picard's consciousness
into a synthetic body.
Don't worry — this doesn't mean he's immortal.
The body has been programmed to expire around the same time Picard would've died naturally.
So that's ... good?
Anyway, from there, the universe is Picard's oyster since he has the crew of La Sirena
to go on more adventures with.
But "Picard" Season 2 will up the stakes for the show's sophomore season, with the extra-dimensional
being known as Q returning to break the universe as one final task for the series' namesake hero.
The season throws Picard and his crew back into the 21st century to see how they save
the future — if anyone can fix the fabric of reality, it's the former captain of the
Enterprise, that's for sure.
But what do fans need to know about "Picard" Season 2?
First things first: The good news is that "Picard" Season 2 is heading to our screens
very soon.
It will arrive on Paramount+ on March 3rd.
There's a total of 10 episodes this season, so it's keeping the story quite tight compared
to the 20+-episode-long seasons of "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
The second season will end on May 5th, but it's not going to be the end of "Picard" — Paramount
worked back-to-back on Season 2 and the final, third season.
So what does this mean for the adventure to come?
Well, according to StarTrek.com, Q's final trial will force the La Sirena crew to confront
the perils of 21st-century Earth.
It seems likely that this threat will bleed into the third season in some way, considering
Paramount worked on both seasons at the same time.
Showrunner Terry Matalas told SFX that there are some "legendary moments" ahead.
It's worth noting that although "Picard" Season 2 starts airing on March 3rd, the third season
doesn't have an official release date just yet.
But Deadline previously reported that Paramount is aiming for 2023.
Unsurprisingly, Patrick Stewart is coming back to play Jean-Luc Picard, or should we
say, the synthetic version of Picard.
He'll also be joined by Santiago Cabrera, who plays Cristóbal Rios, the captain of
the La Sirena.
Alison Pill will reprise her role as Dr. Agnes Jurati, although thankfully, her scheming
days are over after her heroic turn midway through the first season.
Michelle Hurd is also coming back as Picard's confidante, Raffi Musiker, while Isa Briones
will return as fellow synthetic-being Soji.
Rounding out the La Sirena crew is Evan Evagora as warrior monk Elnor.
Original "Next Generation" star Brent Spiner is also set to return as scientist Dr. Altan
Inigo Soong, "Voyager" star Jeri Ryan will step into Seven of Nine's shoes again, and
Orla Brady will continue to appear as Laris, Picard's Romulan housekeeper.
But the guest stars of "Picard" Season 2 are interesting too.
Whoopi Goldberg will play the diplomatic Guinan again, offering counsel to Picard when he
needs it most.
On the villain side of things, John de Lancie will cause havoc for the gang as Q, and Annie
Wersching will replace Alice Krige as the Borg Queen.
Remember, Picard has dabbled with the Borg in the past.
He was assimilated into the hive as Locutus of Borg.
So it'll be interesting to see how the Borg Queen reacts to seeing him again after several decades.
Paramount+ released a full two-minute-long look at "Picard" Season 2 on Star Trek Day 2021.
The footage shows Jean-Luc wandering around his vineyard, reminiscing about his childhood
days, while narration from Q explains that the trial he subjected humanity to all the
way back in "The Next Generation" season 1 never ended.
From there, the action really gets going, with Rios and the La Sirena crew realizing
that Q has changed the past so that the world has been transformed into a "totalitarian nightmare."
It's a far cry away from the idealized future of Starfleet and the Federation, that's for sure.
The crew already knows that time's been altered because Seven of Nine instantly realizes that
she has no Borg parts on her face anymore.
Clearly, the fascist regime cut the Borg off at the knees.
The gang meets up with the Borg Queen, using her technology to teleport to the past in
an attempt to fix whatever Q did to the timeline.
It's not exactly a new idea — Kirk and the original Enterprise crew travel to the 20th
century in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" — but hopefully, the writers of "Picard"
find inventive ways of pushing these characters further than the typical fish-out-of-water comedy.
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