Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, paramount, patrick stewart, star trek, Star Trek Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: Picard: Stewart, Frakes & McFadden's TNG Reunion Feelings

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes & Gates McFadden discuss their arcs on Star Trek: Picard & how their characters evolved from their TNG days.

It's been nearly four decades since we saw the debut of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Fan patience finally paid off in the third and final season of Picard, which saw the core cast reunite in stars Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (William Riker), LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher), Michael Dorn (Worf), Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), and Brent Spiner (Data). It wasn't enough the cast picked up where they left off, but showrunner Terry Matalas went above and beyond recruiting TNG veterans to reconstruct the bridge of the Enterprise-D for one (presumed) final hurrah to save Earth one more time against their mortal enemies, The Borg. Stewart, Frakes, and McFadden spoke with Deadline Hollywood when they reunited for Picard and the familiar feelings coming back.

Star Trek Journey Comes Full Circle for Stewart, Frakes & McFadden

When it came to coming back to their signature roles, "Our family of friends never stopped knowing one another, so there was no feeling of reunion," Frakes said. "We hadn't been apart. What was unfamiliar was stepping back into a turbolift, waiting to walk back onto the bridge of the Enterprise-D. That was quite an emotional experience." "I found it wonderful because there was a lot of talking before it was finally confirmed there would be a new Star Trek show called 'Picard.' During those conversations, I had felt strongly — largely based on my pride for what we had achieved with 'The Next Generation' — that I didn't want to mess up the work by making the show a series of sentimental reunion episodes, with us having fun and going on adventures. We'd done that, and we'd done it very well. Not all the time, but most of the time [laughs]."

Stewart recalled what won him over. "But 20 years had passed. And I remember Akiva Goldsman saying to me, 'Patrick, your life has changed in the past 20 years. So many things have happened to you. Are you the same person you were then?' I realized then that it didn't have to make reference to The Next Generation at all. What had been happening to these characters in those 20 years? Who were they today? I already knew mine had been up and down — captain, admiral, a desk job, not flying a spaceship." "The reason to come back was that Terry pitched a really great story, and I loved it," McFadden said. "I liked the fact it was different, that the character was much more three-dimensional as far as I was concerned. I loved that it was a story about the corruption of the Federation because our world today is so full of corruption, of the environment, of the values we'd grown up with. You read three newspapers in the morning, and you're ready to go back to bed."

Upon giving Riker, Crusher, and Picard children to build more nuance to their characters, the actors had a perspective from fans. "I certainly have, and it has been very moving," Frakes said. "Terry pitched a really satisfying arc for the third season, so it wasn't necessarily a reunion. Each of the characters had to earn their entrance and meet their position in the storytelling, and we each brought those 20 years of life back to it. There was conflict again, which, as we know, is the basis of all drama. Matalas really delivered what he promised us all at lunch one day, and I was thrilled to be a part of it." "Terry did such a great job because he really loved 'TNG,' and he loved our characters," McFadden said. "There were more Easter eggs planted on that set than even I knew about. He knew more about the series than most of us, and certainly me. Some fans have said, 'It was all action and not enough talking about philosophy.' But look at the world. We have to take action to prevent voter fraud, to stop this corruption that's all around us in so many ways."

"It was very significant that we had Jonathan, who had broken down the barrier during 'The Next Generation' of, 'No, no, no. The actors don't get to direct episodes as well.' He broke that barrier down, and so he was able to bring his role as director, and all the experience he's had, to this set," Stewart said. "Even though Jonathan, better than anyone else I know, can switch very easily from one move to another, at times, he would have to make critical comments about what he was seeing that he thought wasn't right. Now, that's not an easy task ever, but under circumstances like these, it's even harder. At the heart of it all is affection, and I speak for everyone on our cast and crew. There is respect, there is admiration, and an intense love for one another in order that we protect this show and these characters. I mean it when I say this was a unique experience. I've had many wonderful experiences in my life, but there's been nothing quite as unique as what we had in 'The Next Generation' and, now, in 'Star Trek: Picard.'"

"That's true of Jonathan, and it's also true of LeVar, too, when he directs," McFadden added. "I feel we all will help each other out because we want everyone to do the best, and we know one another and know what we're each capable of. That's very different from other sets because I don't have the history with anyone else that I have with this cast. You're not going to be bold enough to say, 'Hey, if I were you, I'd roll that line just a little faster.' We do because we know we're on one another's side." For more, including their first reactions when they met, when they felt TNG started coming together, and reactions to their return on Picard, you can check out the interview here.

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