Star Trek: The Next Generation defined Star Trek for many fans. First airing between 1987 and 1994 (and going into syndication immediately after), the adventures of the Enterprise-D crew have gone on to be a model for the franchise. They’ve given us fan-favorite characters like Worf, Data, Riker and (of course) Jean-Luc Picard, introduced classic enemies like the Borg and provided a ton of universe-building detail that continues to be seen in practically every new Trek series and movie. The recent success of sequel show Star Trek: Picard proves that there’s still an audience out there who remember it fondly, too. So, based on all that, could a reboot be on the cards?
At first glance, it feels like heresy to recast the crew, but then again, the Kelvinverse movies managed to pull it off. On top of that, it appears that CBS is hungry for as much Trek as it can commission, with several new shows coming our way soon. But how could a reboot of The Next Generation work?
Well, one option is simply carrying on from the beloved season finale “All Good Things…” A big problem with this is that it takes place just a year before Star Trek: Generations though, meaning that any ‘sequel’ show would be dealing with a very compressed timeframe in which to fit its events (as well as it being difficult in general to crowbar new stuff into the continuity).
Perhaps the best way to do it then might be to retell an alternate version of The Next Generation in the Kelvinverse timeline last seen in Star Trek Beyond. That would effectively give the show (or movie) a blank slate with which to work with, as well as allowing them to modify and retell iconic stories like “The Best of Both Worlds,” in which Picard is assimilated into the Borg collective.
If a Star Trek: The Next Generation reboot ever does happen, it’ll be a long way into the future and likely when Star Trek: Picard has wrapped up. But hey, if they’re still looking for someone to step into Picard’s shoes, then James McAvoy is right there.