Star Trek: Picard saw Sir Patrick Stewart return to the franchise for the first time in nearly 20 years as Jean-Luc Picard headed back into action, but that doesn’t mean he was back with Starfleet. Season 1 saw the venerable former Enterprise captain traveling with a ragtag crew on his own personal mission. However, the closing events of the season have paved the way for more Starfleet to come in season 2.
Sure enough, EP Akiva Goldsman is promising that fans can expect more of a presence from the peace-keeping, space-faring organization in the series’ sophomore run. While speaking to IndieWire, Goldsman said the writers knew what they were doing when they reintroduced Will Riker captaining a fleet of ships against the Zhat Vash in the finale and they’ll pay off this promise in season 2.
“We knew that bringing in that fleet was a little bit of a promise, and so we tried to be thoughtful about it,” Goldsman says. “Especially as we go forward, we’re going to start making statements about really what the world of Starfleet, at least technologically if not socially and culturally … These are the things that are likely to get a little bit more play than they did [in Season 1] in what was essentially a story about somebody who is outside of Starfleet.”
Years prior to Picard beginning, Jean-Luc had parted ways with Starfleet due to their handling of the Romulan refugee crisis and the ban on Synth lifeforms, which caused him to become disillusioned. Across season 1, though, the corruption in the organization – in the form of Commodore Oh – was flushed out and the Synth ban was lifted. Starfleet, and his old friend Riker, even ultimately came to his aid, so it looks like there will be more interactions between La Sirena and other Starfleet vessels going forward.
That’s good news for Jonathan Frakes, as he’s said how much he’d like to don the Starfleet uniform again in subsequent seasons. Goldsman doesn’t specify what their plans are, but another appearance from Captain Riker doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
We’ll have to be patient, as production has been delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but rest assured, Star Trek: Picard season 2 is on its way.