'Star Trek: Picard' final season turning into 'Next Generation' reunion with Troi, Worf & more to return

Star Trek: Picard will be blasting off for its third and final season, but it's beaming up some familiar faces first as series star Patrick Stewart prepares to bid farewell to one of his most beloved and iconic characters: Jean-Luc Picard. 

Joining Stewart in his long goodbye will be his fellow former Star Trek: The Next Generation castmates as LeVar Burton (who played Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Worf), Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher), Jonathan Frakes (William T. Riker), Marina Sirtis (Deana Troi), and Brent Spiner (Data) will be joining the cast, as Paramount+ announced on Tuesday. 

Of course, this isn't the first time former TNG alums have made an appearance on Picard. Spiner spent the first two seasons playing a range of different characters, alongside reprising his role as the beloved android Data, while his former co-stars Frakes and Sirtis also stepped back into their old characters during that inaugural season, followed by actor (and current The View host) Whoopi Goldberg returning to guest star as her Picard's friend and confidante, Guinan, one season later. 

However, what makes this particular instance special is that it marks the first time that the entire Next Generation cast has performed together onscreen, with the last time having been 20 years ago when they all starred in the 2002 feature film Star Trek: Nemesis. 

"I remember watching the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation almost 34 years ago with my father like it was yesterday. It was the spark that ignited my love for science fiction," said Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas (12 Monkeys) in a statement. "So, it’s most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honoring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the U.S.S. Enterprise. It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honor. The entire Star Trek: Picard team and I can’t wait for fans to experience this final, high-stakes, starship-bound adventure in season three!" 

And even though Picard himself may state that he does not need a legacy in the announcement video above, this final season announcement seals what will become the show's legacy moving forward. Not only has it brought back fan favorite characters, but it's found ways to draw on Trek's wider lore as it brought in Star Trek: Voyager's Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan stepping back into the role), reintroduced the infamous Borg Queen (played by Annie Wersching) and even wove in the omnipotent shapeshifter Q (John de Lancie), who returned to once again hassle Picard and Co. (Q actually originated on TNG but eventually made appearances in Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.) 

Star Trek: Picard's final season will consist of 10 episodes. But no release date has been set for it. The first two seasons are currently streaming on Paramount+.