The upcoming and untitled Star Trek series focusing on former U.S.S. Enterprise captain Jean-Luc Picard has just casted two of its characters. Joining the returning Patrick Stewart in the series are Santiago Cabera (Salvation) and Michelle Hurd (Blindspot) in lead roles.
The news comes after reported character breakdowns for the series. According to Deadline, Cabera will play Lawrence, a thief with a dodgy moral compass and Picard’s pilot for a mission. Hurd, meanwhile, will play Alana, a former intelligence officer with a great analytical mind, but also a substance abuser.
The show will take place approximately 20 years after the end of The Next Generation and ten years after Star Trek: Nemesis. It will be set in the Prime universe in the wake of the destruction of Romulus and the collapse of the Romulan Empire (briefly seen in 2009’s Star Trek). The plot is said to play into Picard’s interest in archaeology and his main mission will reportedly revolve around an ancient artefact that has been discovered.
Hannelle Culpepper (Star Trek: Discovery) has signed on to direct the first two episodes of the ten-episode limited series, making her the first female director to direct the pilot of a Star Trek series. Jonathan Frakes, who is best known as Picard’s first officer William Riker in TNG, will also return direct an episode of the series.
The untitled Star Trek series will mark the first time since 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis that Stewart has reprised his arguably most well-known and beloved role as Picard. Nemesis served as the swan song for the TNG cast after seven seasons and four films, though its place among fans isn’t very high. As of yet, none of the other TNG cast are set to appear in the Picard series, at least in leading roles. Though the show is being billed as a limited series, Stewart recently said it could run up to three seasons. With the series now in the midst of casting, we’ll have to see who else shows up for Picard’s next adventure.
