Summary
- Star Trek: Picard season 3 hinted at the return of the USS Enterprise-D at the beginning of the season.
- Geordi La Forge plays a key role in rebuilding and restoring the beloved Starship Enterprise, tying up loose ends for the TNG crew.
- The return of the Enterprise-D in Picard season 3 provides a satisfying conclusion and proper send-off that fans have been longing for.
One of the first scenes in Star Trek: Picard season 3 sets up the return of the USS Enterprise-D. Picard season 3 reunited the original cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation for one last galaxy-saving mission. With its nostalgia-filled story involving a Changeling infiltration, a Borg invasion, and the surprise son of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), Star Trek: Picard season 3 proved to be a resounding success. But this epic reunion would not have been complete without their beloved ship, the Enterprise-D.
In Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 6, "The Bounty," Admiral Picard seeks out assistance from his former Chief Engineer, Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). Now working as the Head Curator at the Fleet Museum, La Forge eventually agrees to help his former crew mates save the galaxy yet again. At the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3's penultimate episode, "Vox," Geordi reveals that he has been working on a pet project for the last twenty years — rebuilding and restoring the USS Enterprise-D, which was destroyed in Star Trek Generations. This a welcome surprise, but the return of Picard's Starship Enterprise was actually foreshadowed at the very beginning of Star Trek: Picard season 3.
Jean-Luc’s Subtle Hint Of USS Enterprise-D’s Return In Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Explained
Picard season 3 starts with foreshadowing the Enterprise-D.
After an initial glimpse of Beverly Crusher and her son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), aboard the SS Eleos XII, Star Trek: Picard season 3's premiere cuts to the retired Admiral Picard at his family's vineyard in France. As Jean-Luc and Laris (Orla Brady) pack up the Chateau for their planned off-world, Picard reminisces about his time on the USS Enterprise-D. A large painting of the ship hangs above Picard's fireplace, and Jean-Luc remarks that the Enterprise-D may not have been his first love, but "she was certainly my favorite."
Star Trek: Picard season 3 plants the seed for the Enterprise-D's return with this big but subtle hint.
Picard remarks that he should give the painting to Geordi La Forge, as he's currently running the Fleet Museum. Laris comments that Geordi would love that. Obviously, the audience doesn't realize it at the time, but Star Trek: Picard season 3 plants the seed for the Enterprise-D's return with this big but subtle hint. Geordi, of course, is the one who rebuilds the Enterprise-D at the Fleet Museum, bringing the story of the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew full circle. The Enterprise-D ends up being vital in the fight against the Borg, as Picard season 3 delivers a much bigger moment for Picard's iconic ship than a look at a painting.
USS Enterprise-D Made Star Trek: Picard’s TNG Reunion Complete
The TNG crew would not have been complete without the Enterprise-D.
Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation's seven seasons, the USS Enterprise-D was just as much of a character as its crew members. The Galaxy Class starship became home not only for the characters on the show, but also for many of TNG's viewers. While Star Trek: Picard season 3 could have reunited the TNG crew without their ship, it undoubtedly would have felt like something was missing. Jean-Luc Picard and his crew saved the galaxy numerous times with the Enterprise-D, and the ship's destruction in Star Trek Generations felt like the death of a beloved character.
The USS Enterprise-D's bridge was perfectly recreated by production designers Dave Blass, Liz Kloczkowski, and their team, right down to the carpet.
As the Chief Engineer, Geordi La Forge had a particular love for the USS Enterprise-D, and it makes perfect sense that he would rebuild the Galaxy Class starship. The return of the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Picard's "Vox" was an emotional moment for the characters and likely for many viewers as well. It was the perfect way to provide Picard and his crew with the proper send-off Star Trek: Nemesis failed to give them. After its final mission, the USS Enterprise-D found a home back at the Fleet Museum, where Geordi will continue to look after it (and keep it mission-ready, just in case).
