The Star Trek franchise would not be where it is today without the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which is widely considered to be one of the best science fiction series of all time. TNG's series finale beautifully wrapped up the show's storylines while also bringing the story full circle with references to the series premiere. Even over 30 years later, "All Good Things..." remains a pitch-perfect series-ender and a fitting finale for Captain Picard and his Enterprise-D crew (even if it wasn't really the end).
How Captain Picard Won Q’s “Trial” In Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Series Finale
As Q Loves To Remind Picard, "The Trial Never Ends"
Star Trek: The Next Generation began with the feature-length premiere episode, "Encounter at Farpoint." Not only did this episode introduce Captain Picard and his Enterprise-D crew, but it also marked the first appearance of one of the franchise's best recurring characters in John de Lancie's Q. A member of the mysterious Q Continuum, Q had all the powers (and hubris) of a god, and he put all of humanity on trial during his first encounter with Picard. Q popped up several times throughout TNG's seven seasons, and returned for one last hurrah during the series finale.
In "All Good Things...," Captain Picard found himself jumping through three different time periods in the past, present, and future. He soon ended up back in Q's courtroom, where the omnipotent being informed Picard that humanity's trial never concluded. Picard must then solve a mystery involving a spacial anomaly, but this time, Q helped him by allowing him to jump through time. Picard worked with his Enterprise crew members in all three timelines, eventually discovering that the anomaly was an anti-time rift.
Q reiterated that humanity's trial will never really end.
In each timeline, Picard ordered the Enterprise to fly into the anomaly to prevent it from destroying the universe. After all of the versions of the Enterprise explode, Picard found himself in Q's courtroom yet again, where Q congratulated Picard on solving the mystery. Q said that "for one brief moment," Picard was able to expand his mind and think in all three timelines at once. Q reiterated that humanity's trial will never really end and ensured Picard that he would be out there watching.
TNG Ended With A Poker Game That Picard Homaged 30 Years Later
The Poker Game At The End Of TNG Remains A Perfect Final Scene
While the Q storyline of "All Good Things..." felt reminiscent of all of the best sci-fi-heavy, technobabble-filled episodes of TNG, the final scene highlighted the characters and their relationships.
Over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Picard and his crew became like family, not only to one another but also to many viewers. While the Star Trek films sometimes sidelined TNG's family of characters in favor of sci-fi spectacle, Star Trek: Picard season 3 brought them all back together for another poker game.
TNG Didn’t Really End Because Picard’s Show Became Star Trek Movies
All Of TNG's Main Cast Members Returned For The Films
While "All Good Things..." was an all-time great ending for Captain Picard and his crew, they all returned in the Star Trek: The Next Generation films. Star Trek Generations served as a passing of the torch from Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his Enterprise crew to Captain Picard and the Enterprise-D. Star Trek Generations saw the destruction of the USS Enterprise-D, as well as the death of Captain Kirk, but ultimately led into, arguably, TNG's best movie, Star Trek: First Contact.
Jonathan Frakes directed Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection.
Star Trek: First Contact brought back the Borg and introduced the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), diving deeper into Picard's trauma from his time as Locutus. The Enterprise-E's voyage to the past also allowed First Contact to show the 'origin' of Star Trek lore, as it depicted Zefram Cochrane's (James Cromwell) historic warp flight and first contact with the Vulcans. Star Trek: Insurrection then took things back to the basics, presenting a story that would not have felt out of place on an episode of TNG.
In Star Trek: Insurrection, Captain Picard and his crew disobeyed orders to thwart a plot to forcibly remove the Ba'ku people from their home planet. While on Ba'ku, Commander Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) rekindled their romance, leading to their marriage at the beginning of Star Trek: Nemesis. The TNG films focused largely on Captain Picard and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) (arguably the show's most popular characters), but ultimately failed to capture the same magic as the television series.
Star Trek: Nemesis Officially Ended TNG For 18 Years
Any Plans For More TNG Films Were Dashed By Nemesis's Poor Performance
In 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, Captain Picard and his crew faced off against the new Romulan Praetor Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who was a clone of Picard. Like the other Star Trek: The Next Generation films, Data played a significant role in Nemesis, ultimately sacrificing his life to save Picard. Although Data's android brother, B-4 (Brent Spiner), survived, with Data's memories stored inside his positronic brain, Nemesis ultimately felt like a poor send-off for a character as beloved and important as Data.
With its questionable plot choices and half-baked story, some strong performances (from Patrick Stewart in particular, as usual) were not enough to save Star Trek: Nemesis. Not only did the film fail at the box office, but it also received mostly negative reviews from fans and critics alike. Although there had originally been plans for another TNG film, Nemesis's failure effectively put an end to them. Instead, Paramount chose to completely reboot the Star Trek franchise several years later with J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009).
Why Star Trek: Picard Wasn’t A TNG Reunion At First
Star Trek: Picard Season 1 Brought In A New Cast Of Characters
Star Trek: Picard checked in on Admiral Jean-Luc Picard in 2399, about 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, but most of his friends from Star Trek: The Next Generation were nowhere in sight. When Picard began, Jean-Luc remained deeply affected by Data's death in Star Trek: Nemesis, and he got pulled into an adventure involving Data's android "daughters," Dahj and Soji (Isa Briones). After dying from a terminal brain condition (later revealed to be caused by dormant Borg DNA) in Picard season 1, Jean-Luc received a new android body courtesy of Dr. Alltan Soong (Brent Spiner).
Star Trek: Picard season 2 saw Jean-Luc and his new friends travel back in time after Q altered the future. Forced to confront his childhood trauma, Picard ended the season more willing to open up to those around him. Picard season 2 also saw Jean-Luc embrace Q has an old friend, as the omnipotent being struggled with his own apparent mortality. Q seemingly died at the end of Picard season 2, but it remains unclear what that means for a Q, and that was not the last viewers would see of him.
When Patrick Stewart announced his return as Jean-Luc Picard in 2018, he stated that he had previously viewed Star Trek: Nemesis as the end of his time with the franchise.
Patrick Stewart had no plans to return to Star Trek until he heard the pitch for Star Trek: PIcard and reflected on the inspiration Picard as a character has brought to so many people. Still, even after he returned to Star Trek, Stewart worried that a TNG reunion would feel like a rehash of a series that still stands on its own. In the end, showrunner Terry Matalas helped convince Stewart otherwise, and went on to deliver a season that both honored what came before it and charted new ground for TNG's characters.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Was The True Ending TNG Always Deserved
Picard Season 3 Reunited Picard & His TNG Crew Aboard The Rebuilt Enterprise-D
While the Star Trek: The Next Generation films may have given Captain Picard and his crew a lackluster ending, Star Trek: Picard season 3 remedied that by delivering another near-perfect finale. Picard season 3 beautifully built on everything that came before it and wrapped up several of the storylines that Star Trek: The Next Generation and its subsequent films had left unanswered. While Picard season 3 was certainly filled with nostalgia, it also delivered a compelling storyline that honored and even improved upon TNG's characters.
Admiral Picard learned of Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son he never knew he had, and began building a relationship with him. Picard also got the chance to defeat the Borg once and for all, finally laying to rest his most traumatic experience. Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) returned to Starfleet after a long absence, reconnecting with Jean-Luc as the two began to navigate having a son together.
Captain Riker and Counselor Troi reconciled after difficulties in their marriage, proving they were still one of Star Trek's greatest love stories. Data returned, now with an upgraded synthetic body, complete with the memories of his android brothers and the ability to experience organic emotions. Data also reunited with his best friend, Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), who had started a family of his own. Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) found a new career working with Starfleet Intelligence, and a new partner-in-crime in Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd).
Never one to miss a party, Q popped up at the end of Picard season 3 to inform Ensign Jack Crusher that his trial was only just beginning.
Even Commander Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) got to hash out her unresolved emotions regarding Picard, as he finally confronted her about her betrayal. And no TNG reunion would be complete without the return of the USS Enterprise-D, which got to save the galaxy yet again after being painstakingly restored by Geordi La Forge. Star Trek: Picard season 3 truly gave every TNG character a proper ending and brought the whole family back together for one final poker game.
Will TNG Continue In Star Trek: Legacy?
It Seems Doubtful At This Point, But Anything Is Possible
After Star Trek: Picard season 3 came to an end, fans began speculating whether or not the story would continue. With Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in command of the newly rechristened USS Enterprise-G, Picard season 3 provided the perfect setup for a spin-off. Unfortunately, the long-rumored Star Trek: Legacy never made it off the ground, despite fans rallying behind the idea. Still, it remains to be seen whether Star Trek: Legacy or another project featuring any returning TNG cast members will ever make it to a screen.
Many of the cast and crew have stated their desire to return for more Star Trek, including several of the original Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members.
While Star Trek: Picard season 3 provided a wonderful coda for Jean-Luc Picard and his crew, it would be nice to check in on Data and his newfound humanity, for example, or Geordi and his daughters. Some of the ideas originally proposed for Legacy could perhaps be incorporated into a made-for-streaming film, but Star Trek: Section 31's poor reviews do not bode well for that particular option. While the door remains open for Jean-Luc Picard and his Star Trek: The Next Generation crew to return, they did get two perfect finales, which is more than many television shows can say.
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