Star Trek: Strange New Worlds hit the ground running when it debuted in 2022, and its successful premise serves as evidence that a Star Trek: The Next Generation prequel show is long overdue. Although technically an offshoot of Star Trek: Discovery, Strange New Worlds also serves as a direct prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. Led by Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast helps tell the story of the USS Enterprise-A before Captain Kirk (William Shatner) took command of the vessel.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been a huge success, which means it would only make sense for Star Trek: The Next Generation to be next in line for the same treatment received by Star Trek: The Original Series. The days immediately before The Next Generation sit in an untapped part of the Star Trek timeline. So, it would be exciting if the franchise added to its vast catalog of Star Trek TV shows that fleshed out this lost era.
Star Trek Needs A Prequel Spinoff Showing Jean-Luc Picard's Time As The USS Stargazer's Captain
Star Trek: Stargazer has a nice ring to it
Most known for serving as the captain of the USS Enterprise-D, Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard actually commanded another vessel before Starfleet's flagship. Picard was the USS Stargazer's captain for over 20 years before transferring to the Enterprise. So, there is a huge period that has rarely been addressed in Stewart's stories throughout the decades. Although Picard's Star Trek timeline has already been extensively covered, the franchise has been very coy about many of the Stargazer's adventures while under his command. Therefore, it's time the sci-fi saga focused on a younger Captain Picard.
The franchise has grown far more comfortable recasting even its most legendary figures, so it wouldn't be as surprising to see a new actor playing Captain Picard as it perhaps might have been a few years ago.
Of course, Patrick Stewart would need to be replaced for a TNG prequel show, as he has long since aged out of playing Picard during his earlier years. However, the franchise has grown far more comfortable recasting even its most legendary figures, so it wouldn't be as surprising to see a new actor playing Captain Picard as it perhaps might have been a few years ago. Plus, showing Picard's time aboard the Stargazer would also finally reveal far more about Jack Crusher - Wesley's late father who served with Stewart's character during this era.
Why A Stargazer Star Trek Show Would Be Different From Strange New Worlds
Learning far more about Captain Pike is one of SNW's biggest upsides
The Enterprise's captain in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is essentially a brand-new character, as Anson Mount is playing someone who had only ever been a relatively small part of the larger story. So, the spinoff teaches audiences a great deal not only about the USS Enterprise's pre-Kirk era, but also far more than ever before about the predecessor of William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk. In a Stargazer show, Captain Picard would be the only real point of reference to TNG, but he would be a far more significant one than Pike is in Strange New Worlds.
Furthermore, a Stargazer project would be far less restricted from a canonical perspective. The show would need to make sure Picard made it to the end so he could become the Enterprise's captain, and that would essentially be the only main story beat that would need to be addressed. Otherwise, there are 22+ years' worth of narrative blank slate to play with. This also means that a Star Trek: The Next Generation prequel would have about four times the number of years between itself and its parent show than there are between Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and TOS.
