Picard says goodbye with a mysterious hint at Star Trek’s future

Never let it be said that Paramount Plus didn’t bring the Star Trek franchise into the modern era of interconnected television: Star Trek even has closing credits now.

And while the award for “first credits scene in Star Trek” would go to Star Trek: lower deckswith the season 3 finale, “The Stars at Night”, the award for “first Star Trek credit scene hinting at a mysterious future part of the franchise” could go to Star Trek: Picard and its final.

[Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for the final episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3, “The Last Generation.”]

The denouement of “The Last Generation” ensures that we know exactly where our old and new favorites have ended up. While the Next generation crew largely ended with promotions, newfound relationships, or simply a return to their peaceful lives, Picard built a new future for some of his younger old characters.

Former bailiff drone Seven of Nine was promoted to captain of the Titan, which was renamed Enterprise. Thanks to some calculated intelligence leaks, her friend Raffi’s criminal record was erased, freeing her to act as Seven’s first officer, and Jack Crusher – son of Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher, interstellar adventurer, recently freed from Borg control – was fast-tracked to the rank of Starfleet ensign to serve as captain’s advisor.

The credits scene takes us straight back to Jack, in his quarters on the newly christened Enterprise, where he is visited by none other than the cosmic being known as Q (John de Lancie). Q was believed to have died at the end of Picard season 2, but when Jack points it out, Q admonishes him for thinking so linearly. The long and the short is: Q is eternal, and he has something in mind for the progeny of his long-time fix, Jean-Luc Picard.

Does this mean Star Trek: Legacy is real?

About a month ago, Picard showrunner Terry Matalas tweeted that “#StarTrekLegacy is what I would call a #StarTrekPicard spin-off show. A 25th century show that explores the last generation and the next.” Since then, he’s been teasing an upcoming show or just enjoying himself by retweeting his tweet and clips of veteran Star Trek actors agreeing that a nostalgic spin-off for ’90s Trek fans seems like a good idea.

So it’s not entirely clear if “Star Trek Legacy” is a real show or what. But it’s hard to imagine what else Picard‘s last moments could possibly point. The next Star Trek show in the Paramount Plus series is the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worldsthen the fourth season of the animated series Star Trek: lower decksand then the second season of all ages cartoon Star Trek: child prodigy. None of which seem appropriate Picard‘s hints, is set in completely different eras or produced in a completely different medium.

Paramount has also confirmed at least two more future Star Trek projects, but those don’t seem likely as answers either – Starfleet Academy will take place for the better part of a millennium after that Picardwhile the recently announced Section 31 movie starring Michelle Yeoh just doesn’t seem particularly relevant.

It’s possible that Paramount is on one Star Trek: Legacy show about Jack Crusher, Seven of Nine, Raffi and Sidney La Forge (the coxswain of the Titan/Enterprise and daughter of Geordi La Forge) going on some epic quest. But we won’t know until it’s actually announced – and so far Paramount is keeping quiet.