The third season of Star Trek: Picard was the final season, with ten episodes that premiered weekly on Thursdays starting 16 February 2023 on Paramount+ (USA and Latin America) and on CraveTV (Canada), with the rest of the world following on Prime Video the next day.

In the UK, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, season 3 episodes were also released on newly-launched Paramount+ foreign subsidiaries the day after their US premieres by the mother streaming service, alongside the Prime Video streamings, with all three seasons of Picard slated to be added to Paramount+ in South Korea later in 2023. [1] [2]

Episodes

Summary

After twenty years of silence, Doctor Beverly Crusher sends a mysterious distress call to Jean-Luc Picard: "trust no one." This time with help from Will Riker and Seven of Nine, (now first officer under Captain Liam Shaw of the USS Titan-A,) Picard is put in the crosshairs of Vadic and the Shrike while being introduced to Beverly's son: Jack Crusher. Raffi Musiker, Worf, and other familiar faces reunite to investigate who's directing Vadic, and the threat they pose to the Federation's Frontier Day.

Background information

• On 21 October 2020, Production Weekly included a third season in its listing of upcoming productions, although no official announcement has been made. [3] [4] It was officially confirmed on 8 September 2021 during the Star Trek Day 2021 celebration.
• Season 3 was filmed back-to-back with season 2 in order to control costs and accommodate production schedules, [5] and principal photography, aka production, began at the start of September 2021, immediately after production on the second season had wrapped on 29 August. [6]
• On 3 January 2022, production on this season was temporarily halted due to a COVID-19 outbreak on set. [7] [8] Production resumed four days later on 7 January 2022. [9]
• On 8 March 2022, production on this season had finished shooting. [10] It was also confirmed that this season will be the final one. [11]
• On "First Contact Day", 5 April 2022, it was revealed that the original cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation – LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner – had joined the cast for the third season, as a means of finally giving their characters "a proper send-off". [12]
• On 2 May 2022, Alison Pill confirmed that she would not be returning for Season 3. [13]
• On 5 May 2022, Evan Evagora and Santiago Cabrera confirmed that they would not be returning for Season 3. [14]
• On 6 May 2022, Isa Briones confirmed that she would not be returning for Season 3. [15]
• The third season being made available on Paramount+ foreign subsidiaries concurrently with Prime Video, making it no longer the exclusive series streamer outside the Americas, might, in the context of the increasingly vicious streaming wars, be construed as a harbinger that the series will be pulled from Prime Video the moment the season release schedule is completed. [16] It was in light of this that CraveTV did loose all its Star Trek content, Picard included with its very recent third season addition, on 1 August 2023, after the Star Trek franchise had revoked its streaming rights in favor of Paramount+ Canada. [17]
• The USS Titan-A bridge set was struck immediately after production wrapped, despite Showrunner Terry Matalas' efforts to have the set preserved for the "Star Trek: Legacy" series he had hoped to make. The recreated USS Enterprise-D bridge set, on the other hand, was preserved for promotional franchise purposes. [18]

Reception

In 2023, the rating agency Nielsen started recording ratings for original streaming programming, which resulted in that both Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds making the Top 10 Streaming Chart for Original Programs (for overall series views, not specific episodes.) After season three debuted, Picard occupied Nielsens original streaming Top 10 listing on three separate weeks, with a ninth spot as it highest ranking. [19] [20] [21]

Awards

Credits

Starring

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard

Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine

Michelle Hurd as Raffaela Musiker ("The Next Generation"–"Seventeen Seconds"; "Imposters"–"The Bounty"; "Surrender"–"The Last Generation")

Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher

Special guest star(s)

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge ("The Bounty"–"The Last Generation")

Daniel Davis as James Moriarty ("The Bounty")

Michael Dorn as Worf ("Disengage"–"Seventeen Seconds"; "Imposters"–"The Bounty"; "Surrender"–"The Last Generation")

Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren ("Imposters")

Jonathan Frakes as William T. Riker

Alice Krige as the Borg Queen ("Võx"–"The Last Generation")

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher

Tim Russ as Tuvok ("Dominion"; "The Last Generation")

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi ("Seventeen Seconds"–"No Win Scenario"; "The Bounty"; "Surrender"–"The Last Generation")

Brent Spiner as Daystrom Android M-5-10 ("The Bounty"–"The Last Generation")

Crew

Directors

Douglas Aarniokoski ("The Next Generation"–"Disengage")

Jonathan Frakes ("Seventeen Seconds"–"No Win Scenario")

Dan Liu ("Imposters"–"The Bounty")

Deborah Kampmeier ("Dominion"– "Surrender")

Terry Matalas ("Võx"–"The Last Generation")

Uncredited

• Dennys Illic – Special/Still Photographer

See also

• PIC Season 3 performers
• PIC directors
• PIC writers
• PIC Season 3 Blu-ray
• PIC Season 3 DVD

External links

• Star Trek: Picard season 3 at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: Picard season 3 at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: Picard season 3 at Ex Astris Scientia