Norm Felker
The final season of Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+ more than entertained fans, both new and old. Bringing back the original crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D crew for one last mission together was the master stroke of show runner, Terry Matalas. For his latest jaunt into the 25th century was joined by season two production designer, David Blass. Awards Radar was given the opportunity to sit down with both Terry and David, and we knew that our Trekkies over at The ‘Verse! would be best for the job.
Bringing the world of Picard to the screen was no easy task. From the COVID pandemic to scheduling issues to budget restrictions, Terry and David overcame incredible challenges to bring this final chapter to life. Highlights of the conversation are found below, but for full fascinating conversation listen in the player below. (You can also subscribe to The ‘Verse! for our frequent Star Trek conversations and coverage.)
On the scope of what they were looking to accomplish:
Matalas: “The sky was the limit, within the confines of the 25th century. We wanted to honor what had come before, specifically, we wanted to feel like we were telling the next chapter of what we saw after those Star Trek movies. So that was certainly the North Star for Dave and I, to feel like it looked like it came right after those chapters. So that was pretty much our sandbox.”
On the timing of season three:
Blass: “The challenge of season three was that it came on directly on the heels of season two. This is the first time in over three decades that 20 episodes of Star Trek have been done. So, we finished season two and rolled right into Season Three without any time off. From the day that we got the outline to the day that we started shooting was 74 days, which is just not a lot.”
On designing the look of the ships:
Matalas: “For me, it was Starfleet ships were starting to get far too aerodynamic. They were getting away from the classic Star Trek saucers and the nacelles too much for me that I wanted to head back in the other direction.”
Blass: “And I think that the Titan really does that. I think we talked early on about the idea of going back to a classic saucer shape, you know, iconic silhouette. And Bill Kraus, his titan design just does that. I think we said early on it was the idea of the Dodge Challenger car. It’s a 2003 car but it has the look and feel of that 1960s Heavy Metal car, but with an upgraded technology. That’s what we wanted to do.”
On the rumored Star Trek: Legacies:
Matalas: “Unfortunately, it’s not really a show. Maybe one day, hopefully, it’s a different idea. It’s much more akin to Star Trek: The Next Generation, but we’ll see. There’s a lot more story to tell and a lot more. We would love to see these characters again, and more in the 25th century. So should the television Gods smile upon us? We’ll be ready.”
All seasons of Star Trek: Picard plus endless Star Trek content is available now on Paramount+.
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Star Trek: Picard had a balanced content of old Star Trek style and modern woke content. I watched it with joy. On the other hand Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is an aggressive woke propaganda, and I could not finish watching even the first episode.
What does “woke” mean?