Patrick Stewart had a different idea for how he wanted Star Trek: Picard to end its run on Paramount+.
In the series finale, Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard is seen toasting with his fellow crew members. However, in the actor’s new memoir titled Making It So, Stewart reveals he pitched the writers of the show an idea on how he wanted the show to end.
“What I’d like to see at the end of the show is a content Jean-Luc. I want to see Picard perfectly at ease with his situation. Not anxious, not in a frenzy, not depressed. And I think this means that there is a wife in the picture,” reads an excerpt from Stewart’s memoir that Time shared.
Stewart continued, “The writers came up with a lovely scene. It is dusk at Jean-Luc’s vineyard. His back is to us as he takes in the view, his dog at his side. Then, off-screen, a woman’s loving voice is heard: ‘Jean-Luc? Supper’s ready!’ Is it Beverly Crusher’s voice? Laris’s? Someone we don’t know? It isn’t made clear. But [my real-life wife] Sunny was set to record the lines. Heeding his wife’s call, Jean-Luc turns around, says to his dog, ‘C’mon, boy,’ and heads inside. Dusk fades to night, and Picard fades into history.”
Although Stewart’s alternative ending idea was scripted, the scene was never shot due to timing.
“I was assured that we would take care of the final scene upon my return from New York,” Stewart added. “But I never got a call. When I made a few inquiries, I kept getting put off. Finally, someone told me, ‘The studio doesn’t want to do it. It’s too expensive and they think it’s unnecessary.’ Unnecessary? I thought it was crucial to the completion of Picard’s arc. But so be it: the TV series ended with the toast, which is a warm, emotional send-off to my favorite Starfleet crew. Either way, you now know of my original intent.”
Stewart doesn’t lose hope in filming the finale he came up with as he also revealed he’s been pushing for a standalone Picard movie.
“This would be an expansion and deepening of the universe as we’ve seen it in Star Trek: Picard,” he said. “I’ve discussed this with Jonathan [Frakes], Brent [Spiner], and LeVar [Burton], and they are all game. Jonathan is my first choice to direct it.”
