“I still can’t believe Starfleet saw fit to give a thief, a pirate, and a spy their own ship.”
“Bunch of ne’er-do-wells and rule-breakers, really.”
“What could possibly go wrong?”
— Raffi Musiker, Jack Crusher, and Seven of Nine, respectively
If you watched Season 3 of “Picard”, then you know what I mean about a possible “Star Trek: Legacy” series. If not, you should probably go watch Picard S03 now and come back here when you’re done, else you run the risk of discovering a SPOILER or three.
Following the airing of the season/series finale, there was some talk about a “Legacy” series. I waited a few weeks to see if there would be any sort of official confirmation or denial of such a series in development, but I haven’t seen anything new in some time. So,… I may as well present a few of my own thoughts about it.
First, I am quite favorable toward this idea, and “Picard” showrunner Terry Matalas really wants to do it. He did a great job with Season 3, including laying the groundwork for a potential spinoff. There is plenty of enthusiasm for the characters already assigned to the Enterprise-G, and I’ll bet many of the actors would be up for it.
I would prefer that the series be the same format and feel as TNG was, but I would be open to something a little different. The legacy, of course, begins with the USS Titan-A’s rename to USS Enterprise-G, newly-minted Captain Seven of Nine (from “Voyager” and “Picard”), First Officer Raffi Musiker (who is actually new to the franchise as of “Picard”), Jack Crusher (also new as of “Picard” but with genetic links to Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher, of course), and Helmsman Sidney La Forge (also new as of “Picard” and one of the daughters of TNG’s Geordi La Forge).
I would like to see more of Raffi’s family as they reconcile, including video calls between them. Maybe her son Gabe or ex-husband Jae could be involved in a mission or two — either intentionally or accidentally. There is the developing friendship (or even romance) between Jack Crusher and Sidney La Forge to explore, and I certainly wouldn’t object to appearances by other La Forge family members or maybe even Beverly Crusher. (Gates McFadden wants to do it. But, I’m assuming Patrick Stewart is “done”, having left the franchise on a great note.) I wouldn’t mind seeing Soji and/or Elnor (both from “Picard”) show up in a couple episodes, either.
Although Captain Liam Shaw was killed in the line of duty, I think they should work him into a story or two somehow — time-travel? dream? memory flashback? holodeck program? Q-snap?
The cameo of John de Lancie as ‘Q’ in the finale’s mid-credits scene can’t be ignored. I admit, I am not a huge Q fan. But, given a legacy-themed series and what Q said in that cameo, it would make sense for him to show up. Maybe even in the pilot. In that vein, maybe he could then hand over the task of vexing/testing Crusher to Q2, who appeared in one VOY episode and was played by Keegan de Lancie. (Keegan would be nearly 40 years old, now.) Of course, that was Keegan’s last on-screen acting job, and (as per IMDB) he is now working for the U.S. State Department. Otoh, maybe his younger (but inexperienced) brother Owen could do it?
With Seven of Nine as captain, it only makes sense to have a few of her “Voyager” castmates appear. We already saw Tuvok in “Picard”, and he could make recurring cameos. I’d love to see Admiral Janeway in at least a cameo, congratulating Seven on her new command. Maybe a guest appearance or two would be in order, as well. Same goes for Kim, Torres, Paris, Neelix, Chakotay, even the Doctor. (They would either have to de-age Robert Picardo or explain why the Doctor chooses to appear to age.) The “legacy” thread here would include Janeway’s past mentoring of Seven and celebrating how far she has come since joining Voyager’s crew. But, there could also be “legacy” threads specific to new storylines — e.g., if Torres and Paris have any children. I wouldn’t rush to get them all in in the first season, however.
What about “legacy” links to other Trek series? The most obvious legacy character would be Worf’s son, Alexander Rozhenko. I wouldn’t want to rehash everything from his TNG/DS9 appearances, but there is certainly plenty of material to mine there. Is Kestra Troi-Riker too young? (Actress Lulu Wilson was born Oct. 2005.) According to Matalas, dialogue was cut that indicated Kestra was attending Starfleet Academy. I think she would be a fun character to bring back, maybe as a Cadet temporarily assigned to the Enterprise-G. Perhaps we could see a story that introduced (via flashbacks or whatever) Kestra’s deceased older brother, Thaddeus.
Wesley Crusher would seem to be an obvious choice, but his cameo in season 2 of “Picard” was sufficient for me, since I’m not much of a fan. I would just as well leave him traveling the stars among the Travelers. As for DS9 characters, any of the main ones could be fun. But, if we focused on the younger ones, it might be nice to see what Jake Sisko is up to — maybe in an episode paying tribute to Nog, played by the late Aron Eisenberg. It would be cool if Molly O’Brien showed up at some point, too.
That’s all I have. There are other notable characters whose descendants could have either regular or guest roles, of course. (I’m sure some of you have ideas along these lines.) But, it has been years since I watched the older series, so they aren’t coming to mind for me. For now, I’m just hoping we get an announcement within the next year or so that a “Star Trek: Legacy” series is in development. (Preferably with softer tones and better lighting for the new Enterprise’s bridge.) Who’s with me?
Heroes and Aliens 