We might not know where the Picard series will take us, but thanks to a casting call issued recently, we do know who the former Enterprise Captain with take on his next adventure.
Initially reported on The Hashtag Show, the developing series main characters (well, the main characters who aren’t Picard) have been released on the hunt for the perfect actors for the role.
The new character descriptions are as follows – however, let us now throw up a disclaimer that this information hasn’t been verified by CBS and is reportedly being cast as ‘The Drawing Room’
Connie: A mercenary pilot of a transport ship and a widow with a death warrant on her head, issued by her home planet. Casting call asks for an African American in her 30’s. Connie is described as having a quick temper while also being quick to forgive.
Lawrence: The main pilot of Picard’s ship, Lawrence is an experienced and talented thief with a ‘dodgy moral compass and questionable loyalty. Listed as male in his 30’s, Lawrence appearance is only described as ‘handsome’.
Starton: Joining in on the research element of Picards mission, Starton is a scientist specialising in positronic brains and who just happens to be terrified of being in space. This role is seeking another male in his 30’s. His casting call hints at self depreciating charm with an unmentioned character evolution throughout the run.
Dr Smith: In what sounds like a combination of Data and Voyagers EMH, Smith is a hologram programmed to constantly learn but never become too self aware. He’s designed to assist with nearly any emergency from engineering to science and while he has difficulty understanding others emotions, he is designed to be calm and have a tonne of empathy to dish out.
K’Bar, a teenage Romulan martial artist who is extremely devoted to Picard. K’Bar is the only child of a predominantly female spiritual group who is himself impulsive and dangerous. Casting asks for martial arts skills and optional fencing.
Indira: A woman in her early 20’s who’s highly intelligent, but with a lack of social awareness. Cut off from home, Indira is still finding her place in the galactic world and sounds like she needs to find maturity while under the guidance of Picard
Alana: A former intelligence officer who see’s conapiracies and lies everywhere, Alana is an alcoholic and drug user with an incredible memory and brilliance as an analyst. Alana is irritated with her own vulnerability and sounds as if she’s got more confidence than most will be able to handle. The role is seeking a woman in her 40’s to 50’s.
From the listed information, it’s still difficult to tell the plot of the show. But it does sound more like Picard’s undercover work in ‘Gambit’ than it does a Starfleet mission. Aside from Picard, it’s possible that only Smith and Starton have Starfleet experience, while Alana sounds potentially like a former Section 31 Agent if they’re aiming to keep the threads from Discovery alive.
While it’s sheer speculation on our part, with Michelle Yeoh’s era of Section 31 potentially tied to Starfleet, this could be the first Star Trek show to be completely Starfleet-free. Though while the crew sounds like they are far from being officers of the fine fleet, it’s possible there could be a connection or that it’s a black ops mission of sorts.
What We Know
From what little else CBS has released on the show, we do know that is will take place twenty years after Picards last outing in Nemesis and the destruction of Romulus via the death of the Hobus Star – first seen in 2009 as the flashpoint to a series of events leading to the disappearance of Spock and the vengeance of Nero – and will again be in the ‘Prime Timeline’.
We also know through announcements from star and producer Patrick Stewart that the series is scheduled for a ten episode run with the objective to run approximately three seasons.
Also mentioned in the casting descriptions in an artifact, something Connie is carrying on her ship, though there’s no indication what it is; but obviously important enough to mention in her mini-bio.
We may have more answers soon enough as the untitled Picard series is set to begin filming this April. However early estimations of a late 2019 release have already been potentially pushed back to mid-2020.
As always we’ll continue delving into the new continuing mission through Comms, with the latest issue featuring a look and analysis of what could be for each rumoured and confirmed series of Trek. To find out more about Comms and how to read the full issue, visit our Comms Preview or join the conversation on the new era of Trek with the fleet and Enlist Today!
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