Trekkies around the world had high hopes for the final season of “Star Trek: Picard,” which brought back the entire crew of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” While the movie-length finale didn’t disappoint, featuring a dramatic showdown with a re-emerged Borg Queen, it was the show’s final moments that got fans buzzing. As the series closed out its run, former Borg drone Seven of Nine was promoted to captain and put in command of the U.S.S. Titan, rechristened as the U.S.S. Enterprise-G.
Captain Seven of Nine and the new Enterprise also had a bold new crew, including First Officer Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) and Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) alongside Lt. Arliss Mura (Joseph Lee), Ensign Esmar (Jin Maley), Ensign La Forge (Ashlei Sharp Chestnutt), and Dr. Ohk (Tiffany Shepis). Following a post-credits scene where the enigmatic Q (John de Lancie) tells Jack that a new adventure is just beginning, audiences were left with the distinct impression that they’d be getting a spin-off following the missions of this new Enterprise and its intrepid crew.
Adding fuel to the speculation fire, shortly after the episode aired, showrunner and series creator Terry Matalas teased just such a potential follow-up, a hypothetical spin-off he proposed would be titled “Star Trek: Legacy.” He was adamant that there were no active plans for such a series, but co-star Jonathan Frakes has been happy to speculate and share his own ideas, describing his ideal version of the show and the cast he wants to see come onboard — one that includes himself and his frequent co-star, Marina Sirtis.
Riker’s dream team
Despite the fact that his character, Admiral — err, Captain — Riker, isn’t seen on the new Enterprise at the end of “Star Trek: Picard,” Jonathan Frakes has high hopes that he’ll be part of the proposed spin-off, “Star Trek: Legacy.” Because showrunner Terry Matalas described the series as a vehicle intended to feature more “Trek” returns, it would involve “mixing in” legacy characters like Riker, Troi, and Picard — hence, the title. Asked about his possible participation, Frakes, in an interview with Star Trek Explorer, said he has his own idea on how to make the show work.
The way Frakes sees it, the series would feature the entire crew of the Enterprise-G we saw at the end of “Picard,” with him and his wife, Deanna Troi (Sirtis), serving as mentors. He likened his potential role in “Legacy” to another famous TV character, saying, “I’m only half-kidding when I say it would be great for me if the show carries on and I’m like Charlie from ‘Charlie’s Angels.'” But while the infamous Charlie never made an on-screen appearance in the classic “Angels” series, Frakes imagines Riker’s role in “Star Trek: Legacy” a little differently.
“They’d have to come to my office one day a week for a meeting with Riker. That’d be perfect. Then I could direct a bunch of the episodes and be around the show.” It might sound self-serving, sure, but Frakes does happen to be one of the franchise’s most beloved stars, and he plays one of the biggest fan-favorite characters, so as long as his wants and fan desire aligns — why not?
Why is Star Trek: Legacy still in limbo?
Despite “Star Trek: Picard” closing out its final episodes in mid-2023, its proposed follow-up, “Star Trek: Legacy,” is still sitting dormant in a drawer somewhere rather than airing or even being scheduled to head in front of a camera. As of this writing, there’s been no movement towards making the idea a reality since the “Picard” finale aired. Of course, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been interest from the studio in a sequel to Patrick Stewart’s show. In a surprising development, Seven of Nine actor Jeri Ryan has revealed that she’d been asked to return for a sequel that wasn’t “Star Trek: Legacy” — and that she turned it down.
Still, if it’s “Legacy” everyone wants, there’s always a chance it might happen; after all, longtime “Trek” producer Alex Kurtzman is all for it. “If I had a magic button, a magic greenlight button, for ‘Star Trek: Legacy,’ and it was all on me, I’d push that button today,” he told Den of Geek in 2024. It’s not entirely up to Kurtzman, though, as he revealed that it’s the higher-level studio folks who are holding it back, saying, “Right now, it’s beyond my pay grade.” Unfortunately, it seems that despite fans, producers, and cast all hoping for it to happen, Paramount may not be convinced.
Still, while Ryan is always hesitant to commit herself to “Star Trek” projects like “Legacy” before they’re full-formed, as she put it, anything is possible. “If there is one thing I have learned with this franchise, it is: never say never. You never know,” she told fans at 2025’s SpaceCon (via TrekMovie.com). After all, as recently as 2019, most fans probably thought it a pipe dream that we’d ever see Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of “TNG” on the bridge of the Enterprise-D in a series featuring Seven of Nine.
