The third and final season of “Star Trek: Picard” ended in a pretty great tribute to the iconic final moments of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as the core team played a game of poker together while the camera gave us a god’s eye view of the game during the credits.
It was a lovely bit that leads to a brief post-credits sequence which seems to set up a potential “Star Trek: Legacy” as Q pays a visit to Jack Crusher. It turns out though that Stewart had a different idea for an epilogue for this episode.
Slashfilm reports that in his recently released autobiography “Making It So: A Memoir,” there was an additional scene being considered to take place after the bar room poker scene, one that would offer closure for one aspect of the character.
Specifically, it would’ve dealt with Picard’s romantic life which was a plot point across the series but ultimately didn’t quite reach a proper ending. The series as it stands ends with Picard’s twilight years seemingly being spent alone (aside from good friends) which is perfectly fine. In the book though, he says a brief sequence he wanted to do would suggest Picard did end up finding a significant other:
“The third season came off magnificently. But its final scene, in which the reunited crew is gathered around a table with drinks, sharing a toast, is not how it was originally supposed to end. I had a different idea, which I brought to the writers a few months before we wrapped the series.
‘What I’d like to see at the end of the show,’ I told them, ‘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.’
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 Sunny [Ozell, Stewart’s current wife] 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.”
Stewart adds that whilst that scene was planned, ultimately it was never shot because the finale shoot was running late on its final day. He suggested to the producers he return whenever the crew had a moment to shoot the scene, but he “never got a call” and the studio must’ve thought “it was unnecessary”.
As is, the ending and the final season overall has been widely acclaimed and is now available on disc.
