The legendary actor had expressed enthusiasm for returning as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a proposed spin-off that would have reunited familiar Starfleet characters with a new generation of officers, but the project never received the go-ahead.
Patrick Stewart had been preparing to return to the Star Trek universe once again before his death aged 86, with plans for the actor to make guest appearances in an abandoned sequel series.
The British star, who died at his Los Angeles home on 28 October following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, had publicly expressed interest in reprising Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Legacy.
The proposed Paramount+ series would have continued the story after the conclusion of Star Trek: Picard in 2023, bringing together established characters and a new generation of Starfleet officers.
Terry Matalas, the showrunner behind the final season of Picard, revealed Patrick’s enthusiasm for the project during an appearance on the Dropping Names podcast, hosted by his former co-stars Brent Spiner, 77, and Jonathan Frakes, 74.
He said: “Legacy wasn’t supposed to just be like we’re just going to keep doing Next Gen. It was supposed to bring in new people, young, switch off. We had a great idea for Worf and Alexander and the Klingons, but it was going to be back to feeling like Next Gen. Patrick was like, ‘I want to come and be the one who gets on the screen and tells him missions.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know why we’re not doing this’.”
The comments, reported by TrekMovie, revealed that Patrick had wanted to remain involved in the franchise despite the conclusion of his own television series.
The proposed spin-off would have featured Jeri Ryan, 58, returning as Seven of Nine, now captain of the USS Enterprise-G, alongside Michelle Hurd, 59, as first officer Raffaela Musiker and Ed Speleers, 38, as Jack Crusher.
Although the idea attracted considerable interest from fans following the final season of Picard, it never progressed beyond the planning stage and was not formally commissioned.
Terry subsequently moved to Marvel Television’s VisionQuest, which began its run this week, leaving the proposed Legacy series without its original creative lead.
Patrick had become synonymous with Jean-Luc Picard after first taking command of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987.
The series ran until 1994 and established the Yorkshire-born Shakespearean actor as an international television star, before he reprised the role in several films and the streaming series Star Trek: Picard.
His portrayal of the measured and intellectual Starfleet captain contrasted with the more impulsive Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner, 95, in the original series.
Patrick previously discussed how closely his own personality had become connected with his most famous television character.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2022, he said: “As the seven seasons of TNG (“The Next Generation”) went by, the distinction between Jean-Luc Picard and Patrick Stewart became thinner and thinner, until it was impossible for me to know where he left off and I began. So much of what I believed and felt went into that show.”
The actor’s death was confirmed in a statement shared on his social media account on Thursday.
The statement said: “We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.”
Patrick, who married American musician Sunny Ozell in 2013, had continued working into his 80s, including returning as Professor Charles Xavier in Marvel’s X-Men franchise.
He will appear posthumously as Professor X in Avengers: Doomsday, which is scheduled for release on 18 December 2026.
Patrick Stewart’s secret ‘Star Trek’ comeback plans revealed after death as creator exposes abandoned project
