Screenshots from CBS / Paramount Louvois, Anij, and Vash all vied for Picard’s attention.
First Contact Day 2021 revealed so much of what fans can expect in the coming months from the Star Trek Universe. Fans learned about Captain Janeway’s new role on the upcoming Star Trek: Prodigy show, the mysterious new villain in season 4 of Discovery, and much more.
We also learned a whole lot about the new season of Star Trek: Picard, which will debut in 2022. Thanks to a teaser trailer and an appearance on the First Contact Day live stream, we now know that John de Lancie’s “Q” will return to bedevil Jean-Luc once more. Q did appear for a few brief moments during season 1 of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
The big reveal that Q will return has been building since the end of the Star Trek: The Next Generation series, when he and Picard battled for the very existence of humanity through the “All Good Things…” season finale. Some fans wondered why Q never appeared in any of the four TNG films that followed.
While that debate is undoubtedly a good one, there is a different conversation around something almost important as life — which is love. In this case, the many would-be loves of Captain Picard.
Stewart Said He Wishes Picard’s Relationship With Lily Sloane Had Continued
“beverly… it’s still me.”
a scene i haven’t been able to stop thinking about since the season finale: crusher meets the new picard. enjoy! ✨ #startrek #startrekpicard
Most all fans can say that the relationship between Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher was what they wanted to see. They were very close, yet there was friction between them due to their past relationships with Crusher’s husband. That coupling ranks as probably the most wished-for and written-about relationship for Picard.
Perhaps in second place was Vash, the adventurer played by actress Jennifer Hetrick. If fans of TNG felt sparks fly on screen, it was because Stewart and Hetrick were romantically involved in real life.
There are a few other women in Picard’s life who might have made an interesting partnership on Picard’s vineyard in France. These include Phillipa Louvois (played by Amanda McBroom), who presided over the trial of Mr. Data in the classic TNG episode “The Measure Of A Man.” Louvois certainly knew how to get under Picard’s skin while calling him a “damn sexy man.”
#StarTrek fun fact of the day. Remember Philippa Louvois, the JAG captain from “The Measure of a Man”? The one that calls Picard “a pomous ass…and a damn sexy man”? Did you know that the actress, Amanda McBroom, wrote the song “The Rose,” which was made famous by Bette Midler?
Screenrant assembled a few other contenders, including Marta Banatides, Jenice Manheim and Anij from Star Trek: Insurrection.
During the First Contact Day session on April 5, 2021, with Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Alice Krige and hosted by Wil Wheaton, the cast from Star Trek: First Contact reminisced about what a great film and script it was. They also spoke about some of what they left behind.
Stewart talked about the relationship between Picard and Lily Sloane (played by Alfre Woodard).
“There was a worldly quality about her, and an experience of life that she had that was so very different from the crew of the Enterprise,” said Stewart on the live stream video. “And that had a direct impact on how I played the scenes with her.”
“Not that I’m suggesting that I faked stuff, but I felt there was a challenge to really search heartfelt emotion and feelings,” said Stewart. “That is what made all of my moments with her so memorable and telling.”
“We never managed to do anything like that again, did we, Jonathan?” Stewart asked Frakes, who agreed.
“No. And it’s one of those little sadnesses that I have … [where] something else didn’t show up that involved Alfre,” said Stewart.
Woodard Could ‘Go Head-to-Head’ With Stewart, Frakes Says
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Frakes said there was a specific reason why Woodard was cast opposite Stewart.
“When [Executive Producer Rick Berman] found out I had a relationship with her, we just offered her the part,” said Frakes. “We had met with a number of movie stars, and then it became clear that casting Alfre in that part, not only is she a great actor, she isn’t who you think of in an action-adventure-horror movie.”
“She added a gravitas, and she also could go head-to-head with Patrick,” said Frakes in the interview.
The season 2 teaser trailer relies heavily on imagery and Stewart’s voice, which reveal that time will be the subject that Picard will have to deal with. Perhaps, if time is not an issue, fans could see Picard and Lily Sloane together again.
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