A Fond Farewell: Why ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Original Cast Didn’t Return for Season 3

Star Trek: Picard’s third and final season was met with widespread acclaim, largely due to its
highly anticipated reunion of the core cast from Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, this
celebrated return came at a cost: the absence of most of the new characters introduced in
Picard’s first two seasons. Showrunner Terry Matalas has openly addressed this “terrible” but
necessary “sacrifice.”

The primary reason for the shift was budgetary. While Picard had a substantial budget, bringing
back the entire Next Generation ensemble—Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis,
LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, and Brent Spiner—alongside the established Picard cast was
simply not financially feasible. Matalas’s vision for Season 3 was to deliver a true “TNG”
reunion, a goal that required prioritizing the iconic characters over the newer additions. As a
result, fan-favorite characters like Isa Briones’ Soji, Santiago Cabrera’s Cristobal Rios, Evan
Evagora’s Elnor, and Alison Pill’s Dr. Agnes Jurati were written out or their storylines concluded
in prior seasons, leaving only Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine and Michelle Hurd’s Raffi Musiker as
consistent presences from the original Picard crew.

This decision, though heartbreaking for some viewers who had grown attached to the new
characters, ultimately allowed for the beloved Next Generation reunion that resonated deeply
with long-time Star Trek fans.