In hindsight, the best thing to ever happen to ‘Star Trek‘ was its unaired pilot. ‘The Cage,’ which introduced us to Christopher Pike, set a precedent for the ‘Star Trek’ universe that has never been broken. Characters can (and do) cross over between series and timelines, but always as a way of showing the evolving history of the Federation and its citizens. Whereas other franchises might get dinged for bringing back familiar faces and exploring established backstories, ‘Star Trek’ has made that a core part of its identity since pretty much day one. What looks like fanservice elsewhere is an integral part of how these stories evolve.
READ MORE: Watch the First Teaser for ‘Star Trek: Picard’
Not that a lot of people were going to be skeptical about “Star Trek: Picard” in the first place. Our shared love of Patrick Stewart, Human Being, is only matched by our shared love of Patrick Stewart, Iconic ‘Star Trek’ Actor, so the response to the new CBS All Access series was unabashedly positive. It didn’t hurt that the first trailer was pretty great; it also doesn’t hurt that this new trailer, which debuted at New York Comic Con this afternoon, is downright amazing.
READ MORE: Michael Chabon Named Showrunner for ‘Star Trek: Picard’
We’d seen Brent Spiner‘s Data and Jeri Ryan‘s Seven of Nine in the first trailer, but the new trailer offers us our first look at Jonathan Frakes‘s William Riker and Marina Sitris‘s Deanna Troi. The trailer also expands on the universe a little; we see more of the planets and places that Picard will explore with his new crew, and we get a better feeling for how little he enjoys his performative position as Living Legend Jean-Luc Picard. Much like “Star Trek: Discovery,” the new series feels undeniably fresh while also feeling… well, undeniably ‘Star Trek.’ This one is gonna be fun.
“Star Trek: Picard” will premiere on January 23 on CBS All Access.