Picard boss reveals Star Trek Generations cameo was "a coincidence"

Episode 3, titled Seventeen Seconds, raised the stakes as the crew of the U.S.S. Titan were pursued deeper into the nebula, where the starship's systems began to falter.

The instalment also brought back actor Henry Dekker as a mysterious villain named Titus Rikka, who was later revealed to be a Changeling.

Fans were quick to spot that Dekker previously appeared in Star Trek Generations as a child actor, playing Jean-Luc Picard's (Sir Patrick Stewart) imaginary son, Thomas Picard.

Asked whether it was a deliberate choice to bring Dekker back, Matalas told Digital Spy: "No, he just auditioned for the role and he's fantastic."

Talking about how the cameo was completely coincidental, Matalas added: "It didn't actually dawn on us until we were shooting that that was the case, that [Dekker] had been [...] part of it before.

"But wow, is he good in that scene? Yeah. Like he's so good."

Episode 3 also treated fans to a confrontation between Sir Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc and Gates McFadden's Dr Beverly Crusher as the former realised that Jack Crusher was actually his son.

Actor Jeri Ryan previously revealed that season 3 will be the final season of Picard, saying: "And just like that, it’s done. That’s a series wrap on #StarTrekPicard. So surreal since season 2 has just started airing. I can’t wait for you all to see what’s to come in season 3! Huge love to our incredible cast and crew. What [a] journey this has been…"

When a fan asked whether this meant future seasons wouldn't be on the cards, Ryan confirmed: "Nope, it was always intended to be 3 and done."

Star Trek: Picard is available to stream on Prime Video. Sign up for a 30-day free trial of Prime Videoand pay £8.99 a month after that.

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