What can you expect in Star Trek: Picard season two?

As the Star Trek universe continues to expand at Paramount Plus, the most beloved Starfleet Captain of all has returned. Star Trek: Picard season two starts early in the new year. Many familiar faces join Picard, and some new ones are joining the adventure as well.

With time travel gimmicks, the return of old enemies and allies and the continuation of the storylines started in the first season, the second season of Picard already looks like a lot of fun.

So read on to find out everything we know about the show’s second season. From the release date to the cast to a new trailer, rumors and Easter eggs and more – we have it all for you.

And if you’re not a Paramount Plus subscriber, you can click the link below to sign up now.

Before the second season of Picard, it’s worth looking back at what happened in the first season.

With Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard now retired and living his life in peace on his French vineyard, he has plenty of time to find out about the death of his friend and colleague, the Cyborg Data, and his failure to prevent the destruction of Romulus, ponder. Disaffected by Starfleet because of their refusal to protect Romulus, he spends his time almost isolated in his castle.

But when a young woman who claims to be Data’s daughter tracks down Picard, he’s pushed back into the action and puts together a team of outcasts to track down Data’s other daughter and get some answers.

See also: The best science fiction shows on Netflix

The season explored topics related to genetic experimentation, artificial intelligence, and military intervention, and challenged many of the underlying principles of Starfleet seen in previous Star Trek titles.

Picard was very well received by critics, who frequently noted Patrick Stewart’s enduring excellence in the title role, as well as the show’s overall good fit into the enduring Star Trek lore.

What is Picard’s second season about?

Paramount has not yet released a detailed summary of the second season of Picard, but a first trailer reveals a lot.

The trailer begins with Picard seemingly recalling events from his childhood, suggesting that the series covers some background information on the legendary captain before joining Starfleet.

But the central plot seems to focus on a time travel-centric mission. We see Q return, we test Picard and we start a crisis.

Q causes a change in the past, affects the present of the series and turns the world into a “totalitarian nightmare”. Suddenly, Starfleet’s badges take on an aesthetic reminiscent of Nazi Germany and adaptations of George Orwell’s 1984.

With this new, unacceptable status quo, Picard and his new team are traveling back to the 21st century.

When and where can you see it?

The second season of Picard will premiere on Paramount Plus in the US in February 2022.

Amazon Prime Video was the official carrier of the Star Trek series in over 200 countries outside the US and will also host Picard in season two. In Canada, Bell Media takes over distribution via the CTV Sci-Fi Channel and the streaming service Crave.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is currently streamed on Paramount Plus. The second season of Picard is preceded by the fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery, which premieres on November 18. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is also expected to bow in 2022, albeit likely after Picard’s second season.

Star Trek: Picard has also been extended for a third season, although there is still no information on when they will be shot or aired.

Who is involved

Many actors are returning for Picard’s second season, including the eponymous Starfleet Captain Patrick Stewart.

Also returning are the following members of the main cast of the first season:

• Alison Pill as Agnes Jurati
• Isa Briones as Sji / Sutra / Dahj
• Evan Evagora as Elnor
• Michelle Hurd as Rafaella “Raffi” musician
• Santiago Cabrera as Cristóbal Rios
• Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
• Orla Brady as Laris
• Brent Spiner as data

New to the cast is John de Lancie, who repeats his role as Q from previous Star Trek series The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Lower Decks. Q is both a character and the name of his entire race of god-like beings. In The Next Generation, de Lancie often portrayed him as a cartoon character, often a thorn in Picard’s side. In general, however, the Q always seemed to focus on the well-being of humanity.

The trailer for the second season also shows the Borg Queen. Paramount did not list Alice Krige or Susanna Thompson among the cast. Krige and Thompson played the Borg Queen in previous Star Trek series and films. According to IMDB, Annie Wersching will take on the role.

Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, Terry Matalas, Patrick Stewart, Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Doug Aarniokoski and Dylan Massin are executive producers for the second season, with Kirsten Beyer co-producing.

Akiva Goldsman and Terry Matalas serve as co-showrunners.

What to expect in Picard’s second season

We still have a lot of questions about Picard. But the trailer is crammed with clues and teasing about what to expect. Here are a few open questions about where season two might take us:

• The first season of Picard ended with Raffi and Seven holding hands, and the second season seems to be exploring their developing relationship as a couple. The trailer shows them arguing as they work together as the two vehemently independent women find their rhythm together. The romance between Raffi and Seven is in line with the current Star Trek series with explicitly queer characters, especially in Star Trek: Discovery.
• In the first season of Picard, The Next Generation stars Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis returned as William T. Riker and Deanna Troi, respectively. Other series stars like LeVar Burton and Gates McFadden have hinted they might be involved, though it’s unclear who might appear when. It seems reasonable to assume that we’ll see some familiar faces from yesterday’s Star Treks.
• Where’s Whoopi Goldberg? In 2020, Patrick Steward officially invited Goldberg to join the cast of the second season in a touching exchange through The View. Goldberg previously played Guinan, a bartender on the Starship Enterprise and frequent confidante of Starfleet members. Goldberg and Akiva Goldsman teased their involvement while conspicuously providing almost no details. This could mean they are picking up an important revelation from Guinan.
• Will the Department of Temporal Investigations appear? In earlier Star Trek series, the Department of Temporal Investigations was always called in when members of Starfleet manipulated the timeline. It looks like there will be a lot of timeline contamination going on in Picard’s second season.
• Could the Borg Queen restore the Borg collective? In the first season we learn that the Borg have been largely defeated. Former members of the Borg are now being reintegrated into society. But the Borg queen seems to retain some of her power. And using them to travel back in time can create some complications for Picard and his companions.

So that’s what we know about Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard – and a handful of things we still worry about.

You can join in February or catch up on Season 1 now at Paramount Plus.