The much-anticipated return of Star Trek: Picard had Star Trek fans everywhere gripped with anticipation. After the surprise reveal of Jean-Luc Picard’s return in season one, the show’s showrunner, Akiva Goldsman, has now revealed that the latest twist was always part of the plan.
In the latest episode, viewers were fascinated by the surprise return of Jann Jheraxic, an old friend of Picard’s and a former Starfleet admiral. Jheraxic, played by Michelle Hurd, appeared in the series after more than a decade away from the franchise — a huge surprise to Star Trek fans everywhere.
However, it appears that Goldsman had planned for the character to return from the very beginning. Speaking to TrekMovie.com, Goldsman said that “You know Jean-Luc Picard better than anyone, and he does not exist in solitude. His friends, colleagues, and the family he has chosen are all part of who he is. So when the plot required more of them, we saw a chance to bring back familiar faces from Star Trek: The Next Generation which we would all find fulfilling.”
Goldsman also touched on how they were able to bring back Jheraxic so seamlessly. He explained that “We knew exactly where Michelle Hurd was and we reached out to her to see if she was available and interested. She was, and we were able to fit her into the production schedule and scripts. Fortunately, it all worked out! The story needed her, and the character’s appearance dovetailed nicely with other plot threads and story arcs we had going on at the same time. We were able to fit her in to all the pieces of the puzzle.”
Credit must go to Goldsman and the team behind Picard for being able to execute such a surprise return so spectacularly, and for planning for it from the very start. It just goes to show that if you have a great story to tell, anything is possible.
