Big news out of San Diego Comic-Con’s Star Trek panel today as CBS All Access confirmed we will be seeing more stories about the crew of the USS Enterprise from before the era of Captain Kirk. Anson Mount’s Captain Pike, Ethan Peck’s Spock, and Rebecca Romijn’s Number One will return for a series of Star Trek: Short Treks.
Peck and Romijn debuted as the characters in Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, serving on the iconic starship about 10 years before James T. Kirk would be running things on the classic series.
There will be six shorts this time out. Three will involve the Enterprise crew, two will be animated, and one will be a Star Trek: Picard teaser. The episode titles are “Ask Not,” “Q&A,” “The Trouble with Edward,” “The Girl Who Made the Stars,” “Ephaim and Dot,” and “Children of Mars,” as revealed in a trailer for the shorts which debuted during the panel.
Star Trek overtook Hall H — the “big room” — at Comic-Con today, where the Enter the Star Trek Universe Panel stretched over 90 minutes. It’s truly an amazing time to be a Star Trek fan, where at least three television series are in production and several other projects are in various stages of development. Star Trek: Discovery is of course where this new age of CBS All Access Trek began, and series star Sonequa Martin-Green was on hand at the panel along with executive producers Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise and Heather Kadin to preview what’s to come in Season 3 of the show now that the Discovery and her crew have been transported a thousand years into their future.
As expected, the countdowns in Fortnite: Battle Royale that we saw pop up recently were leading to a fight between a giant mech robot and a huge monster. The live event took place on the afternoon of Saturday, July 20, and the robot has emerged victorious–an event that brings with it a few changes, as you can see in the video above.
Season 9’s story has involved the potential emergence of a monster, and so the robot was essentially built in preparation. The monster showed up during today’s event, with the mech activating in response. The two squared off across the island, with the mech losing an arm at one point. The two tried to break into the Loot Lake vault, but despite being down an arm, the robot was successful in doing so; this caused a sort of orb to appear that gave it the strength to stagger the monster.
Having bought some extra time, the robot was able to pull a large sword out of the ground (its hilt was actually a statue at Neo Tilted pond) and stuck it right through the monster’s head. The robot then flew off (having flossed and saluted onlookers), leaving behind both the monster and sword as new elements on the map.
Just before “The Big Showdown,” as Epic refers to it, took place, the developer disabled all game modes to ensure this was showcased. Players who were online at the time of the event were able to watch all of this action unfold with the help of jetpacks, which helped make it easier to take it all in. They were not active participants, however; this was purely a battle between the two giants. What exactly this portends for Season 10 is unclear, but it was nonetheless cool to see–watch a replay of the event above.
With the impending arrival of Batwoman, The CW isn’t holding back when it comes to bringing out the big guns. During the show’s inaugural San Diego Comic-Con panel, two major names were revealed as being integrated into the series.
First and foremost, it was announced that Burt Ward, the iconic actor who played Robin on the original Batman TV series, will appear in the Crisis on Infinite Earths five-part crossover this season. While it wasn’t confirmed he would be appearing as the Boy Wonder, it’s worth noting that Legends of Tomorrow star Brandon Routh will appear as a version of Superman. So it sounds like Ward’s Robin may pop up somehow.
Another major reveal was that Season 1 will see the introduction of Tommy Elliot, who Batman fans know as the alter ego of the villain Hush. Based on what showrunner Caroline Dries said, it sounds like viewers will see the origin of the character. For those that don’t follow the comics, Elliot was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne who ultimately killed his abusive father before eventually becoming the masked killer known as Hush.
Dries also noted that Batwoman will not be recycling villains from elsewhere in the Arrow-verse, but will instead dig deep into the library of baddies from the Batman and Batwoman comics. As for whether Batman himself will make a substantial appearance, Dries claimed “anything is possible.”
That said, executive producer Sarah Schecter pointed out that in the beginning, at least, the focus is entirely on Kate and her story, much like the first seasons of Supergirl were about Kara’s (Melissa Benoist) journey. It’s worth pointing out, though, that Supergirl did introduce Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) so anything truly is possible.
After recovering from a heart attack in early 2018, film director Kevin Smith began a lengthy process of modifying his health regimen. Conveniently enough, this included following up on a promise that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams made to come visit the film’s set when he recovered. During Comic Con 2019, Smith revealed to IGN that Abrams had actually stopped him from seeing the final shot of Star Wars Episode 9 because it would “melt your mind.”
The Star Trek franchise is full of series’ that introduce and flesh out legendary characters, but usually, those series come to their ends and we never see most of the characters again. Occasionally those influential commanding officers get off-hand mentions in future Star Trek runs–but Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard is breaking the mold with Star Trek: Picard, a new series that delves back into the life of the Star Trek: The Next Generation captain.
The series will appear on CBS’s streaming service, CBS All Access, but a lot of details are still pretty hazy about the story the show will tell. San Diego Comic-Con 2019 attendees got a few additional hints and looks into Captain Picard’s life and career, and there’s a lot of peripheral information that gives a sense of where the series might go. Here’s everything we’ve learned about Picard and what we expect from the show based on its first few teasers.
First Picard Trailer Takes Jean-Luc Out Of The Vineyard
Comic-Con finally brought the first real Picard trailer, and it sets up the story and shows that Jean-Luc won’t be spending all his time in the vineyard. It also showcases many of the returning characters and elements from The Next Generation, including the Borg.
As Cait Petrakovitz from GameSpot sister site CNET detailed, Comic-Con is home to a Picard exhibit that looks into the biography and career of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D captain.
Most of the items and information in the museum are things fans will recognize from The Next Generation, but looking into Picard the man is sure to provide some helpful context for the next phase of his life when the series kicks off.
It’s Set After Captain Picard’s Retirement
A central focus of everything we’ve seen so far for the show is a vineyard. Though we last left Captain Picard when he was still a member of Starfleet, we know from a time skip in the finale episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that Picard’s retirement eventually finds him taking care of his family’s vineyard in France. It seems that’s where we find him in the show, but the circumstances of what led Picard to choose a farming life over his Starfleet commission are still mysterious.
The First Teaser Suggests Things Ended Badly For Captain Picard
The first teaser trailer for Picard, released on May 23, provides a little more context to how one of Starfleet’s most celebrated leaders left the space exploration life. Voice-over narration provides some hints, while leaving quite a bit of mystery. Watch the teaser below.
The narrator is a member of a group of people who were in some unexplained dire straits some 15 years before the start of the series. Picard, an admiral at the time, led the largest rescue armada in Federation history in order to save those people–and from the sounds of things, they revere him for it. But it seems something horrible also happened during the mission, and that’s the event that sent Picard into retirement.
The inclusion of what appears to be a pitbull as Picard’s new No. 1 is also a nod to Stewart’s real-life work of fostering and helping rescue dogs.
Who’s Behind The Scenes
We know Stewart is serving as an executive producer on Picard, which makes sense, given he played the role for more than a decade. Star Trek: Discovery creator Alex Kurtzman is also an executive producer on the show. Novelist and screenwriter Michael Chabon is on board as Picard’s showrunner, and Hanelle Culpepper is directing the premiere episode–which will make her the first woman director to launch a new Star Trek series.
Longtime Star Trek director Jonathan Frakes, who helmed the TNG movies Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection, is around to direct some episodes of the series as well. Frakes also played Picard’s first officer on the Enterprise, William Riker, for the entire run of the series and its four follow-up films, so it seems very likely Frakes will reprise the role on Picard in some capacity.
Where We Last Left Jean-Luc Picard
Stewart originated the role of Captain Picard way back in 1987 with the launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The series ran until 1994, and was followed-up with four movies featuring the same crew: Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis.
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Star Trek: The History of Jean-Luc Picard
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That last movie came out in 2002, and found Picard battling a cloned version of himself raised in horrific conditions by Romulans, with the plan of using the clone to place a spy in Starfleet. That clone, Shinzon, instead led a military coup against the Romulan Empire, and while he initially makes overtures to diplomatic relations with the Federation, Picard later discovers Shinzon means to invade and use his ship to wipe out all life on Earth. Picard manages to stop Shinzon, but the movie serves as an interesting examination of Picard’s character as he wonders about how he might have turned out differently as a person if he’d faced the hardships that Shinzon did.
At the time, Picard was still a captain, having refused promotions because of his desire to be an explorer. We know he eventually becomes an admiral, so there’s a lot more to learn about Picard between where we last saw him in Nemesis.
When Can You Watch?
There’s no hard-and-fast release date for Picard, but we know it’s coming to CBS All Access sometime in 2019.
A new four-issue comic mini-series detailing the origins of Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren will be released by Marvel Comics just before the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in December.
The news came during the Lucasfilm publishing panel at San Diego Comic Con 2019 where we learned it’ll be written by Charles Soule, who has also written Marvel’s Darth Vader, Obiwan & Anakin, Lando, and Poe Dameron comics.
It will soon be two years since the DC flop Justice League hit theaters, but some fans are still desperate to see the so-called “Snyder Cut” of the film. Director Zack Snyder left the movie during the production, and ever since then have been rumors that he turned in a superior version before his exit. Now some fans have taken their campaign to the skies during San Diego Comic-Con.
A small plane was spotted flying above the convention, trailing a banner behind it that reads “WB #ReleasetheSnyderCut of Justice League.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plane and sign were hired from the San Diego company FlySigns by “a private citizen,” and will have cost $1,170. It was also pictured and tweeted by THR’s Patrick Shanley–check it out below:
The banner follows a series of “Snyder Cut” billboards and posters that were spotted around San Diego in the build-up to Comic-Con. Snyder left Justice League in May 2017, following a family tragedy. Although he had completed principal photography, Avengers director Joss Whedon was brought in to oversee extensive rewrites and reshoots, as well as post-production.
There have been many rumors that Snyder had screened a version of Justice League to Warner executives before his departure, but it’s unclear in what state that cut was in. Snyder himself recently stated that “there is a cut,” while last month storyboard artist Jay Olivia revealed there were “multiple cuts of Zack’s film.” But in any case, the movie is owned by Warner, and to date the studio has not commented on the issue.
The DC movie universe is absent from this year’s SDCC. However, the studio’s TV output features extensively, including panels focusing on The CW’s range of DC shows, and an event showcasing some of DC Universe‘s upcoming series. Check out all the other San Diego Comic-Con news on GameSpot here.
There’s a lot happening in the Star Trek TV universe, and much of it will feature at the franchise’s San Diego Comic-Con event later today, Saturday, July 20. Details of what fans can expect from the various Star Trek panels have now been announced.
There are three separate panels happening, one after another in Hall H. The first panel will focus on Star Trek: Discovery, which finished its second season in April. The SDCC Discovery panel takes place at 11:30 AM PT and will reveal some of the new cast members that will appear in Season 3. There will also be an update on Short Treks–this series of short films was released online in advance of Season 2, and it sounds like we’ll be getting more ahead of Season 3. Fans can expect a number of key cast and crew members at the panel, including showrunner Alex Kurtzman and star Sonequa Martin-Green.
The Discovery panel will be followed by the first look at Star Trek: Lower Depths, at 11:50 AM PT. This animated series has been developed by Rick & Morty writer Mike McMahan, who will appear at the panel alongside “surprise guests.” The panel will look at the casting for the series, and reveal the very first footage .
The third panel is the most anticipated. At 12:10 PM PT, Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart will appear alongside other cast members to discuss the highly anticipated Star Trek: Picard, and this will be followed by an exclusive SDCC trailer and imagery from the show. It was previously announced that Stewart will be joined by showrunner Michael Chabon and co-stars Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, and Harry Treadaway.
In addition to the Hall H event today, there is also a meet-and-greet session to meet Star Trek talent, plus an “immersive transporter experience” during the whole weekend. There will also be limited edition Star Trek pins available from the Star Trek booth on the convention floor. Check out all the other San Diego Comic-Con news on GameSpot here.
