One reason Admiral Picard could return to a spin-off series

Star Trek: Picard effectively set up the one reason that would bring Admiral Picard back to galaxy. Warning: this post contains spoilers for the final episode of Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek: Picard ended with the crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation all around a table playing poker. Technically anyway. For those of us who continued to watch the end credits we got to see an additional scene play out between Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) and the returning-thought-dead Q (John de Lancie). And while the interaction between Q and Jack held indications of dire consequences for Jack should there be a spin-off series, it also established the perfect foundation for Admiral Jean-Luc PIcard to join his son on the Enterprise.

Q was the bane of Picard’s existence whenever he showed up to manipulate and irritate, but, for the most part, he kept his focus on Picard. It was the test he talked about in the first episode of The Next Generation “Encounter at Farpoint.” To Q, Captain Picard was always on trial, and now Q has returned to test Jack Crusher in a similar manner.

Admiral Picard knows how to interact with Q and how to handle him.

Jack Crusher has no experience with Q, isn’t anywhere near as level-headed as his father, and is more action-oriented, which could spell trouble for the ensign if a spin-off does happen. Those traits won’t hold him in good stead when he’s dealing with Q, and one can only imagine the kind of tests Jack will have to go through to satisfy Q’s twisted sense of logic.

So how long would a father, especially Admiral Picard, tolerate Q torturing his son? Though it’s not something that Jack would necessarily share with his father, odds are good it would get back to PIcard anyway. And it’s one thing to mess with Picard, but his son? I can’t see Picard standing on the sidelines while that is happening.

This gives the powers-that-be the perfect opportunity to bring Patrick Stewart’s character back to intercede between Jack and Q. Even if it’s an appearance behind-the-scenes with Picard confronting Q so as not to embarrass his son, I think it’s perfectly reasonable for Picard to get involved after all Q put him through in season two of Star Trek: Picard. While we can say that Q and Picard are enemies, I think Q has some grudging respect for Picard. Of course that won’t stop him from taunting Jack. But Picard could.