Marina Sirtis: Picard Star Trek spin-off needs to ‘tackle issues’ of our time

It turns out that all good things didn’t come to an end when Star Trek: The Next Generation concluded its continuing mission after its seventh season in 1994.

Three or four films (depending on how you classify Generations) followed but Trekkies were set to stunned when Patrick Stewart announced at Las Vegas convention in 2018 that he was beaming back aboard the franchise.

Filming on the new series started in April. Details remain sketchy, especially given ongoing confusion about timelines tied to rights issues. Can TNG cast member Marina Sirtis, who always offered concise insight as Counsellor Deanna Troi, shed any light?

Dystopian

“There’s probably a bunch of Star Trek fans out there who know more than I do because they search for things on the internet,” Sirtis tells The Big Issue. “All I know is it’s 20 years after TNG and it’s not quite as hearts and flowers and rosy. It’s a little more dystopian – I think.”

Sirtis was present when Stewart revealed he was going back to the future.

“Oh my goodness, when he announced in Las Vegas that Picard was back, it was like… I can’t even describe it,” she says. “This explosion of glee and happiness and joy from 6000 people – it was an amazing thing to see.

“It’s so great for him,” she adds. “I mean, I am a bit jealous because I wish it was me, but I’m so happy that he’s doing this again because he’s so loved in that character and he’s going to make so many people happy.”

It felt like we were doing a little morality play every week.

What would make fans even happier is if more of the original TNG cast beamed aboard.

“Never say you’re never going to go back because you never know what the future holds,” she says.

But even if Sirtis does not know too much about the series, what would she like it to be?

“The original show and TNG tackled issues of the time and I think I would like it to do that again. It felt like we were doing a little morality play every week. I loved that about our show.

“Star Trek has lost that a little bit. I think if we go back to that with Patrick’s show that’ll be really good – because we’ve got a lot to talk about right now. We have issues to discuss.”

Read more about the issues Sirtis would like to discuss, as well as her new play Dark Sublime, in a longer interview coming soon…