LeVar Burton Confirms His Return in Star Trek: Picard

April 17, 2020

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Star Trek alum LeVar Burton addressed the possibility of him returning as Geordi La Forge in the upcoming second season of CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Picard. Burton has confirmed that he is indeed set to reprise his role along with other Star Trek: The Next Generation alums, even as discussions with producer Alex Kurtzman are still taking place. However, it is still unclear whether his guest appearance will be featured in the second season or in future seasons.

“How do I say this without getting in trouble… I think that is reasonable to assume that those people are still a part of Picard’s life and — sure, what the hell — yeah, absolutely!” Burton said. “You’ll see us all, probably not all at the same time but, you know, never say never.”

Burton’s Geordi La Forge made his first appearance in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. His character has been blind since birth, that’s why he uses a VISOR to allow him to see. He was also known as the chief engineer of Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s USS Enterprise-D.

Star Trek: Picard will tell the next story of Picard’s life, taking place after Star Trek: Next Generation. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Star Trek: Discovery creator Alex Kurtzman revealed in March that it will be “a very different show from Discovery.” He also mentioned that the series will be a “very thoughtful, psychological portrait in a lot of ways… Things have changed for [Picard] and changed him in some ways, and yet he is so deeply and fundamentally still Picard.”

The series will also see the return of Star Trek alums including Brent Spiner as Data, Jonathan Del Arco as Hugh the Borg, and Star Trek: Voyager‘s Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine along with Marina Sirtis as Commander Deanna Troi and Jonathan Frakes as Riker.

Picard will also be featuring Santiago Cabrera (Big Little Lies), Michelle Hurd (Blindspot), Evan Evagora (Fantasy Island), Alison Pill (The Newsroom), Harry Treadaway (Mr. Mercedes, Penny Dreadful), and Isa Briones (American Crime Story: Versace).

Star Trek: Discovery co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman will oversee development on the new show, which is not a Star Trek: The Next Generation reboot but rather a continuation of Picard’s story. Michael Chabon will serve as showrunner.

Kurtzman will executive produce the new series alongside newly-appointed Star Trek: Discovery executive producer James Duff, former Discovery executive producer Akiva Goldsman (The Dark Tower), Michael Chabon (Spider-Man 2) and Star Trek: Voyager and Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer. Also executive producing are Heather Kadin of Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment President Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, and Roddenberry Entertainment COO Trevor Roth.