The second season of Star Trek: Picard sees the return of Q (John de Lancie), an iconic villain in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The character is coming back in the next chapter but sporting a different look. Despite being immortal, he appears to be older compared to his last appearance in the franchise.
Star Trek: Picard season 2 recently dropped its trailer and teased at Q’s arrival. Many have been anticipating the return of this iconic villain, given that Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is back in action. His presence indicates that more chaos is coming along the way.
Jean-Luc and Q have been tied together since Star Trek: The Next Generation, where they first debuted during the pilot. The latter is an omnipotent being, who challenged the captain of the starship USS Enterprise and the entire crew.
In the second outing of Star Trek: Picard, Q’s arrival will be significant and there are noticeable physical changes in him. The character is known to be immortal, but it is apparent in the trailer that he has aged this time around.
However, there is a huge reason why Q looks older now. He likely decided to age himself to match Jea-Luc, who is around 95 years old in season 2. The upcoming chapter is set in either year 2399 or 2400, and the timeline will then cross into the 25th century.
Q making himself older is not hard for him, considering his omnipotent nature. He wanted to appropriately match Jean-Luc’s age to have a fair fight. Also, he has always regarded the captain as a “pet” that’s why it’s easy for him to change his appearance so they could be on the same stage.
In reality, the reason why Q aged is because more than 25 years have passed since his appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The actor, de Lanice, has aged – just like the rest of the cast members in the franchise. Star Trek: Picard has come up with a great idea to include him again in the narrative.
With Q’s presence in the second season, it would be interesting to see how Jean-Luc deals with his presence. The sci-fi drama may also bring a few twists and turns along the way, which could explore where the omnipotent being was all along during his time away.
Star Trek: Picard season 2 kicked off production in February 2021, and it is slated to debut at some point in 2022 on Paramount+.