Star Trek: Picard Showrunner's Simple Response To Question About Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan Says It All

Star Trek: Picard is coming back in 2022, and as we've learned throughout its production, some Season 2 elements that were previously planned and discussed didn't come to be. Franchise stars like LeVar Burton and Gates McFadden both hinted in the past that they'd be involved in Season 2, but ultimately, things fell through due to production shutdowns, and plans were changed accordingly. Maybe not ALL of them, though, as co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman just gave a real cheeky response about the status of Whoopi Goldberg's Star Trek return in Season 2.

Star Trek fans may remember Patrick Stewart's open invitation for Whoopi Goldberg to reprise her role as Guinan from The Next Generation happening some time ago. There hasn't been much talk about it since, but thanks to a recent update from Trekmovie.com, Akiva Goldsman has directly responded to being asked if Whoopi Goldberg's character will be in Season 2, and zero words were minced. Or used.

[Goldsman just grins with no comment]

That's certainly an interesting and not at all negative response from Akiva Goldsman. If Guinan were not going to appear in Star Trek: Picard Season 2, wouldn't the co-showrunner just say that at this point, as not to have fans speculating endlessly for no reason? That's the way I look at it, which makes me think that there's a strong likelihood we'll see Whoopi Goldberg reprise her role at some point in the upcoming season. Obviously, the co-creator could just be keeping mum for the general purposes of being vague, but that's less fun to believe.

If Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan appears in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, it could lay the groundwork for an interesting showdown with Q. Star Trek: The Next Generation teased that Q and Guinan had a past history that went back at least 2 centuries, at least according to the Season 2 TNG episode "Q Who." The two characters never had an actual physical confrontation on the series, but the fact that an all-powerful being like Q was afraid of the mysterious bartender always resonated with fans.

The fact that Whoopi Goldberg could bring Guinan back to this franchise after so many years, and in a show where Q is once again stirring up trouble, has me very excited. I think it's a possibility we could get the true story of what went down between those two back then, especially with Picard and his crew traveling back in time to fix the dystopian future that Q sets forth. Of course, I could absolutely be getting excited for no reason, as Goldsman still didn't explicitly confirm we'll see Guinan in Season 2, but I'm choosing to remain optimistic and hyped for at least some details on these two characters storied history.

Star Trek: Picard Season 2 is set to arrive on Paramount+ in February 2022. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on the season, as well as other things about other upcoming Trek shows, such as the recent casting reveals for Strange New Worlds.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.