'Star Trek: Picard' world premiere draws huge crowds and sci-fi stars


By Scott Snowden


The red carpet affair in Hollywood also attracted many dedicated fans who had come in cosplay.

Patrick Stewart arrives at the premiere of "Star Trek: Picard" at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, California, on Jan. 13, 2020. (Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Stars from the world of sci-fi gathered together in Hollywood, California on Monday (Jan. 13) to celebrate the world premiere of the latest spin-off series in the "Star Trek" universe.


"Star Trek: Picard" sees the return of Sir Patrick Stewart starting as Jean-Luc Picard, a character made infamous with "Star Trek" history from the series that began in 1987, "Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Making an appearance in front of the world's press were the cast of "Picard," including "Star Trek" alumni Brent Spiner, Jonathan Del Arco, Jeri Ryan and Marina Sirtis.

The remainder of the cast — Alison Pill, Isa Briones, Evan Evagora, Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera and Harry Treadaway – also attended the event and are all joining the "Star Trek" family for the first time.

Executive producers Alex Kurtzman, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman and Heather Kadin were also there.


(From left to right) Peyton List, Brent Spiner, Isa Briones, Evan Evagora, Michelle Hurd, Jeri Ryan, Marina Sirtis, Sir Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Del Arco and Santiago Cabrera arrive for the premiere of "Star Trek: Picard," held at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, California, on Jan. 13, 2020. (Image credit: Albert L. Ortega/Getty)

"It's amazing," Kurtzman told Space.com. "We've been waiting 18 months for this night, to unleash this on the world and I'm so excited."

"I think [fans] can expect to be surprised, and I think they can expect to see their old captain being Jean-Luc Picard that they remember, but in a very unsurprising way" Kurtzman said. "Patrick did not want to repeat what he had done, yet if you feel the nostalgia for the show, as everyone does, we're going to satisfy that .

Wilson Cruz, who plays Dr. Hugh Culber in "Star Trek: Discovery" also made an appearance, travelling across the country from Toronto, where Season 3 is being filmed.

Obviously not able to give any details away about the new series, he did say, "It's a whole new world, it's a game changer," and confirmed that a few weeks remained of principal photography.

In addition to media from across the world, a large number of fans had gathered, all of whom were wearing "Star Trek" cosplay, from standard Federation uniforms to the character Q (who was played by John de Lancie) and Guinan (played by Whoopi Goldberg).

Related: 'Star Trek: Discovery' and 'Picard': A close look at the new trailers

The 10-episode "Star Trek: Picard" series will premiere on Jan. 23, 2020 on the paid subscription streaming service CBS All Access in the U.S., and in Canada on Bell Media's Space and OTT service Crave. New episodes will air each week.

CBS and Amazon Studios have announced that the new show will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries worldwide within 24 hours of its premiere on CBS All Access and Space in the U.S. and Canada, respectively.

CBS All Access subscription is the home of "Star Trek: Picard," "Star Trek: Discovery" and a host of other original and archival CBS television shows. Subscriptions start at $5.99 a month. You can try CBS All Access for a week free here.