Television

'Picard' Season 2: Watch Patrick Stewart Invite Whoopi Goldberg To Return As Guina

Picard Season 2 Whoopi Goldberg
By Chris Evangelista

Star Trek: Picard brings back not just Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, but several other familiar Trek characters as well. One character who isn't back, though: Guinan, the bartender played by Whoopi Goldberg. But that'll change for Picard season 2. Stewart was recently a guest on Goldberg's show The View, and he used the opportunity to officially invite Goldberg to join Picard season 2. You'll never believe what she said next! (She said yes.)

Above you'll see Patrick Stewart offering Whoopi Goldberg a chance to return as Guinan for Star Trek: Picard season 2 – and Goldberg seems to accept the offer. Of course, this doesn't mean it's a done deal. Goldberg seems genuinely caught off-guard by the offer, implying nothing was discussed beforehand. If that's true, that means Goldberg will still have to work out some stuff – contracts, payment, and so on – before she's officially a part of the Picard crew. But for now, it looks like it's very likely to happen.

Per the official Star Trek wiki, "Guinan was an enigmatic bartender who ran Ten Forward, the lounge aboard the USS Enterprise-D. She was well known for her wise counsel, which proved invaluable many times. Guinan was an El-Aurian, a race of "listeners" who were scattered by the Borg...Following the destruction of her homeworld by the Borg in the 23rd century, Guinan became a refugee aboard the SS Lakul in 2293. She, along with the rest of her ship, subsequently became caught in the Nexus, an experience she described as 'being inside joy.' Along with most of the other El-Aurian refugees, Guinan was traumatized upon being pulled out of the Nexus. In 2371, Captain Picard conferred with the "echo" of Guinan who remained in the timeless Nexus and, with her help, was eventually able to leave the Nexus."

In addition to appearing on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Goldberg also played Guinan in the films Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Nemesis. 

Picard, which premiers on January 23, 2020, on CBS All Access, brings back Brent Spiner as Data, Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, Jonathan Del Arco as Hugh, Jonathan Frakes as William Riker, and Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi. New cast members include Santiago Cabrera, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Alison Pill, Harry Treadaway, and Isa Briones. The series has already been renewed for a second season.

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