James McAvoy Reveals ‘Logistical Issues’ Killed His Young Picard Star Trek Series

James McAvoy is not done playing a young Sir Patrick Stewart yet. The actor recently revealed that he had pitched a single-season miniseries to Star Trek, which followed a young Jean-Luc Picard aboard his first starship command, the USS Stargazer. McAvoy told on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast that he had pitched the show, but it did not take off.

I just pitched it to them, talking to them, and they were wild in on it, but we had logistical issues that meant we couldn’t do it. But, I love that story; I just go to bed about and think about it at night.

While The Next Generation has established Captain Picard’s previous command and Picard even features the Stargazer, we have yet to see the iconic character’s past like we see glimpses of Kirk in Strange New Worlds. This show might just be the push Star Trek needs to get out of limbo.

James McAvoy’s Pitch Explored Picard Before Captaining the Enterprise

James McAvoy | Credits: YouTube/Josh Horowitz

Jean-Luc Picard is one of the most iconic characters in Star Trek history. We have all seen the memes, and Sir Patrick Stewart is absolutely perfect as the Shakespeare-loving pinnacle of diplomacy. In The Next Generation, we see him as the captain of the USS Enterprise, but that is not his first command by the slightest. His actual first command was the Stargazer.

According to Star Trek lore, Picard was a bridge officer on the USS Stargazer in 2333. However, when the ship’s captain was killed in action, Picard took over the position and maneuvered it to safety. He was later given the command of the vessel, where he served as captain for twenty-two years.

James McAvoy’s pitch for a Stargazer series would show this part of Picard, which audiences have no clue about. TNG and Picard have only hinted at his time on the Stargazer, but a proper depiction of his youth is yet to be done. McAvoy described his pitch on the podcast,

A whole story of, like, a young Picard that I love… It was like a one-off standalone season…when he was captaining the Stargazer, when he took over as captain of the Stargazer and what actually happened and the secret that he’s been holding his entire career.

McAvoy mentioned the title of this series, Mutiny on the Stargazer, which seems like it would explore Picard’s court-martial after losing the ship at the Battle of Maxia. Or it could be a separate mutiny event, which is the secret McAvoy is referring to. Either way, it is one hell of a series that we hope becomes a reality.

A Stargazer Series With a Young Picard Could Save Star Trek Now

Dylan Von Halle in Star Trek: Picard | Credits: Paramount+

The Stargazer was first introduced to us in The Next Generation. Sir Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard described the ship as an “overworked, underpowered vessel, always on the verge of flying apart at the seams.” Picard’s under-pressure quick thinking got him the command of the vessel at just 28 years old, and he has not looked back since.

We also saw more references to Stargazer in the spinoff show Picard, where he is brought onboard the ship again as the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy. While we know the future of the character and his TNG days, his days of youth are still in the dark. Fans deserve to see how Picard was during Starfleet training, how he dealt with failing the first Starfleet exam, and how he managed the Stargazer.

Star Trek is currently going through a dark phase. After 2027’s Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy seasons release, there are no announced plans for the franchise. No show has been planned so far, and the two remaining shows will end next year. A series focused on a young Picard starring James McAvoy could be the one that gives Star Trek life again.

Picard is one of the most popular characters in the Star Trek franchise, and there is no doubt a huge audience for it. Much like the first year of Captain Kirk’s command of the Enterprise, we still do not know much about Picard’s youth. Mutiny on the Stargazer could be the perfect show to revive the franchise and move beyond the Kirk and Spock legacy.

Do you think a young Picard series with James McAvoy would be interesting? Comment below.