Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the first two episodes of Star Trek: Picard season 3!
It’s time to welcome Ed Speleers to the Star Trek family. As established in Star Trek: Picard season 3’s first two episodes, Speleers’ character, Jack Crusher, is family. More specifically, he’s the long-lost son of Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher.
While speaking with Variety, Speleers indicated that showrunner Terry Matalas gave him a crash course in TNG lore so he could understand the importance of his new character.
“I did start to understand it,” said Speleers. “It filled me with some trepidation, because Trek fans are so dedicated and passionate to the universe that they love, that I feel that there’ll be some questions about [Picard] having a son. It prepared me for trying to flesh out this character, and ingrain him into the world that we were creating.”
Although viewers don’t yet have a full picture on who Jack is, Speleers noted that he does have traits from both of his parents.
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“I think with Beverly, she is a very strong-willed woman who, in order to protect her son, took him away from everything that she knew,” related Speleers. “Her qualities of sensitivity, of wanting to help or better understand people, filter into Jack’s way of being. He gets a real forthright energy from his old man. I know that people look at Jack thinking that he’s not necessarily in the Picard mold — maybe he’s more roguish. I think he is, but he still has this underpinned characteristic that I think he shares with Picard — to always be fearless, and do the best you possibly can for the benefit of others.”
Speleers also said that there are currently no plans for him to reprise the role outside of Picard. However, he is open to being a part of the franchise going forward.
“If it happens, and I really hope it does… This is going to be driven — I really, really believe this — by how it’s received and what Trek fans feel about it,” said Speleers. “If it comes, genuinely… I would love to play for years to come… If it turned out that way that I was able to play Jack for the next 5, 10, 15 years, I would welcome it with open arms.”
Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 3 will premiere on Thursday, March 2.
What do you think of Ed Speleers’ performance as Jack Crusher so far? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Star Trek: The Next Generation: Through The Mirror
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