What Matters Most About Terry Matalas’s Patrick Stewart Tribute?
Stewart’s farewell Terry Matalas said he was honored to help bring Patrick Stewart’s portrayal of Jean-Luc Picard to a close.
Next Generation reunion The third season of Star Trek: Picard reunited Stewart with his Star Trek: The Next Generation castmates.
Poker-table ending Matalas wanted Picard’s story to end with friends at the poker table, echoing the finale of The Next Generation.
VisionQuest story Matalas discussed Stewart at an event for his Marvel series, which follows the reconstructed Vision as he tries to rebuild his life.
Terry Matalas, who oversaw the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard, shared memories of Patrick Stewart at a New York City event for VisionQuest. Matalas spoke with Collider’s Michael Zimmerman at the finale event for his new Marvel Cinematic Universe series, reflecting on Stewart’s work as Jean-Luc Picard and the series’ final season.
Stewart returned as Picard for the first two seasons of his series, marking his first appearance in Star Trek in almost two decades since 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis. The third season brought together the full Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis and Brent Spiner joined Stewart as their characters faced a galactic crisis planned by the Borg. The crew brought the original USS Enterprise-D out of mothballs, with a painstaking replica of its original bridge set, to save the day.
A longtime Star Trek fan, Matalas began his Hollywood career as a production assistant on The Next Generation and later became an associate producer on Voyager and Enterprise. For the Picard finale, he echoed the final scene of The Next Generation episode “All Good Things…,” in which Picard was invited to join the bridge crew’s regular poker game. Matalas said:
“I was honored to be a part of it. I was honored to be able to send that character off. For me, we left him where I wanted to last see him, with his friends at that poker table, who are, in real life, dear friends and family in all the ways. I’m so thrilled that we were able to do it.”
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Sci-Fi/Quizzes/Hero Match
PAUL ATREIDESCAPTAIN KIRKPRINCESS LEIAELLEN RIPLEYMAX ROCKATANSKY
Collider QuizWhich Sci-Fi Hero Are You8 Questions · 5 LegendsFive iconic heroes. Five different ways of facing an impossible universe. One shares your instincts, values and particular way of refusing to back down. Answer eight questions to find out which one.On The Manifest
Paul Atreides
Captain Kirk
Princess Leia
Ellen Ripley
Max Rockatansky
Your Hero Has Been IdentifiedYour Sci-Fi Hero Is
Your answers point to the iconic science-fiction hero who shares your instincts, values and way of facing the impossible.
DunePaul AtreidesArrakis · Dune, 2021The hero who knows exactly what becoming one will cost.
You carry a weight most people would crumble under: knowing what you are capable of and bearing the burden of what you might have to become.Why This Is You
You see further ahead than others and plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you did not ask for but cannot escape.
Paul Atreides understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
That gravity and willingness to carry what others will not define you.
Dune: Part Three closes Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy on December 18, 2026, adapting Dune Messiah.
Dune Messiah turns against its own hero, which is why Villeneuve waited to film it.
Sees It ComingCarries The WeightArrakis
Star TrekCaptain KirkUSS Enterprise · Star Trek, 1966The captain who refuses to accept that a no-win scenario exists.
You lead with instinct and warmth, refusing to accept a no-win scenario because you believe a third option may still exist.Why This Is You
You take the mission seriously without taking yourself too seriously.
Your crew would follow you anywhere because you have earned its trust.
Kirk’s genius is human as well as tactical: he reads people, bends rules with purpose and pursues outcomes with conviction.
That combination of warmth, audacity and optimism defines you.
From The Collider File
Paul Wesley’s Kirk took the center chair in Strange New Worlds season 4, which premiered July 23, 2026.
The producers confirmed Kirk remains with the show through its final season.
No-Win ScenarioCrew FirstStarfleet
Star WarsPrincess LeiaThe Rebellion · A New Hope, 1977The one who holds the line when the line is all that remains.
You hold the line when others lose faith, not because you are fearless but because giving up is not in your nature.Why This Is You
You lead through conviction, and your voice carries because your belief is firm.
You gave up an ordinary life when you chose the cause and never looked back.
Leia is the moral center of the rebellion, not a supporting character in her own story.
That fierce, principled and unbreakable core defines you.
From The Collider File
Carrie Fisher was 19 when she filmed A New Hope, and Leia’s first scene in the saga is a refusal.
Lucasfilm ruled out recreating Fisher digitally, so her final appearance was assembled from footage she had already filmed.
Holds The LineThe CauseRebellion
AlienEllen RipleyThe Nostromo · Alien, 1979No speeches. Just the person still standing at the end.
You are not reckless or grandiose, and you are not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero. You simply refuse to stop when it matters.Why This Is You
You recognize threats, document the truth even when no one listens and handle the situation yourself when necessary.
Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed: she has a plan and the nerve to see it through.
You share her composure under pressure and her refusal to pretend the monster is not there.
You have survived experiences that would break most people, and the person who emerged is stronger than the world expects.Why This Is You
You do not ask for help or wait for someone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
Your loyalty, once earned, is absolute and demonstrated through action rather than words.
Max is not a nihilist: he lost everything and found that he still had something worth protecting.
That bruised, stubborn and ultimately human core defines you.
From The Collider File
George Miller has a script for the next Mad Max film, The Wasteland, but has said only that its production remains uncertain.
The 1979 original was made for a few hundred thousand Australian dollars and became one of the most profitable films ever made.
Outlasts ItEarned LoyaltyWasteland
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A Collider InteractiveCOLLIDERMore quizzes at collider.com
What Is ‘VisionQuest’ About?
VisionQuest follows the reconstructed android Vision (Paul Bettany) as he tries to piece his life back together after the events of the Disney+ series WandaVision and other Marvel Cinematic Universe projects. His allies and adversaries include artificial intelligences such as his “father,” the genocidal kill-bot Ultron (James Spader), bounty hunter Paladin (Todd Stashwick) and rogue robot Jocasta (T’Nia Miller). Vision also seeks out Thomas Shepherd (Ruaridh Mollica), a superpowered teenager who may be his son.
VisionQuest centers on Vision’s attempt to rebuild his life amid a pursuit involving artificial intelligences and other characters. Matalas shared his memories of Stewart at the finale event for the series.
Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
What did Terry Matalas say about Patrick Stewart’s Picard farewell?
Matalas said he was honored to help send off Picard and to leave the character with his friends at the poker table.
Why did Star Trek: Picard’s third season reunite the cast?
The third season brought the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast together for a story involving a Borg-led crisis and the return of the USS Enterprise-D.
What is VisionQuest about?
VisionQuest follows the reconstructed Vision as he tries to rebuild his life and encounters artificial intelligences, including Ultron.
Sarah Parker is a research analyst and content contributor with a strong interest in business strategy, organizational behavior, and social development. With a background in sociology and public policy, she focuses on exploring the intersection between research and real-world application. Sarah regularly contributes articles that bridge academic insights and practical relevance, aiming to foster critical thinking and innovation across sectors.
