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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2020)
2 l January 19 - 25, 2020 Northeast Oregon TV Weekly BY GEORGE DICKIE Alison Pill and Patrick Stewart star in “Star Trek: Picard,” which begins streaming Thursday on CBS All Access. Patrick Stewart returns to iconic role in ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Fans of “Star Trek: Next Generation” will find its beloved Admiral Jean-Luc Picard out of sorts and in an unfamiliar state in a series that begins streaming this week on CBS All Access. “Star Trek: Picard,” which premieres Thursday, Jan. 23, picks up 20 years after the events of the 2002 feature “Star Trek: Nemesis” and finds the Enterprise commander played by Patrick Stewart retired to his vineyard in the Burgundy region of France, where he’s turning out fine wines and licking his wounds from two events that derailed his career and changed his life: the destruction of the planet Romulus and the death of ex-comrade Data (Brent Spiner). Unshaven and looking rather unkempt in the opening episode, the aging Picard is confronted by his original decision to pull away from Starfleet and forced to grapple with whether to re-engage and head back to the stars. “A young woman appears to him on a day of remembrance ... about a very specific catastrophic event that is one of the key factors that changed the course of his life,” explains series creator Alex Kurtzman. “... And it turns out that she happens to be the key that unlocks a whole chest of secrets and mysteries. And once he has gotten a taste of that, he ends up making the decision to leave the vineyard and go out and get a ship again but not in a way you will expect, not in a way that is predictable. And we have a whole new crew this year of characters.” 541-786-8984 In addition to Spiner, original 1987-94 series cast members Marina Sirtis and Jonathan Frakes (who also directs several episodes) make appearances in their respective roles of Troi and Riker, with Alison Pill (“Midnight in Paris”), Isa Briones (“Takers”), Santiago Cabrera (“Big Little Lies”), Michelle Hurd (“Blindspot”) and Harry Treadaway (“The Lone Ranger”) heading the regular cast. And then, of course, there is Stewart, who had vowed to leave the character behind once and for all after “Nemesis.” But Kurtzman’s story treatment of a haunted Picard intrigued him and the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor signed on. He has an executive producer credit here. “He said to us early on,” Kurtzman recalls, “ ‘I will never be the person who can (write) the story for you but I will be able to tell you very quickly if a line feels inauthentic.’ And we said, ‘Well since you are the pre- eminent expert in Jean-Luc Picard, that will be very helpful.’ ” As for Pill, who plays scientist Dr. Agnes Jurati, the chance to work with Stewart in the “Trek” universe proved too enticing. “I have wonderful videos of him just quoting some of his favorite Shakespeare,” the actress says. “I mean, he’ll do ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ he’ll do ‘Lear.’ He just has such an encyclopedic knowledge of Shakespeare, so in between takes we’ll just be getting amazing stories.” Home & Auto go together. Like you & a good neighbor. Alliance Self Storage 2105 E L Ave., La Grande • allianceselfstorage123@gmail.com FREE eBooks and audiobooks Thousands of titles Gregg Hinrichsen Ins Agcy Inc Gregg Hinrichsen, Agent 1722 Campbell Street Baker City, OR 97814 541-523-7778 AVAILABLE DAILY Noon to midnight Unlimited # of sessions at NO CHARGE! It’s PRE-PAID with your taxes. Access with your Baker County Library Card from www.bakerlib.org/kids-teens Explore the ONLINE LIBRARY at www.bakerlib.org 541.523.6419 info@bakerlib.org Some things in life just go together. Like home and auto insurance from State Farm ® . And you with a good neighbor to help life go right. Save time and money. CALL ME TODAY. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas, Dallas, TX State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL State Farm Florida Insurance Company, Winter Haven, FL State Farm Lloyds, Richardson, TX 1601976
