For every Star Trek adventure that reaches the screen, there’s another left waiting for permission to leave spacedock. James McAvoy had one of those, revealing that he once pitched a Star Trek: The Next Generation prequel series to Paramount.
“‘Mutiny on the Stargazer’ was a whole idea that I pitched to the Star Trek people. We nearly did it,” McAvoy revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
Having already played a younger version of Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, McAvoy joked, “All I really want to do in my career is play young versions of Patrick.”
His Picard pitch went beyond simply imagining himself in the captain’s chair. “I’ve got a whole story about an early Picard that I love,” he explained.
“I pitched a one-off, standalone season,” McAvoy said. The story would have explored Picard “when he took over as Captain of the Stargazer, what actually happened, and the secret he’s been holding his entire career.”
The USS Stargazer is an important part of Picard’s backstory in The Next Generation, though the series only offers glimpses of his time aboard it. His first command began in 2333, when the ship’s captain was killed in battle and Picard took charge, saving the vessel.
His command ended in 2355 following the Battle of Maxia, where he used the now-famous “Picard Maneuver” to destroy an attacking Ferengi vessel. Despite winning the battle, Picard and his crew were forced to abandon the badly damaged Stargazer.
The ship resurfaced in “The Battle,” the ninth episode of The Next Generation’s first season. A Ferengi named DaiMon Bok returned the recovered vessel as part of a plot to avenge his son, who had commanded the ship Picard destroyed at Maxia. The episode introduced the Picard Maneuver and explored the circumstances surrounding the Stargazer’s loss.
Interestingly, The Next Generation never established a mutiny aboard the Stargazer. McAvoy’s pitch therefore suggests an untold chapter in Picard’s past, though he hasn’t revealed who would have rebelled against who or what secret Picard was keeping.
The Next Generation did explore other painful events from his command though, including his court-martial over the ship’s loss and the death of his close friend Jack Crusher during an away mission. Picard’s guilt over Jack’s death, along with his feelings for Jack’s widow, Beverly, complicated their relationship for years.
Unfortunately, McAvoy’s enthusiasm wasn’t enough to get the project off the ground.
"I just pitched it to them, and they were well in it. But we hit logistical issues, and we couldn’t do it. But I love that story, and I just go to bed and think about it at night," Mcavoy added.
With Star Trek’s future still taking shape, McAvoy’s pitch joins the list of adventures we may never get to see. There had also been chatter about a Kirk “Year One” series following Strange New Worlds, but that hasn’t materialized either.
I’d personally rather see the franchise move forward than revisit another familiar captain’s early years. There’s always appeal in spending more time with beloved characters, but filling in every gap in their backstories risks taking away some of what made them compelling in the first place.