Whoopi Goldberg's joy at being invited to the second season of Star Trek: Picard is a sight to behold
Whoopi Goldberg’s inclusion on Star Trek: The Next Generation was famously a labor of self-directed love; when the series’ producers were told, ahead of their second season, that one of the planet’s most successful and beloved comedians/movie stars was practically begging to be in their struggling syndicated space show, they reportedly assumed it was a joke. But Goldberg was entirely sincere. As a fan of the original series—and especially Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura—the Ghost Oscar winner had a deep desire to appear on the Enterprise-D, trading mysterious banter with Patrick Stewart and doling out advice as wise-beyond-her-apparent-years bartender Guinan. And although she was never a regular cast member—owing to Goldberg’s busy schedule—Guinan appeared in 29 episodes of the series, as well as two of the movies, Generations and Nemesis, and was an indelible part of many of the show’s most memorable moments.
Fast forward nearly 30 years: While she still acts with some regularity (including in the upcoming The Stand, where she’ll be playing Mother Abigail), Goldberg now devotes much of her time to her regular role on ABC’s The View. Which is exactly where she got confirmation today that she no longer needs to go looking for Star Trek, because Star Trek will come looking for her. In this case, courtesy of former co-star Stewart:
If your heart needed any warming today, look no further than Whoopi Goldberg’s expression of joy after Stewart formally invites her to appear on the second season of his CBS All Access series Star Trek: Picard. The series has trucked pretty heavily in Next Generation cameos in the run-up to its release next week (including appearances from Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, and Jonathan Frakes), but Goldberg was so far absent. But no more: The show has already been renewed for a 10-episode second season, so, fates willing, we’ll see Jean-Luc and Guinan trading banter yet again some time in the very near future.