The second season of Star Trek: Picard kicked off active production in late February after months of pandemic-related delays, and today, we’ve gotten our first hints about the direction in which Season 2 will go… and just who will be along for the ride.

Unveiled in the opening moments of today’s First Contact Day events, star Patrick Stewart introduced the first teaser trailer for Star Trek: Picard Season 2 — set to arrive on Paramount+ in 2022 — with the help of a friend: recurring Star Trek: The Next Generation guest star John de Lancie, who is set to reprise his role as Q next year.

While not showing any new episodic footage from Season 2, the camera lingers over Picard’s chateau study, where familiar sights from his Starfleet days are on display: a Mintakan tapestry from “Who Watches the Watchers,” a golden Enterprise-D from the Enterprise-E’s conference lounge, and the large Enterprise-D painting and encased Shakespeare book from his Galaxy-class ready room.

As we examine the room, Picard (Patrick Stewart) narrates the scene:

“The true final frontier is time. Time can turn even our most impulsive, our most ill-considered actions into history. What we do in a crisis often weighs upon us less heavily than what we wish we had done. What could have been. Time offers so many opportunities… but never second chances.”

The teaser ends with a queen of hearts playing card dissolving to the most mischievous letter of the alphabet, as Q (John de Lancie) offers a maniacal laugh following his famous quote from “All Good Things…,” the Next Generation series finale: “The trial never ends.”

de Lancie last took on the role of Q last year in Star Trek: Lower Decks, where he performed a voice cameo during that show’s first season.

Here are some of the standout images from the teaser trailer:

Along with the familiar elements from The Next Generation is a very, very curious prop, recreated from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s sixth season: the stone tablet foretelling of The Reckoning, found at the ancient city of B’Hala and later smashed by Captain Sisko in the episode of the same name.

With all the emphasis on hindsight, second chances, and longing looks at lost starships from Picard’s past — including that drawn-out shot of the Stargazer — it’s likely that Season 2 will feature some sort of time travel element, whether it be a “real” trip to the past, or a Q-induced adventure like in “Tapestry.”

Heck, if the Prophets are involved, maybe we’ll even get a trip to Deep Space 9 in this upcoming season, and take a trip through the Bajoran Wormhole aboard La Sirena — anything’s possible!

In addition to the teaser imagery, Paramount+ also confirmed that in addition to the cast portraying the La Sirena crew — Patrick Stewart (Picard), Santiago Cabrera (Rios), Michelle Hurd (Raffi), Alison Pill (Jurati), Isa Briones (Soji), Evan Evagora (Elnor), and Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) — both Orla Brady (Laris) and Brent Spiner (presumably, as Dr. Alton Soong) will be back for Season 2.

We’re still a long way off from new episodes, but you can be sure that TrekCore will bring you all the news on Star Trek: Picard as the 2022’s second season approaches.