Picard Fans Like Me Dreaded

Terry Matalas is joining Marvel as the showrunner of Disney+’s upcoming Vision series, and this is exactly what Star Trek: Picard fans like me dreaded. Vision will bring back Paul Bettany as the heroic synthezoid, who was rebuilt after his death in Avengers: Infinity War and had his memories restored by Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) magic. Vision hasn’t been seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since WandaVision ended in 2021. Terry Matalas will craft the next chapter in Vision’s story.

Star Trek fans, myself included, revere Terry Matalas for his incredible work on Star Trek: Picard season 3. Matalas’ acclaimed, crowd-pleasing vision for Picard season 3 reunited the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation for one more galaxy-saving confrontation with the Borg while introducing The Next Generation‘s next generation. Matalas wrote and directed the WGA Awards-nominated Star Trek: Picard season 3 finale, which set up a spinoff continuing the voyages of the USS Enterprise-G dubbed Star Trek: Legacy. Fans wanted Legacy, as did Matalas, his creative team, and Star Trek: Picard‘s cast. But a greenlight from Paramount+ never came despite Matalas’ sky-high stock as a writer-director and showrunner. And now, what Star Trek fans feared has come to pass.

Terry Matalas Showrunning Marvel’s Vision Show Means Star Trek: Picard’s Spinoff Isn’t Happening

Matalas is committing to Marvel for the next couple of years at least

Terry Matalas jumping to Marvel as Vision‘s showrunner means Star Trek loses arguably its most talented and acclaimed showrunner, certainly the one with the most fan support. Worse, with Vision aiming for a 2026 release on Disney+, it means Matalas will be focused on Marvel for the next two years, minimum. There is also no guarantee that Matalas would return to Star Trek, although he admittedly loves the Star Trek universe and its characters, especially those from The Next Generation and the new faces he created for Star Trek: Picard season 3, like Todd Stashwick’s Liam Shaw. But if Vision is successful as expected, Marvel would very likely tap Terry Matalas for more Vision, another TV series, or he could even leap to the big time of making Marvel Studios feature films.

Star Trek: Legacy is indelibly tied to Terry Matalas as its visionary, and I’m afraid his going to Marvel effectively puts the Picard spinoff to rest. While someone else (possibly another member of Star Trek: Picard season 3’s writers’ room) could be showrunner of Star Trek: Legacy if it is ever greenlit, be it as a TV series or a 2-hour streaming Star Trek movie on Paramount+, it would likely not be as well-received by fans without Terry Matalas behind the camera. The best case scenario now would be Star Trek: Legacy being greenlit and Terry Matalas deciding to return, but even if that happens, it wouldn’t be until after Vision premieres in 2026. Paramount+ bafflingly waited too long, didn’t act on the incredibly good thing they had, and let Terry Matalas get away.

Terry Matalas’ Vision Is Star Trek’s Loss & Marvel’s Gain

Marvel gets one of the finest showrunners around

Marvel poaching Terry Matalas is a very smart business move, and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige certainly knows all the good things Matalas can bring to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige is a lifelong Star Trek fan, and he fully appreciates what Terry Matalas achieved with Star Trek: Picard season 3. For his part, Terry deserves the opportunity to apply his talent and creativity to the biggest franchise and sandbox in Hollywood. Further, Paul Bettany is a world-class actor, while Vision is an Avenger and a major league Marvel hero with a complex history that the MCU hasn’t fully explored, but Matalas certainly could in exciting ways.

As a fan of Terry Matalas, of Marvel Studios, of WandaVision, and of the Vision and Scarlet Witch characters (and the actors who play them), I’m incredibly excited to see what Matalas does with Vision. Marvel is a step-up to the big leagues for Terry Matalas. Yet, I’m also disappointed about Star Trek: Legacy. Over a year of waiting, and hoping, and campaigning for Star Trek: Picard‘s spinoff has amounted to its showrunner leaving for greener pastures, and no Star Trek: Legacy means the hard-stop of continuing the 25th century era of Star Trek. I wish Terry Matalas the best of luck with Vision and I cannot wait to see it, but, as I dreaded, the long road getting to Star Trek: Picard‘s spinoff just got even longer.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 is streaming on Paramount+