One of the great unfulfilled stories of “Star Trek: Picard” was the character’s romantic life. It was implied throughout the show’s first two seasons that Picard was developing feelings for his Romulan housekeeper Laris (Orla Brady). Although Laris appears in the early scenes of the third season of “Picard,” she remains absent for the bulk of the show, all while Picard reunites — bitterly — with Dr. Crusher. By the end of the series, Picard and Crusher had come to an understanding, but they certainly weren’t interested in being romantically entangled anymore. So does that mean Picard was to remain uncoupled in his twilight years? That’s not a horrible fate, but it’s not a fate Stewart wanted for the character.
In his book, Stewart described an unfiled scene that would have addressed that:
“The third season came off magnificently. But its final scene, in which the reunited crew is gathered around a table with drinks, sharing a toast, is not how it was originally supposed to end. I had a different idea, which I brought to the writers a few months before we wrapped the series. ‘What I’d like to see at the end of the show,’ I told them, ‘is a content Jean-Luc. I want to see Picard perfectly at ease with his situation. Not anxious, not in a frenzy, not depressed. And I think this means that there is a wife in the picture.'”
Stewart married his third wife, Sunny Ozell, back in 2013, and he had found happiness with her. He felt that Picard should be allowed a similar sense of connubial bliss, something the character never had before (more often, Picard preferred his career over romance). A wife, Stewart felt, was key to closing out Jean-Luc.