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.