Star Trek: Picard’s Michelle Hurd Reveals “Survivor’s Guilt” & What Showrunner Said About O.G. Cast Cut From Season 3
Image via MovieStillsDB
Published Sep 3, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT
John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.
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Michelle Hurd discusses her "survivor's guilt" and reveals what happened after the original cast of Star Trek: Picard was let go before season 3.
Before Star Trek: Picard season 3 reunited the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation to critical and fan acclaim, Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard teamed with a new 'motley crew.' Along with Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker and Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, Picard season 1 and 2's cast included Isa Briones as Soji (and other roles), Evan Evagora as Elnor, Alison Pill as Dr. Agnes Jurati, and Santiago Cabrera as Cristobal Rios. All four of those actors were cut from Picard season 3.
Image via MovieStillsDBMichelle Hurd appeared on Dropping Names... And Other Things, where hosts Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes asked her about Alison Pill, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, and Evan Evagora getting released before Star Trek: Picard season 3. Hurd discussed her "maternal" feelings toward the younger actors, her "survivor's guilt," and what Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas said about losing the four original cast members. Read their quotes below:
Michelle Hurd: “Oh, that was… it’s like survivor’s guilt… We all came over to my house, actually. You know, that was my motley crew. I love them. I have this bit of a habit of becoming maternal when I get into a show… And especially wth Isa and Evan, they were kids. This was both of their first TV [jobs], and I love them. I love Santiago so much, and Alison Pill… It was a great little group. And as actors, being let go… it’s really painful.
Brent Spiner: “Particularly when you’ve done a great job. And everyone admits it. And it has nothing to do with anyone’s performance.”
Michelle Hurd: “And I have to say, talking to Terry [Matalas], what he said was really… And I wish that they could hear it, and I’m sure they did. He said, ‘Those actors are phenomenal, and for me to keep them on the show to have one or two lines an episode would be a tragedy to them. That would be doing them a disservice. I don’t want to hold them and tie them down. So I want them to be able to do something else as opposed to holding them [to] a contract on the show, because we’re bringing all these iconic actors and characters back. And have them pop up for one line.’
And hearing that, you sort of go, ‘Okay.’ But it’s really hard as the actor because you’ve been let go. There’s a sort of weird humiliation with that.”
Jonathan Frakes: “It doesn’t sound like it was handled very elegantly, either.”
Michelle Hurd: “No, it wasn’t handled [well]. It was not… It was a very, very strange feeling because I felt survivor’s guilt. I felt… not ashamed but… Because on the other side, I was really happy that I [still] had the job. And Terry was like, ‘What do you think about Raffi as a Jason Bourne-like character?’ Yeah, let’s do it. So I was really excited. But I have these people in my house, and we’re all commiserating…”
Brent Spiner: “How could this happen?”
Watch Michelle Hurd on Dropping Names... And Other Things:
Budgetary reasons were also cited as to why Briones, Cabrera, Evagora, and Pill were let go. After all, Star Trek: Picard season 3 brought back Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, and LeVar Burton, as well as retaining Hurd and Jeri Ryan. Picard season 3 also introduced new characters played by Ed Speleers, Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, Amanda Plummer, Mica Burton, and Todd Stashwick.
With only 10 episodes of Star Trek: Picard season 3 to tell what Spiner described as "the eighth season of The Next Generation," wrapping up the grand story of TNG by defeating the Borg, and setting the stage for the unrealized Captain Seven of Nine-led spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy, Matalas has a point that there wasn't enough real estate to accommodate the talents and characters of Picard's 'motley crew.' Interestingly, Brent hints that Isa Briones "was invited" but "had other things to do."
Image via MovieStillsDBHurd, Spiner, and Frakes, who also directed several episodes of Star Trek: Picard's three seasons, are adamant that Pill, Evagora, Cabrera, and Briones being let go had nothing to do with their talent or the quality of their performances. The fates of those characters are also largely unresolved, and given the possible direction of Star Trek on Paramount+, what happened to Soji, Elnor, and Jurati, in particular, may not be addressed.
After their seasons of Picard, the released actors went on to other roles. Most impressively, Isa Briones has thrived on Broadway and in her acclaimed role as Dr. Trinity Santos on HBO Max's The Pitt. Yet it's notable that, as Spiner notes, the original Star Trek: Picard actors' exit has not been fully explained, and it's disappointing that it "wasn't handled very elegantly," as Frakes says.
Star Trek: Picard seasons 1-3 are streaming on Paramount+
Release Date 2020 - 2023-00-00
Network CBS All Access, Paramount+
Showrunner Michael Chabon
Writers Matt Okumura, Kiley Rossetter, Christopher B. Derrick
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