Star Trek: The Next Generation cast had reunited more than a decade before Picard, but there was a twist

Fans were ecstatic to see some Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members return in Star Trek: Picard when it premiered in 2020. Many felt that the reunion of the entire main cast on screen by season three in 2023 was long overdue for the franchise. This was not even the first time that the main cast reunited since Star Trek: Nemesis (2002).

Indeed, long before Picard, the main cast had reunited, though in animated form—on raunchy TV sitcom Family Guy. The episode, entitled "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" (Season 7, Episode 11), was broadcasted on March 29, 2009, and brought back not only the regular cast such as Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes, but also Wil Wheaton and Denise Crosby—making it, technically speaking, the most comprehensive post-TNG reunion ever, although in a non-canonical and comedic environment.

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The animated reunion that beat Picard to the punch

The voice actors who played their respective animated counterparts in the Family Guy subplot were LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Worf), Jonathan Frakes (William Riker), Brent Spiner (Data), Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar), Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher), Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher), Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), and Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi).

Even though recording sessions were taped separately, the episode of the series had the cast interact with each other along the way on a single, character-driven subplot, not as cameos. For the first time since Star Trek: Nemesis, many TNG cast members collaborated with one another, with the added special bonus of Denise Crosby who never appeared in Star Trek: Picard.

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How it ranks as compared to Star Trek: Picard reunions

When Picard launched in 2020, it centered on Jean-Luc Picard's life after Starfleet. The entire main cast of TNG—all except Crosby—did not reunite until Picard Season 3 in 2023. That leaves the Family Guy animated cutaway in 2009 as the first onscreen reunion of the entire main TNG cast since Nemesis.

Although Family Guy is not considered part of the canon, having Denise Crosby included there means that it reunited the main cast. Tasha Yar, Crosby's character, was absent from Nemesis and from Picard, but in Family Guy, her inclusion helped make the reunion symbolic and whole.

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A pop culture moment—outside the Star Trek Universe

As much as it was a parody, the Family Guy episode struck a chord with Star Trek fans and the entire public. It excelled in its respectful yet detailed portrayal of the TNG cast, placed in the show's signature irreverence. The comedy was played on expected Star Trek conventions, but left room for every character to shine in their way.

The episode was both watched by critics and aficionados as being culturally significant, particularly because it was during a period in which the franchise was venturing into new territories—like the J.J. Abrams reboot, which had also been released in the same year in 2009 and delved into an alternate version of the original 1960s crew. The TNG cast was not included in that reboot, so their Family Guy guest appearance came all the more as a surprise.

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A reunion before the legacy sequel era

The Family Guy episode was broadcasted during a time when legacy reunions and franchise revivals were not as common as they are now. It was thus an unusual and uncommon animation reunion. It was an early precedent for how legacy characters would remain appealing to audiences independent of their initial story context, even in comedy or non-traditional form.

That the entire cast agreed to be involved, voicing their characters, even if recorded separately, also spoke to the enduring popularity of The Next Generation and its place in television history. It wasn't canon, officially speaking, but it was, in many ways, whole.

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Whereas Picard gave fans the emotional and narrative resolution they wanted with the return of the TNG cast, the first full main cast reunion, inclusive of Denise Crosby, took place in 2009 on Family Guy.

Although it was a comedic and non-canonical setting, it remains a fascinating addition to the show's history, more than a decade prior to Picard's live-action reunion. The twist? The full-cast return did not happen in space, but in Quahog.

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