Whoopi Goldberg Reveals The Answer to Decades Old Star Trek Mystery
So, Whoopi Goldberg allows us all inside her Guinan character with a simple answer:
Trekkies and other Paramount+ streamers have enjoyed all the buzz about the Star Trek: Picard series. Thankfully, it will last for at least three more seasons. Seeing Sir Patrick Stewart back as Captain Jean-Luc Picard is good for the soul. Then again, for fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seeing Q (John de Lancie) and Guinan the bartender (Whoopi Goldberg) is a healthy bowlful of that chicken soup as well. And after 30 years following Picard’s maiden voyages, fans of the TV series now have an answer to a secret: Guinan is practically immortal, but it turns out she ages. Only very slowly.
In the latest episode of Picard, we find the show’s main character meandering until he runs into his alcohol sales expert friend in a new 10 Forward Lounge in Los Angeles. Small talk ensues about the years past. Picard breaks out a Velcro wallet to show pictures of the grandkids. Whoopi Goldberg’s Guinan rubs some Bengay on her knees because she’s been standing so long. She tells Picard that they have both aged, and he jokingly retorts that El-Aurian’s age slowly. Guinan then made the big reveal when she said, “Yes, but only if we choose to. I notice that humans don’t like to be reminded of their mortality, so I try to keep up.”
So, Whoopi Goldberg allows us all inside her Guinan character with a simple answer: If she wants to age, she will. It turns out she did it for tips at the local watering hole. She wanted her customers to feel more relaxed working on a mean buzz than worry about someone who looks younger than they do. And now, she’s not.
Not all Hollywood concoctions can be The Irishman and reverse engineer the aging process. Both John de Lancie and Whoopi Goldberg have aged over the years, namely since their last appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the Season 2 premiere of the Paramount+ hit series, Captain Picard notes, “time offers many opportunities, but it rarely offers second chances.” He’s right, which is why showrunner Terry Matalas knew he only had one shot to escort the elephant out of the room or the cockpit of the Eddie Van Halen-inspired speed craft and address the visible signs of aging on these immortal characters.
Of course, Q is godlike, so if he wants to pervert his powers to open a darker universe, why can’t he gray his hair and gain a few more wrinkles? A little salt and pepper makes a dude look mature, right? But, as it pertains to Whoopi Goldberg’s character Guinan, the theories were being hurled in Reddit like drunk frat guys playing frisbee golf. How can fans accept an older Whoopi Goldberg playing Guinan if she is hundreds of years old already? Is it because she is sampling the hooch while working as a bartender? Does she gray because of boredom living all this time?
Guinan is part of the spry El-Aurian clan, so her living this long is explained when facing an older Captain Picard. If you haven’t watched this series, more than anything, it is insightful. Matalas understands that sometimes, simplicity is the best policy when dealing with theories run-a-muck. Such is life in Episode 1, Season 2’s premiere of Picard.
To get Picard fans even giddier than they already are seeing John de Lancie and Whoopi Goldberg, it seems that both characters have an entire arc to fulfill this season. Not for nothing, but Paramount+ runs some friendly sales, like $1 per month. If you’re interested in finally seeing Picard, it might be time to “engage!”
