Star Trek: First Contact Almost Had Picard and Riker Switch Places — And Patrick Stewart Helped Change Everything

As Star Trek celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2026, another major Trek milestone is getting some attention: 30 years of Star Trek: First Contact.

Released in 1996, First Contact became one of the most popular movies in the franchise and arguably the film that truly established the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew on the big screen.

But the movie fans know today almost didn't happen.

Early versions of the story put Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Commander William Riker in completely different roles. Patrick Stewart wasn't happy with the original script, another writer was brought in, and one of the movie's original writers temporarily walked away.

Somehow, all of that behind-the-scenes drama helped produce one of Star Trek's strongest movies.

The Borg Were Coming Back — But Where Would They Go?

After Star Trek: Generations brought together elements of The Original Series and The Next Generation, writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga were ready to give Picard's crew a movie that belonged completely to them.

The Borg were a natural choice for the villains.

Producer Rick Berman also wanted one major ingredient in the story: time travel.

The basic concept became simple and very Trek: The Borg travel into Earth's past and attempt to prevent humanity from becoming the civilization we know in the future.

The Enterprise has to follow them and stop it.

But exactly when should they travel?

One early idea reportedly sent the crew all the way back to the Middle Ages.

Yes, we almost got Captain Picard versus the Borg with castles and medieval Europe in the background.

Eventually the writers came up with something much more important to Star Trek history: April 2063, when Zefram Cochrane makes humanity's first warp-speed flight and attracts the attention of the Vulcans.

It's the event that basically launches the future of Star Trek.

And that's where one of the biggest changes happened.

Picard Was Originally Going to Earth

In the original version, Picard would travel to Earth and help make sure Cochrane's historic warp flight happened.

Meanwhile, Riker would remain aboard the Enterprise and battle the Borg.

That actually made sense based on The Next Generation television series.

Unlike Captain Kirk, who seemed determined to personally lead every dangerous mission imaginable, Picard regularly remained aboard the Enterprise while Riker led away teams.

So putting Riker on Earth and Picard on the Enterprise ultimately flipped that familiar setup.

And it made the movie much stronger.

Because there was one huge piece of unfinished business waiting for Picard aboard that ship:

The Borg.

Patrick Stewart Wanted More Action for Picard

Patrick Stewart had considerable influence over the movie, and he reportedly wasn't thrilled with the early script.

One problem was the medieval concept.

Stewart wasn't interested in spending the movie running around in period clothing.

But there was a much bigger concern.

After years of playing Picard on television, Stewart wanted the captain to have a more active role in the movies.

And when you look at the final version of First Contact, it's hard to argue with the decision.

The most intense story wasn't happening on Earth.

It was happening aboard the Enterprise.

The Borg were slowly assimilating the ship while Picard became increasingly obsessed with stopping them.

That gave audiences something much more personal than another fight between Starfleet and the Borg.

This was Picard versus the enemy that once stole his identity.

Another Writer Was Brought In

According to The Center Seat II: 60 Years of Star Trek, Stewart's contract allowed him to bring in another writer.

That writer was Ross LaManna, who would later be associated with Rush Hour.

The decision didn't exactly thrill Moore and Braga.

Moore reportedly left the project during the process, while Braga remained involved because he understood just how difficult it could be to get the tone of Star Trek right.

Eventually, Stewart also became dissatisfied with the direction of the alternate rewrite.

Moore and Braga were brought back.

And after some understandably difficult conversations, the team moved forward.

But one of Stewart's major ideas survived:

Picard should stay aboard the Enterprise.

That single decision changed the movie.

Picard Needed to Face the Borg

Putting Picard aboard the ship transformed First Contact from an adventure about protecting history into something far more personal.

Fans already knew what the Borg had done to him.

In the legendary The Next Generation story "The Best of Both Worlds," Picard was captured, assimilated and transformed into Locutus of Borg.

Starfleet eventually rescued him, but First Contact showed that the experience never truly left him.

Picard insists he's protecting the Enterprise.

But as the Borg continue taking over the ship, his anger becomes increasingly obvious.

That gives us one of Patrick Stewart's most memorable performances as Picard, especially when Lily Sloane finally challenges him over his determination to keep fighting.

It isn't simply Captain Picard trying to defeat an enemy.

It's Jean-Luc Picard confronting trauma, revenge and the realization that the Borg still have power over him years after his rescue.

Decades later, Star Trek: Picard would continue exploring the consequences of that experience.

Meanwhile, Riker Helps Create the Future

Moving Riker to Earth also gave the film's second storyline a lighter and more adventurous feel.

Riker, Geordi La Forge and the crew have to convince Zefram Cochrane that he's about to become one of the most important people in human history.

There's only one problem:

Cochrane doesn't exactly behave like the legendary figure they've read about.

He's reluctant.

He's overwhelmed.

And he'd really rather enjoy some music and a drink than become the father of Earth's warp-drive future.

That contrast works beautifully against the increasingly dark battle happening aboard the Enterprise.

While Picard is confronting his past, Riker is protecting humanity's future.

Jonathan Frakes Takes Command

There was another major change happening behind the camera.

Jonathan Frakes wasn't just playing Commander Riker.

He was directing the movie.

Paramount reportedly considered other filmmakers, including Generations director David Carson, while Ridley Scott was among the high-profile names reportedly discussed.

Patrick Stewart supported Frakes for the job.

That decision worked out pretty well.

Frakes understood these characters because he'd spent nearly a decade working alongside them.

Instead of trying to reinvent The Next Generation, he knew how to make it feel bigger.

The Enterprise-E looked cinematic.

The Borg felt genuinely threatening.

The action became more intense without completely abandoning the ideas that made Star Trek different from other science-fiction franchises.

Even the Title Wasn't Easy

The creative uncertainty didn't stop with the script.

The filmmakers also went through several potential titles.

Some of the rejected possibilities included:

• Star Trek: Borg

• Star Trek: Destinies

• Star Trek: Resurrection

• Star Trek: Future Generations

• Star Trek: Generations II

Thankfully, they landed on First Contact.

Because the title works on multiple levels.

It's humanity's first official encounter with an alien civilization.

It's the moment Earth's future changes forever.

And it's also the moment the Next Generation cast truly establishes its own identity as a movie franchise.

One of Star Trek's Darkest Movies Still Ends With Hope

First Contact gets surprisingly dark.

There's assimilation.

Body horror.

Revenge.

Picard nearly loses himself to his hatred of the Borg.

And the Borg Queen remains one of the franchise's most memorable villains.

But underneath all of that, the movie never forgets what Star Trek is ultimately about.

Humanity has survived devastating wars.

Earth is recovering.

People are still flawed.

And yet Zefram Cochrane's flight leads humanity toward something bigger.

The Vulcans arrive.

Human beings discover they aren't alone.

And instead of fearing what's out there, humanity eventually chooses to explore it.

That's Star Trek.

Thirty years later, First Contact still works because the filmmakers weren't simply trying to save the Enterprise.

They were protecting the entire idea behind Star Trek's future.

And strangely enough, one of the smartest decisions they made was simply switching where Picard and Riker were supposed to be.

Sometimes even the future needs a rewrite.

Your Nerd Side wants to know: Is First Contact the best Star Trek movie ever made — or does another Trek adventure take the top spot for you?