Happy Picard day, Trekkies! Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 2, "Disengage," debuted early this morning and the series has new and old fans on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens next for Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the rest of the crew of the USS Titan. To celebrate the return of the series, Paramount has made the Season 3 premiere available to watch for free on YouTube for audiences in the US.

Picard Season 3 Episode 1, "The Next Generation," sees the retired admiral drawn back into action when he receives a concerning distress call from his dear friend (and former lover) Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), telling him to trust no one. The premiere episode also reunites Picard with his former Number One, Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), as the two team up on a rogue mission to rescue Beverly. In addition to bringing back some friendly faces, "The Next Generation" also introduces some new heroes and villains including Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher, Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw, Ashlei Sharpe-Chestnut as Sidney LaForge, and Amanda Plummer as Vadic.

In addition to Stewart, Frakes, and McFadden, Season 3 is set to feature the return of The Next Generation cast members Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, Michael Dorn as Worf, LeVar Burton as Geordi LaForge, and Brent Spiner who'll be reprising his role as Data's evil twin brother Lore.

Jonathan Frakes as Will Riker and Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek Picard Season 3 Episode 1
Image via Paramount+

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Picard' Showrunner on That Picard/Crusher Moment and Centering Season 3 Around [SPOILER]

Picard Season 3 Is Filled with Star Trek Easter Eggs

Following the premiere, Collider's own Maggie Lovitt sat down with Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas to unpack all of the little details featured in Episode 1. During their conversation, Lovitt asked Matalas about the opening scene aboard Crusher's ship which features a plethora of memorabilia linking back to The Next Generation. The details are meant to show that the ship we find her on has been "her home that [she's] been living in for a while." He explained:

"That all came from [David] Blass, our production designer, who just scoured [Star Trek: Next Generation] from everything from the masks, the drama masks, to the flowers, to the Jack Crusher, her husband's, away team kit, to the blue Romulan ale that she was probably drinking before passing out."

New episodes of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 are available on Paramount+ every Thursday. US-based readers can watch the first episode in its entirety down below, and if you're all caught up, check out our recap of Episode 2, "Disengage."