It has become official! Sir Patrick Stewart is coming back to the Star Trek franchise and will be reprising his role as his previous iconic Star Trek: Next Generation character Captain Jean-Luc Picard which will be aired on CBS All Access. The rumors have been circulating on whether or not this was actually going to happen since the June announcement of a Star Trek universe expansion with a new series. The new series will not be a reboot, but instead it, “will tell the story of the next chapter of Picard’s life.”

He made the announcement during the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention. Here’s the video:

Sir Patrick Stewart also made the announcement Twitter as well and going into a bit more detail. In the tweet he writes about how he and felt that his time at Star Trek had “run its natural course.” He is excited to be coming back and also bringing new life to his character Captain Picard. He also talks about how he is ready to come back to his character, whom will be in a different stage in his life. Stewart will be leading the third Star Trek series that has been officially been announced. Here’s his heart warming tweet:

It is an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions within him. Read my full statement in the photo. #StarTrek @cbsallaccess Photo: @shervinfoto pic.twitter.com/8Ynuj3RBNm

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) August 4, 2018

Alex Kurtzman Star Trek: Discovery co-creator and showrunner said, “With overwhelming joy, it’s a privilege to welcome Sir Patrick Stewart back to the Star Trek fold. For over 20 years, fans have hoped for the return of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and that day is finally here. We can’t wait to forge new ground, surprise people, and honor generations both new and old.” Kurtzman will also be overseeing the development of the new Star Trek series. This comes along with the deal made with CBS TV Studios.

Stewart is one of the most (if not the most) popular star in the entire Star Trek franchise. The series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, lasted for seven season with more than 170 episodes. It earned 19 Emmys and a Peabody Award. The series also expanded and created multiple movies where Stewart continued to play as Captain Picard in Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). He also took part in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s pilot “Emissary.”

Joining Kurtzman as executive producers will be: Stewart, James Duff, Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Heather Kadin, Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, and Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer. More information about the upcoming series starring Stewart including the title, episode count, and premiere date are being kept under lock and key, so they are unknown as of right now.