Patrick Stewart has died

Like many others, I was sad to discover that Patrick Stewart has died. Although I generally like writing and explaining broadly factual topics, emotion is not my strong point. But I feel something is needed in this case.

I have long been a fan of Star Trek, and it is difficult to overstate how much of my relationship with it runs through Jean-Luc Picard. The Next Generation was the series I grew up with, and Stewart’s performance was a large part of why it worked as well as it did.

When TNG first came out, science-fiction TV was often still not taken seriously. It is somewhat well known that Stewart, a classically trained stage actor, did not have high hopes for the future of the series. But that didn’t stop him delivering 100% in his portrayal of Picard.

He was always written as a commanding, but honourable and noble character. In fact, some of his most significant performances involved delivering speeches¹. I’m glad someone of Stewart’s ability was chosen to bring him to life, and I firmly believe it would have not have been as successful as it was without him.

Here’s a video by Rowan J. Coleman to explain Stewart’s performance as Picard more articulately:

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I never managed to meet Patrick Stewart in real life. I’ve attended a single Star Trek convention, Destination Star Trek London in 2012, where I was able to at least see him in person as part of the “five captains” talk. And honestly, I have not significantly followed much of what he has done outside of Star Trek. I liked him as Professor X in the X-Men movies; I’m aware of his long-standing friendship with Ian McKellen; I know of his Shakespearean background; and I’ve picked up lots of other bits over the years (often from Star Trek documentaries and behind the scenes features).

And despite this, reading the news caused me great sorrow in a way I did not expect. I can only assume it is because Star Trek (especially TNG) was such a large part of my childhood. And even though I have complicated feelings about most recent Star Trek shows, seeing him back on the bridge of the Enterprise in Picard’s third season was an amazing moment that I’m glad happened and that brought me a lot of joy.

As they say, all good things must come to an end.