In Patrick Stewart’s new memoir, Making It So—a play on Jean-Luc Picard’s famous directive—the actor details his life and much of his time as Picard. There is no arguing that Star Trek has made a huge cultural impact. From the original series to new shows currently on, fans love exploring space with the Federation, and in Making It So, it’s easy to see how important the character was to Stewart as well as the fans.
For myself and many others, Star Trek: The Next Generation is not only the definitive Trek series, but it’s also become a piece of us. The series ran for seven seasons, with the characters returning in both movies and the sequel series, Picard; they have been with us for a long time. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew live in our hearts like close friends.
Picard is an especially iconic character. He’s cultured, drinks Earl Grey (the best tea), and is extremely empathic. While exploring space, Picard tries to help as many people as possible, even if it is to his own detriment. In my opinion, he’s the best captain (no, there will be no debate). A lot of the character’s charm has to do with the talented actor who portrayed him. For decades Stewart has played Picard perfectly while also understanding just how special the character is.
In a recent interview with NPR, Stewart discussed how it felt to play such a beloved character. Speaking to how fans view the crew of TNG, Stewart said, “In a sense, we were ministers. And I have heard now so many times from individuals who have been honest enough and brave enough to tell me aspects of their life, of their health, of their mental health. And how it was all saved and improved by watching every week.”
As Stewart perfectly describes him, Picard specifically was “a man of such profound understanding and empathy. And to feel like that as a person was such a reward for what we were doing because we were enjoying our work but at the same time we were changing people’s lives.” And we love him for it.
(via NPR, featured image: Paramount+)
