Well, I've already pushed back some tears about this one.
Sir Patrick Stewart, our captain, has passed. He was 86.
Prepare for a few generations of people to be really broken up about losing one of the bright stars of our firmament.
I had seen Stewart in one or two things before I came to know him as Captain Picard with the Star Trek: The Next Generation pilot, Encounter at Farpoint. I was, originally, a bit thrown. But, within a few episodes, I understood what Stewart was bringing to the screen.
By the time I left for college it was with a poster that was just Picard, and so it was that Patrick Stewart - in the form of Jean-Luc - watched over me my freshman year.
It turned out that Sir Patrick, out of character, was an immensely interesting person, who seemed to embrace life and the world around him with more warmth with each passing year. After Star Trek, he made a tremendously good version of A Christmas Carol, he became Professor Xavier - a character I held dear from my X-Men reading days, and helped create the comic book movie as it exists now - one that demands the material find a truth to it. And during COVID, he read us Shakespeare.
He was outspoken about gay rights, about equality domestic abuse and other causes, and seemed, above all, a good man.
Among his Star Trek comrades, he truly did seem to be the Captain - the British-trained actor who expected the most out of everyone, and the love the cast showed for him on and off screen was apparent. And I knew during that final season of Picard, we were seeing a terrific gift given to us by that cast and crew. One final mission for a man who was aging and meant much to all of them.
If you can find it, this coming Christmas season, either find his version of A Christmas Carol on television or the audiobook he narrated of Dickens' book.
Fair sailing, Captain. You'll be missed.
Stewart had a good long life, and I think he got an opportunity few actors ever do. He was able to take a pretty generic part and make it HIS, and inspire millions upon millions. With how truly moral the character was.
ReplyDeleteHey, I loved the "Picard is in Die Hard" episode where he fought terrorists. All the "Picard is badass" or "Picard loves the ladies" ones were fine.
But, to me, the greatest is Stewart telling David Warner that he sees a scared, small child -- "in spite of all you've done to me, I find you a pitiable man." Or Darmok. Don't start me on Darmok. (Wow, quite the surprise that some of the best TNG episodes are ones where Stewart got to match with actors like Warner and Winfield! Or Jean dang Simmons!)
Moral Picard is the best Picard. It's like if Rod Serling didn't chain-smoke, was great-looking bald, and somehow totally English with a totally French name.
Gods bless Patrick Stewart for playing that character.