patrick stewart star trek voyager

Why Star Trek: Voyager's First Season Never Got A Proper Finale

The final episode of the third season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was called "The Best of Both Worlds" (June 18, 1990), and it is often celebrated as one of the best episodes of the series. Notably, the episode ended on a humdinger of a cliffhanger, revealing that Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) had been assimilated by the Borg. Trekkies had to wait until September 24 to see the conclusion.

This two-parter kicked off a long-standing "Star Trek" tradition of ending every season of every show with a notable cliffhanger. The remaining "Next Generation" seasons always left viewers with something to anticipate through the summer. There was an exception at the end of the first season of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," which ended on a usual note, but the show's second season opened with an unprecedented three-part episode, so it feels like it counts.

The finale of the first season of "Star Trek: Voyager" was nothing to write home about. The episode was called "Learning Curve" (May 22, 1995), and it was about several Maquis officers who had been conscripted into the Voyager crew after their ship was destroyed. Tuvok (Tim Russ), who used to live with them undercover, has to train them to be better Starfleet officers. Also, the ship's environmental controls go haywire after Neelix (Ethan Phillips) tries to make cheese (!) and accidentally infects the ship's organic computer components with a virus. It's nothing special or notable.

It turns out that the finale ... wasn't a finale. It was merely the final episode of the season by a fluke of programming. The schedule of the first season of "Voyager" was detailed in the oral history book "Captains' Logs Supplemental: The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages," edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross.

Voyager season 1's final episodes were held back by UPN

"Star Trek: Voyager," it should be noted, began with a truncated season of only 15 episodes. Most pre-streaming "Star Trek" shows ran a whopping 26 episodes a season. It was considered very usual at the time (at least among Trekkies) to have so few Treks at once. "Voyager" was the flagship series for the UPN, a network that launched at the same time as the then-new "Star Trek" show, and it seemed that the network had a lot more control over how the series was exhibited. "Voyager" co-creator and writer Jeri Taylor recalled working on four additional episodes for the first season, only to learn that the UPN had decided to hold them back for season 2:

"It's very important to note that we didn't hold back any of the episodes, UPN did. [...] It's important that people start understanding that there is a significant difference at this point between the network and the studio. The studio produces the television series, and the network buys it and runs it as they would from any other studio. The network has control over when and how they schedule the episodes. We and Paramount and the studio were not in accord with that decision to hold back episodes, but it was UPN's right to do so."

UPN did have a reason for scheduling "Voyager" the way they did, but it didn't make sense to Taylor. In fact, Taylor hated the decision to end season 1 with "Learning Curve." Not because of the content of the episode, but because that would be four additional weeks the network would need to lean on reruns.

UPN wanted Voyager season 2 to premiere early

Taylor noted:

"... [B]y summer we were having the third run of some shows, giving the impression that people are seeing the same shows over and over again and that there is no fresh programming. I would much rather they had used those extra four episodes to provide more fresh programming so the audience wouldn't feel the show had gotten stale in its first season. Also, we had planned those for shows as a build that would take us out of the first season on a triumphant, uplifting note. As it was, the season just ends."

Lucy Salhany, the head of UPN, was also quoted in "Captains' Logs Supplemental." She explained that premiering "Voyager" season 2 early was more important that concluding season 1 in a meaningful way. The first episode of the second season, "The 37s," aired on August 28, 1995, whereas all the other major networks waited until mid-to-late September to start their respective seasons. In her own words:

"I didn't want to wait until the middle of September, when all the other networks –- the 'big' networks –- are premiering. [...] In order to do that, we needed to hold some episodes back. The shows that we held back would have run two in June and two in July. They would not have run earlier because they wouldn't have been done to go on in May. So, we've had some reruns. We knew that was going to happen."

Which makes sense. "Voyager" co-creator Michael Piller was okay with Salhany's release schedule and noted that Salhany had great success with it when she worked for Fox. Also, "Voyager" only had a total of 20 episodes when it began airing, so holding a few back made everyone's lives easier.

The reruns were a little annoying, though.

• TNG performers
• DS9 performers
• Film performers
• ENT performers
• PIC performers
• Video game performers
• Saturn Award nominees
• Saturn Award winners
• Screen Actors Guild Award nominees
• Blockbuster Entertainment Award nominees
• CCA Super Award winners
• Astra TV Awards nominees

Patrick Stewart

• View history

He is also known for his portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier in the hit X-Men films, and as the voice of Emperor Uriel Septim VII in the video game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion . Despite his success in film, television and video games, he still considers his roots in Shakespearean theater the most important aspect of his career.

• 1.1 Family and marriages
• 2.1 Relationships with other Star Trek cast members
• 3 Stage work
• 4.1 Who Do You Think You Are?
• 4.2.1 Seth MacFarlane
• 5 Honors and achievements
• 6.1 Appearances as Jean-Luc Picard
• 7 Star Trek directorial credits
• 8 Star Trek interviews
• 10 External links

Stewart was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England, on 13 July 1940 . His parents were working class, his father Alfred a career soldier, and his mother, Gladys, a mill-worker.

His stage career started at an early age. His involvement was encouraged when, at age 12, he enrolled in an eighty-day drama course. Thereafter, his participation in local amateur dramatics increased steadily, even after he quit school at 15 to work as a reporter. However, his employer resented his dedication to the local theater and finally, after a little more than a year of Stewart's less-than-dedicated reporting, he issued him an ultimatum forcing him to choose between acting and journalism. Although it was a very good job, Stewart quit and became determined to prove himself as a professional actor.

In 1957, at age 17, he enrolled in the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where he spent two years, learning his craft and losing his Yorkshire accent. After leaving school, Stewart was never out of work, despite a warning from an instructor, who told him that his baldness would make him a young character actor rather than a juvenile lead. Stewart, however, was able to land jobs by convincing directors that with a toupee, he could play both, doubling his range (advertising himself as "two actors for the price of one!"). His professional stage debut was at the Theatre Royal, Lincoln, in August 1959, playing Morgan in a stage adaptation of Treasure Island .

At 19, Stewart started going bald "I was 19 and lost my hair, I believed that no woman would ever be interested in me again. I prepared myself for the reality that a large part of my life was over." [1]

From birth he was brought up as a supporter of Huddersfield Town Football Club, and, even after traveling the world as an actor, likes to return to watch his team play in the town adjacent to his birthplace. He is fond of his country, stating that during his time as a Hollywood player, he feared that not only would he not be able to return to Britain and the London stage, but that he could die on an American street rather than a street in England. [2]

Now an internationally respected actor known for successfully bridging the gap between the theatrical world of the Shakespearean stage and contemporary film and television, Patrick Stewart continues to demonstrate his versatility with a wide range of upcoming projects.

In a 2007 video for Amnesty International and a 2009 article in The Guardian , Stewart talked about the physical abuse his mother endured because of his father while he was a child. Stewart is patron of the UK charity Refuge, which aids women and children suffering domestic violence. [3] [4]

Stewart has shown disgust at the presidency of Donald Trump and announced he was seeking United States citizenship so he can vote in American elections. Stewart made the announcement on "The View" moderated by costar Whoopi Goldberg .

Family and marriages

Patrick Stewart's family has roots in the Middlesex region of England, with his father Alfred George Stewart born there in 1905. Patrick Stewart's grandfather William Albert Stewart was born in 1862, during the American Civil War and at the height of Victorian England. Stewart's mother Gladys Barrowclough was born in 1901 and descended from a family with roots in Yorkshire since the early 18th century.

Patrick Stewart has two elder brothers, Geoffrey Stewart (born 1925) and Trevor Stewart (born 1935). Both entered the acting profession, with Geoffrey working as a voice actor and animator while Trevor eventually became a film editor. Patrick Stewart and his brother Trevor remained close throughout their life and, in a 2014 interview, spoke to the hardships and psychological abuse growing up with an alcoholic father. Stewart specifically related how his father, who had once been a respected career Regimental Sergeant Major, turned to drinking after his release from the military where he found himself as an unskilled laborer with little authority. [5]

Patrick Stewart is twice divorced, his first marriage being to Sheila Falconer from 1966 to 1990. During the third and fourth seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation , immediately following Stewart’s divorce from his first wife, he dated, and was reportedly briefly engaged to, Jennifer Hetrick who also played Picard's on-screen girlfriend Vash . ( citation needed • edit )

In 1997, Stewart became engaged to Star Trek: Voyager producer Wendy Neuss ; they were married on 25 August 2000, and divorced 14 October 2003. A few months prior to his divorce, Stewart had become romantically involved with British actress Lisa Dillon . Stewart married for the third time on 8 September 2013 to jazz singer Sunny Ozell , who is almost thirty-eight years his junior. The wedding was presided over by fellow thespian and personal friend Ian McKellen . [6]

Patrick Stewart is the father of Daniel Stewart from his first marriage, who portrayed the character of Batai in the episode " The Inner Light ". Stewart also has a daughter named Sophia.

Patrick Stewart and sound mixer Alan Bernard on set 1994

Stewart originated the role of Captain Picard in the pilot episode for Star Trek: The Next Generation , entitled " Encounter at Farpoint ". In the early pre-production stage of the series, TNG producer Robert H. Justman wanted Stewart for the role of Data. ( Patrick Stewart: The Unauthorized Biography ) Despite the character being French in origin, Stewart plays the character with a British accent albeit one distinct from that of his own birthplace in Yorkshire. Regardless, the role garnered him millions of fans, and earned him Best Actor nominations from the American Television Awards and the Screen Actors Guild. Stewart was invited to read for the part of Jean-Luc Picard after Robert Justman saw him during Shakespeare readings at a lecture at UCLA. Gene Roddenberry 's first thought was that he " can't put a bald head man in the captain's chair ". ( TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "The Beginning" )

He also played Picard in the pilot episode of spin-off series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , " Emissary " (in which he was also seen as Picard's Borg - assimilated alter ego Locutus ). He went on to play Picard in the four Next Generation motion pictures, with his performance in the eighth Star trek film, Star Trek: First Contact , earning him a Best Actor Saturn Award nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films as well as a Favorite Actor nomination from the Blockbuster Movie Awards. In addition, he has voiced the role of Picard in several video games , the most recent of which was Star Trek: Legacy , which also featured the voice of fellow Trek captains William Shatner ( James T. Kirk ), Avery Brooks ( Benjamin Sisko ), Kate Mulgrew ( Kathryn Janeway ), and Scott Bakula ( Jonathan Archer ).

In addition to his starring role on TNG, he directed several episodes. He also served as associate producer for the film Star Trek: Insurrection .

Thinking back on the series in an interview with Star Trek: The Magazine , Stewart said two of his favorite episodes were "the acting challenges" of " Chain Of Command, Part I " and " Chain Of Command, Part II ", and " The Inner Light ". ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 1 , p. 15)

Stewart has always been very aware of how closely identified William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy have become with their Star Trek characters. To combat the threat of typecasting, Stewart refuses to use any Star Trek terminology in the commercial voice-over work he does. "Make it so" and "Engage" are the two most common terms he has vetoed from commercial scripts he has performed. ( Trek: The Next Generation Crew Book )

Stewart also ensured a ban on audience members from wearing Starfleet uniforms at his performances, as he was perturbed by their presence. Regardless, he said he does not mind people coming to watch him if they are Star Trek fans, as long as they enjoy his performance. [7]

Stewart was also a member of The Sunspots, a band which also consists of TNG co-stars Jonathan Frakes , Michael Dorn , and LeVar Burton . They appeared as the background vocals for "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" on Brent Spiner 's 1991 album "Ol' Yellow Eyes is Back".

Stewart made his latest movie appearance as Picard in the tenth feature film, Star Trek Nemesis . Prior to the announcement that a prequel Trek film overseen by J.J. Abrams was underway, there were rumors that one more TNG film was in the works, despite the financial and critical failure of Nemesis . Stewart had stated his belief that playing Picard in another film likely wouldn't happen, comparing it to "a romantic relationship that's over", although he didn't completely rule out the possibility. [8] Nonetheless, Stewart has on one occassion expressed regret that the movie was not made as he felt that Nemesis was not the movie to conclude The Next Generation era in a satisfactorily way, " While we were filming Nemesis , an idea was being developed by John Logan , the screenwriter of Nemesis , and Brent Spiner for a fifth and final movie. It was a very exciting idea for a screenplay. It would have been a real farewell to Next Generation , but it would have involved other historic aspects of Star Trek as well. " [9]

On 4 August 2018 , at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention, Alex Kurtzman announced that Stewart would return to the role of Picard in the next Star Trek series, Star Trek: Picard on which Stewart also worked as executive producer. [10] Stewart referred to the news as "unexpected but delightful" [11] , and revealed that he had been approached about the possibility a year earlier, and turned it down, but revisiting episodes of The Next Generation and realizing the power and influence of the series changed his mind. [12] The new series is set twenty years after the events of Nemesis . [13]

Several costumes and components worn by Stewart were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including a pair of Starfleet dress uniform boots [14] and a civilian costume lot. [15]

Relationships with other Star Trek cast members

Stewart with Whoopi Goldberg in 1988

In the special features section of the 7th Season DVD release of Star Trek: The Next Generation , Stewart expounds on his relationship with other Trek cast members, providing a unique insight into the behind-the-scenes relationships that occurred between the various actors.

Far from the character of Picard, who commanded the bridge of the Enterprise without question, Stewart was seen as an equal (and occasionally subordinate) to the actors he worked with and, in some cases, came into conflict with them. Stewart mentions in particular Michael Dorn , with whom he had many loud and vocal arguments on the set, and on one occasion seriously offended both Dorn and LeVar Burton by making a comment on the set seen as racist towards the two African American actors. Stewart stated that at the time he thought it was an innocent remark, but for years was haunted by the incident since he felt he had permanently damaged his relationship with these two actors.

Stewart also reminisced regarding Wil Wheaton , and how Stewart never saw him as a child actor but rather an adult actor on equal standing who just needed to gain a bit more experience. Stewart also held close relationships with Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes, relationships Stewart admits were fostered mostly due to the large number of "ready room scenes" with Data , Picard, and Riker , all of which were shot late into the night mostly on Fridays after the rest of the Trek cast had gone home.

Regarding his female co-workers, Stewart wonders what would have become of the show had Denise Crosby remained on-board but also states that the departure of Crosby was what made Michael Dorn so successful since the character of Worf was thus able to grow and eventually move into another series as a major character. Of Gates McFadden , Stewart says he had a close working relationship and also with Marina Sirtis who as "another Brit" was just as out of place on an American show as Stewart sometimes felt himself.

Stewart was initially known among his fellow cast members on The Next Generation for his seriousness. He had trouble getting used to the behavior of Jonathan Frakes, who "treats a day of filming like it's a big party." Not accustomed to working this way, he went "down in history" for yelling at a cast member, telling them "We're not here to have fun!" By the end of filming on The Next Generation , however, Frakes had titled him as the silliest member of The Next Generation , which he took as an immense compliment. ( Star Trek: Picard DVD and Blu-ray special feature: Story Log - " Nepenthe ")

Michelle Hurd described him as being one of the most generous, kind, self-deprecating, grounded and beautiful people she's ever graced the same space with and "a gift." ( Star Trek: Picard DVD and Blu-ray special feature: The Motley Crew)

In 1966 Stewart joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, with whom he remained for nearly twenty years. Stewart is an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, having been made an Associate Artist in 1967. With the RSC, he has played such roles as King John, Shylock, Henry IV, Cassius, Titus Andronicus, Oberon, Leontes, Enobarbus, Touchstone, and Launce. He has also starred in many contemporary works with the RSC, including premiere productions by Tom Stoppard, Edward Bond, Howard Barker, and David Rudkin.

Stewart's association with the RSC ultimately brought him to the Broadway stage, performing in the Company's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream , which ran for 62 performances in 1971. Stewart went on to join the Royal National Theatre in the 1980s (for which he played the title role in Peter Shaffer's play Yonadab at the National Theater in 1986, among other productions), although he rejoined the RSC for productions of Othello in 1997 (with Stewart playing the title role) and Anthony and Cleopatra , Julius Caesar , and The Tempest in 2006.

Among Stewart's most well-known and acclaimed stage work is his one-man adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol , portraying all of the story's characters himself. He performed the play on Broadway first in December 1991, winning a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance/One Person Show in the following year. He staged encore performances in December and January 1993, 1994, and 1995 and staged yet another performance in December 2001 as a benefit for the survivors and the families of victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Stewart earned another Drama Desk Award nomination in 1996, this time as Outstanding Actor in a Play for his starring role in a Broadway production of Shakespeare's The Tempest . He received a second Outstanding Actor Drama Desk nomination in 1999 for his starring role in the Broadway play The Ride Down Mt. Morgan . He performed in revival of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker in 2003-04, and returned to Broadway with Ian McKellen during 2013-14 to perform Pinter's No Man's Land , in repertory with Waiting for Godot .

Although Stewart has had great success in both film and television, especially with his role on TNG, he has repeatedly gone on record as saying that stage theater is his first love. In fact, he has gone on record as stating that his being offered the role of Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation was a "calamity" as it kept him away from the London stage. Although he was "immensely grateful" for the changes which Star Trek brought to his life, he now feels as though he has "a lot of catching up to do". He feels that "not that there have been lost opportunities, but that there are things I might have done and I've got to do a lot of them quickly now". [16] He also felt that, because acting on the British stage is all he's wanted to do, his work in Hollywood lacked substance. [17]

Stewart starred in a production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth in 2007, playing the title role. The play began at the Chichester Festival Theatre and then moved to West End's Gielgud Theatre. In February 2008, the play transferred to the Brooklyn Academy of Music [18] and was later performed at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway. [19] Stewart was hailed as the " Macbeth of a lifetime " and won several awards for his performance. [20]

Stewart currently co-stars with ex- Doctor Who actor David Tennant in a production of Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company, which has since been transferred to the screen as a BBC Christmas Drama. Stewart will be playing Claudius to Tennant's Hamlet. [21] Coincidentally, Stewart has stated in an interview he is keen for a role in Doctor Who , as he is a fan of the program, but has not yet been asked to appear. [22] . After a run in Stratford, the play transferred to London's West End. Stewart was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for best supporting actor in March 2009 for the role. [23]

Patrick Stewart worked alongside his co-star from the X-Men series, and his friend, Ian McKellen in a Scottish production of Waiting for Godot .

Film and television

Patrick Stewart playing a fireman in Coronation Street in 1967

Stewart made the transition from stage to British television in the early 1970s, although his earliest appearances in the media were televised plays. In his first experience in a television drama, he played a fireman in Episode 638 of the long running British ITV soap opera Coronation Street .

In 1974, however, he began making a full transition (although remaining in familiar territory) in the Royal Shakespeare Company's made-for-TV adaptation of Antony and Cleopatra , in which Stewart played the supporting role of Enobarbus, co-starring with fellow future Star Trek alum W. Morgan Sheppard . That same year, Stewart had a role as Vladimir Lenin in the BBC mini-series Fall of Eagles , his first TV project that was not associated with a stage production, co-starring Tony Jay and John Rhys-Davies .

By the following year, Stewart had broken into feature films. He made his film debut playing Ejlert Løvborg in the drama Hedda , Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler . This was followed with the thriller Hennessy that same year.

In 1976, Stewart acquired some early recognition for his role as the ruthless secret police chief Sejanus in the acclaimed BBC mini-series I, Claudius . This epic production, which received an Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Limited Series, also co-starred John Rhys-Davies , John Franklyn-Robbins and Guy Siner .

Continuing his appearance in supporting roles in notable British television series, he played the thuggish and taciturn Karla of the KGB in the British spy series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and Smiley's People (1982), based on novels by John le Carré. Although Karla does not have a speaking role, he is the antagonist of the main character Smiley, constantly trying to recruit British spies as double agents which makes him a constant background presence in the series.

Stewart and his son Daniel on the set of "The Inner Light" in 1992

Stewart went on to play King Leondegrance in John Boorman's 1981 fantasy epic Excalibur , Stewart's first film produced by an American film company, although it was filmed in Ireland. By 1984, Stewart was more actively taking parts in Hollywood film productions. Among these was the supporting role of Gurney Halleck in the cult adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune . His co-stars in this film included Brad Dourif , Virginia Madsen , and Dean Stockwell , all of whom went on to guest star on a Star Trek series.

In 1985 alone, Stewart could be seen in no less than five feature films. Included among those are Lifeforce (a sci-fi thriller in which Stewart has his first on-screen kiss – with a man) and The Doctor and the Devils (a horror movie also featuring W. Morgan Sheppard). In 1986, he had a supporting role as a duke in the biographical period drama Lady Jane – also featuring W. Morgan Sheppard. After this, however, Stewart was signed on to The Next Generation and, for seven years, his film career took a backseat to commanding the starship USS Enterprise -D .

Nonetheless, he did continue appearing in films while TNG was in production. In 1991's L.A. Story (which also featured Iman in a small role), he was briefly seen as a stuck-up maitre'd at a restaurant called L'Idiot; Time Winters played one of the waiters in this restaurant. There is also Mel Brooks' 1993 spoof Robin Hood: Men in Tights in which Stewart made a cameo appearance as King Richard at the end of the film. In addition, he starred in the 1993 TV movie Death Train and he also had a supporting role as a villain in the 1994 action film Gunmen .

Stewart appeared twice on the long-running children's program Sesame Street . In one segment, he praised the letter "B" in the form of a Shakespearean monologue ("A 'B' or not a 'B'?"). He and his TNG co-star Whoopi Goldberg are some of the few who had a segment on the show that did not feature any puppets, nor actors playing regular characters. In his second appearance on the program, he ordered " Make it so, number 1 ", to the number 1 when he kept running around the set.

After production on Next Generation completed, Stewart appeared in the 1994 TV movie In Search of Dr. Seuss , along with Matt Frewer , Whoopi Goldberg, Graham Jarvis , Christopher Lloyd , and Andrea Martin . Stewart then played a gay man in the drama Jeffrey , with DS9 guest star Steven Weber playing the title role and Star Trek: Voyager actors Ethan Phillips and Patrick Kerr co-starring. In 1997, Stewart played the villain in two films: Richard Donner's action thriller Conspiracy Theory (for which he won as Favorite Supporting Actor in a Suspense film from the Blockbuster Movie Awards) and the lighter-hearted Masterminds . The following year, he returned to the role of the hero as the star of the film Safe House , with Joy Kilpatrick playing his daughter.

Stewart received an Emmy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Captain Ahab in the 1998 TV movie adaptation of Herman Melville's Moby Dick . (It is amusing to note that Stewart acted his rather lengthy role as Captain Ahab after his discussion with Lily concerning Ahab in Star Trek: First Contact .) Stewart earned yet another nomination from both the Emmys and the Golden Globes for playing King Henry II in the 2003 adaptation of James Goldman's play The Lion in Winter . In between, Stewart starred as Ebenezer Scrooge in a 1999 TV adaptation of A Christmas Carol , for which he received a second Saturn Award nomination and a second Screen Actors Guild nomination, and reunited with TNG co-star Colm Meaney for the 2002 TV movie King of Texas , an updated adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear . Stewart also served as an executive producer for the latter three movies.

Stewart's most successful, most well-known non- Trek film role is that of Professor Charles Francis Xavier (aka "Professor X") in the X-Men films based on the hugely popular Marvel Comics characters. Even before he was cast as Xavier, Stewart was long a fan-favorite choice to play the part. Stewart's performance in the first film earned him his third Saturn Award nomination and third Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination. All three X-Men films – X-Men in 2000, X2 in 2003, and X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006 – co-starred his one-time TNG castmate Famke Janssen (" The Perfect Mate "). The first two also featured Bruce Davison , while the last film also co-starred Kelsey Grammer . Stewart and Grammer – the latter of whom guest-starred in the TNG episode " Cause And Effect " – co-starred with each other on an episode in the final season of Grammer's hit sitcom, Frasier in which Stewart played the very gay theater producer, Alistair Burke. Stewart reprised his role as Professor X in a cameo in the 2009 prequel film X-Men Origins: Wolverine , and reunited with Singer in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past . He portrayed the character one final time to much acclaim for 2017's Logan . This final outing shared a notable similarity with the The Next Generation finale, "All Good Things...", as both respective characters Stewart played were portrayed as suffering from the ravages of old age.

Stewart had a notable role in the Ricky Gervais vehicle Extras , stepping in when Jude Law cancelled. The episode is named after him, and stars him as a nudity obsessed and somewhat adolescent minded man - he also sends up Captain Picard, and is bemused when Gervais' character Andy Millman admits he has never seen TNG. Stewart's (fictional) company Picard Productions also leads to Millman getting a sitcom on the BBC later in the series.

Patrick Stewart was considered for the role of the Eighth Doctor and the (canonically Third) Master in Doctor Who . [24] Stewart has revealed in an interview that he might have been considered by producers for the role, but he was never formally approached.

In 2007 , it was announced Stewart would produce and star in a film version of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice set in 20th century Las Vegas, written by Star Trek Nemesis scribe John Logan . According to Steward [25] [26]

Stewart appeared in a comedy skit on The Daily Show hosted by the similarly named Jon Stewart when he wore a wig pretending to be Daily Show correspondent John Oliver making satire of the recent American football replacement referee controversy. Stewart took off the wig when the real Oliver emerged and for the duration of the sketch, Stewart quoted lines from the vast Shakespearean productions in which he has starred. On Tuesday November 6, 2012, Stewart returned to The Daily Show as announcer for their 2012 Presidential election coverage.

A lifelong fan of motor racing, Stewart holds a racing competition license and hosted an episode of Racing Legends for the BBC in which he met his childhood hero Sir Stirling Moss.

In 2016, Stewart portrayed the leader of a Neo-Nazi gang in the horror thriller Green Room , co-starring Anton Yelchin as the bassist of a punk band the gang terrorizes.

Who Do You Think You Are?

In 2012, Stewart appeared on the ninth season of the British genealogical documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? The episode mainly focused on Stewart's father Alfred, and includes interviews with his brothers.

Stewart remembered his father Alfred being physically abusive towards his mother, but also remembered that his father, while dour and strict, never laid a hand on his children. During his research however, he, with the help of experts, began to realize this had mostly been due to a case of undiagnosed, and thus untreated, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that Alfred had contracted during his World War II service in the British Army – which included his evacuation from Dunkirk one month before Stewart's birth, alluded to by Picard in " Remembrance ". As a direct result of his discovery, Stewart supports the British charity "Combat Stress" which helps veterans deal with PTSD. [27] The episode also deals with other aspects of Stewart's family, including his Scottish ancestry, and shows him in his role as Chancellor of Huddersfield University.

Stewart's personal experiences from his youth were incorporated in the second season of Picard , particularly its seventh episode, " Monsters ".

Stewart has lent his voice to a variety of animated films and TV shows.

In 1993, Stewart voiced the character King Richard LeGré in the critically acclaimed RPG Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos . In 1994, Stewart, his TNG co-star Whoopi Goldberg, and Frank Welker voiced a trio of talking books in The Pagemaster , a fantasy film starring Christopher Lloyd and Ed Begley, Jr. and also featuring the voices of Leonard Nimoy and Robert Picardo . He also voiced Dr. Lloyd Steam in the Japanese Anime Steam Boy . [28] In 1998, Stewart voiced Pharaoh Seti I in the Biblical animated film The Prince of Egypt . The following year, Stewart and the aforementioned Kelsey Grammer voiced the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, respectively, in a TV adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm . Stewart was the narrator in Wakeman 's album Return to the Centre of the Earth of 1999. And in 2001, Stewart played the evil King Goobot in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius , which also featured the voice of Andrea Martin .

In 2005, Stewart and DS9 recurring actor Wallace Shawn lent their voices to the Disney movie, Chicken Little . Regarding his work in this film, Stewart said in an interview for Disney's Movie Surfer that "umpteenth time's the charm". This is in reference to the fact that the heavy schedules for The Next Generation and its movies forced Stewart to turn down roles in previous Disney animated films, including Francis the bulldog in Oliver & Company (eventually voiced by Roscoe Lee Browne), [29] King Triton in The Little Mermaid (ultimately voiced by DS9 guest star Kenneth Mars ), Cogsworth in Beauty and The Beast (ultimately voiced by Stewart's one-time TNG co-star, David Ogden Stiers ), Jafar in Aladdin (which he calls his deepest regret), Zazu in The Lion King , Ratcliffe in Pocahontas (also voiced by Stiers), Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (which went to Tony Jay ), Zeus in Hercules , and Dr. Jumba Jookiba in Lilo & Stitch (again, this role went to David Ogden Stiers). He also had to turn down the title role in Disney's The Great Mouse Detective due to his commitment to a play. In addition, he was turned down for the role of Clayton in Disney's Tarzan as the director felt Brian Blessed's voice was perfect for the character. He was also considered for the role of Rasputin in Don Bluth's animated film for Twentieth Century Fox, Anastasia , before Christopher Lloyd took the role. [30] After voicing in Chicken Little , Stewart voiced "The Great Prince" in Disney's 2006 direct-to-DVD release Bambi II .

In 2007, Stewart can be heard supplying the voice of the main villain in the CG-animated film TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) .

Stewart also lent his voice to the sixth season The Simpsons episode "Homer the Great", playing a character named "Number One."

Stewart provides the voice of Emperor Uriel Septim VII in The Elder Scrolls video game series, in the fourth game, Oblivion , for which he won the 2006 Spike TV Video Game Award.

His voice was used in a trailer at E3 for the game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow , for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. He voices Zobek in both Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and its sequel, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 . [1]

Stewart supplied his voice for 2012's Dorothy of Oz working again with Kelsey Grammer and also behind the microphone with Michael Krawic .

Stewart provided narration for Sinbad: the Fifth Voyage (2014), and Match (2014), a film about an eccentric choreographer. [31]

Seth MacFarlane

Stewart voices the recurring role of CIA Director Avery Bullock in Seth MacFarlane 's animated series, American Dad! His role often has references to Star Trek ; for example, Bullock refers to his close aide as "Number One." In addition, Stewart is among the many Star Trek actors who have lent their voice to MacFarlane's Family Guy . In the episode "Peter's Got Woods", Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Michael Dorn voiced their characters in a TNG spoof in which Picard makes fun of Worf 's forehead. This scene actually replaced one which would have featured Stewart and Marina Sirtis in their roles as Picard and Troi , with Troi picking up some disturbing thoughts from a panicky Picard. Stewart and all his fellow castmates had lent their voices for the episode "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" in which Stewie Griffin kidnaps them and forces them to spend the day together. He also appeared as Jean-Luc Picard in the third Family Guy Star Wars spoof "It's a Trap!!," for only one line " We're having tea, thank you very much ". In addition, Michael Dorn appeared as Worf.

In 2015, Stewart starred in the title role in MacFarlane's news spoof comedy series Blunt Talk where real life son Daniel plays Walter Blunt's son Rafe. Also Golden Brooks recurs as Blunt's second ex-wife. Co-star Brent Spiner portrays Kevin, the piano player at Blunt's favorite bar.

Honors and achievements

Stewart and Ronald Reagan on the set of " Redemption " in 1991

In 1996, in honor of his work on the stage, Stewart received the prestigious Will Award from The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC. The honor is given annually to an individual who makes "a significant contribution to classical theater in America." That same year, Stewart also won a Grammy Award for "Best Spoken Word Album for Children" for his narrative work on Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf .

In the 2001 New Years' Honours List, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland conferred on Stewart the honor of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

In 2004, Patrick Stewart was named Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, a role which he retained until 2015. He then accepted the role of Emeritus Chancellor. [32]

In 2005, Stewart received an Emmy Award nomination for appearing – as himself – on the sitcom Extras .

In 2006 Stewart was voted as the second-sexiest retired man in the UK, just after Sean Connery. Stewart had previously been voted the "Sexiest Man on Television" by TV Guide in 1992.

In 2007 he was named as the next Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre at St. Catherine's College, University of Oxford. In that same year, he won the prize for Best Performance In A Play at the Theatrical Management Association (TMA) Awards for his portrayal of the title role in the Chichester Festival Theatre's production of Macbeth .

Stewart was named Best Actor of 2007 at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his performance in the West End production of Macbeth . [33]

In 2008 Stewart was awarded the Best Shakespearean Performance prize from the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for his performance in Macbeth . He shared the award with actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who won for his performance in a production of Othello . [34]

Stewart was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance By a Leading Actor in a Play for his performance in Macbeth . [35] He is the first actor to be nominated for a Tony Award for playing Macbeth. [36] The play received a total of six Tony nominations, including Stewart's. [37] [38]

On 14 July 2008, Stewart was named Professor of Performing Arts at Huddersfield University, where he was chancellor from 2004 to 2015. [39]

Stewart was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his se [40]

Stewart shared in the honor of carrying the Olympic Flame in London to celebrate the 2012 Summer games. [41]

In August 2016, a building at the University of Huddersfield was renamed the "Sir Patrick Stewart Building". [42]

Star Trek appearances

Appearances as Jean-Luc Picard

• " Encounter at Farpoint "
• " All Good Things... "
• DS9 : " Emissary "
• Star Trek Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek Nemesis
• ENT : " These Are the Voyages... " (archive voice)
• ST : " Children of Mars " (image only; uncredited)
• " Remembrance "
• " Maps and Legends "
• " The End is the Beginning "
• " Absolute Candor "
• " Stardust City Rag "
• " The Impossible Box "
• " Nepenthe "
• " Broken Pieces "
• " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 "
• " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 "
• " The Star Gazer "
• " Penance "
• " Assimilation "
• " Watcher "
• " Fly Me to the Moon "
• " Two of One "
• " Monsters "
• " Hide and Seek "
• " Farewell "
• " The Next Generation "
• " Disengage "
• " Seventeen Seconds "
• " No Win Scenario "
• " Imposters "
• " The Bounty "
• " Dominion "
• " Surrender "
• " The Last Generation "

Star Trek directorial credits

• " In Theory "
• " Hero Worship "
• " A Fistful of Datas "
• " Phantasms "
• " Preemptive Strike "

Star Trek interviews

Patrick Stewart was interviewed for the following Star Trek specials:

• TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "The Beginning"
• TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "Selected Crew Analysis" ("Casting", "Character Notes", "Camaraderie")
• TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "The Making of a Legend"
• TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "Memorable Missions"
• TNG Season 2 DVD special feature "Selected Crew Analysis Year Two", interviewed on 6 March 1987
• TNG Season 2 DVD special feature "Departmental Briefing Year Two: Memorable Missions" (" The Measure Of A Man "), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 3 DVD special feature "Mission Overview Year Three" ("The Doctor Returns"), interviewed on 27 September 1989
• TNG Season 3 DVD special feature "Mission Overview Year Three" (" The Offspring ", " Guinan Returns"), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 3 DVD special feature "Selected Crew Analysis Year Three", interviewed on 27 September 1989
• TNG Season 3 DVD special feature "Selected Crew Analysis Year Three" ("Crew Profile: Jean-Luc Picard ", "Crew Profile: Riker and Troi "), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 3 DVD special feature "Memorable Missions" (" Sarek "), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 4 DVD special feature "Mission Overview Year Four", interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 4 DVD special feature "Selected Crew Analysis" ("Crew Profile: Wesley Crusher "), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 4 DVD special feature "Departmental Briefing Year Four" ("Production", "Make Up"), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 4 DVD special feature "Inside the Star Trek Archives" ("The Legacy of Dixon Hill "), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 5 DVD special feature "Mission Overview Year Five" ("A Visit from Spock ", " Darmok ", " The Inner Light "), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 5 DVD special feature "Departmental Briefing Year Five" ("Production"), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 5 DVD special feature "A Tribute to Gene Roddenberry " ("Gene Roddenberry Building Dedicated to Star Trek's Creator"), interviewed on 6 March 1987, 6 June 1991 , and 31 March 1994
• TNG Season 6 DVD special feature "Mission Overview Year Six" ("Chain of Command"), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 6 DVD special feature "Bold New Directions Year Six", interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 7 DVD special feature "A Captain's Tribute Year Seven", interviewed on 23 August 1991 and 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 7 DVD special feature "Departmental Briefing Year Seven" ("A Captain Takes Action"), interviewed on 15 November 2001
• TNG Season 7 DVD special feature "Starfleet Moments & Memories Year Seven" ("A Unique Legacy", "A Unique Family"), interviewed on 21 March 1994 and 15 November 2001
• "Patrick Stewart - Captain Jean-Luc Picard", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 1 , pp. 10-12, interviewed by Marc Shapiro
• "Patrick Stewart - Captain Jean-Luc Picard", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine Vol. 4, pp. 10-13, interviewed by Dennis Fischer
• "Status Report: Changes", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine Vol. 7, p. 6
• "Epic Messages", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine Vol. 14, p. 29, interviewed by Peter Bloch-Hansen
• "Captain's View", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine Vol. 19, p. 61, interviewed by Lynne Stephens
• "Patrick Stewart", Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 1 , pp. 12-16.
• All Good Things Blu-ray special feature The Unknown Possibilities of Existence: Making "All Good Things" ( 2014 )
• Patrick Stewart: The Unauthorized Biography
• Making It So ( 3 October 2023 ) [43]

External links

• Patrick Stewart at X (formerly Twitter)
• Patrick Stewart  at Instagram
• Patrick Stewart at the Internet Movie Database
• Patrick Stewart at the Internet Broadway Database
• Patrick Stewart at Wikipedia
• Patrick Stewart at TriviaTribute.com
• ↑ https://castlevania.fandom.com/wiki/Patrick_Stewart
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)

• May 31, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Says Farewell To ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ With “Life, Itself”
• May 30, 2024 | Alex Kurtzman Explains Why ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Is Set In The ‘Discovery’ Era
• May 30, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Pulls It All Together For “Life, Itself”
• May 29, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 4 Filming Set For 2025; Anson Mount Thanks Fans For Patience
• May 29, 2024 | Watch: Saru Has A Daring Plan To Save The Federation In Clip From ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Finale

Interview: Kate Mulgrew On The Legacy Of ‘Voyager,’ ‘Star Trek: Picard,’ AOC, And More

| May 24, 2019 | By: Laurie Ulster 163 comments so far

O Captain! My Captain! (Part Two)

After Kate Mulgrew and I talked about her new book, How to Forget: A Daughter’s Memoir,  we moved on to more Star Trek-related topics. With the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager coming next year plus Star Trek: Picard on the horizon, it seemed like the perfect time to talk about Janeway’s legacy.

You’ve written two very honest memoirs now. Would you ever consider doing what Shatner’s done, and write a book about your experiences on Voyager ?

If I did, it wouldn’t be as Shatner’s done, I don’t think. I haven’t read his book. And I like Bill and I’m sure that it’s very enjoyable.

If I write about what happened to me on Star Trek: Voyager , I’m going to write the truth, and it’s probably going to come from an unexpected place. So, I would write about what it’s like to take that kind of an arduous journey in a period of great change in one’s life. My sons were young, I was newly divorced. By the time Voyager had finished, my mother had Alzheimer’s. Everything happened in those seven years, and I was not given a great deal of time to assimilate everything because my usual day was a 16-hour day.

I don’t know that the fan base would want to know everything that I would want to share, which is the deeply private feelings of an actress under the gun. The first rule of being a captain is to set the tone on the set, so I didn’t reveal any of what I was ever really feeling. Or if I did, it was only in the very wee hours of the morning, when I was so exhausted I couldn’t do otherwise.

So if I write it, it won’t be, “And this is what happened, and then I met Jeri Ryan, and we were upset,” blah, blah, blah. It’s not going to be any of that … that doesn’t interest me, at all. It would be the examination of who Kate was at that time.

The Voyager cast celebrating their 100th episode (“Timeless”) in 1998

Patrick Stewart’s doing a new show, playing Picard 20 years after the events of the movie, Nemesis , which you were also in. And what interested him about it was that it was this exploration of what he’s done and who he is 20 years after all of this. So, if someone pitched to you, “The character of Janeway 20 years later,” what about that character would you want to explore and where do you think she would be?

I did it on Voyager . I played at the admiral, I did it. I think I did it.

I don’t know. It surprised me when Patrick came out on the stage—I was there that day—and announced it. It surprised me that he wanted to. But I think he knows it will probably have a shot at being quite a hit. And there’s no one who likes to work as much as Patrick Stewart. And for him it will probably be very successful. Picard was beloved. Yeah, it’ll be interesting. I don’t know what to say about Janeway. Seven years is a long time to play a character. I’m not sure that she would enjoy resuscitation. She was a very, very vibrant person, while she was.

So that doesn’t sound like something you would enjoy, particularly?

I would have to cross that bridge when I got there. It’s nothing that I have entertained.

Vice Admiral Janeway, years after Voyager’s return to the Alpha Quadrant

They just released a documentary on Deep Space Nine , done by Ira Steven Behr. A big theme of that documentary was that they felt like they were the middle child, less important than the other Star Trek shows—and that time has validated them. Did you, and did your group on Voyager , feel any of that?

No. I don’t think that ever occurred to me. I was aware of Next Generation being wonderfully received, and Patrick Stewart’s great popularity and success as a captain, but I was absolutely immersed in the business of making Star Trek: Voyager my imprint, and of value in and of itself.

Being the first female captain was seismic, there were tidal waves of publicity and reaction and response because a girl had been put in command. And I had to wrestle with that for at least a season, maybe a season and a half.

I was determined to make Janeway the best captain I could make her, and not for any real feminist reasons—because I wanted as an actress and as a human being to put my stamp on that beautifully written woman. And I thought around me was a very, very good group. I’ve remained very close friends with Bob Picardo, Ethan Phillips. I mean, these guys were pretty terrific, so, no. And I’m aware of the competitive nature of it all. I’m a deeply competitive person myself, or have been in my life as an actress. It always pisses me off when people say that Voyager was less than Next Generation , and Janeway was less than Picard, or less than Kirk. And it’s all so silly, isn’t it?

Five non-competitive captains together :  William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, and Scott Bakula

It is silly. I grew up a fan, since I was 10, and it was in the ’70s, so there was no Voyager coming for a long time. And I loved every single Trek, every captain. But when Janeway came along … for me, just starting leadership positions in my own life, it was huge.

Well, not only because you’re a woman, but because you’re smart enough to realize that if television is willing to sink millions of dollars into the representation of a woman in command, in one of the most successful franchises in the history of television, then it’s to be taken seriously. It’s a harbinger of things to come culturally, societally, and politically. And that’s exactly what happened.

There’s a lot of talk about Janeway’s impact on STEM and women of science, but right now, there are women in politics who are talking about you. Stacey Abrams , and particularly Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Well, I’m a great fan of hers, and she of me. So I went out to her at one of her rallies in Queens, and I surprised her. Whoever was introducing her said, “And now, a person who Alexandria has known since she was a little girl, Captain Kathryn Janeway, Kate Mulgrew.” And she gasped, she turned.

And when I approached her, I think she kind of fell. It was one of those moments. And then when she said that when they lost their screen—they had bad reception in their house, and often the television was just black and white—she’d listen to it, like a radio show. And that was enough. I mean, the whole thing is marvelous.

And look what she’s doing. I doubt that I had anything to do with that spirit, which is a remarkable one. But there is something about her confidence, the way she is scorching that indifferent earth that makes me think, “I wonder… I wonder if she plucked some of this from Voyager ?” And I hope she did.

She was six when Voyager premiered, so now she has a wealth–not as many as there should be—but a wealth of pop culture with women in strong roles. So why do you think it was still, for her, Janeway?

You know why. Lost in space, alone. Got to get ’em home. Got to get ’em home. It’s the epic journey of the single female. And look what she’s doing in the House. It’s unprecedented, we have not seen this before in a woman of her youth. She’s untried, and she is stomping at the ground. I am electrified by this performance. May she maintain it.

And she’s giving energy to a lot of the others, the Katie Porters, and the Abby Finkenauers of Iowa, she’s giving energy, she’s giving courage, she’s inspiring all of them. I think she’s probably even getting under Pelosi’s skin, do you know?

Time to show everybody what we’ve got. And it’s so extravagant, isn’t it? I mean, I love men. I love them, and I wouldn’t want to live without them, but we have more than they have.

Once we open that door and we admit that, and we let that stuff go, watch out!

Kate Mulgrew and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both wearing com badges

Are you watching any TV these days? Binging anything?

Because I’m down here in Charleston shooting a new series, no, I’m not. I’m immersed in Mr. Mercedes .

If you could guest star on any show that’s current, is there one that you would love to be on?

Yes, I’d love to be on The Crown now, with Olivia Colman. They’re shooting it right now, I’d love to have a part on that. But I’m American as apple pie, so probably not going to happen. And I’d love to do something on Ozark , but guesting on Mr. Mercedes would’ve been among my first choices, and here I am doing it. I’m playing a psychopath, an absolute psychopath. The complete opposite of Kathryn Janeway. And it’s fun.

I’ve had some great shots. I had Mary Ryan, I had Mrs. Columbo, I had Kathryn Janeway, Red, and now Alma Lane. It’s been a great ride.

Kate Mulgrew as Mary Ryan on Ryan’s Hope , Mrs. Columbo, Captain Janeway, and Red on Orange Is the New Black

Kate Mulgrew on her new memoir

Read part one of our interview with Kate Mulgrew about her new book, How To Forget: A Daughter’s Memoir.

Buy the book

Buy your copy at Amazon , in hardcover, e-book, or audiobook (narrated by Kate Mulgrew).

Audiobook excerpt

With a message to listeners from Kate Mulgrew.

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So Kate Mulgrew is an absolute idiot. Not surprised.

Likely Blah is not a fan of AOC

Don’t feed the trolls, people…

I appreciate that while shooting Voyager was a difficult time for her due to the schedule, she is still respectful when talking about the show. I think it’s very unlikely we will see her as Janeway again bar a small cameo. Much as I love Janeway, I’m ok with this considering the circumstances.

Being the star of any show is difficult under the best of circumstances. She stepped in after the first choice bowed out. Voyager isn’t my fav Trek but it had its great moments, like the other shows before and after. Ms. Mulgrew always did a great job in her performance.

Agreed. My least favorite of the shows after Enterprise , but it did have its moments, and Mulgrew always gave it her best.

Yes she did. And some people act like Burnham is so groundbreaking. No. Ms. Mulgrew/Janeway was groundbreaking over two decades before, and her character was leagues better, imo.

I don’t agree at all about the character being better, but to each his own.

Mulgrew lost me in the first couple paragraphs of this interview when she panned Shatner’s (ghost written book) that she did not even read!

What is it they say about actors and prostitutes again?

IMO, after how treasonius Obama became president – with 7 O’s help, and now Mulgrew is helping Ocational Cortex, Trek could single handedly be responsible for the destruction of our Constitution!

Hope you Dems all wake up in the coming weeks.

DON’T LITTER! (– click the link for real entertainment.

LOL, WOW! Tell us how you really feel.

Aside from my comments above, To be fare. I did REALLY ENJOY Ms. Mulgrew’s acting and the character she portrayed on Voyager and her support of woman and Trek.

Oh! Let’s get political! Not a smart move.

you mean mr.trek made me wonder. when pres. Donald trump got up on stage in front of the Russia dictator and called our cia a liar who risk their life everyday to protect this country.who really committed treason?

martin mcqueen

You are oblivious to the threat to our constitution from the CIA deep state and its infiltration in our media. You may be a victim of propaganda, Martin. A threat to our country by too few controlling the narrative in our news. I see that threat, I believe Trump sees that threat, and hopefully that threat will be contained.

It amazes me that you think the Russians tampered with our elections. How did they do that? Facebook ads? Or, was it by hacking Hellary’s and Podesta’s and the DNC’s emails? The Russian hacking is STILL an UNPROVEN allegation. More likely it was SETH RICH who transferred and exposed most of those emails and data to Wikileaks. It is proven that Hellary and Podesta sloppily used personal email servers and poor internet security, and their criminal avoidance in abiding with laws that demand the use of government secure servers for email communications exposed their crimes further.

Even so, the Dems never deny what information was revealed with the exposing of their [unsecured] emails. You should take a look at WIKILEAKS and what they revealed and get back to me. Some of the info is pretty damning, and DOES indicate some serious crimes on the part of those top Dems.

But, if you think the Russians were a major influence for people not voting for the highly UNLIKABLE Hellary, then you DID NOT watch those Trump/Hellary debates. As I recall Trump pointed out quite clearly that Bill was a RAPIST and Trump even had four of Bill’s RAPE victims present. Victims that Hellary AND THE CONTROLLED MEDIA, time and again, tried to ignore and delegitimize. I expect you to do the same here soon. More likely you will avoid that issue completely.

Those women who were victims of a Bill’s sick sexual attacks stood for Trump before a national audience – and in my opinion are HEROES.

In the spirit of the ME TOO movement, You and many other “liberals” should count your blessings and celebrate how Trump and the patriots who stand with him, saved – and are still saving – our country from the likes of those liberal criminals – the Clintons and the horrible DNC.

I expect you won’t. But if you read and research you just may come around to the fact that a VERY GOOD decision was reached in 2016.

I know people say not to engage the trolls… but nevertheless…

I’m amazed that you seem to think Trump wholeheartedly supports rape survivors when he lambasted the women who made their own claims about Trump.

Or your focus on personal email servers only about Dems, when Trump has also done it. Trump is the only president in our modern electronic era who has refused the White House’s phone security. He insisted on keeping his Android phone to tweet from, no locked down BlackBerry for him.

He’s demonstrably a hypocrite who just says stuff when it’s convenient for him. And I do believe Bill Clinton’s accusers too. I think Hillary was a bad choice of candidate. Her section of Dems does in fact play to corporate interests… but then so does Trump, completely ignoring what he previously claimed about them.

I am amused by your handwaving of the power of targeted advertising as a conspiracy theory, though. As if ads don’t change how people behave. I have no personal stake in theories about manipulation of the 2016 USA election; but as someone in the UK I know for sure that the Brexit polls were similarly manipulated. Advertiser profiling is VERY powerful indeed.

I don’t expect you to reply though. It’s obvious that you’ve got a lot of explanations/justifications for everything fishy about Trump, and a bunch of cherrypicked details about people who dislike him that immediately prove no good faith on their part.

If one hasn’t seen Voyager then it makes sense they would consider Burnham groundbreaking. I do enjoy Discovery over Voyager.

Janeway paved the way for characters like Burnham. I remember ALL the talk at the time where Star Trek fans out of all people were upset they had the nerve to give the captain chair to a woman. Mulgrew had a lot to prove to people and thankfully she did because even if people didn’t like the show that much Janeway herself became a huge fan favorite, especially for young girls at the time.

I’m happy we do have a new woman lead for a Star Trek show again with Discovery. And as a person of color myself who actually has family from the same city Martin Green is from, my cousin even graduated from the same university she did, University of Alabama, its nice to see another black lead in a franchise I worship. I’m proud of that in fact.

But both Mulgrew and Brooks set those standards literally decades ago now. And its probably why I don’t have the disdain and hate of Rick Berman like many seem to do because he was the one who pushed those characters forward and risking a LOT on these huge multi-million dollar franchise shows. He could’ve went safe and got another middle age white guy and everyone would’ve just shrugged but he believed in Roddenberry’s edict and that Star Trek can’t just be about diversity in the stories, but also the production itself.

And Mulgrew set a standard that 25 years later is one that is still important today.

Love everything you said, Tiger. I do wonder however about Berman “pushing those characters forward,” because like of course they came about under his watch, but I just feel like Trek in the 90s necessitated those kinds of chances to be taken. What were they gonna do, just keep putting white guys in the chair? They had to mix it up in round 3 and 4, so I wouldn’t say it was all Berman; I think the conditions were right for it to happen anyway, and Berman happened to be at the helm at the time.

Well with Sisko, I think it kind of was an ‘about time’ attitude. He didn’t get any real push back from what I recall and watching the DS9 documentary last week confirmed it. But it was Piller and Berman who made the conscious choice to do it, but no one at the studio had any problems with it either.

BUT with Janeway, there was actually concern about it in Paramount. This has been cited many times in the past, but Paramount wanted a male captain and even forced them to audition men for the role. They did it but stuck to their guns they wanted a woman and the studio basically gave in.

And I think the difference was DS9 was still syndicated so it just had a lot more leeway in everything from casting to the stories it told. Voyager was the big flag ship show on a new network so they were just a lot more cautious about everything with it.

I think it was kind of like NBC was when Star Trek originally launched, they were personally onboard with the diverse characters, but its still about money at the end of the day and both couldn’t risk alienating both audiences and advertisers, which Voyager depended on way more than TNG and DS9 did.

I don’t think it was THAT serious with Janeway, but it was certainly a concern at least. They just went away once the audience showed up and accepted her.

>>>>> with Sisko, I think it kind of was an ‘about time’ attitude. He didn’t get any real push back from what I recall and watching the DS9 documentary last week confirmed it. But it was Piller and Berman who made the conscious choice to do it, but no one at the studio had any problems with it either. BUT with Janeway, there was actually concern about it in Paramount. This has been cited many times in the past, but Paramount wanted a male captain and even forced them to audition men for the role. <<<<

Sisko WASN'T created specifically as a black character because there was an 'about time' attitude. The casting call said Sisko could be of any race and white men did audition for the role of Sisko. In fact, Peter Capaldi, who later went on to play Doctor Who, was one of them.

Sisko was a Captain who happened to be black, rather than a role specifically created to be a "black Captain". Avery Brooks has confirmed this. Ditto with Janeway, she was a Captain who happened to be a woman (and yes men did audition for the role), rather than specifically a "woman captain".

Stamets, on the other hand…

Janeway was a character that was relatable. Burnham is a walking, talking deus ex machina. Discovery is a trainwreck intersecting a dumpster fire. Burnham is part of the reason it is so. She is completely unrelatable and unlikeable as a character.

Discovery is a five-alarm fire in a dumpster factory.

So what you’re saying is that DSC is hot hot hot!

In your opinion. In my opinion she is a complex and compelling lead.

Don’t confuse contradictory behavior with complexity. You should only invoke Whitman’s ‘multitudes’ quote when there’s evidence of sophistication, and Burnham doesn’t reflect that so much as she does a missed opportunity of sophistication.

I guess there IS a connection between Burnham and Janeway — because that Captain came off much more intelligent and engaging in early interviews than Janeway did with her scripted dialogue, at least in the shows I was able to watch before giving up on it. Both represent missed opportunities, but at least in the case of VOYAGER the actress really had the skills to do much better with good material. I had thought that was true of this actress based on her TWD role, but after sitting through DSC s1, have since rescinded that opinion.

*applauds* ♥ ♥ ♥

I think the most controversial thing in Trek was putting a British sounding FRENCHMAN in the captain’s chair! The backlash that got was incredible! More so that anything Sisko or Janeway got. ;)

I’m not really sure what good it serves to compare two very, very different characters but I love both of them for very different reasons.

I also happen to love both actresses. Both so very intelligent and insightful.

Agreed. I don’t get the disdain for Burnham or Martin Green. I think she’s a potentially interesting character (played by a good actress).

I’m not sure I would have saddled Burnham with being the daughter of Sarek, had I been creating the character. Even having her been raised by other Vulcans — or not by Vulcans at all, could have been a lot more interesting.

I also don’t think she’s a deus ex machina or a Mary Sue any more than other characters have been — but I do think there has been some trouble with the writing and making her a fully-realized character.

She reminds me of Picard in a lot of ways, too. And I feel Picard is arguably the most boring character in all of Trek.

It’s still a big deal to have a woman of colour lead a Trek series (or to even be in a major role) in 2019. Recognizing that doesn’t downplay Mulgrew’s or Brooks’ or Nichols’ contributions.

And why does it have to be a contest? It’s all been groundbreaking.

Danpaine, Burnham IS groundbreaking. There’s absolutely no reason to minimize that…

The thing I’ve found is that Janeway’s leadership is all the more compelling rewatching it with our kids.

Our kids really love Voyager, and one has said that Janeway’s the TV character they most look up to.

Janeway is inspiring for them in her commitment to Starfleet values in adversity coupled with a stalwart determination to get her ship and crew home.

I’d suggest a rewatch to those who haven’t seen it since first run.

Well said TG47!

I didn’t agree with everything Janeway did but her determination to get her crew home was the best part about her. She inspired her crew to follow her through thick and thin that no other captain ever had to do. And for 7 seasons at that.

MAYBE we will see something like that with Discovery next season but I’m not exactly holding my breath, especially if the producers say is really true and going to the future is a one way trip for them.

The thing is, I’m pretty sure even Kate acknowledges that Janeway was written all over the place, and she had to play the character with the idea in mind that she’s suffering from like bipolar condition or something, because her values would whiplash so dramatically from week to week.

Yes the writing was definitely all over the place with her characters at times. I think Mulgrew has mentioned that in the past. Robert Beltran has definitely mentioned it lol.

But overall she stuck to her core and she loved her crew. But yes even for me, it would bother me when she make irrational decisions Chakotay and others knows are irrational (and I completely agree with) but then the story basically have her way win out nearly all the time. No one is pretending she was perfect, but with the situation she was put in, no one can be either.

That happened a great deal in Trek, however. It happened to Picard a LOT. He would make a bad decision in the teaser that lead to their problem of the week.

Have they seen Equinix yet?

If that’s the two-parter with Jon Savage, then yeah, that is pretty good. I’ve only tried watching maybe 20 VOYAGER eps after s4 started, and the Capt Ransom is the only one I made it through (twice in fact.)

It always amazes me that DS9’s CG in later seasons for the most part still looked like great modelwork, whereas VOY’s stuff all looked like a cartoon, like they were always in a system lit by multiple suns. But it was what went on inside the ship that really turned me off — this absolutely should have been a show about decay and how character stands against that … pretty much what we got in nuBSG for most of its run.

I’m forced to admit, after rewatching all of Voyager over the last couple of years (I don’t binge watch and I have just two episodes left) that my opinion of the show has improved.

Some forget about this when they gripe about Shatner. I’m glad that feud seems to have quieted down.

“If I did, it wouldn’t be as Shatner’s done, I don’t think. I haven’t read his book. And I like Bill and I’m sure that it’s very enjoyable.”

I don’t understand this statement. If she hasn’t read the book how does she know what voice it uses? For the record, Shatner did discuss his personal life at the time; he didn’t wallow in it but but did use it as a frame of reference and touched on how his professional life affected his personal life (and I’m referring to his first two Star Trek Memories books).

Of course I don’t really know what she meant but I could imagine that she based her opinion on her general impression of Shatner and how he tends to present himself in public.

Probably based on the general awareness that Shatner wrote about his time on Star Trek and had feuds with most of the cast as a result. That he went on places like SNL to tell fans to “get a life.”

That his memoirs about Trek generated controversy for dishing behind the scenes dirt.

What she’s saying is, my book wouldn’t be about the behind the scenes dirt.

Shatner’s SNL gig was not predicated on Smigel’s TREKfan skit which wasn’t even written until after Shatner agreed to do the show, and Shatner contributed absolutely nothing to it’s writing.

“Get a life!” was Robert Smigel addressing the fans in a manner he never abandoned, and still employs via his dog hand puppet.

And Shatner is no more responsible for the Smigel lines he voiced on SNL than that inanimate puppet is for Smigel’s sentiments expressed on the various Conan O’Brien talk venues on which it appears.

He took part in a sketch that quite specifically mocked Trek fans (which is fine with me) and you can’t deny that it riled up Trekkies who couldn’t take the joke, and became notorious. It is also, then and now, what his appearance on SNL is known for.

A misconception’s popularity doesn’t make it true. It merely leads to the absurdity of people claiming to quote Shatner when putting down fans for behaving, in their view, as if STAR TREK were real; when giving Shatner the credit reveals the accusers have no clearer view of what a performance is, and who is responsible for that dialogue, than the views they imagine are in the minds of those fans they find deserving of mocking.

It’s clear, Robert Smigel, the writer, was and is continuing to be in many of his comedic bits, most notoriously those performed via his Triumph puppet in convention lines, the one telling the fans to “Get a life!”, and most certainly should NOT be deprived of the credit.

My take is she was speaking about how he promoted his book and spoke about it in public.

It would be possible to read a synopsis and reviews to determine if this is something you’d actually buy and read. After catching Infinity War on Netflix, and knowing several of the (supposedly) dead characters would live on in their own movie sequels, it was easy to take a pass on Endgame knowing how another derivative Marvel superhero movie would turn out. I’ll catch that on Netflix, too.

As a retired Naval officer, I can assure you that Picard and Janeway were the only real captains in the series, and Janeway had the tougher role. She was lost in space, and, as Mulgrew notes, a single woman whose job was to keep Voyager alive and in space and get her crew back home.

For me, Voyager is the best of the Star Trek series.

I can assure you that Picard and Janeway were the only real captains in the series

Do elaborate. I’ve heard other military people say that Sisko’s portrayal (particularly in the early seasons) was the most realistic.

Yeah, that claim makes no sense. As if someone knows what it’s like to be a Starfleet captain! Respect your service and all, but apples and oranges. I know Nick Meyer liked to based his stories on his Naval experience, but just because you don’t see parallels between the captains you knew and Sisko, Archer, or whoever, does not mean they are the only “real captains.”

I’d like to hear more too.

Granted the Federation is intentionally a very different culture from current day, but it would be great to get your perspective on what it was about Picard and Janeway that resonate d most with your experience.

Picard usually struck me as being more king-minded that Captain-like, and I rarely bought him as a leader worthy of being followed, except maybe in the other timeline from YESTERDAY’S E.

Except for some actorish moments, Sisko absolutely seemed like the most believable military commander to me, because so often he did what Shatner called ‘wearing command like a comfortable old jacket’ — NOT making a big deal of his authority unless a challenge arose. I’d still rather serve with Kirk than any of the others — assuming I wasn’t wearing red, that is. (and weirdly enough, I’d serve with Jellicoe too, because my takeaway there is he usually brings his crews back intact.)

I thought Picard’s sense of morality was welcome and absolutely the right thing for the writers to do. I don’t think that made him a hugely believable character, especially compared to Sisko, but I actually don’t think that was the point.

I think the point of Picard’s character was to imagine what a true paragon of virtue in the liberal humanist tradition would look like and give us all someone to look up to and aspire to.

However I also think that if it had been a character like Picard, rather than Sisko, that had been saddled with some of the ethical dilemmas of DS9 (or even of Voyager or Enterprise – e.g. Archer’s Enterprise attacking an innocent ship to steal a warp coil for the greater goal of saving Earth from the Xindi) then one imagines the actual outcomes might have been rather worse.

Picard is a wobbler, more the diplomat then military strategist. I’d argue that Sisko belongs on that list as well.

I really liked Voyager but i never liked her,i wasn’t surprised to learn she was a total bitch to Jeri Ryan…

If I recall correctly, Ms. Mulgrew wasn’t a bitch to Jeri Ryan, she just objected to the introduction of a T&A character. If I recall correctly….

I think Mulgrew has more or less admitted that she did not welcome the character or the actress playing her with open arms. As the series lead, she should have done better.

Whoever came up with the idea for Seven’s costume should’ve done better. The character as written was great, but the way they made her look, come on. Ridiculous.

I can just see the 70 year old studio execs telling Berman, while gesticulating wildly, “we need sex appeal! Get a hot babe on the show, someone with real bazoombas! And a nice caboose! A real Barbarella type. Someone that’ll make the 12 year old boys drool! And put her in a tight outfit! Something that would make your wife blush!”

Yep, that sounds about right.

Yeah, unfortunately the catsuit seemed to become standard issue for female characters in Berman Trek. Least we forget that Troi started out in one as well, along with her race being comfortable with nudist lifestyles.

I think Troi started out in a hyper-short skirt. Then moved to that rather unflattering gray onesie. Before changing to an actual star fleet uniform like the rest. Wasn’t that thanks to Capt. Jelico? Probably the best thing he did.

Sure (though my inner 14 year-old thought the costume was awesome). But that was a decision made by the studio, not Jeri Ryan, who doubtless would have preferred to wear something else herself. Treating her with disrespect was uncalled for.

very very true!!

She cashed the check. Guess that makes her a genuine 90’s working girl

Pretty sure Jeri actually passed out on set once because her suit was too tight, so yeah I’m pretty sure she wasn’t thrilled with the catsuit either

Yes she admitted it and has apologized to Ryan and has made up for it. I don’t condone what Mulgrew did of course but I can understand how it would feel you are the star of the show and as the lead you set this very mature standard of a woman starship captain and then they bring in a hot model with a cat suit on.

Her anger was misdirected at the wrong person for sure, but when its Ryan she’s the one seeing and acting against 15 hours a day its harder to ignore.

Right, it’s easy to see why Mulgrew was frustrated by it. This was in an era following Dr. Dana Scully and Janeway herself. A catsuit probably seemed like a step backward (because it was).

Nothing against Seven by the way. She’s one of the more interesting characters from the series, but the look was silly. Put her in a normal uniform, like in the episode Relativity, and it’s not an issue.

The character they created for 7 seemed like their way of revolting against the mandate, by taking the demand for a “hot babe” and developing a deep, nuanced, and interesting character, instead of the vapid blonde, skin-revealing bombshell the execs probably wanted to “shake things up romantically”.

I’d bet the studio was also behind the Chakotay/7 pairing in the last season, which came out of nowhere, and made no sense.

It reminds me of the suits wanting Jerry and Elaine to get together in Seinfeld.

This sort of “shipping” as its known now, is not rare in television. After Cheers and Moonlighting, studios really pushed shows to couple up lead characters.

Good point Afterburn. There did seem to be a push to bring couples together starting in the late 80s: Remington Steele would be another example.

In many cases the relationship made less successful television than the romantic tension. And in my view, the female character often suffered for it.

While I did not find the Chakotay/Seven relationship as improbable as many seem to, it was developed too quickly. Or really just seemed to be the start of an experiment.

The fact that she was paired off with the highest ranking male, had a bit of the air of a woman seeking out the guy who was highest in male status hierarchy. Which is rather sexist itself.

Sorry for the necro, but it reminds me of the Troi/Worf romance that kept popping up in TNG S7.

It only occurs in alternate realities or holodeck dreams… before becoming actually real in the finale. Seven was dating Chakotay on the holodeck, and maybe his “character model” was accurate enough that she could tell the real one was interested too…

But it makes me feel that the writers thought one character playing out fantasies was a substitute for both characters getting to actually know each other in that way.

I guess, but what business it it of ours? What matters is what’s on the screen. People aren’t the characters they play.

Mulgrew freely admits now she was not pleasant to Ryan. She cites frustration at the show resorting to T & A to get better ratings but admits she aimed it very much dead-center at Ryan.

That in itself is insulting to Jeri Ryan. I don’t doubt it was a factor in her casting and how she was dressed etc (this is borne out by how the producers handled the dress sense of Troi, T’Pol and possibly even Kira), but there was far more to her acting and characterisation than that.

Conversely, would Mulgrew say that actors with attractive body shapes shouldn’t appear? It’s also not as if it isn’t a long-standing convention in US TV to cast actors who are better-looking than the general population, including Mulgrew herself. Especially back in the 90s and early 00s. So really it would be fairer to focus on that general point.

The thing that I find truly sad about the situation is that it created a toxic working environment for two women who were both playing strong female characters.

I’ve felt reluctant to speak about it, but it very much seems the case wherein two people from a marginalized group are set against each other by the guys in management who don’t even really get that there could be a problem.

It’s disappointing to know that Mulgrew took it out on Ryan, but she’s at least acknowledged her part.

That said, part of the issue was that the character of Janeway, and Mulgrew’s interpretation of it represents a kind of feminism of that seems unable to permit women to be at ease with their own sexuality…

The 90s was a time when the idea that women could be strong and sexy at the same time was breaking out. Seven was surely intended to attract male viewers, but I know vey many women who liked her and were inspired by her as a strong, smart woman who could be gorgeous too.

trouble was she was a child when she was assimilated and once released still getting over the trauma of that. so her character wearing her sexuality like that so blatantly was uncomfortable to watch.

I totally get that tony.

There’s something inherently smarmy about having a person who is basically innocent and unconscious of her sexuality dressed that way.

But at least they showed how Harry Kim and others had to learn to manage their reactions and assumptions to treat Seven for who she was. That is, the male characters were shown to be responsible for their reactions and behavior.

I’d like to point out that the character of Kes was also super problematic in a similar way.

Yes, she was from a species that matured rapidly. But, putting a teenage actress in tight clothes and using prosthetics and hairstyles to make her look young and somehow childlike while being in a romance with an obviously older character just came across as creepy.

Not sure why Mulgrew didn’t have the same issues with Jennifer Lien.

I’m with you on the inappropriateness of Kes’s sexuality and how it was portrayed, but I’m sure Mulgrew was more accepting of Lien because her character was baked into the premise of the show from the get-go, whereas Seven was added midway through to amp up the ratings and titillation, which is why she was much more reactionary to Ryan than she would’ve been to Lien

“long-standing convention in US TV to cast actors who are better-looking than the general population, including Mulgrew herself.”

Maybe because the ‘general population’ (lol) is on the poor side and choose (maybe forced?) to eat too much rubbish and do too little exercise. Everyone is actually capable of looking good but it requires a lifestyle choice and to stick to it.

Well, yes, Datamat. I would like to lose weight and be in better shape, but I’m not prepared to fall for any of those “diet and exercise” scams!

So, to be consistent, I’m guessing you also don’t like Shatner, who by most accounts has been a bitch to virtually everyone he has ever met.

If Kate Mulgrew ever decided to return to the role of Kathryn Janeway, I would certainly be interested in watching that, Miniseries or Film.

I’d love to see her opposite Shatner’s Kirk. See how unwatchable we can make the series!

I actually liked them talking together in The Captains documentary. They actually have amazing chemistry together. But yes, Mulgrew would act circles around Shatner but I still love Shatner.

I don’t know… I still think Shatner is underrated as an actor.

As do I. Check out Boston Legal, ML.

Yep. Denny Crane was a good part for him. That’s where he got his Emmy. It was the right part and a he delivered the crisp dialog quite well. But even before Trek I’ve seen him do some stuff that was pretty good. He’s not the greatest actor ever but he’s a pro and better than many give him credit for.

I’m actually far more interested in what became of Janeway than I am of Picard.

Actually, I recall the TOS cast saying Bill was always professional, pleasant and polite on set. They were outraged at stories that he’d pushed, behind the scenes, for more lines.

And decades later the whole thing got trumped up by Takei.

We don’t know at all but I from my perspective Takei is the one who comes across looking like the bad guy in that mess.

no, all the other actors on TOS said that Shatner was very courteous on the set, he was a pro, Mulgrew…not so much…

I was at a con once where Jimmy Doolan had the stage.

I didn’t take away the image of a supercourteous Shatner, or a chef de compagnie.

What Doolan said was that Shatner and Nimoy were younger and would let off steam by pulling pranks and housing around. Doolan told a story about a bicycle…

Not every one felt included nor did Shatner see it as his role to do this. It sounds as though when casting the leads for TNG, DS9 and Discovery, priority was put on finding actors who would be leaders among the actors and Stewart, Brooks and Martin-Green fulfilled this role. Mulgrew and Baluka were experience in carrying shows that heavily focused on a single principal character. It doesn’t sound as though they had the same notion of leading an ensemble or a company of actors.

By the way, I should note that Doolan explained that he was in a different place in his life than Shatner and Nimoy. He was older and had served in WWII. So, for him horsing around and playing military officer wasn’t what he wanted to do. He saw himself as there to act.

Great comment, but want to point out that early on, Stewart was much like Doohan, and refused to goof off on set, and would get upset when the rest of the cast would. He felt they weren’t taking the material seriously. Today, Stewart credits the cast for loosening him up, and attributes this to his later success.

It sound like Sonequa Martin-Green is the best of them all in terms of being a dedicated and disciplined actor while at the same time working to create a positive social atmosphere and playfulness.

I really wish her character Burnham could be consistently written to show Martin-Green’s evident leadership qualities.

or, who calls him out on Twitter!

Wow I had no idea AOC was such a big Janeway/Voyager fangirl! I did read Stacey Adams was a big Voyager fan a few months ago and talked about it, but that video of AOC getting so excited to meet Mulgrew herself was so cute and just a reminder how much this franchise has influenced people from all walks of life for decades now.

And I just love Janeway to death. She’s not exactly a female Picard (unlike him, she actually had a personality and sense of humor ;)) but he is probably the closest model compared to the others. Voyager is not a perfect show by far but most of my love of that show comes from Janeway the same way most of my love of TOS and TNG comes from Kirk and Picard. They are just really interesting characters in their own way.

And Janeway had it the toughest out of any other captain by far. No matter how tough things got for the others, at the end of the day they could all retreat back to Earth at any time. Voyager is really the only show of a ship out there truly alone and no options of retreat. Yes it could’ve been executed better but its still probably the most interesting premise Trek has ever done outside of DS9 of course.

I always felt the final scene of Voyager should have been future Janeway becoming the next Borg Queen.

That would’ve been crazy but VERY interesting lol. And the entire collective would’ve had one large coffee addiction. ;)

Hmm, I kinda like that.

Yes, it was a huge missed opportunity, whether they followed it up on the plot thread or not. It would have made a bittersweet ending without taking anything away from the joy of them returning home.

If you read the Voyager books you’ll see she does, for a time.

I usually don’t go for “real world” stuff in comments, but this caught my eye. I personally disagree with AOC on pretty much everything politically, but I’ve been struck by her obvious charisma and drive since she started out. She was saying she was inspired by Janeway (also didn’t like, but that’s a different story). The takeaway is how you can have a set of characteristics or traits that are really set off by one role model. Doesn’t even have to be a real live person. These kinds of stories fascinate me.

Can I just commend you for writing a thoughtful and respectful comment about someone you don’t even agree with. Modeling good internet discourse is leadership in its own way, so thanks for not delving into a political flame war!

In before the lock.

Thanks, it’s appreciated. I learned it as a teen after someone on a newsgroup blocked me for being less than polite while discussing the intricacies of Babylon 5 style hyperdrive. I realized that there’s a person on the other end with thoughts and feelings. Even if I think the person is a complete waste of space, it’s never worth getting personal over. Especially considering how unlikely it is that I’ll ever change their mind about what we disagree over. Most disagreements, especially political, are ideological, and need much more than a one time comment to give one way or the other.

Gorkenspork, given how this issue has gone on other parts of this thread, it seems clear that other folks don’t seem to be ‘accepting the lesson’ as Sarek would put it.

Kudos to you for doing so!

Wow, so awesome that AOC is a Janeway fan! My organization works closely with her, and I can say assuredly that if anyone is carrying us boldly into the future, it’s AOC. Way to inspire the true next generation, Kate!

My experience of AOC thus far has been the no-nonsense fighter, so I found that clip particularly delightful.

Getting tired already? it’s only 3:30PM!

A bland, rote show that never was able to stand alone. Oh and keep your wack Far left politics to yourself Kate. People don’t care what elitist Hollywood whiners think.

Ah, but many people do. You’re one of those “keep your politics to yourself because I disagree with them” types. I’m sure if she was a Trump supporter you’d be hailing her as heroic!

I would for sure. Not an AOC fan, but Kate can like whomever she wants. Just like I can. :)

Exactly. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and to express it.

Her ex actually ran for governor so it doesn’t come out of nothing, I’m sure there was a reason they were together in the first place.

It could also be that there’s just no way *not* to avoid politics in this day and age, because it’s so important and the moral choice has never been clearer. I find it insufferably boring when celebrities/institutions remain apolitical. If you aren’t speaking out against the atrocities of our time, then are you even doing anything?

I generally do not care to dive into politics. But the following comment caused me a double take…

“and the moral choice has never been clearer.”

Really? It seems to me the moral choice today is probably the muddiest it’s been in a VERY long time.

This, actually, I agree with. But when it comes to certain people being in office over others — I dunno, to me, it’s pretty clear who at least doesn’t deserve to be there

I agree it is pretty clear who doesn’t deserve to win elections. But I guess that depends on how one defines “deserves”.

So if she was a Far Right whack, would that be more acceptable to you?

Actually, people don’t care what you think…especially when you deliver your comment like that.

Keep it to herself? Uh, the interviewer brought up political topics and Kate answered. And you would share your politics too in that situation. Don’t pretend you wouldn’t.

Speaking for myself, if I were an apolitical public figure and was asked such a political question I would dance around it like I’ve never danced before. The desire it to announce to the world your political views. But is that the wise move? Probably not.

ML31, as albatrosity notes, for some of us, it’s impossible to imagine any kind of public life without engaging on public issues (which inevitably gets into politics in a democratic society).

It sounds as though both Kate Mulgrew and Patrick Stewart fall into that category. Americans may be less familiar with Stewart’s political comments (e.g. pro European Union), but he has been quite vocal.

But certainly there are others who wish to keep their views private and would ‘skate’ in response to a question like that. Which is another valid choice in a democracy that protects the secrecy of the vote.

“it’s impossible to imagine any kind of public life without engaging on public issues”

The only response I have to this is that there are quite a few public figures who keep such views murky to invisible.

Exactly ML31.

There are certainly public figures – from athletes to musicians and actors to royalty – who by personal preference keep their politics very private.

But in a democracy, many feel it’s a duty to exercise their democratic rights.

There are some public figures who are required to be silent to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest (in Canada and the UK this includes senior public servants, the Queen and Vice-regal representatives)m. Their only democratic rights may be to vote in secret, and royalty are denied even that. It’s a pretty serious infringement of personal rights for a greater social purpose.

I don’t think we need to ask others to self censor.

It stood alone just fine. And its funny no one cares about right wings whiners on a message board thinks either.

Says the poster boy for TDS.

Didn’t that inept idiot and people like you say for years Obama wasn’t born in America? Talk about derangement syndrome? ;D

IN this case though Trump is inept and deserves to be impeached for all his obstruction over the Russia investigation but I’ll take voted out of office. He’s a complete embarrassment and the reason my most of the country hates him, not to mention most of the world…unless you live in Russia, North Korea or Saudi Arabia of course.

I’m always amused when people call people like AOC “far left”….. I guess that’s the Overton Window in action.

My favorite Star Trek captain. She played the part very well. Makes me happy to see she’s an AOC supporter as well.

Best captain, ever!

I like strong women and Kate is one of the best. AOC most likely benefited from her on screen example but I think there may be some 7 of 9 and Belana Tores in there as well. Definitely some Klingon.

LOL a bit of Janeway, Seven and Torres would make for one fierce woman! AOC does seem to be a little of them all (without the punching I mean).

“LOL”

You are my favorite captain! No one fought as hard as her, best actress in starfleet imo! I live in Charleston, I would love to meet you!

She might well be one of the most likely actors to fetch up in Star Trek: Picard, perhaps as one of his former colleagues. It was established she took a position in the admiralty by the time of Nemesis.

I think the fact that she’s inspired, and practically worships AOC is more than reason enough to burn my Voyager collection. That women is beyond crazy. I thought Kate was much smarter than that. Even Bernie is better than AOC’s crazy rhetoric.

But Trump is OK in your book, right? There is a reason when more than half the country still hate this guy even with a pretty good economy going. Talk about ‘beyond crazy’.

No wonder so many people have left for the TrekWeb forum.

There is no Trekweb forum.

I guess I hurt your feelings…too bad.

You didn’t hurt my feelings at all. What I meant was, the Trekweb forum shut down years ago. Perhaps you meant Trekcore?

Yes, feel free to burn your voyager collection. You’re harming nobody but yourself and your own possessions.

Hey, it is all in good tradition. In 1821 a dude who wrote “The Lorlei Signal” or something said: “Where they burn DVDs, they will, in the end, burn Androids too.”.

One doesn’t necessarily have to like or agree with the people they do business with. Go ahead, burn your DVD collection. I detest the politics of a fellow I do business with. I’d go bail him out of jail if he called me at 3 am because he would do the same for me.

Are you a child? A person you admired said something you don’t agree with and you’re incapable of putting those feelings aside? It’s that easy to have your love for something ruined? As if the fictional character is more important to you than the real person portraying her. I’m actually embarrassed for you. How ironic you couldn’t function in the fictional world Star Trek portrays with your intolerance. Go burn your collection. I’m sure it’ll make headline news. It clearly didn’t mean that much to you in the first place.

Your reaction to him was exactly what you attacked him for.

Ehh. Not really.

I say I’m a Libertarian and vote to move in that minimal government direction. But I really don’t want that. I just want to vote for the candidate that will have the most energy and have the most momentum to move as far as possible in that direction because I don’t like where we are right now. I wonder if those who love AOC are the same. Do her fans are just trying to vote for a candidate that will move as far to the left from where we are now as possible but really don’t want her to get all the way because they recognize that would be bad for the country.

I sometimes think that we speak in extremes in government policy but really only want incremental shifting a few degrees to the left or right but not what the radicals are actually promoting.

I hope this isn’t seen as antagonistic.

WallDoctor, I’m not an American, but I once lived in the US for a fairly long time.

I do think you have a point. I do wonder if people are supporting more extreme positions in the US in order to open up the political space a bit to some new ideas, when it seems that things are stuck.

I’d add however that what is seen as radical or socialist in the US, is often middle of the road liberal democrat (i.e. to the right of social democrat) in the rest of North America and Europe.

For example, universal health coverage: despite having lived in the US, I am startled every time I hear some commentator in the US refer to universal health coverage as ‘social medicine”. Virtually no one in Canada or Europe thinks that government paying for health care is a slippery slope to socialism.

I am Canadian and American and lived the first 23 years of my life in Canada so I did see it fully as socialist. :)

Will Voyager ever be in HD. DVDs are so twenty years ago.

Voyager was my favorite Star Trek and still is. Not just Janeway, but the whole cast. I never warmed up much to the others, while I did watch them.

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Star Trek: Picard trailer sees Patrick Stewart reunite with popular characters

Voyager and next generation actors to appear in new spinoff, article bookmarked.

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The first trailer for Patrick Stewart ’s Jean-Luc Picard TV show is full of surprises for Star Trek fans.

Unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con , the glimpse at the new series catches us up with the former Enterprise captain who, when the show begins, is no longer at Starfleet.

The series is based after the destruction of Romulus and follows a retired Picard who is forced to assemble a team for a new brand new mission.

This team includes familiar faces in the form of Voyager and The Next Generation characters Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Data (Brent Spiner) and Hugh the Borg (Jonathan Del Arco).

That’s not all – showrunner Michael Chabon also announced that Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis will reprise their roles as Will Riker and Deanna Troi, respectively.

New stars joining the show include Alison Pill, Harry Treadaway and Santiago Cabrera.

Best costumes at San Diego Comic-Con 2019

Also at Comic-Con, a new trailer for The Walking Dead season 10 was released as well as the entire Phase Four slate of Marvel films that came with several surprising revelations .

Star Trek: Picard will be available to stream on Prime Video in early 2020.

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Fire Walk With Boimler: Star Trek & Twin Peaks' Secret Connection

Star trek officially unveils its realm of the gods the pleroma, star trek confirms the most feared species in the galaxy & it'll blow your mind.

• Ray Wise portrayed Liko in TNG & Arturis in Voyager, showcasing his range in the Star Trek franchise.
• Wise's memorable role in Twin Peaks as Leland Palmer is just one example of his extensive acting career.
• Numerous actors from Twin Peaks, such as Carel Struycken and Michael J. Anderson, have also appeared in Star Trek episodes.

Twin Peaks actor Ray Wise portrayed two different characters in the Star Trek franchise. Wise's first Star Trek appearance came in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 4, "Who Watches the Watchers," in which he plays Liko, a member of a Vulcan-like species being observed by the United Federation of Planets. In Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 26, "Hope and Fear," Wise portrayed Arturis, a member of an unnamed species designated Species 116. Ray Wise is most known for his role in Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me as Leland Palmer, the father of the ill-fated Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), whose murder becomes the central mystery of the series.

Prior to the genre-bending Twin Peaks , Wise appeared in episodes of Dallas, The A-Team, Knots Landing, and L.A. Law . Wise stayed busy after Twin Peaks ended, continuing to appear in various episodes of popular television shows, including Charmed, Dawson's Creek, The West Wing, 24, CSI, Law & Order: SVU, and Castle . Wise played Robin Sr. in six episodes of How I Met Your Mother , Ed Baxter in five episodes of Mad Men , and Marvin in 91 episodes of Fresh Off the Boat. Wise has also appeared in nearly 100 movies, including X-Men: First Class, Swamp Thing, Jeepers Creepers 2, God's Not Dead 2, and Chris Pine's Poolman.

Star Trek: Lower Decks just gave a subtle shout-out to David Lynch's cult classic, Twin Peaks. Does Boimler know who killed Laura Palmer?

Ray Wise Appeared In Star Trek: TNG & Voyager

In star trek: the next generation season 3, episode 4 - "who watches the watchers" & star trek: voyager season 4, episode 26, "hope and fear".

In Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Who Watches the Watchers," Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D head to the planet Mintaka III to resupply the Federation outpost there. The Federation has been secretly monitoring the Mintakan people to see how their proto-Vulcan society progresses. When their holographic camouflage malfunctions, Ray Wise's Liko sees it and is injured when he tries to investigate. Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) then beams Liko to the Enterprise to treat his injuries. She attempts to erase his memories of the encounter, but the procedure is unsuccessful, leaving Liko with the belief that Captain Picard is a god.

In "Who Watches the Watchers," a scientist named Palmer goes missing, which results in multiple characters referencing his name as they search for him. Ray Wise's character on Twin Peaks is named Leland Palmer and "Who killed Laura Palmer?" became a tagline for the show.

Ray Wise's character in Star Trek: Voyager's "Hope and Fear," Arturis, visits the USS Voyager after helping Neelix (Ethan Phillips) acquire supplies. As his species can translate almost any language, Arturis helps decode an encrypted message that Voyager received from Starfleet. Former Borg drone Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) grows suspicious of Arturis and Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) later comes to share her suspicions. Arturis eventually reveals that his homeworld was recently assimilated by the Borg and he blames Voyager for interfering in the war between the Borg and Species 8472 . Thankfully, Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Voyager's crew are able to thwart Arturis's plan before he turns them over to the Borg.

Ray Wise Is One Of Many Twin Peaks Actors In Star Trek

Twin peaks returned with an 18-episode revival on showtime in 2017, with many of the main cast returning..

Ray Wise is certainly not the only actor from David Lynch's cult classic to pop up in Star Trek . Carel Struycken portrayed the imposing Giant on Twin Peaks , who sometimes appeared in the dreams of Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan). Struycken appeared in several episodes of Star Trek , as Mr. Homn, the mostly silent valet of Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett). Michael J. Anderson also played a mysterious figure who popped up in Cooper's dreams, a character known as The Man From Another Place. Anderson appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Rumpelstiltskin.

Wendy Robie and Madchen Amick both had major roles in Twin Peaks , as Nadine Hurley and Shelly Johnson, respectively, but only played minor roles in Star Trek . Robie played a Cardassian scientist on DS9, while Amick appeared as an incarnation of a shapeshifter on TNG . In Twin Peaks, Richard Beymer played Benjamin Horne, and he appeared in three episodes of DS9 as Bajoran resistance leader Li Nalas. David Warner has three Star Trek roles, including Klingon Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Cardassian Gul Madred in TNG's "Chain of Command" two-parter. In Twin Peaks , Warner plays the menacing Thomas Eckhardt. There are many more connections between Twin Peaks and Star Trek , and both series have come to have passionate and devoted fan bases.

Twin Peaks and every live-action Star Trek show are available to stream on Paramount+.

• Patrick Stewart: How <i>Star Trek: Picard</i> Was Really Supposed to End

Patrick Stewart: How Star Trek: Picard Was Really Supposed to End

I n 2018, my agent informed me that two acclaimed screenwriters, Alex Kurtzman, who had co-written the Star Trek movie-franchise reboot starring Chris Pine, and Akiva Goldsman, an Oscar winner for Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind , wanted to meet with me about a new TV series they had in mind. Its premise? It revisited Jean-Luc Picard as he was now, in his later years. My instant reaction? “No, definitely not interested. Sorry.”

Fifteen minutes later, perhaps hedging a little, I called my agent back and told him that I would meet with Alex and Akiva, but only to explain why I was not interested in reentering the Star Trek realm. It was the polite thing to do, after all.

I met with Alex at the Hotel Bel-Air for lunch. For some reason, Akiva was not present, but Alex had brought with him Kirsten Beyer, a prolific author of Star Trek novels, and screenwriter James Duff, who co-created the Kyra Sedgwick show The Closer . I sighed inwardly—clearly, I was about to be pitched.

By way of a preamble, I made it clear to my lunch hosts that I was proud of the work we had done on The Next Generation and the four feature films that followed. I had very much enjoyed being Jean-Luc and kept him close in my heart. But. I was done with him. I had said everything I wanted to say about him. His journey, as far as I was concerned, was complete, and for the remainder of my life, I was eager to find work as far away from Star Trek as possible, to keep moving forward as an actor. I thanked Alex, Kirsten, and James for their time and interest, but that was that.

It will not surprise you that they pushed back.

They all said, in different ways, that they did not feel that Picard’s story was over. Seventeen years had passed since Nemesis , the final movie featuring The Next Generation cast. That was a long time ago, but Picard’s life had not ended. In fact, his life might very well have taken a radically different course post- Nemesis .

“How so?” I asked.

My hosts were ready for this and bombarded me with questions. Was Picard still a captain? Was he still in Starfleet? Had he been promoted? Had he retired? Did he still have his château in France? Did he have a wife or partner? What was his relationship with the Borg after all this time?

But mostly, they raised questions about Picard’s emotional state. He was an older man now—was aging changing him, as, perhaps, it was changing me? 

Whew. I needed to think about all of this.

When we adjourned, we agreed that they would get me a memo presenting their ideas and that I would give it some consideration.

The memo that arrived was over 10 pages long, and I studied it very carefully. I had a series of talks with my wife Sunny because committing to such a project would have a big impact on us, tethering me to a fixed schedule and a return to L.A. after our wholehearted embrace of Brooklyn.

Read More: Sir Patrick Stewart: The Photo That Influenced Me Most

We decided that revisiting Picard was worth considering, and I asked for another meeting. This time, Akiva Goldsman was in on the discussion. He spoke compellingly of his personal vision for a new series and mentioned that he was keen to involve Michael Chabon, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay I had loved. That really got my attention.

I told Akiva and his team that I would return for Star Trek: Picard , as the series was to be called, if they met the following conditions:

• The series would not be based on a reunion of The Next Generation characters. I wanted it to have little or nothing to do with them. This was not at all a mark of disrespect for my beloved fellow actors. Rather, I simply felt it was essential to place Picard in entirely new settings with entirely new characters. Perhaps Picard might encounter Riker or Dr. Crusher in the second season, but such encounters were not to be the series’ raison d’être.
• Picard would no longer be serving in Starfleet, and he was not to wear any kind of uniform or badges.
• The series would run for no more than three seasons.

It was clear to me that the writing team was not entirely thrilled with these conditions, but basically, they were all agreed to. The no-uniform rule was the toughest one for them to stomach, for some reason, and more than once, I was asked to reconsider my hard line. I stuck to my guns.

But once I committed to being Jean-Luc again, I committed fully. I told the new program’s producers that I wanted to announce Star Trek: Picard with a splash—by making a surprise appearance at the 2018 edition of the annual Star Trek Las Vegas convention.

I wanted it all kept hush-hush, with no mention whatsoever of my being in Las Vegas. Somehow, the secret never leaked. When I strode out to center stage, dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, I was greeted with a thundering round of applause that I took a moment to enjoy. I told the audience a few familiar stories of my early days on Star Trek: The Next Generation , which were received appreciatively. I talked about how I had long thought that our four feature films marked the end of the line for Jean-Luc. That elicited a few groans.

Then I sprang it on ’em: “Jean-Luc Picard is back.” Whoooo! Hoots of joy, more applause, lunatic shouts of glee. That moment alone made returning to the Star Trek universe worthwhile, and we hadn’t yet shot a scene.

Once we started filming, I was relieved and pleased to find myself discovering a new gear in which to play Jean-Luc. Having reviewed my work in Blunt Talk , I’d come to recognize that at times I was being a bit heavy in my delivery, hitting words too firmly and delivering my lines too theatrically. I was determined to remedy that. Also, my voice has grown more ragged with age. So for the Jean-Luc on the precipice of turning 80, I found a tone that was softer and gentler, and it really worked.

My whole career had been, to a degree, defined by my speaking voice and its power. Yet now, in acknowledging the limitations that Picard and I faced as older men, I found my voice more full of expression and spontaneity than before. I could also hear my brain and my feelings connecting to this voice, bringing forward a nuanced, autumnal Picard who was new to me and, I hoped, the show’s viewers.

Read More: Patrick Stewart on That Logan Scene, the Poop Emoji and American Citizenship

The writers did a remarkable job of inventing new characters, such as Picard’s former Starfleet first officer Raffi Musiker, who struggles with substance abuse, and Agnes Jurati, a cybernetics expert who ultimately gets assimilated into the Borg. The producers did an equally fantastic job of landing the blue-chip actors Michelle Hurd to play Raffi and Alison Pill as Agnes. I couldn’t wait to share our show with the world. 

The first season premiered in 2020. We shot the second and third seasons of Star Trek: Picard back-to-back, making up for lost time after COVID-19 shutdowns. Little by little, as the producers wore me down, I softened on my hard-line conditions regarding how I would participate in the series. Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes had reprised their characters in the first season, and Marina Sirtis, whose character Deanna Troi is now married to Riker, made a one-off appearance. By our second season, Q had reared his head, meaning a return for John de Lancie, and Whoopi Goldberg put in a couple of very valuable appearances as Guinan. For good measure, throughout the series we were also joined by the brilliant, beautiful Jeri Ryan, reprising her role as the ex-Borg drone Seven of Nine from the late-1990s TV series Star Trek: Voyager .

For season 3, our last, Terry Matalas, by then Picard ’s showrunner, told me that the studio wanted a full Next Generation reunion. Ugh, just what I had firmly said I didn’t want. But that had been three years ago. Now I was less resistant, having enjoyed working with Jonathan, Brent, Marina, John, and Whoopi. As an executive producer, I had a say in how we might go about achieving such a reunion. I told Terry, “I like the idea, provided that we don’t bring them all back at once. Let’s trickle them back in.”

It was essential to me that each TNG character came into the picture because he or she had a specific contribution to make and it wasn’t just sentimental window dressing. If Jean-Luc had changed so much over the years, so, too, surely, had the other members of the Enterprise crew. The writers, bless them, took this to heart.

Read More: How Star Trek First Made It to the Screen

The final season’s premiere episode, written by Terry, found Picard in a relaxed state of post-Starfleet life, proclaiming to his Romulan minder, Laris, played by the fine Irish actress Orla Brady, “I’m going to sip Saurian brandy and think about writing my memoir.” (Hey, I could relate to that!)

Then, out of nowhere, Jean-Luc receives a distress call from none other than his former chief medical officer and occasional lover, Dr. Beverly Crusher. Hello and welcome back, Gates McFadden!

And as he plots to rescue Dr. Crusher and ward off an unknown enemy who is keen to abduct her son, Jack—who is also, we learn, Picard’s child—Jean-Luc gradually rounds up the only people he can trust: his old Enterprise gang. Hello and welcome back, Gates, Brent, Jonathan, Marina, LeVar Burton, and Michael Dorn! (I especially liked Worf’s pacifist reappearance with a white goatee.)

And also, a grudging hello and welcome back to Starfleet badges and uniforms. Everyone else wore them, but Terry Matalas, knowing of my reservations, worked out a compromise. Picard’s outfits had the same silhouette as the Starfleet uniform but looked more like everyday street clothes, with no two-tone color scheme.

The third season came off magnificently. But its final scene, in which the reunited crew is gathered around a table with drinks, sharing a toast, is not how it was originally supposed to end. I had a different idea, which I brought to the writers a few months before we wrapped the series.

“What I’d like to see at the end of the show,” I told them, “is a content Jean-Luc. I want to see Picard perfectly at ease with his situation. Not anxious, not in a frenzy, not depressed. And I think this means that there is a wife in the picture.”

You see, the line between Jean-Luc and me has grown ever more blurred. If I have found true love, shouldn’t he?

The writers came up with a lovely scene. It is dusk at Jean-Luc’s vineyard. His back is to us as he takes in the view, his dog at his side.

Then, off-screen, a woman’s loving voice is heard: “Jean-Luc? Supper’s ready!”

Is it Beverly Crusher’s voice? Laris’s? Someone we don’t know? It isn’t made clear. But Sunny was set to record the lines.

Heeding his wife’s call, Jean-Luc turns around, says to his dog, “C’mon, boy,” and heads inside. Dusk fades to night, and Picard fades into history.

But this scene was never shot. And I am sort of to blame. Our final day of shooting season 3 was a bear, with a very long to-do list. About eight hours in, I realized we were in for a 14- or even 16-hour day. Brutal. And I was booked to fly to New York the first thing the following morning. So I made a suggestion to the production team.

“Look,” I said, “the scene with the dog will take no time to shoot, but it will take hours to set up the lighting and the green screen and all that. We don’t have those hours. So let’s not shoot that scene today. I can come back at any time you like and take care of it. Just me and the dog.”

The production team was grateful and relieved. And I was assured that we would take care of the final scene upon my return from New York.

But I never got a call. When I made a few inquiries, I kept getting put off. Finally, someone told me, “The studio doesn’t want to do it. It’s too expensive and they think it’s unnecessary.” Unnecessary? I thought it was crucial to the completion of Picard’s arc. But so be it: the TV series ended with the toast, which is a warm, emotional send-off to my favorite Starfleet crew. Either way, you now know of my original intent.

So is that it for Jean-Luc Picard?

Most probably, but never say never. I am gently pushing Paramount to let us do one single Picard movie. Not a Next Generation movie, as we have already done four of those. This would be an expansion and deepening of the universe as we’ve seen it in Star Trek: Picard . I’ve discussed this with Jonathan, Brent, and LeVar, and they are all game. Jonathan is my first choice to direct it.

Copyright (c) 2023 by Camm Lane, Inc. From the book Making It So by Patrick Stewart to be published by Gallery Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Printed by permission.

Correction, Sept. 28

The original version of this story misstated the writer of the season 3, episode 1 of  Star Trek: Picard . It was Terry Matalas, not Matalas, Akiva Goldsman, and Michael Chabon.

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Star Trek's Kate Mulgrew Shared Her Thoughts About A Voyager Movie With Us Just Before Alex Kurtzman Teased Her Live-Action Return

The actress had an interesting response.

Star Trek: Voyager is a beloved show for franchise fans, but it never had the chance to shine as brightly back in its day. While The Next Generation had a handful of movies with Patrick Stewart and his crew, actress Kate Mulgrew had to settle for a cameo in Star Trek: Nemesis , and only recently had the chance to reprise her role as Kathryn Janeway on television in the animated series Prodigy . It sounds like more could be in the works, however, following Trek head Alex Kurtzman’s comments at New York Comic-Con. His comments have me really excited about what’s coming for her character, especially considering what Mulgrew said to CinemaBlend about a Voyager movie only hours before.  

I had the honor of speaking to Kate Mulgrew ahead of Star Trek: Prodigy ’s panel at New York Comic-Con, and while we discussed a lot about what’s to come in the Paramount+ and Nickelodeon series, we also briefly got on the topic of a Voyager movie. I noted that I’m a big advocate for a Voyager film being made in this streaming era, and Mulgrew agreed that the idea sounded fun: 

I think a Voyager movie would be fun, and I think you’re not alone in wanting to see that. I mean, this group, this crew was of terrific significance to thousands of people. So, I think to bring them together again, a little older, a little wiser, and a little saucier? That could be nothing short of very fun.

Hours later, Alex Kurtzman revealed that the franchise is looking into ways to bring Kate Mulgrew back as Janeway in a live-action project and that they have some ideas in the works. Now, I’m not saying that one of those ideas is a Voyager movie, but I am saying that Mulgrew had some personal thoughts to share on the idea pretty quickly. If Paramount+ is kicking around the idea of finally making a Voyager movie, there is no denying the timing is kind of perfect for this to be a “very fun” thing for fans. 

Kate Mulgrew is back in Star Trek as the Hologram Janeway and Vice Admiral Janeway in Prodigy , and her Voyager co-stars are also working in the franchise. Robert Beltran's Chakotay is also featured in the animated Prodigy series, and Jeri Ryan is currently a part of the cast of Picard as Seven of Nine. 

Beyond that, Star Trek 4 doesn’t seem like it’ll release anytime soon, and Paramount+ is a perfect place to release a more niche fan-interest project that may not appeal to a mainstream audience. Hey, they could even get Robert Duncan McNeill to direct it, and maybe even butter him up with a Captain Proton miniseries . 

Of course, there are plenty of options for Kate Mulgrew to return to Star Trek in live-action without it happening with a Star Trek: Voyager movie. Star Trek: Picard recently revealed Seven of Nine is officially a Starfleet officer, which opens the avenue for the franchise to do a Voyager continuation through her. There could also be a Janeway miniseries, though if there are still multiple ideas floating around out there, I’d prefer to stick with the “fun” idea of a Voyager movie (preferably one with redemption for Harry Kim ). 

Star Trek: Voyager doesn’t have a movie, but anyone with a Paramount+ subscription can stream the entire series right now. Here’s hoping that more Voyager content is headed there in the future, provided it doesn’t involve them getting lost in the Delta Quadrant yet again. 

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Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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‘It’s Been Intense’: Patrick Stewart on New Season of ‘Star Trek: Picard,’ Reuniting with Q

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Early on in the new season of Star Trek: Picard , Jean-Luc Picard is thrust into an alternate timeline where he’s a fascist, genocidal leader on a barbaric version of 24th-century Earth. One of the first voices he hears is Q, an omnipotent, all-powerful being (played by veteran character actor John de Lancie) who toyed with him throughout the entire run of Star Trek: The Next Generation . The two Trek veterans hadn’t been face-to-face since that show ended back in 1994.

“Oh dear, you’re a bit older than I imagined,” says Q, who — thanks to CGI — initially looks just as he did when we last saw him. “Let me catch up.” He snaps his fingers and instantly ages 30 years. “There now,” he says. “We’re even.”

It’s a stark reminder that original world of Star Trek: The Next Generation is long behind us, recreated but never to be revisited, and that the passage of time impacts everything, even supposedly ageless demigods. That was evident throughout the first season of Picard , where our frail hero — played, of course, by Patrick Stewart — reluctantly leaves retirement life in his French vineyard, days after learning he has a potentially lethal neurological condition, to save a young android very much like his former TNG colleague Data.

And it’s evident in the second season of the show, which debuts March 3 on Paramount Plus, where Picard and his new ragtag crew (which includes Star Trek: Voyager ‘s Seven of Nine) travel back to Earth in 2024 to prevent the timeline from going hopelessly askew. “This was all challenging and exciting new stuff for Picard,” says Stewart. “I have the same name as before, but everything else, I think, is different.”

“Season One is about resurrection in a bunch of ways,” adds Star Trek: Picard showrunner Akiva Goldsman. “Season Two is about redemption.”

Part of that redemption involves a new look at Picard’s childhood, and his inability to find lasting love. “We wanted to tell a story about Picard’s heart,” says Goldsman, before adding, in a reference to the character receiving an artificial heart during his cadet years at Starfleet (and his consciousness being transferred into an android’s body in this series’ first season), “Or his spiritual heart, since God knows he’s had several versions of his actual heart. We found this space and we thought, ‘Wow, no one has shined a light on that.’ You always say, ‘What happened with him and Beverly [Crusher]? Why doesn’t any romantic relationship stick? He’s interesting, smart, and cool. He’s handsome. He runs a starship. What’s going on there?’ ”

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Just a few years ago, Stewart couldn’t have imagined letting any creative team, no matter how inventive, attempt to answer such a question. He hadn’t played Jean-Luc Picard since 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis — a nearly unwatchable entry that caused Paramount to stop making Next Generation movies and turn back to the Captain Kirk crew in their last three Star Trek films. He truly thought he would never done the captain’s uniform again.

“I felt that after 176 hours of television, which is what the Next Generation was, and four feature films, that I had nothing more say,” says Stewart. “It would be best now to just let the thing become a part of history.”

That changed when he met with Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Michael Chabon, all of whom sold him on an idea for a show that was nothing like TNG . Picard would no longer be a part of Starfleet; he’d initially be living on Earth; and most of his old Enterprise buddies wouldn’t be a part of the action. “Because 20 years had passed, they wanted to approach Picard, and others in the series we may have met before, after they had been affected by those 20 years,” says Stewart. “It wasn’t just that Patrick Stewart was 20 years older. So was Jean-Luc.”

He’d just finished work on the X-Men movie Logan , where he played the once mighty Charles Xavier as a broken old man suffering from dementia. “I loved Logan , which will be perhaps dismaying to the X-Men fans, but it was my best experience with any of those movies,” says Stewart. “I said to them, ‘I don’t want to remake Logan , but I think we could take the approach to Logan as a concrete basis for taking a different approach, but with the same benefits, if we were to revive Jean-Luc.'”

One of his first rules was that he didn’t want to wear a Starfleet uniform at any point on the show. The producers were initially horrified, since it’s almost as iconic as Superman’s cape, but Stewart knew leaving it off would make  very clear that this was a new Picard for a new time. “It was almost as if they felt nobody would would believe I was Jean-Luc unless I was wearing a communicator and four little pins, or however many pins an admiral has, but I stayed away from that,” says Stewart. “It was not what Star Trek: Picard was intending to be about. Not at all.”

The first season did feature appearances from Data (Brent Spiner), William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), but the focus was on a new team that Picard was forced to assemble, including android expert Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), former Starfleet officer Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), former Starfleet Captain Chris Rios (Santiago Carbera), and young Romulan warrior Elnor (Evan Evagora).

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From the very beginning, the producers had a three-season arc in mind. “But we didn’t know we were going to get three seasons,” says Goldsman. “We just knew we were going to get one. Had we face-planted, CBS would have been like, ‘Thanks so much for trying that little thing. Move along.'”

And although some fans and critics founds the plot of the first season a bit convoluted and confusing, the Picard team quickly received a renewal for seasons two and three. Once they decided to make the second season about Picard’s heart, they knew it would make sense to bring back Q and Whoopi Goldberg’s character, Guinan.

“If you think about it, two of Picard’s most abiding relationships, his two most longstanding ones, are his relationships are Q and Guinan,” says Goldsman. “They are deep, they are profound, and they are complex. Guinan has cross-temporal awareness. She doesn’t know what the divergences [in the timeline] are, but if you go back to [the classic Next Generation episode] ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise,’ she knows that Tasha [Yar] ain’t supposed to be there.” [The character died in the first season of TNG .]

“Q is a genie,” continues Goldsman. “Q can create an environment for us that is the canvas on which we can lay out the drama of Picard’s inner life, because Q is the closest thing that Star Trek has to magic. Their relational connectedness to Jean-Luc and their powers made them the ideal bookends for this story.”

Q’s role in the Star Trek universe goes all the way back to the pilot episode of The Next Generation , when he put all of mankind on trial and forced Picard to serve as its defender. “The character is basically a God,” says de Lancie. “When it started, I thought to myself, ‘OK, he’s a God. But then what does he do?’ So I thought, ‘I’m an omnipotent being that’s too stupid to know it. I’m a God with clay feet.'”

He played Q as both a playful clown and a figure of incredible menace and doom, often going back and forth with little warning. “My feeling was he couldn’t just be one thing,” says de Lancie. “I wanted to break it up. There’s the seltzer-down-your-pants stuff and then the dangerous stuff. That means you in the audience are never quite sure what you’re getting.”

Initially, de Lancie thought Q would never be seen again after the Next Generation pilot. He’d spent most of his career guesting on shows like The Six Million Dollar Man, Barnaby Jones , and MacGyver , and this seemed like another one-shot deal. But on the third day of shooting, he heard a voice from behind him while standing around the set. “It said, ‘You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into,” says de Lancie. “And it was [ Star Trek creator] Gene Roddenberry with a big smile on his face. I said, ‘Gene, what are you talking about?’ He said, ‘You will find out.'”

He was brought back to play Q in the ninth episode of The Next Generation and then again a single time in each of the next six seasons, including the series finale “All Good Things…” where he played a major role. He also played Q on three episodes of Star Trek: Voyager and one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

But the last call to play Q came in 2001. “They had done movies and nobody called,” says de Lancie. “They had done Picard [Season One] and nobody called. Without sounding disingenuous, this call kind of felt out of left field. When [ Picard showrunner] Terry [Matalas] reached out and said, ‘I’m sure you were expecting this call.’ I said, ‘No. I wasn’t expecting this call. But I’m delighted to be here.'”

In the three episodes of Picard screened for the press, Q’s role is relatively minimal, though extremely important to the overall plot of the season. “I want to tamp down on expectations” says de Lancie. “I want fans to know that I’m a catalyst in this season. This is different from the Q episodes that I did in years past, where each one of them was kind of the Q show.”

Stewart had seen de Lancie at a number of Star Trek conventions over the past two decades, but this was their first time actually shooting together in nearly 30 years. “I’m very fond of John,” says Stewart. “He’s a dear man and a friend. When we played our final scene together, John went to make speeches, as did I, but we both ended up having to cut it short because we had tears in our eyes. It was a very, very deep relationship.”

He feels the same way about Whoopi Goldberg. Up until this season, she hadn’t played Guinan since the 1994 movie Star Trek: Generations . Stewart invited her back onto the show when he appeared on The View in January 2020. “I knew that it was very important to bring Guinan back,” says Stewart. “I think she’s living much much slower than everyone else is. One year for Jean-Luc Picard is like two days for Guinan. We had some very important scenes this season.

“When you have strong feelings about a person you’re acting with, so long as they’re positive feelings, it introduces a new element into the relationship and the interconnection of the two characters,” he continues. “That’s always what has happened when I’ve been in front of the camera with Whoopi. I wish it was happening more often.”

Much of the action this season takes place on Earth in 2024. At times, it feels somewhat similar to the 1986 movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home where Kirk and his crew travel to Eighties San Francisco in order to save the future. “ The Voyage Home spoke very much to this season,” says Goldsman. “There are a couple of very specific homages to it, which I will not tell you about.”

Like practically every show over the past couple of years, the pandemic made shooting very difficult. It forced them to start months later than they originally planned, and to start Season Three right after finishing Season Two. “We wrapped season two at 7 p.m. one night and we started the next season the following morning,” says Stewart. “It’s been, as you may be able to hear from my voice, an intense experience.”

When we spoke on Feb. 28, Stewart said he was just five working days away from wrapping Season Three after 13 solid months of shooting. He’s unwilling to even hint at where the story goes, but he does say that working with writers and directors that grew up with The Next Generation has been extremely rewarding.

“The head of the writing room and the man who is currently directing this episode I’m shooting has been a devoted enthusiast from the very beginning,” he says. “You can see in their faces what the franchise has meant to them. And then to be finding themselves directing an episode with Jean-Luc Picard and… who knows who else? I’m not allowed to mention who else, but it’s an extraordinary situation to be in. It’s one I have relished in these past few years.”

Stewart is willing to say even less about his possible role in the upcoming Marvel movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness , but his voice is clearly heard in the new trailer for it. Does that mean he’s returning as Professor Xavier? “This is a very delicate area,” he says. “All I can say to you is we’ll have to see. But bear in mind that Professor Xavier has already died twice. I think he must have some sort of Superman quality.”

Back in Star Trek land, Goldsman says that Season Three of Picard will likely be the final one, unless something “miraculous” happens, but Stewart is unwilling to be that definitive. “With something like this, I never say never,” he says. “I did for a long time, but my experience with filming Picard has shifted my prejudices a little. I don’t know. All I know right now is I need a break. In 10 days’ time I’m going to have one. Then we’ll see. I’ll think about it.”

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What to watch to prepare for star trek: picard.

The latest entry to the Star Trek universe - the new Star Trek: Picard series - debuts 23 January on CBS All Access in the US and Prime Video in the UK.

The latest entry to the Star Trek universe - the new Star Trek: Picard series - just debuted on CBS All Access in the US and Prime Video in the UK.

It sees Patrick Stewart return as Jean Luc Picard, one of the most beloved captains in Star Trek. The new series focuses on a retired Picard, who now owns a winery and is enjoying his break from Starfleet, but it’s not long before adventure calls, and he must return to the stars.

Stewart last played Picard in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis. But, 15 years before that, he had been the captain of the Enterprise for 178 episodes in Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as in four feature films that he helmed. So, if you want to catch up on all-things Picard before diving into the new CBS All Access series, we think you might have trouble finding the time.

There are hundreds of hours of Picard-centric content you can binge - and that’s without getting into the other characters and plotlines that are likely to surface in Star Trek: Picard. To help you get ready as quickly as possible, we've rounded up a list of episodes from The Next Generation and Voyager, plus a few films, which should cover everything you need to see.

What to watch before Star Trek: Picard

NOTE: THERE ARE SPOILERS.

We recommend watching the episodes and movies below, in this order. To avoid any spoilers, jump to the bottom for our bulleted list version. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Battle

• Season 1 Episode 9

This TNG episode sees the Enterprise pay for a decision made by Captain Picard nine years earlier - when he was in command of the Federation ship Stargazer. They were attacked by an unknown ship. Picard survived the encounter, however, thanks to the first use of what became the Picard Maneuver. This episode hints at Picard’s past and focuses on what makes him unique as a captain.

Star Trek The Next Generation Complete

Star trek: the next generation - the measure of a man.

• Season 2 Episode 9

Picard and his old friend Data (Brent Spiner) might reunite soon - if the trailers for Star Trek: Picard are any indication - making this TNG episode a must-watch. In it, we meet a cyberneticist who wishes to deconstruct Lt Commander Data to see how his positronic brain functions. When Data doesn’t want to undergo the procedure, which could wipe his entire memory, the cyberneticist attempts to have the Federation compel Data, arguing he is the Federation’s property. The ensuing conflict sees a sci-fi courtroom drama take place, with Captain Picard representing Data for the right to have control over his own body.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds

• Season 3 Episode 26
• Season 4 Episode 1

The Borg is one of the most terrifying villains in Star Trek, and they return in some form for the new Picard series, which is why we’re including this two-parter, which ranks up there with the greatest episodes in any Star Trek series.

The Enterprise responds to a distress signal from a Federation colony only to find everyone in the colony has disappeared. It’s discovered that the Borg, a hive mind that forces all life it meets to assimilate under its control, is responsible for their disappearance. When another Starfleet vessel is attacked by a Borg Cube, the Enterprise heads off to face them, beginning an encounter that will have a lasting impact on Picard.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Family

• Season 4 Episode 2

Following the battle with the Borg, the Enterprise is docked near Earth to undergo repairs, allowing Picard to return to his family home to see his brother, Robert, who’s running the family’s vineyard. This episode gives us an early glimpse at what we think Picard will be doing at the opening of the new CBS All Access series - running a vineyard - but this episode is important because we see Picard struggling with the horrible things he was forced to do while he was assimilated. He even reveals that he’s considering leaving Starfleet for a position that will keep him on Earth.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - I, Borg

• Season 5 Episode 23

This TNG episode sees the Enterprise discover a wrecked Borg ship with only one survivor, a Borg Drone initially called Three of Five (Jonathan Del Arco). There’s two main reasons to watch this episode. For one, we see Picard still struggling with his hatred for what the Borg did to him while he was assimilated. The normally cool and moralistic Captain spends the episode considering using the recovered Borg as a weapon that could destroy the entire Borg Collective. The second reason for watching this episode is that the recovered Borg drone - which ends up showing signs of its own individualism returning by taking the name Hugh - is slated to appear in Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Gambit Part I and II

• Season 7 Episode 4
• Season 7 Episode 5

This two-parter from the final season of TNG shows the relationship between Captain Picard and one of his most trusted friends - who’s also confirmed to appear in Star Trek: Picard - William Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes). While searching for a missing Picard, Riker is abducted by a group of mercenaries. When among them, he finds that Picard is actually another captive, and together, the two of them must formulate a plan to escape from their captors with an ancient Vulcan weapon.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things

• Season 7 Episodes 25
• Season 7 Episodes 26

The series finale to TNG is particularly interesting because we get a glimpse at the future leading up to Star Trek: Picard. In the finale, Picard finds himself jumping between the present and two different points in time: Seven years in the past, right before the events of the series' first episode, and 25 years into the future when he’s retired to a vineyard, or when Star Trek: Picard is expected to begin.

Star Trek: Voyager - The Scorpion

This isn’t an episode from The Next Generation, and there’s no Picard, but it's still worth watching during your catch-up because it shows the debut of another important character who is featured prominently in the trailers for the new Picard series: Seven of Nine (played by Jeri Ryan).

In this episode, while journeying home, The Voyager is forced to travel through a section of space controlled by the Borg, but in the process, it ends up in a middle of an ongoing war between the Borg and an alien species the Borg calls Species 8472. In order to make it through the area, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) decides to ally with the Borg, accepting Seven onto the ship in the process.

Star Trek: Voyager - Seasons 1 - 7

Star trek: voyager - endgame.

The original Endgame! This two-part series finale of Star Trek: Voyager sets off events that will surely affect the world of Star Trek: Picard.

An older Captain Kathryn Janeway is seen celebrating the 10th anniversary of Voyager finally coming back to Earth when she devises a plan to return to the past and help the Voyager make it home 16 years faster. But she sets off an encounter with the Borg Collective that should’ve left the hive mind devastated. We should get our first look at what the Borg look like, following the events of this episode, in Star Trek: Picard.

• Star Trek: Short Treks - Children of Mars

CBS All Access has a 12-episode anthology series of short Star Trek stories, and the most recent episode appears to show a key event that happens just before the events of Star Trek: Picard. The 10-minute episode shows an attack by a group of rogue synths on Mars through the eyes of two teen girls on Earth whose parents both work on Mars. At the end, we can see a picture of Picard on the news.

• Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

First Contact is considered one of the best Star Trek films, which makes it worth a rewatch ahead of Star Trek: Picard. But the real reason it’s worth firing up this film is that it shows Picard still struggling with the time he spent assimilated to the Borg six years earlier. He’s forced to confront these feelings head-on when he must travel back in time to prevent the Borg from changing the past and assimilating all of Earth.

star trek: first contact

• Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

The final Star Trek film featuring Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard sees him face off with a clone of himself, played by an extremely young Tom Hardy. While the film wasn’t exactly an Oscar contender, it does have important details that will have an impact on the events of Star Trek: Picard, such as Lt Commander Data’s death near the end and the reveal that he transferred some of himself into B-4, an android similar to Data himself. There’s also the fact that the Romulans create the clone Picard must stop, which could also factor into the events of the new series.

Star Trek X: Nemesis

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• Star Trek (2009)

The latest Star Trek films from JJ Abrams operate on a completely different timeline from Star Trek: Picard and The Next Generation series. However, there’s one key event that triggers the split timelines and might be the reason Picard leaves Starfleet, and that is the destruction of Romulan by a star going supernova. While Star Trek only shows the effects of that - in terms of a Romulan who survived and heads back in time to seek vengeance on Spock -  Star Trek: Picard should give us our first glimpse at the universe following the dissolution of the Romulan Empire.

Star Trek: 2009 - 2016 [Blu-ray]

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What to watch before Star Trek: Picard (spoiler-free)

Here's the same list as above, in an at-a-glance, bulleted list free of spoilers.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Battle (Season 1 Episode 9)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Measure of a Man (Season 2 Episode 9)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds (Season 3 Episode 26)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds (Season 4 Episode 1)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Family (Season 4, Episode 2)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - I, Borg (Season 5 Episode 23)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Gambit (Season 7 Episode 4)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Gambit (Season 7 Episode 5)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things (Season 7 Episodes 25)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things (Season 7 Episodes 26)
• Star Trek: Voyager - Scorpion (Season 3 Episode 26)
• Star Trek: Voyager - Scorpion (Season 4 Episode 1)
• Star Trek: Voyager - Endgame (Season 7 Episode 25)
• Star Trek: Voyager - Endgame (Season 7 Episode 26)

Liked this?

Check out our Star Trek guide for the ultimate best-viewing order on all the Star Trek movies and shows.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

• Gene Roddenberry
• Patrick Stewart
• Brent Spiner
• Jonathan Frakes
• 321 User reviews
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• 39 wins & 61 nominations total

Episodes 176

Photos 3429

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• Counselor Deanna Troi

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• Trivia Almost everyone in the cast became life-long friends. At LeVar Burton 's 1992 wedding, Brent Spiner served as best man, and Sir Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , and Michael Dorn all served as ushers. Man of the People (1992) (#6.3) aired on that day.
• Goofs It is claimed that Data can't use contractions (Can't, Isn't, Don't, etc) yet there are several instances throughout the series where he does. One of the first such examples is heard in Encounter at Farpoint (1987) , where Data uses the word "Can't" while the Enterprise is being chased by Q's "ship".

[repeated line]

Capt. Picard : Engage!

• Crazy credits The model of the Enterprise used in the opening credits is so detailed, a tiny figure can be seen walking past a window just before the vessel jumps to warp speed.
• Alternate versions The first and last episodes were originally broadcast as two-hour TV movies, and were later re-edited into two one-hour episodes each. Both edits involved removing some scenes from each episode.
• Connections Edited into Reading Rainbow: The Bionic Bunny Show (1988)

User reviews 321

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• September 26, 1987 (United States)
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• Paramount Television
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Published Apr 21, 2015

EXCLUSIVE: Mulgrew Talks Memoir, Voyager, OITNB & More, Part 2

Kate Mulgrew has always been a tell-it-like-it-is lady, and so it’s no surprise that her new memoir – Born with Teeth , out now from Little Brown – pulls no punches, either. You can hear Mulgrew’s voice, that cadence, in every sentence, sharing anecdotes from her life in vivid, deeply personal detail, all of it Irish to the core. She delves into her childhood, her romances, a brutal rape and the life of an actress. She recounts blowing her first Star Trek: Voyager audition and later inhabiting Captain Janeway, as well as the tremendous guilt she felt over being away from her sons while traversing the Delta Quadrant. Mulgrew also spends many a page describing her efforts to locate and reunite with the daughter she’d given up for adoption in her youth. In recent days, Mulgrew has been making the rounds to promote Born with Teeth , and StarTrek.com caught up with her by telephone on Friday to talk about the book, Voyager, Orange Is the New Black and more. Below is part two of our conversation, and make sure to check out Part One if you missed it.

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Patrick Stewart Never Thought His Famous Star Trek Co-Star Would Last In Hollywood

P atrick Stewart's revealing new memoir has the man behind Picard sharing insights about his experience working with a young Tom Hardy, according to Variety . The memoir, entitled Making It So , talks in-depth about the making of 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis , and how Stewart and the rest of the cast weren't able to build a rapport with Tom Hardy on set due to his solitary nature. Hardy portrayed the movie's villain, Shinzon, and unceremoniously left the set after production, leading Stewart to tell Brent Spiner that they'd probably never hear from Hardy again.

Since working with Patrick Stewart and co. on Nemesis , Tom Hardy has starred in Bronson, Warrior, Locke, Mad Max: Fury Road, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of John Fitzgerald in The Revenant .

In the same passage, Patrick Stewart goes on to say that Tom Hardy wasn't hostile by any means but often locked himself away in his trailer when he wasn't needed on set. Stewart also mentions that he's glad that Hardy has proven him wrong and has had quite the run since their time working together on Nemesis.

This seems like a far cry from the extroverted and approachable Tom Hardy that we know and love today, but we're talking about one of his earliest roles when he was breaking into Hollywood.

Since working with Patrick Stewart and co. on Nemesis , Tom Hardy has starred in Bronson, Warrior, Locke, Mad Max: Fury Road, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of John Fitzgerald in The Revenant . He's also starred in three Christopher Nolan films: The Dark Night Rises , Inception, and Dunkirk .

Most recently, Tom Hardy has been donning a symbiote suit with his portrayal of Eddie Brock/Venom, and has been quite busy with no sign of letting up any time soon.

In his new memoir, Patrick Steward discusses working with Tom Hardy in Star Trek: Nemesis and how he didn't think the young actor would make it in Hollywood.

Though Patrick Stewart never truly got to know Tom Hardy, it's worth noting that Hardy wasn't a high-profile actor at the time that Nemesis was filmed. It makes sense that the Bronson star may have wanted to keep to himself because the Star Trek crew had a long history working together, and he wasn't part of the regular cast.

Tom Hardy also suffered from dysthymia, and had a history of substance abuse that started when he was just a preteen, lasting until he was 25 years old. He has talked publicly about both his struggles and his recovery since entering a 12-step program in 2003, just one year after working with Patrick Stewart on Nemesis .

Hardy could have very well been working through some personal issues and just wanted to keep things professional as he was just starting out.

It makes sense that the Bronson star may have wanted to keep to himself because the Star Trek crew had a long history working together, and he wasn't part of the regular cast.

These days, Tom Hardy is a prolific actor and a household name, something that Patrick Stewart wouldn't have anticipated based on his experience working with the star over 20 years ago. As of this writing, Hardy has a full release slate, and can be seen starring in The Bikeriders , and Havoc , which are slated for a late 2023 and early 2024 release, respectively.

The untitled Venom : Let There Be Carnage sequel is also in active production and slated for a July 24, 2024 release as of this writing.

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ is over. Now Alex Kurtzman readies for ‘Starfleet Academy’ and ‘Section 31’

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In “Star Trek” terms, and in the real world of “Star Trek” television, Alex Kurtzman, who oversees the 21st century franchise, might be described as the Federation president, from whose offices various series depart on their individual missions. Indeed, to hear him speak of it, the whole enterprise — honestly, no pun intended — seems to run very much on the series’ ethos of individual initiative and group consensus.

The first series to be launched, “ Star Trek: Discovery, ” has come to an end as of Thursday after five seasons on Paramount+. Others in the fleet include the concluded “ Picard, ” which brought “The Next Generation” into a new generation; the ongoing “ Strange New Worlds, ” which precedes the action of what’s now called “The Original Series,” from which it takes its spirit and several characters; “Lower Decks,” a comedy set among Starfleet service workers; and “Prodigy,” in which a collection of teenage aliens go joyriding in a starship. On the horizon are “Starfleet Academy,” with Holly Hunter set to star, and a TV feature, “ Section 31, ” with Michelle Yeoh back as Philippa Georgiou.

I spoke with Kurtzman, whose “Trek” trek began as a writer on the quantum-canonical reboot movies “ Star Trek ” (2009) and “ Star Trek: Into Darkness ” (2013), at Secret Hideout, his appropriately unmarked Santa Monica headquarters. Metro trains glide by his front door unaware. We began the conversation, edited for length and clarity here, with a discussion of his “Trek” universe.

Alex Kurtzman: I liken them to different colors in the rainbow. It makes no sense to me to make one show that’s for everybody; it makes a lot of sense to make a lot of shows individually tailored to a sect of the “Star Trek” audience. It’s a misnomer that there’s a one-size-fits-all Trekkie. And rather than make one show that’s going to please everybody — and will almost certainly please nobody — let’s make an adult drama, an animated comedy, a kids’ comedy, an adventure show and on and on. There’s something quite beautiful about that; it allows each of the stories to bloom in its own unique way.

Do you get pushback from the fans?

Absolutely. In some ways that’s the point. One of the things I learned early on is that to be in love with “Star Trek” is to engage in healthy debate. There is no more vocal fan base. Some people tell you that their favorite is “The Original Series,” some say their favorite is “Voyager” and some say their favorite is “Discovery.” Yet they all come together and talk about what makes something singularly “Trek” — [creator] Gene Roddenberry‘s extraordinarily optimistic vision of the future when all that divides us [gets placed] in the rearview mirror and we get to move on and discover things. Like all great science fiction, you get to pick your allegory to the real world and come up with the science fiction equivalent. And everybody who watches understands what we’re talking about — racism or the Middle East or whatever.

What specific objections did you find to “Discovery”?

I think people felt it was too dark. We really listen to our fans in the writers’ room — everybody will have read a different article or review over the weekend, and we talk about what feels relevant and what feels less relevant. And then we engage in a healthy democratic debate about why and begin to apply that; it seeps into the decisions we make. Season 1 of “Discovery” was always intended to be a journey from darkness into light, and ultimately reinforce Roddenberry’s vision. I think people were just stunned by something that felt darker than any “Trek” had before. But doing a dark “Star Trek” really wasn’t our goal. The show is a mirror that holds itself up to the times, and we were in 2017 — we saw the nation fracture hugely right after the election, and it’s only gotten worse since then. We were interpreting that through science fiction. There were people who appreciated that and others for whom it was just not “Star Trek.” And the result, in Season 2, Capt. [Christopher] Pike showed up, Number One showed up, Spock showed up, and we began to bring in what felt to people more like the “Star Trek” they understood.

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You’re ending the series after five seasons. Was that always a plan?

You know, we were surprised we didn’t continue, and yet it feels now that it was right. One of the things that happened very quickly as streaming took off was that it radically changed watch patterns for viewers. Shows that used to go 10, 12 seasons, people would tap out after two — like, “I got what I want” — so for any show to go five seasons, it’s a miracle. In ways I don’t think we could have predicted, the season from the beginning feels like it’s the last; it just has a sense of finality. The studio was wonderful in that they recognized we needed to put a button on it, we needed a period on the end of the sentence, and so they allowed us to go back, which we did right before the strike, and [film] the coda that wraps up the series.

“Discovery” is a riot of love stories, among both heroes and villains.

There’s certainly a history of that in “Star Trek.” Whether or not characters were engaged in direct relationships, there was always a subtext of the love between them. I believe that’s why we love the bridge crew, because it’s really a love story, everyone’s in a love story, and they all care for each other and fight like family members. But ultimately they’re there to help each other and explore the universe together. If there’s some weird problem, and the answer’s not immediately apparent, each of them brings a different skill set and therefore a different perspective; they clash in their debate on how to proceed and then find some miraculous solution that none of them would have thought of at the outset.

One of the beautiful things about the shows is that you get to spend a long time with them, as opposed to a two-hour movie where you have to get in and out quickly and then wait a couple of years before the next one comes along. To be able to be on their weekly adventures, it affords the storytelling level of depth and complexity a two-hour movie just can’t achieve in that way.

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It’s astonishing how much matter you got into these things. Some storylines that only lasted an episode I remembered as seasonal arcs.

The sheer tonnage of story and character we were able to pack into “Discovery” every episode was kind of incredible. The thing to keep in mind is that “Discovery” was made as streaming was exploding, so what I think you’re also seeing there is a lot of writers who were trained in the network world with an A, B and C story applying it suddenly to a very different kind of storytelling in a much more cinematic medium. And when you have that kind of scope it starts to become really, really big. Sometimes that works really, really well and sometimes it was too much. And we were figuring it out; it was a bunch of people with flashlights in the dark, looking for how to interpret “Star Trek” now, since it had been 12 years since it had been on a television screen.

Are you able to course-correct within a season?

Sure. You get people you really trust in the room. Aaron Baiers, who runs Secret Hideout, is one of my most important early-warning systems; he isn’t necessarily in the room when we’re breaking stories, but he’s the first person who’ll read an outline and he’s the first person who’ll read a script. What I value so much about his perspective is that he’s coming in cold, he’s just like, “I’m the viewer, and I understand this or I don’t understand it, I feel this or I don’t feel it.” The studio executives are very similar. They love “Star Trek,” they’re all die-hard fans and have very strong feelings about what is appropriate. It then goes through a series of artists in every facet, from props to visual effects to production design, and they’re bringing their interpretations and opinions to the story.

Did “Strange New Worlds” come out of the fact that everybody loved seeing Christopher Pike in “Discovery?”

I really have to credit Akiva Goldsman with this. He knew that I was going to bring Pike into the premiere of the second season of “Discovery,” and said, “You know, there’s an incredible show about Capt. Pike and the Enterprise before Kirk takes over; there’s seven years of great storytelling there” — or five years, depending on when you come into the storyline. I said, “We have to cast a successful Pike first, so let’s see if that works. Let’s figure out who’s Number One, and who Spock is,” which are wildly tall orders. I hadn’t seen Anson Mount in other things before [he was cast as Pike], and when he sent in his taped audition it was that wonderful moment where you go, “That’s exactly the person we’re looking for.” Everybody loves Pike because he’s the kind of leader you want, definitive and clear but open to everyone’s perspective and humanistic in his response. And then we had the incredibly tall order of having Ethan [Peck] step into Leonard [Nimoy’s] and [Zachary Quinto’s] shoes.

He’s great.

He’s amazing, just a delight of a human being. And Rebecca Romijn‘s energy, what she brings to Number One is such a contemporary take on a character that was kind of a cipher in “The Original Series.” But she brings a kind of joy, a comedy, a bearing, a gravitas to the character that feels very modern. Thank God the fans responded the way they did and sent that petition [calling for a “Legacy” series], because everybody at CBS got the message very quickly. Jenny Lumet and Akiva and I wrote a pilot, and we were off to the races. Typically it takes fans a minute to adjust to what you’re doing, especially with beloved legacy characters, but the response to “Strange New World” from a critical perspective and fan perspective and just a viewership perspective was so immediate, it really did help us understand what was satisfying fans.

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What can you tell me about “Starfleet Academy?” Is it going to be Earth-based or space-based?

I’m going to say, without giving anything away, both. Right now we’re in the middle of answering the question what does San Francisco, where the academy is, look like in the 32nd century. Our primary set is the biggest we’ve ever built.

So you’re setting this —

In the “Discovery” era. There’s a specific reason for that. As the father of a 17-year-old boy, I see what my son is feeling as he looks at the world and to his future. I see the uncertainty; I see all the things we took for granted as given are not certainties for him. I see him recognizing he’s inheriting an enormous mess to clean up and it’s going to be on his generation to figure out how to do that, and that’s a lot to ask of a kid. My thinking was, if we set “Starfleet Academy” in the halcyon days of the Federation where everything was fine, it’s not going to speak to what kids are going through right now.

It’ll be a nice fantasy, but it’s not really going to be authentic. What’ll be authentic is to set it in the timeline where this is the first class back after over 100 years, and they are coming into a world that is only beginning to recover from a cataclysm — which was the Burn, as established on “Star Trek: Discovery,” where the Federation was greatly diminished. So they’re the first who’ll inherit, who’ll re-inherit, the task of exploration as a primary goal, because there just wasn’t room for that during the Burn — everybody was playing defense. It’s an incredibly optimistic show, an incredibly fun show; it’s a very funny show, and it’s a very emotional show. I think these kids, in different ways, are going to represent what a lot of kids are feeling now.

And I’m very, very , very excited that Holly Hunter is the lead of the show. Honestly, when we were working on the scripts, we wrote it for Holly thinking she’d never do it. And we sent them to her, and to our absolute delight and shock she loved them and signed on right away.

And then you’ve got the “Section 31” movie.

“Section 31” is Michelle Yeoh’s return as Georgiou. A very, very different feeling for “Star Trek.” I will always be so grateful to her, because on the heels of her nomination and then her Oscar win , she just doubled down on coming back to “Star Trek.” She could have easily walked away from it; she had a lot of other opportunities. But she remained steadfast and totally committed. We just wrapped that up and are starting to edit now.

Are you looking past “Starfleet” and “Section 31” to future projects?

There’s always notions and there are a couple of surprises coming up, but I really try to live in the shows that are in front of me in the moment because they’re so all-consuming. I’m directing the first two episodes of “Starfleet Academy,” so right now my brain is just wholly inside that world. But you can tell “Star Trek” stories forever; there’s always more. There’s something in the DNA of its construction that allows you to keep opening different doors. Some of that is science fiction, some of it has to do with the combination of science fiction and the organic embracing of all these other genres that lets you explore new territories. I don’t think it’s ever going to end. I think it’s going to go on for a long, long time. The real question for “Star Trek” is how do you keep innovating, how do you deliver both what people expect and something totally fresh at the same time. Because I think that is actually what people want from “Star Trek.” They want what’s familiar delivered in a way that doesn’t feel familiar.

With all our showrunners — Terry Matalas on “Picard,” the Hagemans on “Prodigy,” Mike McMahan on “Lower Decks,” Michelle Paradise, who has been singlehandedly running “Discovery” for the last two years, and then Akiva and Henry Alonso Myers on “Strange New Worlds” — my feeling is that the best way to protect and preserve “Star Trek” is not to impose my own vision on it but [find people] who meet the criteria of loving “Star Trek,” wanting to do new things with it, understanding how incredibly hard it is to do. And then I’m going to let you do your job. I’ll come in and tell you what I think every once in a while, and I’ll help get the boat off the dock, but once I hand the show over to a creative it has to be their show. And that means you’re going to get a different take every time, and as long as those takes all feel like they can marry into the same rainbow, to get back to the metaphor, that’s the way to keep “Star Trek” fresh.

I take great comfort because “Star Trek” really only belongs to Gene Roddenberry and the fans. We don’t own it. We carry it, we try to evolve it and then we hand it off to the next people. And hopefully they will love it as much as we do.

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Robert Lloyd has been a Los Angeles Times television critic since 2003.

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