Patrick Stewart once stormed off the Star Trek: The Next Generation set, which highlights a particular truth about Captain Jean-Luc Picard. For seven seasons of TNG, Captain Picard commanded the USS Enterprise-D through many adventures, saving the galaxy several times over. Forever stoic, Picard kept himself at a distance from the rest of the Enterprise crew, rarely displaying strong emotions. In the early days of TNG, Patrick Stewart, too, took his job as an actor very seriously. Stewart opens up about this in Making It So: A Memoir, acknowledging that he "could be a severe bastard."
Having previously worked on numerous performances for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Patrick Stewart was used to serious and often intense sets. When confronted with the sometimes silly antics of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast, Stewart initially reacted by calling a meeting to discourage the actors from goofing off, a meeting that he later stormed out of. However, the TNG cast became like a family to one another, and Patrick Stewart became one of the biggest jokers of them all. Stewart's journey from overly severe to warmer and less rigid mirrors Jean-Luc Picard's story in TNG and Star Trek: Picard.
Patrick Stewart's Real-Life Growth Echoes Jean-Luc Picard's Star Trek Arc
Patrick Stewart Grew Along With His Character
Although Captain Picard remained serious for most of Star Trek: The Next Generation's run, he had begun to warm up by the end of the series. He became open to the idea of embarking on a romance with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), although she was not ready at the time. Episodes like TNG season 5, episode 5, "Disaster," showed hints of Picard's softer side, as he helped three children remain calm while trapped in a turbolift. Still, Picard did not join in on the weekly poker games held by the crew until the iconic TNG series finale.
By the time of Star Trek: Picard season 1, Jean-Luc had retired from Starfleet and spent his time tending to his family's vineyard. Picard remained somewhat serious, but flashbacks revealed the ways he had softened over the years. While spearheading the Romulan Evacuation effort, Picard befriended a young Romulan named Elnor (Ian Nunney, Evan Evagora), bringing the boy gifts and teaching him how to fence. By Picard season 3, the changes in Picard were more obvious. He smiled more and was much more open with his reunited Enterprise-D crew mates, joining in their poker game without reservation.
Patrick Stewart's Walk-Off Story Proves He Was Always The Perfect Picard
Patrick Stewart Was Always The Perfect Choice To Play Captain Picard
At this point, it's difficult to imagine anyone other than Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was initially unhappy with the casting choice. However, Patrick Stewart proved to be the perfect Picard, and his story about storming out of a meeting highlights this. Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation's seven seasons, Stewart grew with Picard, lightening up a bit as Jean-Luc was becoming more open. By the time of Star Trek: Picard, both Patrick Stewart and Jean-Luc Picard have had time to reflect on their lives and what is important to them.
Patrick Stewart always brings a certain gravitas to Picard, elevating every scene he's in, and he got to grow with the character.
Jean-Luc Picard is different in Star Trek: Picard, but then, so is Patrick Stewart. It's been decades for both of them, and who doesn't grow and change over that amount of time? Picard is still fundamentally the same man, willing to risk his career and even his life for those he cares about, and Stewart brings the same calm and caring energy to the character. Star Trek: The Next Generation had a wonderful cast across the board, and Patrick Stewart's journey, in particular, mirrored that of his character in many ways.
