On Star Trek, Patrick Stewart could make anyone feel hopeful for humanity

As Jean-Luc Picard in seven seasons, four films and a sequel, Stewart made us believe the most interesting person in the room might also be the most humane Patrick Stewart dies age 86 His life in pictures Patrick Stewart brought gravitas and complexity to the screen, from Star Tr

As Jean-Luc Picard in seven seasons, four films and a sequel, Stewart made us believe the most interesting person in the room might also be the most humane Patrick Stewart dies age 86 His life in pictures Patrick Stewart brought gravitas and complexity to the screen, from Star Trek to X-Men ‘He stood for the best of us’: William Shatner and more pay tribute What might humanity look like in 400 years’ time if we really do become wiser and more compassionate with each passing decade? The creators of Star Trek: The Next Generation clearly felt the answer closely resembled Patrick Stewart, who has died aged 86 after a short illness . Their decision may well have opened up an entirely new future for Gene Roddenberry’s enduring, resolutely utopian space saga.

Prior to the casting of the classically trained Yorkshireman in 1987, Star Trek was best known for the interplay between William Shatner’s charismatic, impulsive Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy’s drily logical Spock. Stewart brought something of both men to the captain’s chair as Jean-Luc Picard, combining analytical rigour with a depth of feeling his imposing formality could never quite conceal. Continue reading...