Eye Opener: Why Patrick Stewart’s Favorite Star Trek Episode Still Resonates After He Dies at 86

A life as Kamin

“The Inner Light” first aired on May 30, 1992, during the show’s fifth season. A probe sends an energy beam at Picard, who wakes on a distant planet and is told by a woman that he is Kamin, not Picard.

At first, he resists the new identity. Over decades, he accepts life as a husband and father, leaving behind his belief that he is a Starfleet captain.

A culture preserved

The planet’s people are long gone. They created the probe so someone could experience their culture and remember them. Picard wakes on the Enterprise to learn that just 25 minutes have passed in the real world. Stewart told Wired that living another person’s life for decades made Picard “a different person.” His real-life son Daniel played Kamin’s son.

A celebrated Star Trek story

Freelance screenwriter Morgan Gendel wrote the episode, which received the 1993 Hugo Award for best dramatic presentation. It was the first television episode to win the award in a quarter century; the previous winner was “The City on the Edge of Forever,” from “Star Trek: The Original Series.” The episode has been ranked No. 1 on a list of the best “Star Trek” episodes. Much of it unfolds away from the Enterprise, with little action, yet its emotional focus reflects the franchise’s interest in the human condition.

Stewart’s words endure

The story’s bittersweet account of a life fully lived feels especially poignant following Stewart’s death. Its closing message, spoken by Picard as Kamin, urges Meribor to value the present.