Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart Took a Strange Final TV Turn in Bait
A playful side on television
Stewart’s television work included comic appearances as Alistair Burke on Frasier, the Stonecutters’ leader on The Simpsons, and a heightened version of himself on Extras. His co-star LeVar Burton recalled Stewart’s silliness in a tribute after the actor’s passing.
In Bait, Stewart took on a more unsettling kind of comedy. He supplied the voice for a severed pig’s head that speaks to Ahmed’s character.
Shah’s audition sets events off
The resulting leak sparks online backlash. Then someone throws a severed pig’s head through the window of Shah’s parents’ living room.
The voice behind Pigtrick
The following episode initially suggests Shah is being interviewed by Stewart. It becomes clear that Shah is speaking to the head in a freezer and hearing Stewart’s voice; he calls it “Pigtrick.” The head reflects Shah’s self-doubt as he seeks the recognition associated with playing Bond, a role often beyond reach for actors of color. As his hallucinations continue, Shah carries Pigtrick around town in a bag.
A role Stewart embraced
Ahmed told GQ that Stewart accepted the part because “he’d never read anything quite like this.” It became one of Stewart’s last television roles. The part stood apart from Stewart’s better-known comic work, but fit a career in which he continued to take chances and develop his craft.
Key points
- Stewart voiced Pigtrick, a severed pig’s head in Bait.
- Riz Ahmed plays Shah Latif, whose Bond audition leads to backlash and a hate crime.
- Shah hears Pigtrick speaking in Stewart’s voice as his self-doubt grows.
- Ahmed said Stewart accepted the role because he had never read anything quite like it.