Picard’s Greatness: How Patrick Stewart Made Star Trek History Like No Other and Proved His Legacy
A return to Jean-Luc Picard
After Star Trek: Discovery succeeded, Paramount+ asked executive producer Alex Kurtzman to develop more series. The priority was persuading Patrick Stewart to reprise Picard, whom he had last played in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis. His return was announced at the 2018 STLV: Trek to Vegas convention.
Stewart chose a three-season run, and Star Trek: Picard ended after that planned span. The production filmed in and around Los Angeles rather than at Pinewood Studios in Toronto, allowing Stewart to work close to home. Responses to the first two seasons were mixed, while the third was widely regarded as the series’ strongest.
A rare naming distinction
Star Trek includes a dozen television series and 14 films, but Picard is the only one named for an iconic character. Other series names refer to ships or places, including Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
On his podcast, Dropping Names... And Other Things, Jonathan Frakes recalled telling Stewart the series should be called Picard because of the name’s hard consonant. The title could have been either Picard or Jean-Luc, Frakes said.
Picard’s influence on captains
Picard differed from the captain archetype established by William Shatner’s James T. Kirk, giving Star Trek: The Next Generation its own identity. Over time, Stewart’s portrayal also shaped expectations for captains in later series executive produced by Rick Berman.
Picard was portrayed as demanding and authoritative, but also intelligent, ethical and compassionate. In a Variety tribute, Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher, praised the character’s concern for ethics and described his leadership as eloquent, serious and intellectual.
Key points
- Star Trek: Picard ran for three seasons, as Stewart had decided contractually.
- Picard is the only iconic character to have a Star Trek series or film named after him.
- The series filmed in and around Los Angeles so Stewart could work near home.
- Gates McFadden praised Picard’s ethical and thoughtful leadership.