Patrick Stewart's death has brought a litany of stories about the late actor, and many of those have been about his time starring on Star Trek: The Next Generation. It goes without saying that Stewart remains beloved for playing one of Trek's best characters. On top of that, though he also brought about a sweet change to the show that wasn't even present amid William Shatner's tenure on within the franchise.
As we stated in previous stories, TNG was Stewart's first major TV role as a lead. Whether it was a lack of confidence or his signature humble attitude, the actor explained during one of his appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he didn't want so much emphasis being placed on him as the show's lead. He said:
I was the captain, I was flying the ship, but I didn't want to be [the star]... I continually insisted we are an ensemble. We are not with different degrees of importance. One of the outcomes of that was that we became such close friends.
While William Shatner's era of Star Trek resulted in some big feuds between its cast, that wasn't the case with The Next Generation. They all remained good friends for decades, and that lovely fact made the late Jean-Luc Picard star's death all the more devastating. It was both heartwarming and upsetting to see the cast share their tributes and memories of Stewart, given they were struggling with the loss of a good friend.
While Patrick Stewart's death was hard to fathom, at least he and his former Star Trek castmates got to work together one more time in Season 3 of Picard much to fans' delight. It's still wild to think that Stewart passed just a few years after the finale aired, and with that in mind, we're truly lucky to have witnessed that sequel series.
The Picard actor may be gone, but there's no doubt his legacy will live on through those who watch Star Trek: The Next Generation with a Paramount+ subscription. Even now, the series remains the most consistent and successful of the bunch and is generally considered one of the best sci-fi shows of all time.
All of that is thanks in no small part to Stewart's performance as Picard. The Captain's stoic nature, and the juxtaposition from his quiet strength to Kirk's Maverick attitude, resulted in one of the most compelling characters Trek had seen since Spock. Jean-Luc -- and Stewart by extension -- showed that there were other ways to be strong (even without a full head of hair).
Patrick Stewart's death is sure to leave a profound impact on the Star Trek franchise for some time, and I wonder how the franchise will honor him down the road. With a new movie on the way, in addition to future shows likely in development, I can't imagine there not being some kind of tribute to the man who sought not to elevate himself but to forge tight bonds with his co-stars.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream right now over on Paramount+. Those without access can also catch episodes on Pluto TV by checking out the Star Trek channel, as it's been cycling a good deal of TNG as of late.
