This has been a terrible week for Trekkies. Sir Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard across “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” its spin-off films, and sequel series “Star Trek: Picard,” has died at age 86. Earlier this week, actor Walter Koenig — who played Pavel Chekov in “Star Trek” — also passed away at age 90.
Stewart’s passing begins a tragic trend; he’s the first of the actors to play a lead “Star Trek” captain to die. His predecessor, William Shatner, who, of course, led “Star Trek” as Captain James T. Kirk, has given public condolences for Stewart’s passing in a statement shared on social media, including Instagram and Twitter/X.
Shatner’s full statement can be read below:
“What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work. My heart goes out to Sunny [Ozell, his wife] and his family. He will be deeply missed.”
Shatner, who turned 95 this year, is currently the last surviving member of the original “Star Trek” cast alongside George Takei (and may that stay the case for many, many more years). Upon Koenig’s passing this week, Shatner gave a similar public condolence despite some admitted differences during Koenig’s lifetime.
Star Trek brought Patrick Stewart and William Shatner together
It should be noted that Shatner and Stewart didn’t just cross paths at conventions or in documentaries (such as Shatner’s own 2011 doc “The Captains”); they actually worked on a “Star Trek” project together. Captains Kirk and Picard were separated by a century of time, but the 1994 film “Star Trek: Generations” used some sci-fi physics to bring the two together. Long story short, Kirk has spent decades frozen in time in a place called “the Nexus” that conjures your greatest desires.
Despite uniting the two most famous Enterprise captains, “Star Trek: Generations” is generally not a fan favorite. But the scenes where the two first meet, and Picard has to convince Kirk to leave the Nexus for one final adventure, serve as the highlight. (The subsequent action scene that leads to Kirk’s death? Less so.)
Shatner holds his own in those scenes with Stewart. He’s often dismissed as a ham, and he’s leaned into that for comedic roles, most notably as Denny Crane on “Boston Legal.” Stewart, meanwhile, remained a respected actor his whole life. But the two men actually share very similar backgrounds. Stewart was famously part of the Royal Shakespeare Company before he became Captain Picard. Less famously, Shatner also began his career as a stage actor; during the 1950s, he was part of Ontario’s Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
Shatner has even said that watching Stewart act as Picard on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” renewed his passion for “Star Trek,” calling Stewart’s performance as Picard a “great piece of work.” At the end of “Star Trek: Generations,” Picard is left to carry on Kirk’s memory, and sadly, 32 years later, those roles have now been reversed.
