Fans of Star Trek have a strong affection for their captains. People debated whether Captain Kirk or Picard was superior for years after Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered. Despite the past, several lists rank Picard as the greatest leader in Starfleet history, and Gene Roddenberry and Patrick Stewart did a fantastic job portraying him.
Here are some weird, fun, and deeply personal facts about Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
1. Jonathan Frakes Patrick Stewart Impression Led to Picard Day
The episode with “Captain Picard Day,” titled “The Pegasus” deals with some weighty and dark themes. According to Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (p. 277) writer Ronald D. Moore wanted a light-hearted tone in the opening teaser to balance it.
He knew that Jonathan Frakes did a hilarious impersonation of Patrick Stewart. So he devised a way to have him do it onscreen. Speaking of which there’s a part of the opening that is also surprising.
2. Real Kids Made the Picard Day Contest Entries
The episode opens with Troi telling Picard there’s a contest. He has to choose one of the children’s entries for “Captain Picard Day” (he’s a role model). The entries for “Captain Picard Day” look very realistic and childlike.
Among the entries are dolls, drawings, and other items. Real children made all the items from two local elementary schools and the children of property master Alan Sims.
3. Patrick Stewart Was Not the First Choice
When deciding who to cast as the captain of the new starship Enterprise several other actors were considered.
Mitchell Ryan (Judge Dredd), Roy Thinnes (The Invaders), and Yaphet Kotto (Alien) were among them. Concerned about transitioning from a successful film career to television, Kotto declined the job, subsequently referring to it as a “wrong decision.” The part was offered to Edward James Olmos, but he declined. Olmos would later star as the captain of the Battlestar Galactica reboot.
4. Stewart Was Almost Data
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry knew the captain would be important for the Next Generation. As the main character of the series and the person who commanded everyone aboard the Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard was important. Roddenberry was inspired by two well-known Swiss scientists from the 20th century, Auguste and Jean Piccard, from whom his name was taken.
Originally scheduled for Commander Data, Patrick Stewart’s name started to circulate for a part on the series. According to Roddenberry, Stewart had to be “masculine, virile and had a lot of hair” to be cast. To persuade Roddenberry that “Stewart was the one they had been looking for to sit in the captain’s chair,” weeks of back-and-forth conversations were necessary.
5. Picard’s Missing French Accent
If Picard is supposed to be French, why does he have a British accent? The in-universe explanation is that French is a dead language in the future.
On the show the original plan for Picard may have called for a French accent, the writers were so impressed by actor Patrick Stewart’s performance that they chose to retain his natural British accent, even if it wasn’t exactly in line with the character’s upbringing. In an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, he says there’s a video of him trying a French accent. It didn’t go well.
He would later parody his French accent in the sequel series Star Trek: Picard as a sinister French smuggler.
4. Didn’t Think the Show Would Work
Stewart was skeptical the show would last more than one season. He also thought the show might continue but his role would be recast. So he never unpacked his bags.
In his memoir, “Making It So,”, he described his first Star Trek convention. He thought the room would be empty or only a few hundred people.
“In due time, I was escorted to the wings, where someone introduced me: ‘And here he is, Jean-Luc Picard himself, Patrick Stewart!’ I walked out to an audience of over two thousand people, on their feet, roaring. And I hadn’t even done anything! I tried to start speaking but could not, because the roar had not abated. I was overwhelmed. At forty-seven years of age, I had stood on stages thousands of times and performed in hundreds of shows. But I had never experienced anything like this.”
It was after this experience that he realized how powerful the show and his role in it had become.
5. Picard’s Pet Fish Was Never Named
The lionfish living in Captain Picard’s Ready Room was never named in the show. But it was known as Livington. Why? The fact that the fish was named after producer David Livingston may have been a difficult in-universe joke to explain. In an emergency, they could have, of course, directed us to Dr. David Livingstone. However, the question is irrelevant because the colorful creature was never given a name on the show.
Ironically, the fish tank was denounced by ardent animal rights advocate Patrick Stewart. Keeping a fish under glass, was not a fitting representation of the enlightened twenty-four and a half centuries.
10. Stewart Did the Torture Scene Naked
Patrick Stewart, a classically trained theater performer, took his role in Star Trek: The Next Generation seriously from the beginning. He took his performance even more seriously in the season 6 episode “Chain of Command,” where Picard is taken captive by the Cardassians and tortured by Gul Madred (David Warner).
Stewart, a member of Amnesty International, was dedicated to making the episode accurate and respectful to torture survivors. Picard is tortured by methods including isolation, starvation, and intense physical pain (there are FOUR lights!).
The actor worked with Amnesty International and watched tapes of torture survivors to create the episode. Usually, these scenes are filmed with flesh-colored underwear, but he insisted on doing it nude on a closed set. He wanted to honor those who had experienced similar pain. Stewart’s experience led to one of the best episodes of “The Next Generation.”
11. Picard Became a Borg Because of a Contract Dispute
Jean-Luc Picard, captured by the Borg, was given the identity Locutus of Borg to assimilate the Federation. He learned battle tactics and ship emplacements, leading the Borg in conflicts. Eventually, Picard was de-Borgified and returned to being himself, using his knowledge to great effect. This happened due to a contract dispute with Patrick Stewart, not a pre-planned story arc.
According to author Michael Piller, Paramount asked the writing team to come up with a plan for perhaps removing Patrick Stewart, who plays Picard, from the show after the third season. The reason for this was that Paramount was having trouble negotiating a deal with Stewart that would allow him to return for the fourth season.
12. Stewart Couldn’t Stop Crying
All good things must come to an end and the Next Generation movie Star Trek: Nemesis was intended to be a final farewell to the cast. It was an emotional time for everyone, especially Patrick Stewart.
The farewell scene between Picard and Riker had to be re-shot after Patrick Stewart unintentionally started crying. He later said:
“I will say that at the end of the film, I’m saying goodbye to Riker and I found myself completely caught up in the moment. I broke down. Out of the clear blue sky, my emotions overwhelmed me. I collapsed in Jonathan’s arms and felt such a fool. The entire crew watched me cry and then started muttering, ‘What’s going on? Has he been drinking or something?’ But in that moment, absolutely everything coalesced; the feelings that I had for these people over the years. Saying goodbye was absolutely terrifying and agonizing for me.”
9. Stewart’s Abusive Father
In the first episode of Picard, he has a passionate speech on live television. It concludes with the words “It’s not so easy for those who died, and it’s not so easy for those who were left behind” which directly alludes to Alfred, Patrick Stewart’s abusive father.
He was one of the British soldiers rescued from Dunkirk during World War II. Stewart has openly spoken about the violent domestic abuse his family dealt with growing up with his father.
Sixty years later, Stewart discovered that his father most likely suffered from PTSD during the war, a disorder that was not yet fully recognized. Stewart later said he reconciled with his father’s anger and violence against his family.
10. Stewart Didn’t Want the Original Cast to Return
The sequel series Star Trek: Picard was a massive success but Stewart had conditions if he would reprise his role. One of his big requirements was the original cast not return. He didn’t want to rely on nostalgia.
“I know there’s strong sentimental feelings about ‘Next Generation’” He later said. “And that’s lovely. It affects me. It moves me. But that’s essentially not what ‘Star Trek’ was about. I didn’t want for all of that work to collapse into internal jokes about the previous show or comedic episodes or even romantic episodes.”
Showrunner Terry Matalas initially wanted to bring back all actors, which didn’t sit well with Stewart. Season 3 featured nearly every character from The Next Generation, but it was a fight with Stewart.
