Patrick Stewart thought Captain Jean-Luc Picard should’ve seen more action in Star Trek: The Next Generation. As the commander of the USS Enterprise-D, Captain Picard turned out to be a very different type of Captain compared to James T. Kirk (William Shatner). On Star Trek: The Original Series, Kirk famously romanced many different women, both alien and human, and got into his fair share of fights. If Kirk was an action star, then Picard was a diplomat, preferring to solve problems with words rather than conflict. While this worked for the type of show TNG wanted to be, it seems Patrick Stewart wanted Picard to take a page out of Kirk’s book.
During the early days of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, Patrick Stewart wanted to keep things serious on set. Over time, however, the rest of the boisterous cast members wore off on Stewart as well. The TNG cast earned a reputation for their on-set antics, and Stewart wanted to bring some of that same energy into the show. TNG did not truly begin firing on all cylinders until season 3, and from that point on, Picard and the Enterprise-D crew begin to find themselves in more intense situations.
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Patrick Stewart Wanted Picard To Have More Fun In Star Trek: TNG
Captain Picard had more romances and action scenes as TNG progressed.
In The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, screenwriter Ronald D. Moore describes a conversation he had with Patrick Stewart on the set of TNG season 3, episode 5, “The Bonding.” Read his quote below:
The next time I was there I came to see them shooting my episode [“The Bonding”]. Richard [Arnold, archivist] took me down to the set, and they were filming a scene, and Patrick [Stewart] was there, and, at one point, Richard called Patrick over and introduced him to me and said, ‘This is Ron Moore, he wrote this episode.’ Patrick said, ‘Oh, lovely to meet you. It’s a marvelous script. Just so delighted. So are you writing another one for us?’ And I said, ‘Yes, as a matter of fact, I’m writing one about this Romulan defector.’ And he said, ‘Oh, just marvelous, can’t wait to read it. Just bear one thing in mind: The captain doesn’t do nearly enough screwing and shooting on this show.’
In many ways, Patrick Stewart got his wish. Later, in TNG season 3, episode 19, “Captain’s Holiday,” Picard meets a woman named Vash (Jennifer Hetrick), who pulls Picard into an archeological adventure. Vash brings out a different side of Picard and he finds himself developing feelings for her despite their very different lifestyles. In one of Captain Picard’s best episodes, TNG season 6, episode 18, “Starship Mine,” Jean-Luc gets to channel his inner John McClane from Die Hard as he singlehandedly saves the Starship Enterprise from would-be thieves. While Picard may not have had as many romances or been involved in as many phaser fights as Kirk, the Enterprise-D captain had his action-hero moments, too.
Captain Picard Got To Do More “Screwing & Shooting” In The TNG Movies
Star Trek: First Contact allowed Picard to be a true action hero.
Patrick Stewart wanted Picard to have his action hero moment, and while he had some action scenes on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Picard truly became an action hero in the TNG films. Star Trek Generations gave Picard the chance to meet Captain Kirk and save the galaxy alongside the Enterprise’s iconic former captain. Though Generations had its fair share of action, Star Trek: First Contact is a true sci-fi action film from start to finish. First Contact pits Captain Picard against the Borg, and introduces one of Star Trek’s best villains in the Borg Queen (Alice Krige).
In the next TNG film, Star Trek: Insurrection, Picard gets to have a new romance with a Ba’ku woman named Anij (Donna Murphy). Although the romance only lasts for the length of the film, it’s a sweet love story added to the quieter plot of Insurrection. Picard didn’t have as many romances as Captain Kirk, but Jean-Luc was a more reserved person who had difficulty opening up to people. Based on the latter half of TNG, as well as the TNG films, it seems somebody listened to Patrick Stewart’s request for more action scenes and more romance. Jean-Luc Picard was always diplomatic on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t also be an action hero sometimes.
- Cast
- Patrick Stewart , Marina Sirtis , Brent Spiner , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Wil Wheaton
- Seasons
- 7
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Showrunner
- Gene Roddenberry
