For those of us who grew up addicted to science fiction and fantasy during the 1980s and 1990s, this has been a truly horrific Halloween week.
Patrick Stewart, whose Captain Jean-Luc Picard blended intelligence, restraint, and moral courage during his fictional command, has died at 86. His spokesperson announced that he died today in Los Angeles following “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
Legendary actor Sir Patrick Stewart, best known for his work in the “Star Trek” and “X-Men” franchises and his prolific award-winning stage career, has died at 86 years old, his spokesperson confirmed.Stewart died at home on Wednesday, spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak said in a statement. His death followed “a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia,” Novak said.”He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all,” Novak said.
His death follows the loss of Walter Koenig, the original Star Trek’s beloved Pavel Chekov, whose death was reported earlier this week. So, Stewart’s loss was a second painful farewell for fans already mourning another beloved member of the Enterprise family.
Koenig died Sunday night at his home in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, talent rep Zachery McGinnis said in a statement. He died surrounded by his daughter and niece, McGinnis said….”My heart is heavy,” Koenig’s castmate, George Takei, said on social media. “Walter was more than Chekov. He was a writer, a teacher, a thoughtful man, and a loyal friend.”
Some actors play memorable characters. Others become part of the furniture of our imaginations: Familiar voices we associate with particular years, favorite people, and evenings when the television offered something worth anticipating.
Stewart belonged firmly in that second category.
For many viewers, Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987 to 1994, provided the defining introduction. Stewart’s Picard was not a replacement for Kirk. He was a different kind of captain…which is great (but Captain Kirk will always be my Captain).
Watching him, you could believe that an advanced civilization might actually put a thoughtful, educated adult in charge of its most important starship.
His signature instruction, “Make it so,” worked because Stewart made us believe that Picard had already considered what “it” would require. The Shakespearean actor had found an unlikely home on a syndicated science-fiction series, and helped turn that assignment into seven seasons and four feature films.
But those of us with sufficiently more aged viewing memories knew that remarkable voice before the Enterprise-D left spacedock.
In the exceptional Masterpiece Theater series “I, Claudius”, Stewart played Sejanus, bringing menace to the treacherous world of imperial Rome. Here was a useful reminder that the man we would trust with a starship could also make power look thoroughly dangerous. This was, in fact, my introduction to Stewart.
Then there was “Excalibur ” (1981), with Stewart as Leondegrance amid John Boorman’s dazzling and ethereal Arthurian spectacle (with a bonus introduction to Liam Neeson). Before the Starfleet uniform came the armor…and another performance that helped make an extravagant fictional world feel more real.
And, of course, there was David Lynch’s “Dune” (1984). As Gurney Halleck, Stewart brought soldierly grit and loyalty to House Atreides. His presence remains one of the many pleasures for fans who encountered Arrakis through this stylish and ambitious film.
Returning to the Star Trek universe, my earlier Legal Insurrection coverage has shown that this fandom is more than passive entertainment. My post, “Legal Battle Ritual to begin in Star Trek Fan Film Case,” explored the Axanar dispute and the remarkable enthusiasm that drives fans to create stories of their own.
My 2021 piece, “Science Fiction Morphs into Science Fact,” covered the announcement of William Shatner’s planned Blue Origin flight. This was an iconic meeting of television mythology and actual space exploration.
Those stories capture something important about why this loss hurts. These performers did not simply entertain us. They helped furnish a shared vocabulary for discovery, duty, friendship, and the future.
Stewart’s particular gift was gravitas without emotional emptiness. His characters could be formidable, but his best performances always suggested a living person beneath the authority.
This week, the final frontier feels emptier and more desolate.
Fortunately, the performances remain: Rome’s conspiracies, Arthur’s Britain, the sands of Arrakis, and that familiar bridge where a captain could face the unknown with curiosity rather than fear.
One can only hope the entertainment industry recovers enough to discover, support, and showcase this level of talent and creativity in the future.
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