Why He Wants More Spinoffs (Exclusive)

Few actors are as inseparable from a single role as Patrick Stewart is from Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, a character who has spanned television eras, feature films and a modern revival that expanded Star Trek’s legacy. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010, the British actor’s career beyond Star Trek has remained equally distinguished, ranging from acclaimed stage performances in the likes of Macbeth and No Man’s Land to voice work across animation and video games, and from major film franchises such as X-Men to his bestselling memoir, Make It So.

With Star Trek celebrating its 60th anniversary, the franchise is also marking milestones for The Next Generation and the end of Picard. Stewart reflects on this moment with a mix of astonishment, gratitude and ongoing curiosity. What began in 1987 as a new chapter in Gene Roddenberry‘s vision of a utopian future became one of television’s defining cultural touchstones, with Picard at its moral center.

Here, in a rare and exclusive conversation, Stewart, who turns 86 on July 13, looks back on what it was like to return once again to a role he believed he had finished, reconnecting with longtime collaborators and friends and more.

How surreal is it to you that we’re talking about the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, the upcoming 40th anniversary of The Next Generation and the sixth anniversary of Picard?

Patrick Stewart: All of these anniversaries are wildly surreal for me, but the 40th anniversary of The Next Generation is particularly remarkable. I still remember my first day driving onto the Paramount lot like it was yesterday.

Assuming that you’ve really played Jean-Luc Picard for the last time, how satisfied are you with where the closing moments of “The Last Generation,” the final episode of Picard, left him?

The final scene of The Next Generation [the episode “All Good Things…”] has always felt like such a beautiful send-off, but of course we then filmed multiple movies after the series wrapped. I truly thought Nemesis was my last time playing Jean-Luc, but then along came Picard — and I’m delighted with how that series ended.

The initial plan for Picard was not to have most of the Next Generation cast appear. You even told them that during a gathering. What changed — and what do you feel worked best about their participation in Season 3?

I’m so glad I listened to the writers and producers of Picard. Having the whole cast involved in that final season made for an absolutely joyous and satisfying experience. They’re all such dear friends, but also exceptionally talented artists.

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Your wife, Sunny Ozell, sang during a nightclub sequence in “Monsters,” a second-season episode of Picard. How exciting — and how much of a proud-husband moment — was it to have her world of singing and your worlds of acting and Star Trek intersect?

I wish I could take credit for the idea, but it was actually [executive producers] Akiva Goldsman and Terry Matalas who suggested it. I wasn’t called the day that Sunny and her band filmed the scene, but I couldn’t resist going to the set all the same to watch her work. I’ve always felt that her music is quite cinematic, and it was a brilliant fit for the episode itself.

Years ago, you very publicly expressed your concern about Captain Picard and The Next Generation possibly being an “albatross” around your neck. All this time later, and post-Picard, where do you see the character and Star Trek in your life and career?

Without question, Jean-Luc is the most significant role of my career. And I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of what is now such a historic franchise.

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When The Next Generation started, it was you and William Shatner as our Star Trek captains. What’s it been like for you to watch the actors and actresses who have followed in your footsteps, and in some cases even work with them or meet them at conventions?

The enduring power of Star Trek and its values continues to reach new generations, and I’ll always cheer on new series and new adaptations of this story. Having fresh voices to tell these new stories is critical, and I’m thrilled any time I get to meet a new member of the Star Trek “tribe.”

It used to be a joke that Leonard Nimoy was the busiest retired man on the planet. You seem pretty busy too, with one last go-round as Professor X in Avengers: Doomsday, your recent Shakespeare sonnets project and some voiceover work. Are you retired? Slowly pulling back? Becoming ultra-selective? And, however you define it, how much are you appreciating this time?

As any actor my age will tell you, there are fewer and fewer available roles as we get older. That being said, I still continue to receive interesting offers and I love being challenged by new work, like voicing a pig’s head in Riz Ahmed‘s brilliant new series Bait. I can’t imagine ever officially “retiring.” I’ll always and forever be an actor.