“Having fresh voices to tell these new stories is critical…”
A definite deluge of Star Trek fans will descend on Sin City later this week to celebrate the 60th anniversary of creator Gene Roddenberry’s stellar science fiction franchise. And while Sir Patrick Stewart isn’t slated to appear at this year's ST-LV: Trek to Vegas, he is still reflecting on franchise’s impending birthday as well as “the enduring power” of the space saga. Stewart said in an interview (per TV Insider):
“All of these anniversaries are wildly surreal for me […] The final scene of The Next Generation 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.”
Stewart portrayed Starfleet’s Jean-Luc Picard for the better part of 35 years from his first appearance as the captain of the USS Enterprise-D in The Next Generation’s series premiere “Encounter at Farpoint” (1987) until that wonderfully nostalgic poker scene with TNG’s core-seven actors in Star Trek: Picard’s finale, “The Last Generation” (2023).
While the Enterprise-D might be in mothballs, the legacy of Star Trek continues at warp speed with the current streaming series Strange New Worlds, Starfleet Academy, and the children-focused Scouts.
Plus, there are some big-screen Treks in the works. So, even though I hate that the fans might have seen the last of Stewart’s Captain Picard, the actor knows all too well about “the enduring power of Star Trek.”
“The enduring power of Star Trek and its values continues to reach new generations,” Stewart said during the same sit-down. “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.”
Is Patrick Stewart one of your favorite Star Trek actors, too? Share your thoughts and comments with us about the actor’s incredible legacy on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And the ST-LV 60th anniversary celebration in Las Vegas runs from Wednesday, Aug. 5, through Sunday, Aug. 9, at the Rio Hotel & Casino.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
Add us as a preferred source on Google